Chapter 56: On the Road

Our trio of scientists takes their act on the road. Will this be a realized dream, or a waking nightmare?

It was Sunday afternoon at LAX. Niki walked quickly down the concourse, her wheeled luggage trailing behind her. She was both excited and nervous. Their first stop on this tour was going to be Boston. There would be no silly morning show in this college-centered state. They were just booked to speak at three campuses, Harvard, MIT, and Smith. She couldn't wait to speak at Smith. She wanted nothing more than to encourage young women to study the sciences. Maybe if more of them did, people would stop treating women like her, Amanda, and Bernadette as anomalies but just as normal women doing what they loved. Anyway, they only had ten minutes to make their flight. She was a little put out by Raj. He and Amanda had taken so long saying goodbye it had put them behind schedule. They were only going to be gone a little over a week but those two had acted like they would be apart for years. Sheldon had practically had a meltdown waiting for them to stop with the kisses and their repeated, 'I'll miss you mores'. It was only when Sheldon had cleared his throat loudly and tapped his friend on the shoulder that the goodbyes ended and their checking in for their flight had begun.

Sheldon and Raj walked ahead of her, conversing in quiet voices. "Did you bring it?" Sheldon asked Raj.

"Yeah, dude, I did. Did you bring yours?"

Sheldon rolled his eyes and answered, "Raj, do I look like a fool? Of course I did."

"Good. Once we've settled in, we can get a nice game of Halo going on our computers."

Sheldon couldn't hide his excitement, "This trip is going to be amazing! We'll spend all day talking science and then at the hotel and on the plane we'll have Halo Night every day!"

"This will be so cool, dude. But do you think Niki will mind?"

Sheldon explained his view of the trip to his friend, "This is her first speaking tour. She'll be so tired within a day or two she'll be sleeping any time we're not giving a lecture or on some idiot TV show. I'm looking forward to a week full of science and Halo. It doesn't get any better than that." Seeing Raj's face drop a bit, he remembered that Raj was newly married and added, "Unless we had Amanda with us as well."

Finally the trio reached the gate, showed their boarding passes, and entered the plane. They quickly found their seats and stowed their luggage overhead, though Niki had problems with hers continually falling out on top of her. Sheldon, being the taller of the two, helped her with this and got her luggage safely stored for her.

As the plane taxied down the runway, Niki's nose was pressed against the window. She loved the takeoff and landing, those were the best parts of flying as far as she was concerned. It never got old for her. She was a true veteran of flying as most of her family lived in Oklahoma and Wisconsin and she saw them all at least once per year. So nothing about flying fazed her very much. The same could not be said for Sheldon. He gripped her hand tightly and closed his eyes as the plane picked up speed. Niki smiled to herself and thought, So, Dr. Sheldon Cooper, Ph.D., Sc.D., is afraid of flying. That's rich! Now, how do I help him get over his fear? Or is that even possible? Well, I have to try or this is going to be a very long ten days.

Niki pulled her eyes away from the window and attempted to relax her mate, "Sheldon, isn't this exciting? I've never seen Boston before. Have you ever been there?"

His answer was terse, "Yes."

"Well, what's it like?"

Once again, his answer was short, "Cold and big."

"Could you possibly give me a bit more information?" She asked him as the plane left the runway and his grip on her hand tightened.

His fear was almost palpable as he responded, "Not now, Niki, please."

She gave up and looked out the window in wonder. L.A. looked so sprawling from this height. That part of flying never ceased to amaze her. She spent the next couple of minutes trying to pick out familiar landmarks. This game never grew old for her, but it was one she was fairly certain Sheldon had never played. His grip on her hand gradually lessened and when the sign came on to unfastens their seat belts he let go of it completely.

"Are you okay now, Sheldon?" she asked him with sincere caring in her voice.

Sheldon opened his briefcase and pulled out their itinerary, "Yes, I'm perfectly fine. The first few minutes of a plane trip are a bit worrisome to me. That is all."

"A bit worrisome? Sheldon, l think you left bruises on my hand."

He turned to her and said, with a little annoyance in his voice, "Wollowitz didn't complain when we flew together."

Niki grinned and told him, "Yeah? Well he was more than likely as scared as you were. Howard isn't the bravest person I know. A good guy, you bet. But brave? Nope."

