NOTE: You guys know I don't own these characters. They are property of the creators of The Big Bang Theory. However, there will be a few characters that are my own creations interwoven throughout. Enjoy!

*The Compatibility Constant*
Chapter 25: The Double-Date Dissidence

As expected, the restaurant was a hub of activity. It was a Saturday night, after all.

Amy and Sheldon arrived just before the agreed upon time, but Ben and Claire weren't there yet. Since the couple couldn't be seated without their complete party, they waited on a bench next to a large fountain filled with coy fish.

Sheldon scrunched his nose at the murky water.

"Ick," he said. "The fish smell bad. And I don't think they clean this fountain regularly."

"Probably not," Amy agreed with a shrug. "But some bacteria in a pond like this can actually be beneficial for it's tiny ecosystem… even if it is a little slimy." Some brownish sludge caught her eye. "Though, I think this one may be borderline unsafe."

She inched toward Sheldon to move away from a particularly suspicious looking bit of mossy goop that had accumulated on the edge of the pond near her. "It could probably be worse, though."

She set her hand on her boyfriend's knee, and instead of tensing or pulling away, he placed his hand over hers and smiled.

"No. I suppose it's tolerable."

He's being surprisingly easygoing, Amy thought.

Despite the fact that he was obligated to endure a double date, and he was sitting mere inches from what could very easily be a mushy pile of disease-ridden marine plant life - with her hand on his knee, no less – he was unusually content. And Amy still couldn't believe that he had kissed her of his own volition less than an hour before. She debated whether or not to discuss with him the events that had taken place earlier that evening. Surely he has questions… or concerns… or – God forbid- complaints?

However, just as Amy had mustered up the courage to say something, a curly-haired blonde stepped through he doorway on the arm of a man Amy would recognize anywhere.

Ben was dressed to the nines, and had opted to get a haircut for the occasion, which Amy assumed was his girlfriend's doing.

"Hi Ben! Hi Claire!" Amy stood, dragging Sheldon up with her.

Ben gave an uncommitted wave, while Claire plastered a sincere smile across her face.

"Hello!" she beamed. "Its so nice to see Ben's friends again! I don't get to meet many of them, so this is a real treat for me."

"We aren't his friends," Sheldon said bluntly. He winced when Amy elbowed him in the ribcage.

"I'm a friend of Ben's," Amy said with a smile. "Sheldon here just met him the same day we met you."

"Oh I see," Claire said. "Well, I'm excited to be here with you all the same, Sheldon."

Amy nudged Sheldon again and he gave Claire an oversized, albeit slightly creepy, smile.

Ben had been silent the whole time, letting his girlfriend do all the talking. I suppose that's how their relationship works, Amy thought. Ben's a pretty quiet guy, especially when you consider how bubbly Claire is. They balance each other well.

"I think we can be seated now. Is everyone ready to eat?" Amy asked.

They all nodded, and the hostess showed them to their seats. The group was placed around the hibachi grill, with either couple on the opposite side of a single corner. Amy took the chair closest to Ben at the edge, to spare Sheldon the discomfort of socialization.

Another family of four was seated at the table beside them. There was an average-looking middle-aged man and woman, a teenage boy dressed in gothic makeup and clothing, and a chubby little girl who looked to be no older than ten.

Amy smiled and waved at them. The little girl returned her wave with a cheerful grin. Amy noticed she was missing one of her front teeth.

Claire leaned forward so Amy and Sheldon could hear her over their tablemates' chatter and the clanging of metal cookware at a nearby grill. "So, Sheldon, what is it that you do? Where do you work?"

Sheldon threw Amy disapproving glance. It appeared the hibachi table setting would not allow him to escape the small talk, as Amy had led him to believe.

"I'm a theoretical physicist," he answered. "I work at Caltech."

"How about you, Amy?" she asked.

"I work at UCLA. I'm a neurobiologist."

"Oh wow! Two science-types! Just like my Ben here!" She smiled and patted his hand.

