Chapter 9

Author's Note: Hi! I'd like to give a shoutout to the users who continuously support my story. I love all your reviews. (redhead59901, the naughty vixen, MobyShamy4ever, ShamyFan, banditt0508, and to the rest who continue motivating me to continue writing this AU fic.) One of you said that I should make my chapters longer, so I did (abrht0907). Enjoy Chapter 9!

When Sheldon told the group that he and Amy decided to be friends, they were surprised to see him in such a good mood. He told them he'd revoke the strikes he gave all of them and even pardoned Penny when she accidentally sat in his spot. He was always either on his phone texting Amy or calling her through Skype.

Penny called the hospital to check up on Leonard. He said he had to stay for a couple more days.

Wanting some company, she invited the rest of the group to eat dinner at 4A. They talked about Leonard, work, and they desperately waited for Sheldon to leave so that they could talk about him and Amy.

Finally, when Sheldon excused himself to do laundry, the group high-fived each other and cheered for Shamy and their recent development.

The group noticed that Sheldon's condescending and tedious personality was nowhere to be found. While Leonard was absent, they dreaded Sheldon bothering one of them to drive him around. However, things changed when he and Amy became friends. Amy was more than willing to take him anywhere he'd like. Whatever magic Amy had, they were more than happy to keep it that way.

"Yay, we did it!" Howard raised both of his arms in a celebratory manner.

Penny disagreed. "What do you mean we? I'm the one who made Sheldon apologize. I'm also the one who made them drive home together that night."

Howard fought back. "Hey, if Raj and I didn't discover Sheldon's secret room, he wouldn't have thought of his grand plan and everything that went down between them wouldn't have happened."

Bernadette stopped their bickering. "Do we really need to fight about this? There's no one else to thank but Leonard. He's the one who got beaten up." Raj nodded as Penny and Howard went silent.

Howard replied, "Well, can't argue with that. All hail Leonard and his broken nose."

"Hail!", the group said altogether.

The gang missed Leonard and wanted to hang out and eat with him after all their schedules for the day were clear. The four guys were in Leonard's hospital room playing Mystic Warlords of Ka'a while Penny and Bernadette went to go get their Chinese food.

Leonard: Mountain Elf.

Raj: He takes the elf from off the shelf.

Sheldon: Hell Hounds.

Raj: Hell Hounds. Who let the Satanic dogs out? Who? Who-who?

Howard: Colossal Serpent.

Raj: I got a colossal serpent right here.

Sheldon: Must you?

Raj: Sorry, I'm just trying to cheer my buddy up. Rotting Zombie. Leonard's new Facebook photo.

Leonard: Zandor, Wizard of the North. Ha! I win.

Howard: If you skip the part about being beaten up by Sheldon's girlfriend, absolutely.

"Amy's not my girlfriend. Yes, she is female. Yes, we are now communicating on a daily basis, but no, she is not my girlfriend."

Sheldon felt his phone vibrate and he quickly took it out to see that Amy has texted. "Speaking of which, my friend just sent me a text message."

The guys took note of the way Sheldon's face suddenly brightened up when he looked at his phone.

"Oh. Amy's at the dry cleaners, and she's made a very amusing pun. 'I don't care for perchloroethylene, and I don't like glycol ether.' Get it? She doesn't like glycol ether. Sounds like either." Sheldon let out a laugh. (Taps in reply) "L-O-L."

Penny and Bernadette came back with Chinese food. Sheldon proceeded to check if Penny got his order correctly.

Sheldon: Did you remember to ask for the chicken with broccoli to be diced, not shredded?

Penny: Yes.

Sheldon: Even though the menu description specifies shredded?

Penny: Yes.

Sheldon: Brown rice, not white?

Penny: Yes.

Sheldon: Did you stop at the Korean grocery and get the good hot mustard

Penny: Yes.

Sheldon: Did you pick up the low-sodium soy sauce from the market?

Penny: Yes.

Sheldon: Good. You see how it's done, Leonard?

Leonard ignored him and handed Sheldon his car keys. "Sheldon, can you do me a favor and get my good inhaler in the car. My asthma's acting up again."

Sheldon objected. "Can't Penny do it? You know I detest walking around the hospital. What if I come across a sick person as I go to your car?"

"Come on, Sheldon. Penny just got here with Bernadette. Are you really choosing not to help me right now?"

Sheldon was starting to feel like the bad guy, so he relented. "Fine, I'll go. Just for the record, my Aunt Ruth died in a hospital. She went in to visit my Uncle Roger, caught something, and bit the dust a week later. The two of them now share a coffee can on my mother's mantel."