Sheldon sighed and told her, "Forget it, Niki. It's over. We're now comfortably in flight and I am fine."

"Okay, but if we hit turbulence, you're sitting next to Raj." She followed this with a kiss to his cheek that told him she was merely joking…maybe.

The rest of the flight was uneventful. Niki read while Sheldon and Raj played Halo. And so the hours passed peacefully. A little over five hours later, they landed safely in Boston, Sheldon once again squeezing her hand during the descent.

They arrived at their hotel, somewhat resembling a Motel 6, at about one o'clock in the morning. Niki unpacked quickly and headed for the shower. Sheldon headed to Raj's room to continue their Halo game. Niki was perplexed by that. Hadn't the two guys just spent at least five hours, more or less, playing Halo? Niki didn't ponder this long, however. She was tired from the flight and took a nice, hot, shower and crawled into bed, where she soon fell fast asleep.

The next morning she woke up to an empty space next to her. She simply assumed Sheldon was in the shower. But she heard no noises of any kind in the bathroom. She looked closer at the bed and realized that she had slept alone the entire night. This had not happened to her since Sheldon had moved in with her many months earlier. Puzzled, she decided to get dressed and study their schedule for the coming day. No morning show in Boston, thank god, but three colleges to visit; Harvard, MIT, and Smith. They were due at Harvard at ten o'clock in the morning; a car would be coming for them at nine thirty. She checked her phone, it was eight o'clock. She wondered if she should go downstairs for breakfast on her own or wait for Sheldon and Raj. That decision was made for her ten minutes later when both of the men entered the room and greeted her.

"Good morning, Niki. I hope you slept well. I'm sorry I wasn't here, but Raj and I got involved in a great game of Halo and before we knew it, it was morning. "

Raj smiled and nodded, "Yeah, gaming can be like that sometimes."

Niki said nothing and finished her preparations for going downstairs for breakfast. She didn't feel like starting an argument with Sheldon and Raj on the first day of their trip, so she decided to let herself cool off and see what the rest of the day brought.

It brought little good. At Harvard she was completely ignored by both the students and the faculty as all the questions were asked of, and fielded by, Sheldon and Raj. They had a break for lunch and she was pretty much ignored there, also. Sheldon and Raj recapped the previous night and made plans to play more computer games together after their last speaking engagement of the day. Again, Niki let this go. She realized this was neither the time nor the place to stage World War III, though she felt very close to doing that after their lecture at MIT. At this school, she wasn't even announced and once again felt invisible. Oh well, she told herself, Smith is a women's college and I will certainly do better there. She did, but barely. At Smith there were a couple of girls who did ask her questions and engage her in insightful conversation. But most of the attention was given to handsome Raj. Sheldon was given enough attention to keep him mollified, but you could tell he disliked not being the center of attention. This trip was not starting off well at all. In their little free time, Raj talked constantly about missing Amanda or playing computer games with Sheldon. For his part, Sheldon came as close to ignoring her as he ever had. His attention was totally focused on either his part of the speaking tour, or Halo or World of Warcraft. Niki felt very much like a third wheel and it hurt her greatly. But she hoped that night, when they were alone; she could talk to Sheldon about how she was feeling. Only that never happened. Once again, right after dinner, Sheldon disappeared with Raj and didn't return until the early morning, when they all had to rush to catch their flight to Hartford, Connecticut, to be interviewed for the local morning show there.

The morning show was much like Sheldon had described it. They did her clothing, her makeup, and even chose the jewelry she was to wear. When they were finally called from the Green Room, Niki was already over the entire trip. All she wanted was to go home. But instead, she had to go out on a television set, smile nicely, and answer all the crappy questions they put to her.

The handsome, vapid, male host started things off by asking Niki, "So, you work with these two gentlemen at your research facility?"

Niki smiled and nodded, "Yes, I'm a part owner of the business."

He gave a snarky smile and asked Sheldon and Raj, "Guys, does she make coffee for you in the morning?"

Raj piped up, "The best!"

Niki cleared her throat and reminded them, "I do more than make coffee, guys."

The empty headed blonde female host chimed in, "I hear you have an interesting hobby."

That one caught Niki by surprise and she asked, "I do?"

The blonde continued, "Yes, I heard you're a very good dancer."

