Chapter 8

Author's Note: Thank you so so so much for all of your reviews. Also, to everyone who favorited and followed the story, I will not let you down. Enjoy Chapter 8!

There was an uncomfortable silence in the car. Sheldon was in the front seat, looking out the window while Amy did the same at the back.

The spoken agreement was that Penny would drive Amy to Caltech, then Sheldon home. But she had other plans...

Alright, Operation Shamy is in full swing. Now, how do I get them to start talking...

"So, um, Amy, Sheldon tells me you're a neuro something-or-other."

Amy was astonished that someone as beautiful as Penny would take an interest in what she does. People like her reminded Amy of the times she was bullied in school.

She also wasn't a fan of humdrum chitchat, but she knew she had to make up for hitting Leonard in the face and Penny taking the time to drive her to Caltech.

"I specialize in Neurobiology, which is nothing more than the science of gray squishy stuff. Right, Dr. Cooper?" Amy said mockingly.

Sheldon said nothing and the atmosphere quickly changed. Penny mentally slapped herself in the face for making things worse.

Okay, first I have to get Sheldon to apologize. Then, they'll finally be friends, and who knows maybe in 5 or 10 years Sheldon can grow a pair, they admit their love for each other, they get married and have children. Easy. Easier said than done. Penny didn't want to get her hopes up. She couldn't imagine them getting physical any time soon.

"Sheldon, isn't there anything you want to say to Amy?"

"Nope."

"Really? Nothing at all?" Penny gritted her teeth and glared at Sheldon.

Sheldon stayed silent and chose to ignore Penny's attempts of reconciliation between him and Amy. This stubbornness prompted Penny to pull over at the side of the road.

"Get out of the car, we need to talk." Sheldon tried to object but Penny went out of the car. She walked around the car to his side, opened his door, and pulled him out. "Sorry, Amy. This will only take a minute." Penny smiled.

They started arguing in front of her. Amy tried to make out what they were trying to say from the car but stopped herself from prying into their conversation. Penny looked really angry as Sheldon rolled his eyes.

"She humiliated me first! Why do I have to apologize?"

"It's called being nice. And who's to say you had nothing to do with all of this? I heard what you did. Now, Leonard's at the hospital."

"That's not my fault. All of this wouldn't have happened if she never came to Caltech!"

"All of this wouldn't have happened if you weren't such an ass!"

"She took my office, my parking spot, my table at the cafeteria! Now she's even managed to get you all on her side."

"We're on her side because we sure as hell don't understand yours. Tell me, what is it about Amy that you don't like so much?"

"Oh, where do I begin? It's because of her mere presence that I am unable to function lately. How can I focus on getting a Nobel when all I can think about is the annoying sound of her voice? The distracting scent of her cherry shampoo in the morning? Her lip gloss that makes her mouth too slippery? Her eyes that sparkle every time she successfully renders me speechless with her actions? It's infuriating." Sheldon's face was flushed.

Meanwhile, Penny was surprised by his outburst. She couldn't contain her smile.

"Oh, I see what's going on here. You're giving her a hard time because you like her, don't you?" Penny teased.

Sheldon scoffed. "I do not like her. There is no universe where Sheldon Lee Cooper would like Amy Farrah Fowler."

"Please. If this were elementary school, you'd be that one boy picking on the girl he likes in the playground. You're crushing on Amy, just admit it."

"T-That is far from the truth! Will you keep it down? She might hear your nonsense."

"Why? You don't want her to find out?" Suddenly, Penny raised her voice and continued teasing Sheldon. "Sheldon and Amy sitting on a tree... K-I-S-.." Sheldon tried to cover Penny's mouth. "Stop it!"

"Apologize to her."

"Never."

"Fine. I guess Amy would want to hear about what you just told me then."

"You wouldn't." Sheldon glared at Penny. "Try me." Penny ran back into the car. Sheldon followed right after.