Ben frowned at her touch, but didn't pull away. He looked at Amy to see if she had acknowledged his progress, and she rewarded him with a sideways smile. He is making allowances for Claire. She remembered the time that Ben had pulled away from her in the deli. With Claire it was different, though. She was special. Her touch meant something more to him. Amy received similar treatment from Sheldon. He had made so many concessions for her; She was able to touch him, hug him and now, it seemed, even kiss him with limited resistance.

Sheldon and I are unique… but we aren't alone. She smiled at the thought.

The chef came out to take their orders, and then quickly hustled back to the kitchen, promising to return shortly.

"So, Claire," Amy said, eager to keep the conversation lively. "I know Ben is a chemist. What is it that you do?"

"I'm a school teacher. Second grade," she shrugged. "Not so amazing as what you all do, I know."

"Not true." Ben spoke his first words since the group had arrived. He'd been so quiet that Amy almost forgot he could talk.

"Without people like you shaping the minds of young children," Ben continued, "today's Nobel prize winners might never have achieved such success. Who knows which advancements the world would be deprived of today if grade school teachers didn't exist."

Amy was surprised with how succinctly Ben had delivered such an impressive complement to his girlfriend… and Claire looked like she could just about cry.

Ben gaped at her with a slightly panicked look in his eyes. "I didn't mean to upset you!"

The blonde shook her head and used a finger to blot under her eye, so that a tear wouldn't fall.

"It's a girl thing," Amy whispered to Ben. "Don't worry. She's not upset." Amy was proud of herself. A few years ago, she would have been just as confused by Claire's emotional response as Ben. Amy realized her mother had been right after all. I've grown so much.

"Oh, I see." Ben still looked confused and uncomfortable. So, despite his aversion to talking to new people, he diverted his attention to Sheldon in order to avoid any further unease with Claire.

"So, Sheldon," Ben said. "Theoretical physics, eh?"

"Yes." Sheldon frowned again at Amy.

I know, I know, she thought to herself. I promised him limited interaction. I suppose I'll have to be punished later. A sly smirk formed on her face.

"Any great breakthroughs I should know about?" Ben asked.

"I'm always working on a great breakthrough. That's what makes physics the most important of the sciences. There's the potential in every day for my mind to birth a life-changing discovery. My brain is truly the womb of exploration."

The 'womb of exploration'. Sometimes Amy forgot how poetic her boyfriend could be. Be still, my heart.

Amy's loins may have been set afire, but Ben seemed shocked by the Sheldon's premise and shook his head in offense. "Excuse me? How is physics any more important than chemistry?"

Amy hung her head. Crap. She was afraid this might happen. When two hardheaded scientists like Ben and Sheldon get together, it can cause trouble. A similar disagreement almost caused a permanent rift between Sheldon and herself so many years ago.

"Physics is the science of everything," Sheldon explained. "And as such, any great breakthrough in physics can be applied to all other scientific fields."

"There would be no physics without chemistry," Ben argued.

"No," Sheldon said firmly. "There would be no chemistry without physics."

"You, sir, are mistaken." Ben leaned forward across Amy to continue the debate, but the chef wheeled in a cart with their food, and the moment was interrupted.

Thank God, Amy said to herself.

The chef squeezed some sort of liquid – she assumed a type of alcohol - across the heated grill and lit it on fire. The flame shot across the table and a wave of heat washed over them.

The little girl in the family beside them squealed and clapped her hands in delight.

"Chemistry." Ben pointed to the grill. "That's Chemistry."

Sheldon rolled his eyes. "Of course it is. It's all nonsense and theatrics. Physics is beautiful in its vast, subatomic complexity. It's not dependent on explosions and other such piffle to keep people interested."

It was Ben's turn to scoff. "Doesn't depend on theatrics? What do you call black holes and supernovas? Or even multiple dimensions and wormholes? Theoretical physicists have been dreaming up the most over-the-top and bizarre objects in the universe for years. Parallel universes? Come on…"

"Ha! Shows what you know. We discover these objects. We don't create them. We are merely pointing out things that actually exist in nature… or that may exist in nature," Sheldon said. "We don't create pyrotechnical displays just to show off at concerts and fireworks shows."