Sheldon asked Raj to open the door for him and left the room. Leonard looked at the door for a few seconds to check if Sheldon was actually gone.

Leonard immediately spoke up. "Okay guys, I don't have a lot of time."

Everyone misunderstood his statement and started crowding Leonard in panic. Leonard realized that what he said may have caused some confusion so he clarified himself before everyone started to overreact.

"No, no. I mean I don't have a lot of time before Sheldon gets back. I need to tell you guys something that you can never tell Sheldon."

"So, you're really going through with the surgery?", Howard asked.

"Yes. The doctor explained to me that it would be best to do it and that nothing bad would happen. The only problem is that Sheldon might overreact just like all of you did earlier. He thinks the surgery is going to kill me. It's tomorrow afternoon, so I just need you to distract him for a while until it's over. He mustn't know anything about this." Leonard reasoned.

"But wait, he thinks we're getting you tomorrow afternoon. He cleared up his schedule and everything." Penny explained.

The group tried to come up with a solution on how to keep Sheldon busy.

Penny thought of an idea and snapped her fingers. "Oh, I know! I can ask my boss if I could work an earlier shift at the Cheesecake Factory. Howard, Raj, and Bernadette will eat there and keep him company, you call us when you're done, and we'll come and get you at the hospital."

Luckily, everyone was free and all of them were on board with the plan. Sheldon came back with Leonard's inhaler and they all ate together as if they were back in 4A.

The next day.

The plan to keep Sheldon away was in motion. The gang convinced Sheldon that they would all eat at The Cheesecake Factory before getting Leonard because Penny wanted to come with them after her shift.

"It's been 30 minutes already. Why is Penny taking so long in taking our order?" Sheldon was starting to grow impatient.

"Relax, Sheldon. It's just a busy day, that's all." Howard replied.

"That or Penny's just a bad waitress." Bernadette snorted.

While that may be the case, Penny was not going to them on purpose. She also told her co-workers not to wait on their table. Leonard's surgery was already happening and they needed more time to wait for it to finish.

Sheldon couldn't take it anymore and finally stood up. "I don't know what's keeping her, but I'm going to speak to the manager. We need to order now, or else we'll be late getting Leonard at the hospital."

Before they could stop Sheldon from going, he noticed something and quickly went back to his seat. He took the menu on the table and covered his face with it as if he was hiding from someone.

The three were confused and tried to see where Sheldon was looking earlier.

Howard and Raj's eyes widened as they saw Amy Farrah Fowler with a man, entering the restaurant. They were in shock at the sight and started to cover their faces with the menu as well. Bernadette noticed this and followed them.

The four of them stood their menus on the four corners of the table to act as walls so that they could talk to each other and avoid being seen.

"What the hell is Amy doing here?" Howard tried to keep his voice down as much as possible.

Bernadette replied. "Oh, that's Amy? It looks like she's on a date." She looked at Sheldon who was less than amused.

Howard looked at Sheldon, curious at his reaction. "Sheldon, any thoughts?"

"I have no idea. She didn't tell me anything.", he said with a glum expression. "I didn't think Amy was the type to go on dates. She seems too evolved for such a plebeian activity." Sheldon then started to hide his bitter emotions from them by covering his face again with the menu as if he was reading it.

The three continued talking.

Bernadette: Did any of you get a good look at the guy she was with?

Raj and Howard shook their heads.

Howard: Not really. I guess we should look again and see.

Bernadette: No wait, what if she sees us?

Howard: Okay, we'll do it one at a time then.

Amy was at the table near the bar. Both she and her date were seated across from one another. They then started to see what the guy looked like in a comedic fashion. Howard was the one who checked first. Then, he started signaling the other two. "Okay. Bernie." Bernadette looked back and took a peek. "Now, Raj." Raj stood up a bit and tried to get a good look.

"Sheldon?"

"I hardly care about the guy's looks. I refuse to embark on such a task that doesn't interest me at all." Sheldon said in a sharp tone.

No one seemed to believe him. So, Bernadette tried to say something that would make Sheldon show that he did care.

"Are you sure? He seemed cute. I saw Amy smile at him, laughing at a joke he said."

That is preposterous. I'm the only one who makes her laugh. Sheldon was also triggered by the word "cute". Sheldon gave in and checked the guy out, ignoring his friends' smirks. He stood his menu on his corner again and started to join Howard and Bernadette's conversation.

"Bernadette, you must be joking. He looks nothing more than an ordinary man who doesn't deserve to be with the likes of Amy Farrah Fowler, a noted neurobiologist who severed the webbing of her own feet with nothing but cans of whipped cream as anesthesia." Sheldon crossed his arms. He looked more than agitated.