"Amy, Sheldon wanted me to tell you that he likes-"

Sheldon interrupted her. "Giving apologies." Sheldon turned to Amy while Penny kept her mouth shut. "I would like to apologize, Dr. Fowler."

Amy raised her eyebrows. She didn't expect this at all. What on earth did they talk about?

"Interesting. Apologize for what exactly?" Amy wanted a real apology. She wanted to actually hear him say the word "sorry".

"Yeah. For what, Sheldon?" Penny added. She was having too much fun.

Sheldon: I'm sorry that you weren't able to…

Amy: No.

Sheldon: That my genius…

Amy: No.

Sheldon: That the foam was…

Penny: Sheldon.

Sheldon: Fine. I took our feud too far. I would like to call it a truce. I'm sorry.

Sheldon looked straight at Amy and looked down, feeling embarrassed. He sounded so vulnerable and sincere that both Penny and Amy were moved.

"You're forgiven. I'm sorry too. I would also like to apologize to you, Penny. I'm sorry I hurt Leonard. Based on how you treated him earlier, I can assume that he means a lot to you. " Amy offered her sympathies.

"No worries. I know you didn't do it on purpose. Plus, I know you were supposed to hit Sheldon. I'm sad that things didn't work out." Penny sighed.

Sheldon shot her another glare. "Kidding!" Penny smiled. "Oh look, we're here. Where's your car, Amy?"

"Take a right here. It should be noticeable considering that it's covered in foam-" Penny turned right and Amy couldn't believe her eyes as she looked out the window. Her car was squeaky clean. "How...?"

"Earlier, when you went to get Leonard's car, I excused myself for a moment and talked to the university janitor. I asked him to clean your car while we were away. Had to give him 20 dollars to do it well." Sheldon explained.

Aw... I guess Shelbot has feelings after all. Penny thought.

Amy cleared her throat. This day was such a rollercoaster. "Er... T-Thanks."

"No need to thank me. It was all my doing anyway." Sheldon looked out the window as Amy continued staring at him.

Penny noticed Amy's expression through the rearview mirror. It looks like she likes him too.

Well, I can't just let things end like this! This situation was what Penny was going for all along. She quickly took out her phone.

Penny sucked her teeth and hoped her acting skills would come in handy. "Oooh... I'm afraid I can't drive you home, Sheldon. My shift's been moved to an earlier slot."

"What? You said it wasn't for another couple hours!"

"What can I say? The Cheesecake Factory's swamped." Penny turned to Amy. "Is there any way you could drive him home, Amy? Seeing as your car's cleaned and everything."

"Umm... Well... Maybe I can-" Amy was fidgeting with her fingers. "Great! Then that settles it. You'll drive Sheldon home. Sheldon will tell you the way, right Sheldon?"

Sheldon looked at Penny, sighed, and got out of the car.

Penny looked at Amy. "I'm sorry, I really have to go. Can you handle him from here?"

Amy was speechless. "Sure."

"Aww... Thanks, Ames! I owe you lots! It was nice meeting you. Maybe we can hang out some time. I know someone who'd love to meet you."

"Okay." Amy was moved to one-word replies. A lot of things were happening at the same time, and it was all confusing for her to understand. Ames?

Amy got out of the car and Penny drove off. She found Sheldon checking her car to see if the janitor did a good job.

"Well, all the foam's gone. Your car looks even cleaner than Penny's." He snorted.

There was an awkward silence between them. Here we go again. They both thought.

"Shall we?" Amy asked. Sheldon nodded and they went on their way.

The traffic was at a standstill. They managed not to say anything for 30 minutes.

"...It seems like we'll be here for a while." Amy tapped her fingers on the wheel. She wanted to turn the radio on so that she wouldn't be bothered by him, but she really didn't care for music in the car. Neither did Sheldon.

Sheldon noticed her discomfort and offered a solution. "Would you want to play a game while we wait?" Amy glanced at Sheldon and thought he was joking. But he looked rather serious about it.