"The world is filled with chemical reactions! It's not all fire and explosions! These reactions allow scientists to…"

Amy was only half-listening to the boys' verbal scuffle. She had her eyes on the chef; entranced by the way he moved his hands and tossed the knife around his fingers with ease. Even Sheldon forced himself to stop his bickering when the man make a cone-shaped train out of stacked onion slices. Her boyfriend 'choo-choo'ed along with the chef as it was nudged along the grill, steam pouring out the top.

In that moment, Amy was pleased that Sheldon was able to find a way to enjoy himself, but, to her dismay, it was short-lived. As soon as the onion-train spectacle was over, he returned his attention to the argument at hand.

When Sheldon complained that chemistry is no more than applied physics, Ben rebutted with a jab at the 'unproven' nature of theoretical sciences. Sheldon returned fire by hurling an insult at Ben about how his workplace most likely reeked of 'nose-hair singeing' hydrogen sulfide.

"There are chemical reactions going on every day inside the human body," Ben defended, ignoring the insult about his workplace. "Without having studied these reactions, we'd have no idea how the basic functions of life work."

"Well, consider this," Sheldon countered. "Astro-physicists discovered that the most basic parts of the human body have been found to have the same material as the stars. The STARS, sir! These are the same elements that were formed in the creation of the universe… and as physicists are the ones looking at theories for the universe's conception, by default this would mean that physics predates chemistry."

"So you claim," Ben rolled his eyes. "Sure, people may be made of some celestial materials… but you can't prove those specific elements came from the stars. You're guessing. Bottom line: Chemistry can be proven. It produces testable results. What are you working on? String Theory? I dare you to provide me with one iota of proof that String Theory is the be-all-end-all of a grand unifying theory. I'm not saying you're wrong… but I'm challenging you to prove that you're right."

Sheldon began to twitch in anger. "Of all the nefarious, vile – "

"Gentlemen!" Claire called out with a raised voice. "Both chemistry and physics are important! Can't we all just get along, here? You're acting like my second graders."

The boys stopped their quarrel, both breathing hard and fuming. They stared at Claire for a moment after her outburst and then turned to Amy.

"What do you think, Amy?" Ben asked. "You're a scientist. Which field is more beneficial?"

Amy glanced back and forth between the two men. She was the meat in an egotistical sandwich.

"I agree with Claire. Both fields have their merits."

"Hey! I'm your boyfriend! You have to agree with me!" Sheldon whined.

"Says who?"

"Says YOU," Sheldon answered, pointing a boney finger at her. "You made me side with you over Wil Wheaton… and he was on Star Trek! This fellow is just a mediocre chemist." He waved his hand derisively at Ben.

"Who are you calling mediocre?" Ben asked. He started to rise out of his chair, but Claire grabbed is arm and whispered something in his ear, which seemed to calm him down.

"Sheldon, Wil Wheaton was being unreasonable," Amy argued. "The situations are nothing alike." Wil Wheaton is a horrible actor and an incredibly rude human being, Amy thought. She couldn't see why Sheldon liked him so much.

A cheer from the family beside them got their attention. The chef had just tossed a shrimp into the little girl's mouth. She was bouncing up and down in her seat, excited.

Amy frowned. Dang. I missed the shrimp toss. I wanted that. She had heard about such activities taking place at these establishments and had very much wanted to participate.

"The point is," she continued, pushing through her disappointment, "We are here to spend a pleasant evening with each other. Please don't ruin it for Claire and I, or you'll have to deal with our wrath later."

The men quieted down and settled back in their chairs.

Sheldon immediately fumbled for Amy's hand under the table. He found it, and squeezed it tightly.

Ben eagerly studied their clasped hands, then reached out and took Claire's palm in his, holding it loosely in her lap. Amy could tell the gesture took Claire completely by surprise. She gaped at Ben's hand on hers.

Ben threw a timid glance back at Amy, and she gave him a reassuring nod of approval. He was learning. At this rate, they'll move along at triple the speed that Sheldon and I have been going.

"So Amy, how did you and Ben meet?" Claire asked, in a desperate attempt at more friendly conversation. "Ben here has been annoyingly vague on the matter."