"I suppose so. Most of us there can dance some."

"We all dance, except Leonard. He has no rhythm at all."

Niki snapped at her friend, "Raj, that was mean!"

He defended himself, "Well he can't dance. Isn't that right, Sheldon?"

Sheldon agreed with him, "Oh yes. The man is hopeless."

The blonde wasn't done, "Okay, of your research group, who's the best dancer?"

Niki couldn't take it anymore and asked her, "What does that have to do with our paper?'

Sheldon gave her a mild reprimand, "Niki, they're just trying to get to know us. I think Niki is the best dancer. What do you think, Raj?"

"It's either Niki or Sheldon. They're both pretty good."

Sheldon told Raj, "You're not bad yourself. I've seen you dance."

Niki was confused. What did dancing have to do with their research? And who cared who the best dancer was. What mattered was what they had each contributed to their paper.

The Ken Doll male host asked them, "Would you care to show us?"

"No. Not really." Niki's face was wooden.

The female host looked lost and asked her, "Why not?"

Niki carefully explained to her as if to a child, "Because we were invited on here because we wrote a fairly significant scientific paper that opens new horizons for future space exploration. I hardly think that has anything to do with a tango."

Sheldon had an edge to his voice as he prodded her, "Niki, let's just give them a short dance."

Niki shook her head stubbornly, "No. I don't care to at all."

Silence filled the set. The blonde host had no idea what to do if Niki refused to perform.

Sheldon narrowed his eyes, "Niki, I think we should dance for the woman."

Niki stared at him ominously, "No. You and Raj dance if you want to. I'm sitting this one out."

Again, a painful silence engulfed the studio and they cut to a commercial.

Sheldon pulled Niki aside, "You're being rude. They didn't ask you to undress, they asked us to dance. Goodness knows we've done that plenty of times."

"Dancing on television has nothing to do with our work, Sheldon."

His voice started to have an edge to it, "No, it doesn't. But it does help make us interesting."

Niki was having trouble comprehending what he was saying, "What, opening up space to future time travel makes us boring?"

Sheldon attempted to stare her down, "To most people, yes. Now we are going to go out there and dance. Do you hear me?"

Niki's eyes turned molten silver and she came very close to slapping him, but refrained. She had seldom been this angry in her life, but she managed to reply in an almost civil tone, "I hear you loud and clear, Sheldon. But I am not dancing. That's my final word on the subject. If you want to dance, dance with Raj. You seem to enjoy his company. Go play your stupid Halo with Raj. If you're really lucky, I'll be in our room when you get back.

Sheldon backed off and warned her," Whatever do you mean by that? I hate implied threats, and for your information, Halo is not stupid."

Niki spat back at him, "You want to talk about hating something? Let me tell you something, I hate being trotted out like I'm in some dog and pony show. On this morning show and at the schools, you and Raj get asked all the science questions while I get asked what my favorite dance is or what is my favorite color. I feel like one of the Kardashians."

Sheldon had a quick retort ready, "You couldn't be a Kardashian, that would require you to possess a much larger set of buttocks."

Her eyes narrowed and she went for the jugular, "Well, these buttocks may be the last thing you see of me on this tour. I'm the one who made the breakthrough on this research and you guys are the ones who are getting to talk about it."

He warned her, "Don't start that here, Niki."

Niki agreed with him, "You're right. This isn't the time or the place for that. I'm leaving for the hotel. You do what you want." With that, Niki returned to the prep room, removed the clothes and jewelry given her, put on her own, and went outside the building to hail a cab. Sheldon was left standing open-mouthed in the wings of the set.

In the background he could hear the hosts saying, "Our three scientists had to catch a bus to Yale, so let me introduce my next guest. You all know him as that loveable father on…." Sheldon grabbed Raj and they took off in a mad dash to find Niki. They had a lecture to give at Yale that afternoon. How dare she run off like that!

Niki entered the lobby of the hotel, relieved to be temporarily away from Sheldon, Raj, the morning show personnel, and the tour itself. She was heading for the nearest elevator when she heard someone call her name, "Dr. Horner? Could I have a few moments of your time?"

She turned and saw a handsome middle aged man in a grey suit approaching her. "Yes? Do I know you, sir?" she answered him in a polite, but disinterested tone. "I haven't much time, but if you would care to sit out here in the lobby, we could talk."