Penny felt that it was time to take their order so that Sheldon wouldn't be suspicious. She finally approached their table.

"I'm sorry for taking so long, there was some trouble in the kitchen." Penny noticed them hiding with an amused expression. "Hey, whatcha guys got going on over here?"

Bernadette explained their situation to Penny. "We just saw Amy with her date and we didn't want her to see us."

Penny gasped in interest. "Shut up. Where?" Bernadette told Penny to look at the table near the bar.

"Oh my God, look at Amy! Just working it under all those layers of wool and polyester." Penny smiled while Sheldon became more annoyed. "Do you guys want me to go over there and find out how their date's going?" She particularly looked at Sheldon to see if he was going to react.

Raj, Howard, and Bernadette nodded. "Sheldon, what about you? Would you want me to go over there?"

"I don't care. Whether you do it or not doesn't matter to me, so go ahead." Sheldon tried his hardest to sound indifferent but his body language said otherwise.

"Okay then. I'm going now." Penny decided not to push his buttons any further and went straight to Amy's table.

Sheldon realized something. "Drats! She still hasn't taken our order." The four of them sighed, thirsty and starving.

As Penny was on her way, she noticed Amy's date excuse himself as he went to the bathroom. She took a good look at him and went straight to Amy. "Hey, Ames! Fancy seeing you here. Enjoying your date?"

Though surprised at first, she remembered Penny saying she worked at The Cheesecake Factory. "Hi, Penny. How'd you know I was on a date?"

"Oh, I just saw him leave your table earlier. He's cute. Where'd you two meet?"

"Actually, I just met him today. We matched on a dating website. I made a deal with my mother that I had to date once a year in exchange for her silence on the matter, as well as the occasional use of her George Foreman Grill that seals in the flavor without the fat."

"So, are you saying you're on this date because your mother forced you to?"

"Yes. To be honest with you, I find matters such as dating to be a waste of time."

Amy said it so coldly that she reminded Penny of Sheldon for a moment. I guess I was right. 5 or 10 years. Penny mentally sighed at the fact that it was going to take a lot of time before Sheldon and Amy became an actual couple.

"That's interesting." Penny noticed Amy's date on his way back to the table, so she tried to end their conversation. "Well, I won't disturb you then. Have fun on your date."

"Thanks, It was nice chatting with you, Penny. See you next time." Before Penny left, she had another idea. As Amy's date sat down, Penny approached her again. "Hey, Amy. If you don't mind me asking, can you come later to my apartment for a Girls' Night' tonight?"

Amy was speechless. She was never invited to such things. "Girls' night? What does that entail?"

Penny looked at her strangely. Has she never been to one? "Oh, you know, girls get together, hang out, share girl talk."

Amy was intrigued by the idea. "Umm, sure... What's the dress code?"

"Uh, just wear something comfortable."

"Alright." Guess I'll have to go shopping. While it wasn't noticeable, Amy was freaking out inside. It was going to be her first "Girls' Night" whatever that was.

"Great! You'll finally meet Bernadette. We'll see you there. Oh, and by the way, I live across the hall from Leonard and Sheldon, so you already know where to find us." Penny winked and left Amy alone with her date.

"Who was that?", Amy's date asked but she ignored him. She was busy thinking about her soon-to-be hangout with Penny and the girl she mentioned, Bernadette.

Wait, did she mention that she lived across the hall from Sheldon? Is he here? Amy looked around to see if he was.

Oh crap, he is. I didn't tell him about this date... What would he think of me now if he saw me?

"Amy?... Are you okay? You've been a little quiet over there. Is something wrong?"

"Oh, umm... Sorry, Adam. I need to go. I had a great time but I don't see this going anywhere. I wish you luck in your future endeavors." She stood up and went on her way. She hid using her bag to avoid being seen.

Suddenly, Amy's date stood up and called out to her. "Amy, wait!" His voice was loud enough for everyone to hear, including Sheldon and the others.

"You left your phone." Adam noticed the stares and suddenly felt uncomfortable. Amy went to him to get it. She turned and saw Sheldon looking straight at her.

Oh no, he saw me! Howard and Raj too... Amy noticed another girl as well. She figured it was Bernadette.

Amy gave a small wave and proceeded to run out of the restaurant in embarrassment. She was on her way to get ready for Penny's "Girls' Night", praying that she wouldn't run into Sheldon.

Penny saw the whole thing and went back to Sheldon, Howard, Bernadette, and Raj. "What a scene, am I right?"

"I guess she ditched her date," Howard remarked.