Amy eyed Ben carefully. She hadn't told Sheldon about Ben's role in the removal from her project at work, and didn't really want to cause any more trouble between the two of them.

"Umm… we… worked together," Amy said. Not untrue.

The chef began scooping fried rice onto their plates, and Amy immediately picked up her fork and started shoveling it into her mouth.

"Worked together?" Claire furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "But you work at different universities. What did you do together?"

At this, Sheldon also perked up. "I must admit, I don't see any logical reason that the two of you would be working together, either. Amy, you haven't mentioned any new projects. As far as I know, you've just been picking at your brain samples like a leftover holiday ham. Day in and day out… brains, brains, brains."

Amy had never been very good at coming up with lies on the fly.

She and Ben looked at each other. "Umm…"

"I worked with Amy on an analysis of brainwave stimulants at her laboratory. I was a participant in one of her studies."

"Oh, ok," Claire nodded. "The one you were kicked out of for some inexplicable reason?"

Ben nodded and shifted his eyes back to Amy. They both repositioned themselves uncomfortably in their chairs.

"That's funny… Amy was removed from that project as well," Sheldon said.

"Mmhm." Amy nodded, and pushed another forkful of rice into her mouth. The chef was now passing around sautéed vegetables.

"Amy, you never told me why you were removed," her boyfriend continued.

"No. I didn't." She filled her mouth with veggies. "These are good. You should eat some."

"Why were you removed?"

"Mmmm… I'm not kidding. These are really tasty. Claire? Have you tried the squash?"

Claire looked from Amy to Ben, curiously. "This has something to do with Ben, doesn't it?"

Dang, she's a regular gumshoe, isn't she?

Amy stopped chewing at looked at Ben. There's no way I can keep this up. I'm awful at this kind of stuff. She swallowed her food and sighed.

"Fine…"

"Amy!" Ben sat up straight in his seat.

"Ben, They're going to find out. I'm a horrible liar."

"I thought you were doing fine."

"Well, you could have chimed in to help."

"I'm a bad liar, too."

"Couldn't be any worse than – "

"Helloooo?" Claire interrupted. "What happened? Why were you two removed from the study?"

Ben and Amy looked at each other again, and Amy motioned for him to explain.

"Because we were caught together outside of the university," Ben said matter-of-factly.

"Well, you could have said it in a way that didn't sound so scandalous," Amy rolled her eyes.

"Scandalous? What would have been scandalous about…" A look of realization came over Claire's face and she stood up, throwing her napkin down on the table. "What do you mean you two were 'caught together'? Were you 'seeing' each other? Was it a date?"

"A date?" Sheldon rose out of his chair, too. "Amy, is this true? If so, this is a blatant violation of – "

"No!" Amy said. "Well… I mean, yes we saw each other outside of the study, but no! It wasn't a date. We've always just been friends. Only friends. I love you, Sheldon."

A momentary look of relief came over Sheldon's face, but it was quickly replaced by a scowl.

"And you risked advancing at work for a friendship with… him?" Sheldon motioned toward Ben with disgust.

"Hey!" Ben's voice was elevated again and he jumped out of his chair to be on Sheldon's level. His eyes were throwing daggers in the physicist's direction. "I already feel bad enough about that whole ordeal. No need to pick at the wound."

"Ben, it wasn't your fault," Amy reasoned. "You shouldn't blame yourself."

"What do you mean it isn't his fault?" Sheldon argued. "Of course it is!"

"Sheldon!" Amy rose and stood defensively in front of Ben. Both couples were now on their feet and fuming.

"Excuse me?" The meek voice of the man in the family next to them broke through their argument.

"WHAT?!" All four of them yelled back at the man.

The whole family was staring at them with open mouths and wide-eyes.

"We're trying to have a nice dinner over here," the man said. "It's my daughter's birthday, you see."

They all looked at the girl and then slowly sat back down in their chairs.

"Sorry," Claire muttered.

"Happy Birthday," Amy added under her breath.

The rest of the dinner was awkwardly hushed. The boys remained quiet, but shot occasional glares at each other across the table.

