Chapter 2
Author's Note: Thank you all so much for your favs, follows, and reviews. As a first-time fanfiction writer, I am overwhelmed by the support for this story and am encouraged to write more. In this chapter, we'll explore more of Amy's personality considering that the story is set in Season 5 and she has yet to see the whole gang. It would also be interesting to see how she and Sheldon would interact (as enemies to friends to lovers). Would really appreciate your reviews and suggestions since I am not good at writing dialogue as well as details. Enjoy the second chapter.
*FLASHBACK* - AMY'S POV
A month ago.
"Your recent breakthrough convinced the board that your research is pivotal in changing the course of your field, and we would like to help you achieve this. It would be an honor to have you here at Caltech…"
Amy was currently busy slicing up brains when the President of Caltech suddenly called. With him on speakerphone, she looked far from interested in hearing what he had to say.
"I would've preferred a written notice before calling, President Seibert. I'm about to remove the locus coeruleus, which is incredibly delicate work." Amy looked annoyed. "I am correct to assume that you have a contract for me to peruse so that I am aware of what your offer entails? So far, I have yet to see your university's edge. I believe the facilities here at UCLA are enough to aid in my research."
"We do understand your attachment to your current institution. Nonetheless, we'll be sure to take good care of you. While our facilities are limited at the moment, we assure you that we can work on providing what you need."
President Seibert was doing his best to convince Dr. Fowler to get on board. If a scientist of her caliber were to accept, it would boost the university's reputation and sponsors.
"While I am intrigued by your offer, I must decline. My addiction study has been going smoothly, and it's sure to produce positive results."
Are they really this desperate? It seems like Caltech's line-up of scientists has slowly been declining. She thought to herself.
"That's too bad, Dr. Fowler. If in case you change your mind, don't hesitate to contact me. I'll personally make sure to entertain all your requests."
Amy hung up the phone. She has been receiving several offers lately from different universities that were willing to fund her research.
However, she didn't find the need to leave UCLA. She found comfort in her own lab away from the rest of the world. She was considered a social pariah by her colleagues. They deemed her as an emotionless robot who only cared about work.
Who could blame her? Her whole life has been a great deal of torment and shame. Being alone is way better than experiencing the bullying and ridicule she had to put up with. Even with her mother's persistence in finding her a suitable mate, she found the notion of romantic love to be an unnecessary cultural construct that added no value to human relationships.
After making up her mind about staying, she was told that she could no longer be affiliated with her addiction study a week later.
"This is typical bureaucratic nonsense! You expect me to get animals addicted to a harmful substance, dissect their brains, but the moment I throw their own feces back at them, suddenly I'm unprofessional." Amy spoke her mind on the phone with her superior in the study.
Her actions became a hot topic around UCLA circles that the rumors damaged her reputation there with regards to her professionalism. No one in the university wanted to work with her. Her funding for other projects was also cut off. With her contract at its end, she decided to find other universities to avoid further humiliation.
"Fermilab? No way. MIT? Not a chance. Hmm, Caltech." Amy checked her email and read through the PDF file President Seibert sent her. Satisfied with its terms and conditions, she contacted President Seibert and requested that she tour Caltech first to get a glimpse of her new potential workplace.
As President Seibert toured her around, she was most curious to see what her laboratory would look like. "I'm afraid to say some facilities which include your lab are under maintenance. Once you accept our offer, you are temporarily assigned another workspace until it's finished." Seibert clarified.
Amy took note of this and noticed an office with a nameplate that read: Professor Robb Rothman, Theoretical Physics
"Professor Rothman? Is he that physicist who was forced to step down for going bonkers?"
"Why yes, he is. This office is now vacant due to his retirement. Two of our physicists are currently discussing who will take it as we speak." Seibert nodded his head in embarrassment.
Amy sighed. "It's such a shame really... He definitely is an exemplary case for the propensity of theoretical physicists to snap."
Curious, Amy opened the door to the office and looked around. She was surprised to find Rothman in his desk chair buck naked with only his hat on, reading a newspaper.
"Pretend not to see him. He thinks he's invisible," Seibert whispered.
Oh, she sincerely hoped he was wearing underwear behind that desk. She noticed other details in the office that were alarming.
"There's a huge hole on the wall over there." Amy walked towards the whirring of the draft at the other corner of the office. She turned back to Seibert. "-and it's awfully chilly down here. Where's the thermostat?"
"Oh, the thermostat is in a different office..." Seibert was starting to sweat. This was not the impression he wanted to give to Dr. Fowler.
"Maybe, we should explore our other facilities, Dr. Fowler." Seibert directed his arms toward the door hoping that Amy's curiosity has died down. However, she heard a faint sound outside the window. She slid it halfway open.