Niki sat down in one of the lobby's overstuffed chairs, the stranger sat across from her. "Dr. Horner, my name is Dr. Dimitri Andreadis and I am the head of the physics department at Yale."

Niki stood up, reached over, and shook the man's hand, "I am very pleased to meet you Dr. Andreadis. How can I help you?"

"I've had my eye on you for some time now. I caught you at Smith last night. You gave some very insightful answers to the questions presented to you."

Niki sat back down and replied, "Of which there were few."

He nodded and gave her a slight smile, "Sadly, that happens to female scientists when they present with male associates. I also caught you on television this morning. You are a person who knows what she will and will not do. Very decisive and focused. I like that."

She rose and prepared herself to leave, "Okay, Dr. Andreadis, what is this about? If you are trying to proposition me, the answer is no."

He grinned at her and chuckled softly, then motioned her to sit back down, "This won't be that kind of proposition, I promise you. I'm quite happily married and have every intention of staying that way. No, what I want to propose to you has to do with your career."

"You have my attention."

Dr. Andreadis leaned forward with an eager expression on his face, "I'm willing to offer you a generously funded research position at Yale with an adjunct professorship thrown in. I can almost guarantee you tenure within two years."

Niki slowly nodded and answered him with, "That sounds interesting, but I have a position already."

"With an organization that clearly doesn't appreciate you. I saw the actions of your associates last night and this morning. You were more or less invisible to them until you refused to dance."

"For what it's worth, that behavior is highly unusual for both of them. I am usually treated as an equal. But the position you offered does sound like one I would enjoy, especially the professorship. I do miss teaching."

"Yes, you taught at Keck, didn't you?"

"How did you know that?" Niki asked him in a surprised voice.

He grinned and informed her, "I've done my homework on you, plus we both went to Stanford. Dr. Mueller always speaks highly of you."

"You know Dr. Mueller?" Niki was pleased to hear the name of her old mentor.

"He was my mentor and advisor, also. Just a few years before you, is all. So, will you consider my offer?"

Niki thought for a moment about all she would be leaving at home; Penny, and the rest of her friends, Pentagram, Sheldon, her home there with him, and her upcoming marriage. She also thought about all she would be gaining; a position at a prestigious university, the opportunity to teach once more, and a refreshing change of scenery. "I'll give your offer some serious thought, Dr. Andreadis. When do you need your answer by at the latest?"

He smiled warmly at her and said, "Take your time. The position won't be open until this summer. Just let me know by the end of April if that's possible. You are our premier candidate."

Niki was flattered; it was nice to be considered important for her mind alone. "I can do that, Dr. Andreadis."

The two then began to reminisce about their days at Stanford. He had Niki in stitches several times recounting his adventures on campus and off. Just then, Sheldon and Raj came into the lobby and saw Niki laughing and talking excitedly with a very handsome man. Sheldon frowned and started to move toward her but Raj cautioned him, "Dude, she's mad at you right now and that's not the time to play jealous boyfriend, trust me. Let's just go get some lunch and get ready for Yale.

Sheldon answered him, "I'm not just her boyfriend, I'm engaged to the woman! But perhaps you're right, Raj. Timing is everything. I do believe Niki and I need to talk later tonight. I may be a bit late for Halo tonight."

Raj shook his head; he thought his friend needed to change his plans, "Dude, why don't you spend the night with Niki? You've been in my room playing computer games every night so far on this trip."

"What, I can't have friends? Most likely Niki will just sleep. What fun is that? I'll talk to her and then I'll call you."

"Be careful, Sheldon. You know what she's like when she's angry."

Flashbacks of Niki's past outbursts ran through Sheldon's head, "You make a valid point, Koothrappali. Perhaps I shall just play Halo tonight and wait for her come to her senses."

Raj looked across the room, "You really want to leave her alone tonight after seeing her with him?"

"I trust Niki completely. And besides, what does he have that I haven't?"

"He's making her laugh, Dude. That's what he has. Plus, he's pretty good looking as well."

Sheldon refused to listen to his friend, "Like I said, I trust Niki. Plus, I don't want to play whatever game she's playing. We shall play Halo or WoW tonight, as usual."

Raj gave his friend some needed advice, "I don't know that I'd do that, Sheldon."