Sheldon snorted. "Of course she did. He probably scared her off with his humdrum chitchat and dull personality." Sheldon smirked and crossed his arms. All of his negative feelings went away. He then glared at Penny. "Now, can you take our order?"

After eating, Leonard called Penny, saying that the surgery was a success. Penny's shift ended and they immediately went to get him.

Sheldon was fuming when they got to the hospital. He realized that Leonard got the surgery.

"I told you not to get the surgery."

Leonard's voice was still funny. "Sheldon, I'm sorry I didn't tell you about it, but you were worried about nothing."

"Oh, you're hardly out of the woods, no. You still run the risk of infection, a blood clot, the possibility that an inattentive surgeon let a barn spider lay eggs in your nose. The minute you sneeze web, I'm moving out."

"I never thought I'd say these words, but come on nose spider," Leonard exclaimed.

Everyone welcomed Leonard back and all of them called it a day. The set-up was that Raj would drive Howard home, Penny would drive Leonard and Sheldon using Leonard's car, and Bernadette would drive Penny's car and follow them to their apartment.

Oh God, I hope I'm not too late. Amy parked her car in front of the apartment building. She had to buy something comfortable she could wear for Girls' Night that she ran into a little bit of traffic on the way.

Penny messaged that her apartment was located on the fourth floor... How'd she even get my number? Hmm... Maybe she got it from Shel-

When she went through the building entrance she was surprised to see Sheldon there, carrying a package.

Sheldon took notice of her and remembered how she ran away from her date. He wanted to tease her about it.

"Well, hello Amy. How was your date?" Sheldon smirked.

Amy gulped. "You saw that, huh?"

They proceeded to go up the stairs together on the way to the fourth floor. "May I just say, Amy, I was quite surprised to see someone as pragmatic and level-headed as you engage in pointless affairs such as dating."

"Fine. Say what you want. Adam and I matched on an online dating site. We were supposed to meet at a coffee shop nearby, but there were no seats available. He then suggested we eat at The Cheesecake Factory."

"Really, Amy? Online dating? Those sites are nothing but pure hokum. It's sad to see that you have been taken in by unsupportable mathematics designed to prey on the gullible and the lonely." Sheldon sighed.

"Now, now. I only went on that date because my mother and I have agreed that I would date at least once a year. Sadly, no matter how many times I object, I have no say in the matter." Amy had her head down, looking defeated.

Amy and Sheldon reached the fourth floor and they stopped in front of Sheldon's apartment.

"Oh. So you were forced out of your will?" Sheldon stopped in his tracks and stared at Amy for clarification.

"Precisely."

Interesting. My mother and I have the same agreement about Church. "And you haven't found the need to find someone you'll fall hopelessly in love with?"

Amy furrowed her brows. "Don't be absurd. I find romantic love to be an unnecessary cultural construct that adds no value to human relationships."

Sheldon placed his hands on his chest. "Amy Farrah Fowler, that's the most pragmatic thing anyone's ever said to me."

"It's true. Before we had our date, I told him that all forms of physical contact up to and including coitus were off the table."

I knew she wasn't that kind of person. She's a Homo Novus, just like me. He was overcome with such pride that he's met a person so much like him.

Sheldon cleared his throat and smiled at Amy. "Would you like to come in for a beverage? Tea or tepid water perhaps?"

Before Amy could say anything, the door of 4B opened and Penny butted in their conversation.

"Sorry, Shelly. She's ours tonight." Penny teased.

Oh right. Penny mentioned that they invited her over for Girls' Night. Sheldon forgot this little detail because he wanted to spend more time with her.

Sheldon felt a hint of disappointment. "I guess we'll take a rain check on that beverage then. Be careful, Amy. Penny's a negative influence."

Amy nodded and went straight to Penny's "No, I'm not!" Penny shouted before closing the door.

"Howie told me he'd pick me up tomorrow with my car. Guess I'll be staying at your place again, Penny." Bernadette remarked.

"Well, that's great! We can have a little slumber party then. Amy, is that okay with you?"

"Uh, sure... Does this mean we'll do makeovers, initiate phony phone calls, and have spirited pillow fights in our frilly nighties?" Amy was both excited and clueless. She was never invited to anything like this before.

"Well, we could! We actually wanted to talk to you about something." Penny bit her lip. "Bernadette?" She looked at Bernadette.

"Hi, Amy. We haven't been properly introduced. I'm Bernadette, Howard's fiance. I'm a microbiologist." Bernadette and Amy shook hands.

Interesting. Bernadette's a scientist too... Meanwhile, Howard only has a master's degree. He sure hit the ground running with this cute girl.