"I can hear wind chimes. Oh, and the mockingbirds are singing in the wrong key. If they were to sing along with the wind chimes the notes would be C, D, E, G, and A. The term mocking is indeed appropriate." She closed the window.
Before Seibert could respond in defense, the vibrations from the upper floor surfaced. "What is all that ruckus?" Amy appeared disturbed.
"I promise to look into all of this as soon as possible, Dr. Fowler. Now, shall we visit the university's gym?" Seibert took it upon himself to push Dr. Fowler away from the office and the half-naked Professor Rothman.
I wonder why two physicists are making such a fuss over that office... Poor fellas... Sharing the same fate as that stripped-down lunatic. Amy thought to herself.
"I apologize for that, Dr. Fowler. Anyways, here in Caltech, we are not only geared towards the sciences but the importance of physical health and exercise for our students. Our university offers a gym that caters to different sports such as Volleyball, Wrestling, Basketba-..." before Seibert opened the door, he overheard Howard's voice. "Sheldon's was higher."
"Congratulations, Sheldon, you win the office," Leonard said, trying to sound as ecstatic as he could. He's just glad that all this office nonsense is over.
"Who's unsatisfactory in P.E. now?" Sheldon tiredly exclaimed.
"What's happening over there?" Amy asked, trying to get a view of the commotion inside the gym. "Oh, it seems that our gym's occupied at the moment. Best not to disturb. Might I show you our school cafeteria?" Seibert led Dr. Fowler to the cafeteria. He wished the day would end. This tour turned out to be a disaster.
Amy was spent. The tour turned out to be more interesting than she thought it would be. The facilities and equipment met her standards. Disregarding that dreadful office of course.
Later that afternoon, she decided to accept Caltech's offer and emailed President Seibert. Luckily, he was online.
Amy - Good Afternoon, President Seibert. I have decided to accept the university's offer and signed the contract you sent. When can I start?
President Seibert - We are pleased to hear that, Dr. Fowler. Unfortunately, we have no vacant offices at the moment. I will update you as soon as possible once we find a workspace available for you.
Before Amy could respond, President Seibert quickly retracted his previous statement.
President Seibert - I apologize for my earlier statement, Dr. Fowler. We have one office available. Turns out that the two physicists were not interested in it after all.
As they should. That office was a mess. Amy snorted.
President Seibert - I am aware of your reservations with the office. But if you are interested, I would be glad to resolve the issues you have encountered last time.
Amy - That is acceptable. Once the hole is fixed, and the office has its own thermostat, I'd be happy to oblige.
President Seibert - I will see to it that your demands are met. We are currently renovating, so the geology lab will move to a different location. Also, there have been numerous complaints about the mockingbirds that they were moved to a better environment.
Wow, everything really is coming up, Amy. Amy felt like such a boss. She wasn't given this type of treatment back at UCLA. As much as she'd want to get back to work and experiment in a fully functioning laboratory right away, she was excited at the chance to experience having an actual office, albeit temporarily.
Amy - Thank you, I appreciate the gesture. I'll be waiting for your correspondence. My contract with UCLA is ending soon, so I'll be sure to inform you by then. Have a good day.
Amy closed her laptop, brushed her teeth, and went to bed. It would take a few weeks before she settled in at Caltech.
"A fresh new start, Fowler. It's best to avoid any trouble." She closed her eyes and envisioned herself alone and content at the university.
Little did she know that her life would change after hearing 3 simple knocks on her door a month later.
*END OF FLASHBACK*
"Knock knock knock, Dr. Fowler. Knock knock knock, Dr. Fowler. Knock knock knock, Dr. Fowler."
"Come in."
Sheldon opened the door ready to berate Dr. Fowler for removing his belongings. He found the object of his frustrations scribbling down on a clipboard to check if all her items were in order.
The curious physicist took note of her appearance, wondering how one person could wear numerous articles of clothing. Her shiny brown hair was clipped back, she had red-framed glasses and wore orthopedic shoes.
Sheldon admired her state of dress. Her style was sensible and did not fall prey to the current standards of society. He continued observing her silently and it took a few seconds before the neurobiologist noticed him staring. She cleared her throat and he blinked himself out of his stupor.
"May I help you?" Amy looked up from her clipboard and stared into his blue eyes.
Once Sheldon saw her emerald orbs, his face softened and he almost forgot why he was angry. What a strange day, indeed.
Shaking himself out of it, Sheldon crossed his arms. "I need a word with you, Dr. Fowler."
"Oh, are you my new secretary? If you could assist me with unpacking these boxes, then it would be of great help. I almost threw my back out carrying Professor Rothman's old things. That reminds me, I wonder why his things are still here. I'm sure I told President Seibert I'd be moving today." Amy didn't give Sheldon a chance to get a word in. She was lost in thought.