A few times, Amy and Claire tried, unsuccessfully, to start up a new conversation. They would open their mouths to say something, but no sound ever escaped their lips. Each time, they would instead fill their wordless mouths with a spoonful of chicken or beef.

Toward the end of the meal, Ben finally broke the group's silence and asked Sheldon to pass him the soy sauce. In a truly child-like manner, Sheldon purposely tossed the bottle just out of his reach. The glass cracked on the table in front of Amy, sending sauce splattering across her lap and onto her yellow dress.

"Dang it!" she cried, as she tried to wipe the sauce away with a moist napkin, to no avail.

Sheldon apologized profusely, insisting she hadn't been his intended target.

"Why did you even throw it, Sheldon?" She asked angrily. "You could just as easily have acted like an adult and placed the bottle in Ben's hand."

"Here, let me help you…" He grabbed another napkin off the table and began patting it on her soy sauce covered lap.

Amy immediately tensed at her boyfriend's touch. He was rubbing her thigh dangerously close to her… um… lady parts. Her face reddened as Sheldon continued to dab at the spot near her crotch. He seemed oblivious to the effect it was having on his girlfriend.

After a few moments, Sheldon got a little too close for comfort in a public setting. As a reflex Amy snapped her legs together, and Sheldon froze. The reality of what he was doing - and where his hands were – had finally set in. He clinched the napkin in his fist, slowly pulling away and looking down at his dinner plate. His face was just as red as Amy's.

"I'm going to have to go to the restroom and clean up." Amy managed to squeak out. Sheldon nodded, but avoided her gaze.

She stood up, and Claire followed suit. "I'll come with you," she said.

Ooo – A group visit to the little girl's room! This must mean that Claire wants to be friends.

She faltered briefly, realizing that this meant the boys would be left at the table alone, but the hesitation quickly passed. They need to get over it, she thought. Besides, she decided that she could use a few minutes away from Sheldon to get control over her… flustered state.

Amy smiled at Claire. "Sure, lets go." She turned to Sheldon and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'll be right back."

He nodded quickly, but didn't make eye contact.

Amy and Claire left the table, making a beeline for the restroom.

"I'm sorry for the way I behaved earlier," Claire said as the girls crossed the restaurant. "I shouldn't have accused you of… you know."

"No need to apologize. It's the boys who are being ridiculous."

"They really are, aren't they?" she laughed.

Once in the restroom, the girls went to work on Amy's dress. Claire lathered hot water and soap on a paper towel, and rubbed it on the stain. Thankfully, Amy had brought a stain remover pen with her. She used it to blot at the little brown patch, but wasn't having much success. The stain was lightening, but wasn't completely going away.

Eventually, the girls decided they had done all they could, and Amy began drying the now wet spot.

"Great. It looks like I peed myself. It's like a flash back to my school days," Amy sighed, and Claire giggled.

"Nothing I'm not used to with my elementary school kids."

Elementary school? Try middle school. Amy could vividly remember wetting herself in eighth grade after head cheerleader Mandy Watkins lunged at her from behind, literally scaring the pee out of her. Of course, in her startled state, she'd also dislocated Mandy's shoulder with a swift, but effective spin and arm thrust. It hadn't made the moment any less embarrassing, though.

"Don't worry. It'll dry." Claire smiled at her and Amy couldn't help but feel better. She was very easy to get along with; Amy could see why Ben liked her so much.

"You'd make a good teacher, you know." The blonde pulled another paper towel out of the dispenser and handed it to Amy.

"What do you mean?" She couldn't see herself teaching children. Dealing with snotty noses and sticky hands all day? No thank you.

"I just mean… you've obviously taught Ben quite a bit," Claire crossed her arms over her chest and leaned against the counter.

Amy grabbed another paper towel and began drying her hands. Had Ben told her about their relationship discussions? That didn't seem like something he would do.

Claire smiled slyly at Amy's confusion.

"I'm more observant than Ben thinks I am," she explained. "I'm an educator. I can tell a student-teacher relationship when I see one."

Amy blushed.

"I've noticed the way he keeps looking to you for direction," Claire continued. "In just a few weeks we've gone from being 'just friends' to dating… and now even hand-holding. I figured it would take me at least another year of working on him to get here."