Sheldon started walking toward the elevator, pretending to ignore Niki and the man seated across from her, "Enough. I know what I'm doing. Now, let's get lunch and prepare to go to Yale."

That afternoon at Yale was very different to the nights at Harvard, MIT, and Smith. At Yale, it was Niki who fielded most of the questions and answered them thoroughly. Here, she was in her element. Raj was happy to take a backseat for once, but Sheldon was livid at the perceived slight. Off to the side of the stage he saw the man that Niki had been talking to earlier in the day and his blood pressure rose considerably. After the presentation, they all had the proverbial cocktail hour with the faculty and alumni. Dr. Andreadis stayed close to Niki's side and introduced her to many of the people in the administration and a few of the professors from the physics department. Sheldon noted that she was absolutely glowing and her laughter came freely and often. She charmed all she met while Sheldon's dour demeanor led most to excuse themselves from his company rather quickly.

When they returned to their hotel, several hours later, Sheldon went with Raj to his room and Niki went to theirs. She hastily packed her bags once more as they had a flight to catch to Newark within the hour. She was still ecstatic from her evening and was giving a lot of thought to Dr. Andreadis' offer. She left the room and headed down to the lobby, where she met Raj and a sullen Sheldon. "Hi, guys. How are you? Long time, no see."

Raj smiled back at her and waved, Sheldon ignored her completely. The flight to Newark was more of the same. Raj was friendly, Niki was tired, and Sheldon was detached. This did bother Niki to some extent, but it was tempered by the realization that her unhappiness had bothered Sheldon not a bit. So, she played the same game of impervious and asked for a pillow from the flight attendant and tried to get what little sleep she could. She knew another morning show was their first destination and that Sheldon was not happy with her. That could spell trouble for her for sure, but she chose to overlook that and finally fell asleep.

They landed safely in Newark and were immediately whisked off to their hotel. This one, like the others on the trip, was standard fare, nothing fancy. Niki didn't seem to care as she unpacked her bags, jumped in the shower, and readied herself for bed. She did not expect Sheldon to join her in the room and he did not. Niki assumed he was with Raj and quickly fell into a deep sleep that was only interrupted by the sound of her alarm clock going off.

Yet again, Niki was dressed, perfumed, and made up by the staff of the local morning show. This didn't bother her anymore for the mere fact it made life easier for her. Not having to pick clothes, make up, and jewelry first thing in the morning gave her an extra hour of sleep, which she was beginning to crave. Sheldon had been right about one thing, this trip was exhausting.

They all waited in the Green Room to go on, none of them speaking to any of the others. When they were told to it was their turn on stage, Raj happily walked down the hall, Niki sleepily stumbled out the door, and Sheldon marched out indignantly. The chirpy hosts again asked them inane questions and once more, Raj and Sheldon answered them. Niki had drawn a line in the sand that if they wanted her to answer the fluff questions, they needed to ask her intelligent ones as well. The only difference between this show and the one is Hartford is that in Newark, they didn't ask her to dance.

Lunch, the bus ride to Princeton and the talk at the school, all had the same flavor. Sheldon gladly answered questions about their research, Raj smiled a lot and was happy to answer anything lighthearted or personal, and Niki, for the most part, kept quiet as no one noticed her very much. It was at the social hour that followed their talk that Sheldon made his fatal mistake. They were all introduced to the President of the University, the head of the science department, the faculty, alumni, and carefully chosen students. Raj remained his usual sunny self, Sheldon was stiff and uncomfortable, as was his default in crowded social situations, and Niki was, for the most part, grim and silent.

One of the professors from the physics department came over to Sheldon and asked him, "Dr. Cooper, whatever is the matter with your associate over there," pointing to Niki, "she's barely said a word all evening."

Sheldon replied within earshot of his fiancée, "You must excuse her behavior; I don't know what has gotten into her. I do believe she may be on her menstrual cycle."

With that, Niki wheeled around to give Sheldon the Death Stare, turned, and left the building. Leaving most at the gathering confused, and Sheldon annoyed.

She ran out of the building and entered the bus that had brought them there. "We're not leaving for a couple of hours, ma'am," the driver informed her, "but I can call you a cab."

"Thank you." Niki replied, too tired to really care. She could have just as easily slept on the bus, but a cab back to their hotel sounded much better.