This woman's mind is all over the place. Sheldon thought. Wait a minute... Did she just call me her secretary? Does she have no clue as to who she's speaking to?
"Excuse me... Do you expect me to believe that you don't know who I am?" Sheldon raised his voice, looking insulted.
"I don't follow. Am I supposed to know?" Amy looked genuinely puzzled.
He was rendered speechless. I guess there's a first time for everything.
Of course, Sheldon realized something. An ordinary neurobiologist like her was never given the chance to come across the Dr. Sheldon Cooper, a once-in-a-generation Homo Novus.
"Oh, you poor kid. A proverbial moth like you has never encountered a flame such as myself. I'm Dr. Sheldon Cooper, BSc, MSc, MA, PhD, and ScD. OMG right?" Hmm... No reaction... But that was humorous!
Amy tried to figure Dr. Cooper out. After his tiresome introduction, she licked her teeth and decided to focus her attention on her clipboard instead.
"I won the Stevenson Award at age 14 and a half?..." Still no reaction. Sheldon was dumbstruck.
"I got my Ph.D. at age 16. Surely, you've read my papers..." Amy continued scribbling down on her clipboard, ignoring whatever Sheldon was saying.
"I am known to be a rock star in numerous science circles?" He noticed Amy had already turned her back on him, her attention elsewhere.
Sheldon felt his pulse rise with anger. "Hey! I'm not going to stand here looking foolish as you ignore me!" He stepped closer to Amy and snatched the clipboard away from her. He felt their fingers touch for a moment. Why are my hands tingling for some reason?
He looked at her clipboard and it read: "If you act like you can't hear him, maybe he'll leave" along with other words such as "callous egomaniac", "jerk", "entitled", "arrogant" and other foul words his eyes refused to acknowledge on the paper. All his strange feelings from earlier began to dissipate.
"I apologize, Dr. Cooper. I have heard about you from President Seibert and was advised not to involve myself with people like you. Now, I understand perfectly." Amy gave a tight-lipped smile. "Again, how may I help you?"
"Not interested in formalities aren't you, Dr. Amy Farrah Fowler? I'll get straight to the point. I am not your secretary. I am here to complain about you removing all my belongings from my office."
"Your office? Wasn't this Professor Rothman's office?"
"It was. Now, it's mine. I won it fair and square over a match I had with Barry Kripke. Now, that's the scientist you clearly shouldn't involve yourself with." Sheldon mused.
"Oh, so you're one of the physicists President Seibert told me about. I'm confused. He told me you weren't interested in this office."
"It's pointless to argue about it. I rejected it at first, but now I've changed my mind. Plus, my things were here first until you removed them so I called dibs." Sheldon said the last statement in a child-like manner. He swiftly went out the door and got one of his boxes, trying to return his belongings inside Amy's office.
As Sheldon placed one box after the other, Amy was shocked at this weird turn of events. It took her seconds to process everything before she realized she had to put a stop to this annoying physicist in front of her. So much for a fresh start.
Even though Amy was at a disadvantage in terms of height. She knew a thing or two about tussling it up. Thank God for Cub Scouts.
Before Sheldon could place another box inside, Amy charged and tackled him to the ground. Sheldon yelped loudly as he fell backward with the box out of his reach.
Everything was all a blur to Sheldon. He winced in pain, his eyes closed. Hmm... The box didn't feel this heavy earlier.
Sheldon opened his eyes, meeting Amy's emerald ones once again and at that moment, his mind went blank. His strange feelings came back.
That serves you right. Amy thought. She reached over the box at Sheldon's side and proceeded to get off Sheldon and stand up.
Amy huffed and offered her hand to Sheldon. "Here, let me help you up." She looked at him with disdain. Well, she also felt guilty. She had no idea how this man she just met would lead her to act so rashly.
Sheldon snapped out of his trance, refused her hand, and stood up on his own (in a comedic fashion).
Before he could say anything else, President Seibert walked into the office.
"Dr. Fowler, I hope you're easing into the university so far-" President Seibert couldn't believe his eyes. He saw Dr. Fowler and Dr. Cooper in a disheveled state and the office was a mess.
Looking as though caught red-handed, both Sheldon and Amy had one thought and one thought only.
Oh Fate, Thou Art a Heartless Bitch.
End of Chapter 2.
Author's Note: Now that was a wild ride! This chapter was really fun to write. It was longer than I expected it to be. Also, I'm not sure if Amy and Sheldon were both true to their characters in terms of their mannerisms and dialogue. (In my defense, this is an AU fic). With that, I'd so appreciate your reviews on this particular chapter. Please fav, follow, or review this story for more updates. Thank you so much and until next time, Shamy fans!
P.S. I also fixed some typos in the first chapter. I'll make sure to check all your reviews and fix my writing.