"Umm…" Amy didn't know what to say. She didn't want to give Ben away, but Claire was quite the little detective.

"Don't worry," Claire assured her. "I'm not telling Ben what I know. You think I'm crazy? I'm loving this. You're good. I owe you a thank you."

"You're welcome." It was the only response she could think of without divulging everything that she and Ben had talked about.

"I only hope to one day be where you and Sheldon are."

Amy laughed out loud. "Where we are? We aren't much further along than you two. You'll probably pass us up before long."

"No, I've seen the way he stares at you when you aren't looking. That's pure passion."

Pure passion? Sheldon? Amy couldn't deny that she had felt it before. She often involuntarily shuddered with excitement when her boyfriend gave her 'that look'. It made her all tingly in … places. But she didn't think that outsiders had been picking up on it. Heck, she wasn't even sure Sheldon was picking up on it.

Still, after all these years comparing her dating life to that of her friends', it felt good to finally be in a relationship that another couple was striving to emulate. It was flattering, to say the least.

Feeling a little more confident, Amy decided she was ready to rejoin the men.

The girls returned to the table to find Sheldon and Ben sitting in silence, red-faced and arms crossed, looking away from each other like toddlers in time out.

"Are you two still upset?" Claire asked. "Amy's the one who should be angry. It's her dress you ruined."

Sheldon looked at the stain on Amy's dress and uncrossed his arms. His expression softened to one of guilt. Or maybe that's embarrassment from accidentally groping me earlier? Amy wasn't sure.

"We've apologized to each other," he said. "Doesn't mean we see eye to eye, though."

"Certainly not," Ben added. "But... we have agreed that, at least for the rest of the night, we will be civil."

"Well… that's progress, I guess," Amy said. She noticed that while she and Claire had been away from the table, the boys had paid for the food. How nice of Sheldon, Amy thought. He usually would ask her to chip in. He must really be feeling guilty.

She turned to Ben and Claire. "Would you like to ride with us to the play? There is an after party later that you are also invited to attend."

The couple looked at each other. Claire batted her pleading eyes at him and Ben groaned, but nodded. "I suppose that would be okay."

Claire winked at Amy behind Ben's back.

The group collected their belongings and left the table, migrating to Amy's car in the parking lot.

As they crossed the pavement, Amy analyzed what had transpired during their tumultuous dinner. She couldn't believe how childish Sheldon had been. Sure, she had expected some resistance as a result of the forced small talk, but he'd blown it completely out of proportion.

The day had started out so well, and she'd had such high hopes for the evening. It was an opportunity to develop a relationship with another couple so similar to them. Sheldon had to understand that his behavior wasn't okay. Just thinking about how he'd acted made the anger bubble up inside of her again.

Sheldon chose the wrong moment to try to grab Amy's hand. He reached for her and she immediately pulled away. She glared at his stunned expression.

He can't honestly think that I'm over this. He insulted my friend and ruined my dress.

But, as much as she wanted to be that woman – the one who was able to lay down the law with her man – she knew that her anger wouldn't last. Despite Sheldon's juvenile behavior, the evening had also shown him to be the most… manly… he'd ever been in his life.

She shuddered excitedly as she recalled the way he had been so forceful with her in the bedroom. She snickered at her own thought. 'Forceful in the bedroom'… Sheldon. Two things she never thought would be said in the same sentence.

She knew that Penny or Bernadette wouldn't necessarily classify his bedroom behavior as 'forceful', but, to Amy, that was the most commanding romantic action Sheldon had ever been brave enough to undertake. He'd taken control, and she loved it.

Not to mention, at dinner he had almost skipped second base and moved right on to third without even realizing it.

This evening has been such a rollercoaster. It's exhausting.

She sighed as she unlocked the car and the four of them piled in.

Chapter twenty-six coming soon!

Notes: I love me some reviews. If you'd leave one, I'd be much obliged to ya. ;o)

And sorry for the delay on this one. I just wasn't happy with it for the longest time. It took several re-writes/edits for me to be pleased enough to publish it. I've literally reviewed and edited it EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.

I know, I know… I'm too picky. Lol