"Uh, sure. What's it about?"

"It's a game I just invented. It's called Counterfactuals. We postulate an alternate world that differs from ours in one key aspect and then pose questions to each other."

"That sounds like fun."

Sheldon smiled and started to ask Amy. "Since this is your first time, I'll make it an easy one. In a world where mankind is ruled by a giant intelligent beaver, what food is no longer consumed?"

Amy pondered for a bit. "Cheese Danish.

"Defend."

"In a world ruled by a giant beaver, mankind builds many dams to please the beaver overlord. The low-lying city of Copenhagen is flooded. Thousands die. Devastated, the Danes never invent their namesake pastry."

Sheldon was speechless yet again. He remembered trying this game with Leonard but he always failed to understand it. "...Correct. Your turn to ask."

"Hmm... Okay, I thought of one. In a world where rhinoceroses are domesticated pets, who wins the Second World War?"

Sheldon didn't take a second and immediately had an answer. "Uganda."

"Defend."

"Kenya rises to power on the export of rhinoceroses. A Central African power block is formed, colonizing North Africa and Europe. When war breaks out, no one can afford the luxury of a rhino. Kenya withers, Uganda triumphs."

Amy smiled. "Correct." Sheldon smiled back and they continued playing.

All feelings of animosity between them dissipated as Sheldon and Amy were genuinely enjoying each other's company. They played games like I Spy, Sheldon's made-up elements game, and the last game they played was all about flag trivia.

"Wow, Dr. Fowler. I'm impressed. You sure know your vexillology."

Amy blushed. "Thank you. You obviously know more about flags than I do." Wait, did I just give him a compliment? What are you doing, Fowler?

"Sadly, not many people know much about them. If only there was some way I could impart all my flag knowledge to others..."

"Well, why don't you start a flag podcast? You could share different fun facts about flags in each episode."

Sheldon was giving it some thought. "That is intriguing."

Thinking about it a little more, Sheldon sighed. "It's pointless. Let's say I went through with creating such a series... I hardly believe that anyone would watch."

"I would."

Sheldon's breath caught in his throat. "You would?"

Amy stopped at a red light and turned her head to Sheldon. "Of course I-" Amy stopped talking and caught Sheldon staring at her intensely.

Time seemed to stop for the two of them as they continued looking at each other, trying to figure what the other person was thinking.

Suddenly, they could hear the car behind them honking. Amy failed to notice that the stoplight turned green.

They both snapped out of their reverie. Amy immediately stepped on the gas and continued driving. Sheldon held on to his seatbelt.

"I apologize for that, Dr. Cooper. I don't know what came over me. I'm not usually like this when it comes to driving." Amy said panting.

Sheldon was breathless as well. "No worries. If it's any consolation, you're a better driver than Penny."

"There was something bothering me when we were in the car with her... I'm not sure if I should say it."

"Was it because her check engine light was on?"

"How did you-"

Sheldon snorted. "I've wasted many an hour tilting at that particular windmill."

"I was deeply concerned. I just chose not to say anything because I felt bad for her and Leonard."

There it was again. Amy calling Leonard by his first name. Why is hearing his name on her lips so tedious?

Due to his annoyance, Sheldon became silent.

"If you don't mind me asking, what does 43 mean?"

"43?"

"The one Howard said you wrote on the board last time."

If anyone else were to ask him what 43 meant, he would refuse to say anything. However, he felt compelled to tell her the truth. At that moment, Amy's presence turned from being troublesome to comforting.

"It's my high score."

Amy looked puzzled. "High score from what?"

"...Hackey-sack."

When Amy heard Sheldon's reply, all she could do was give a light chuckle.

Sheldon's heart skipped a beat at the sound. "Hey, was that supposed to be funny? I regret telling you already."

"No, no. I wasn't laughing at you. It's just cute, that's all." Amy realized she said the same word again. Cute. She mentally slapped herself in the face.