"I was wondering if it would be too forward of me to invite you to my wedding. Not as a guest, but as a bridesmaid."

Amy couldn't believe what was happening. Somehow, after meeting Sheldon, she's managed to find herself involved in his life and the people he's with. "Why, me?"

"We need one more bridesmaid and after hearing about you, I couldn't imagine anyone else. I know it's hard to believe but I would really want us to get along, seeing as how the guys have taken such a liking towards you." Bernadette smiled at Amy.

"Gee, I don't know what to say... First, I'm invited to a slumber party and now I've been asked to become a bridesmaid. I wish I could tell 13-year-old me it does get better."

"Aww, Amy." Bernadette and Penny went to hug Amy.

Sheldon specifically told them to be considerate of Amy. He mentioned that they both shared the same struggle with social interactions and that if they did anything to hurt her, they would never hear the end of it.

"So, what do you say?" Bernadette asked.

"I would love to. I know it's still early, but this is turning out to be the best slumber party ever." Amy mused.

The girls decided to do the things that girls would usually do during a slumber party. They watched a movie, painted their nails, and ate ice cream.

Penny started to hand them their bowls. "Hey, Ames. Want some coffee liqueur on your ice cream?"

"Aah, here's the alcohol and drug peer pressure my mother warned me about. I was starting to think it was never going to happen. Yes, please."

Amy tried one spoon of her ice cream. "I'm drunk." Penny and Bernadette giggled, amused by her innocence.

When Amy became tipsy, Penny and Bernadette decided to get all the details about her and Sheldon.

Penny: So, Ames. What do you think about Sheldon?

Amy: What about him?

Bernadette: Well, do you like him?

Amy: I do. I've always wanted a friend like him.

Penny: Surely you see him as more than that, right?

Amy: What do you mean?

Bernadette: Do you think about him all the time? Does the thought of seeing him or being with him get you all excited?

Amy: Well, I guess at one point, I couldn't get him off of my mind, but that's because he was so arrogant when I first met him. Just the thought of him seemed to bother me so much. And now that he's my friend, I guess I could say I respect him a lot and I'm happy whenever I get the chance to talk to him.

Penny: So, you're not attracted to him at all? Don't you ever wonder what it's like to kiss him?

Amy: Hmm... I've never thought about it that much before. First, we were fighting over the office. Then, our field of work. And then the parking space. I guess I'm just relieved that we're way past that point.

Penny and Bernadette were both disappointed. They expected Amy to reveal or admit that she had romantic feelings for Sheldon. But now, they were losing hope for Team Shamy.

Suddenly, they heard that signature triple-knock. Speak of the devil. Both Penny and Bernadette thought.

Penny opened the door. "Sheldon, what brings you here?"

"I felt that Leonard was going to get that surgery, so I bought an urn for his ashes in case something bad happened to him. I showed it to Leonard, he took offense and kicked me out." Sheldon sighed.

Penny did a double-take, "W-Wow. I understand why he did. Sheldon, you don't do something like that."

"Really? I actually thought it was a sweet and thoughtful gesture on my part. I even got one for myself! Wanna see? I had mine and Leonard's engraved." Sheldon smiled.

"Just come in before I lock the door." Penny sighed.

"Thank you. Is that a new chair?" Sheldon proceeded to sit on it.

"Yes. Would you want anything to drink, Sheldon?"

"A diet Coke if you have one, thanks." Penny went to get Sheldon's drink in the fridge.

Sheldon looked at Amy. He noticed that her eyes were droopy and that her face looked flushed. "So, Amy. How's Girls' Night so far?"

"Terrific. I've been asked to become a bridesmaid at Howard and Bernadette's wedding, we watched a movie, painted our nails, and had some ice cream." Amy paused and tried to remember if there was anything else. "Oh. And just a moment ago we were talking about you."

Penny and Bernadette both froze. So did Sheldon.

Crap. We shouldn't have given her that ice cream.

End of Chapter 9.

Author's Note: Sorry, readers! I felt the need to end it until this point because if I didn't, the chapter would be longer than I'd want it to be.

Does Amy really see Sheldon as just a friend? Or is she just confused? In the next chapter, we'll figure out how Amy really feels. Oh, and prepare to see them getting closer personally and professionally. Please forgive me for the slow progression of their relationship. I feel that it's more natural this way.

Notable episodes I used: The Septum Deviation, The 21-Second Excitation, The Lunar Excitation, The Engagement Reaction, The Robotic Manipulation, The Desperation Emanation

Again, please leave a fav/follow to stay tuned for my updates. A review would also be appreciated. Until next time!