Once back in her room in the hotel, Niki threw herself on the bed and began to cry her heart out. The trip she had been somewhat looking forward to was becoming an unmitigated disaster. The man she loved was showing a very unattractive side of himself, and she was dead tired most of the time. She was tired of the speaking tour, tired of the stupid morning shows, tired of being ignored, and, most of all, she was tired of Sheldon Cooper. After more than an hour of crying, Niki suddenly sat up straight in the bed. What good was crying going to do? She prided herself on being a strong woman and crying merely lent itself to the theory that women were 'too weak' to make in the male dominated world of academia. She knew what she really wanted and she got up from the bed and pulled her laptop out of its case. She quickly composed an email to Binary which stated, I am leaving this speaking tour after we finish in NYC. I am neither wanted nor needed here, and I would just as soon go home. My apologies to you for this decision, but I do believe it is the best scenario for all concerned. N. Horner.

After hitting Send, she sat and thought about her situation and once again, tears began to fall. Everything she thought she had accomplished was disappearing right before her eyes. Their paper, which she had been a large part of, was for the most part being credited to Sheldon and Raj only. Her view of gender equality in academia, in which she had wholly believed in the past, was completely changed. Her very own fiancée was selling her down the river to get attention and acclaim. How did her dream life of a week ago turn into this nightmare? The only good thing to come from this trip was the offer from Yale, which would take her thousands of miles away from her home and friends. She began to sob in spite of herself. She had never been one for these kinds of tears, but for some reason they brought her a sense of release that night.

Sheldon and Raj finally excused themselves and headed out to the bus. Sheldon was quite surprised to discover that Niki had taken a taxi back to the hotel. His jealousies of the day before reared their ugly heads again and when the bus arrived back at the hotel, he headed directly up to Niki's room, half expecting to find her entertaining Dr. Andreadis. He stomped down the hall, anger filling every step he took, until he stopped to collect himself outside the door. He quietly listened for any sounds from within that would signal an infidelity on Niki's part. What he heard instead floored him. Niki was crying. No, not crying, she was sobbing loudly. Niki does not cry like that. The only time I can recall her doing that was when she had that nightmare that she kept calling me and could not find me. Oh Dear Lord! I promised her that night that I would always answer when she called to me. She has been calling to me for support for the last three days and I have been failing to answer her, in a very rude and unloving manner at that. What is wrong with me? I love Niki more than anything on earth, but here I am, hurting her to the point she is sobbing like a broken hearted child. How could I have been so thoughtless, so cruel, and have doubted her so wrongly? How can I fix this?

Suddenly his phone announced he had a text. He looked down at the screen and read the message there: Sheldon, why did Niki send me an email saying she is leaving this tour after NYC? Do you know what is going on? Let me know. It was from Marcus, their attorney. Why would Niki be leaving? I know. It's because of me. I've never once defended her or included her in any of the discussions at either the schools or on the morning shows. In fact, I've done nothing but offend her and make her feel small this entire trip. I have taken much of the credit for our research which rightfully belongs to her. Even worse, Raj and gaming replaced any together time we could have been having. What a fool I have been! How she must hate me! I have to fix this. If only to stop her crying. I cannot stand to hear this any longer.

Sheldon opened the door to the room and found Niki on the bed, face down, crying into her pillow. He quickly closed the door, removed his jacket, and lay down next to her. Taking her in his arms he whispered into her ear, "Niki, my love, I am so, so, sorry for the jackass I have been to you the last three days. I know this fixes nothing, but I am sincerely apologizing to you for my atrocious behavior. I one time promised you I would always answer when you called and I have not kept that promise. Nothing is worth more to me than you. Not Raj, not games, not success. There is no real success for me as a man or a scientist if I fail to love and support the most important person in my life. I know you must hate me, but do know that I am truly sorry for my actions."

Niki turned over and looked at him with swollen eyes, "Sheldon?"

"Yes, Niki. It's me. I don't know what to say or do. I am so ashamed of the way I have been acting. If you want to go home, I will not stop you. If you never want to speak with me again, I will understand. But I do want you to know I am truly sorry for how I have been treating you. You did nothing to deserve this. Your tears are entirely my fault."

Once again she blinked and looked at him, "Sheldon, is that you?"