However, Sheldon wasn't offended by it this time. "Most people I know may not realize it, but I have difficulty navigating certain aspects of daily life. You know, understanding sarcasm, feigning interest in others, not talking about trains as much as I want to. It's exhausting. Which is why, for twenty minutes a day, I like to go down to that room, turn my mind off and do what I need to do to recharge."

Sheldon poured out his heart to Amy. It was a first for Amy to see someone talk so openly with her. She melted at the thought.

"Hey, I get that. I struggle with social interactions too. At UCLA, everyone considered me to be an emotionless robot who only cared about work. My lab there was the place where I felt the safest. It was where I could do what I loved to do and be who I am without anyone's judgment."

"Why'd you leave UCLA then?"

"I made a minor mistake and nobody wanted to work with me after that."

For the first time in his life, Sheldon felt sympathy for another person.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that."

"I could say the same."

Both of them suddenly felt shy and looked away from each other.

Amy finally arrived at Sheldon's apartment building. "Looks like we're here. Did I get the address right?"

"Yes, you did."

Now, this should be the part where Sheldon says goodbye and leaves. However, he couldn't find it in himself to do it. He didn't want this moment to end.

"See you at the office next week...", Amy said with a pain in her voice. She didn't want it to end either.

There was something holding them back. Something both of them wanted to say.

Before Amy could find an excuse to leave, Sheldon spoke up.

"Let's be friends."

Amy felt a fluttery sensation in her stomach. "You want to be friends with me?"

"Yes. Not just on Facebook. In real life."

Amy chuckled again. "I've been wanting to ask you about that."

"Penny clicked it for me. I reprimanded her for it, but now I realize that there's no reason to be angry about it anymore. What do you say?"

"I would like that, Dr. Cooper." Amy sported a huge grin.

"You can call me Sheldon."

Amy felt her cheeks heat up. "Uh, okay... You can call me Amy then."

Sheldon nodded and smiled at Amy. He took off his seatbelt and got out of the car.

Amy sighed. Before she got ready to drive off, she heard Sheldon knock on her window.

"Knock knock knock, Amy. Knock knock knock, Amy. Knock knock knock, Amy." She rolled it down.

"Thanks for the ride. See you next week." Sheldon smiled.

Amy was the one speechless this time. When Sheldon turned his back, Amy called out to him. "Hey wait!"

Sheldon turned around. "Goodnight, Sheldon. I really enjoyed your company. See you next week."

She didn't wait for him to respond. She immediately closed the window and drove off before she regretted anything.

Sheldon watched her leave and couldn't find it in himself to move. He placed his hand on his chest. Hmm... That's odd. These strange feelings are back again.

He brushed it off and went inside his apartment building with a smile on his face. He just made a new friend. One he didn't ever want to let go of.

Both of their hearts were racing. As much as it was obvious to everyone else, Sheldon and Amy had no idea what they were feeling.

All they know is that they would definitely relive that car ride over and over again if given the chance.

The End.

(Nah, I'm just kidding. End of Chapter 8.)

Author's Note: Well, I guess Penny's plan for Operation Shamy worked. Yay, they're friends now!

As an author, I really planned for them to call each other by their professional titles first so that there would be a significant change when they decided to be friends and call each other on a first-name basis. (It was squeal-worthy on my part if I may add.)

I'm sorry it took 8 chapters for them to get this far (*sigh*). Things are sure to start heating up between them in the next chapters.

Let me know your reactions to this chapter. I know some of you don't like fluff but I really had fun writing this. There were so many sweet Shamy moments, my heart couldn't help but cheer for them.

Notable episodes I used: The Robotic Manipulation, The Zazzy Substitution, The Vacation Solution, The 43 Peculiarity

A fav/follow/review would deeply be appreciated. Stay tuned for my future updates. If any of you have suggestions on what you want to see in the next chapters, I might just consider adding them. :)