He closed his eyes, feeling too guilty to look into hers, "Yes, it's me."

"You're sorry?"

He softly sighed and pulled her close, "You have no idea how much."

Niki sat up in the bed, "You truly mean that, don't you?"

He stayed prone, not opening his eyes. "Yes. I am the one in the wrong, Niki. I have been a complete asshole to you. How can I fix this?"

Niki looked down at him with love in her eyes, "Sheldon?"

"Yes?"

"Open your eyes and look at me. You just did fix it. Stay with me tonight, can you?"

His eyes opened and he pulled her back down next to him, "I will never spend another minute from your side the rest of this trip unless it is absolutely necessary. Niki, I will attempt to make up for every stupid, hurtful, thing I have done to you."

Niki snuggled contentedly into his arms, "Just stay here and hold me. I know you always speak the truth, so I do not doubt your sincerity. I just have one question for you. Why?"

He shamefully admitted to her, "My over inflated ego. That's what caused all of this. We have the day off tomorrow before we head off to New York. Stay with me tonight and tomorrow and then if you still want to go home, I will put you on the first plane out."

She spoke softly into his neck, "You are done with gaming with Raj all night?"

He promised her, "I am done gaming with Raj for the rest of this trip."

"There's no need for that. I know it helps you relax on the plane. Just not at night anymore, please."

He kissed the top of her head softly, "I promise you that. I think I have far better things to do than play computer games with Raj."

She looked up at him and smiled faintly, "Just hold me, Sheldon."

His arms pulled her even closer as he told her, "I love you, Nikita Elyse Horner."

"I love you, Sheldon Lee Cooper."

He spoke into her tousled hair, "I thought you might be leaving me for that handsome Dr. What's His Name from Yale."

Niki sat up and looked at him in surprise, "You're kidding me, right? Cooper, he was offering me a job, not a relationship."

"But you were both laughing in the lobby. I thought…"

"You thought wrong. He's a happily married man. We both graduated from Stanford, we were sharing funny stories about our school days."

Sheldon smacked himself on the forehead, "I'm such an idiot. How can you forgive me?"

She laid back down next to him, "Let's get some sleep and talk more in the morning, okay? And Sheldon?"

"What, Niki?"

"I have forgiven you. One look at your face was all I needed."

He kissed her cheek and vowed, "I promise you that my ego will never come between us again."

Niki thought for a moment and then confessed to him, "Cooper, I feel kind of bad that I'm not as patient or kind as Amy would have been. That must frustrate you sometimes."

He shook his head at her suggestion, "Not at all. Amy's patience was what I needed at that time. Now, I sometimes need a kick in the behind. And you have a very strong kick, little lady."

"You could have put that differently, Cooper."

"But it's the truth. I want to grow and mature. I don't need that much patience any longer; I need strong persuasion, instead."

Niki grinned seductively, "Well, could I persuade you to take a shower with me?"

Sheldon voiced his concern, "But that could lead to things we may not be ready for just yet."

"Sheldon, I'm more than ready. Besides, I've always heard make-up sex was the best and now is as good a time as any to find out if that is true."

Sheldon got up from the bed and said, "As you wish, my brilliant, beautiful, beloved lady. I'll get the water going for us."

Niki added, "And I'll put on some mood music."

"Dr. Horner, are you trying to seduce me?"

"Hey, you catch on fast. I like that in a man."

Sheldon bent down, took her in his arms, and covered her face in kisses. "Let me get that shower ready and we can begin to explore your theory on make-up sex."

At this point, I think it is best we leave these two alone. Sheldon has a lot of making up to do, so let's leave him to it. By the way, the rest of the tour went smoothly. In NYC, Washington D.C., Pittsburgh, and Columbus, Ohio, Sheldon let no one ignore Niki or put her down. He redirected all fluff questions back to their research and all three of them took turns answering. Sheldon's plane rides were spent playing Halo with Raj and holding Niki's hand during takeoffs and landings. His nights were spent with his lady, who, by the way, stayed for the entire tour and politely turned down the offer from Yale. On this trip they also became members of the Mile High Club somewhere between Pittsburgh and Columbus. Yes, make-up sex can work wonders.

Well, things seem fine now that our couple has kissed and made up. The next thing on their agenda? Getting married!