Chapter 17

Author's Note: Thanks to all the readers who stuck with me. It warms my heart to read all of your reviews. Thanks for also understanding my late updates.

Shoutout to the following users: redhead5990, abrht0907, AlHc924, green-ninja05, MobyShamy4ever, and to all the guest readers, old and new. Enjoy Chapter 17.

"You're Elizabeth Wilder?"

"Elizabeth Bennet from Pride and Prejudice and Laura Ingalls Wilder from Little House on the Prairie."

So much for making her jealous. Sheldon thought in disappointment.

She took a look at her phone. "You're Kirk Allen?"

"Captain James Tiberius Kirk from Star Trek and Barry Allen from The Flash. What are you doing here?"

"The more important question is: what are you doing here? I didn't know you were interested in dating."

He was caught redhanded. I must look like a total hypocrite right now.

"Uh, Howard and Raj put me up to it!" He looked in their direction and they ran straight for the exit. "Hey! Get back here you two."

"Sheldon?" Amy was expecting an explanation from him.

He stuttered. "Well, I-I saw you get all so worked up about it, I decided to try it myself."

"I see." Amy then started chuckling. She felt his motivations were strange considering he wasn't even interested in dating her. Amy was amused by this turn of events.

"Why are you laughing?"

"No, it's just- You were the last person I expected to see. You told me dating was a waste of time and now you're here, supposedly my perfect match."

He started seeing the humor in the situation as well. "It is ironic, isn't it?"

"Why don't you sit down? I saved a seat for you, Captain." She winked at him.

"I don't see why I should refuse, Lady Elizabeth." He placed his hat on his chest and gave her a curtsy. He heard her giggle, and he sat down.

Amy had tepid water while Sheldon had hot chocolate.

"I apologize. My choice of beverage must be so droll."

"It's alright. I would've ordered that too. But I always opt for hot chocolate in months with an R in them."

"That's interesting. Why?"

"What's life without whimsy?"

"I just can't believe you signed up for online dating. Plus the fact that the site matched us together."

"It's not really a surprise. We both have similar tastes. It's one of the reasons why we're as close as we are now. What I can't believe is that you have an IQ of 188 and that you like horseback riding."

"Oh, my IQ is indeed 188. But I actually can't ride a horse. My hips don't open wider than 22 degrees. I just added that to sound adventurous."

"Fascinating. What else don't I know about you?"

"I was thinking the same thing."

"Ooh. Why don't we use this day to get to know each other more? You said you'd make it up to me."

"Okay. If that's the case, is it alright with you if we leave this establishment and find something else we could do?"

"I can't see why not."

Sheldon and Amy exchanged smiles and went out of the coffee shop.

THE AMUSEMENT PARK

Amy and Sheldon went to a nearby amusement park.

"Sheldon, do you want to ride the rollercoasters?"

"Oh no, my stomach wouldn't like that at all."

Sheldon scanned for anything they could do. He finally spotted a ride they could try.

"Why don't we try the merry-go-round?"

"I already told you, Sheldon. Even if it weren't an actual horse, I still couldn't."

"No worries. You don't have to get on one. Here."

They found a horse and a carriage close together.

"Your chariot awaits, Lady Elizabeth."

"Why thank you, Captain." Amy thought they were acting silly but she decided to play along with Sheldon's antics. It's been a while since she let herself loose around him.

Amy sat on the carriage while Sheldon pretended to be the knight in shining armor, sitting on the horse. They were having the time of their lives.

As they got off the carousel, they were asked if they were willing to buy a photo of them as a souvenir.

Sheldon and Amy widened their eyes at their picture flashed on the merry-go-round attendant's computer.

Amy was smiling from ear to ear, wearing her sun hat in her carriage as Sheldon, wearing his cowboy hat had his arm extended upwards, pointing at the sky.

"I would like to buy two copies of this please." Sheldon requested.

The attendant printed two copies and gave one to each of them.

"Aww, we look so happy here..." Amy tilted her head.

The carousel attendant smiled at the two of them. "You two make a lovely couple."

In an instant, their faces were flushed. They started trying to object through a series of stutters. What made it more adorable was that they were speaking at the same time.

They tried the bouncy castle next, had cotton candy, and they also went to see the different game stalls.

Sheldon caught Amy staring at a stuffed monkey in one booth.

He tapped her gently. "Would you want me to win that for you?"

"Oh, it's okay. I'm too grown up for such a thing anyway."

"There's nothing wrong with acquiring a stuffed animal, Amy. And I know you love monkeys. Leave it to me."

The goal to win the prize was to hit the three cans using a toy bow-and-arrow.

The gamekeeper explained the mechanics. "You'll only get to shoot five arrows. If you run out, and you fail to hit all three, you lose the game."

"I'm not pressuring you, Sheldon. It's okay if you don't win it." Amy tried to reassure him.

"No, I got this. Watch and learn a master archer at work."

Sheldon took an arrow and aimed his bow towards the first can. He took a deep breath, pulled his arm back, and released the arrow.

It knocked the first one off.

He took another one and aimed at the second can.

He successfully knocked it over.

"Wow. You're really good at this." Amy was impressed.

"My father taught me archery as a child. It's hard how the activity brings back the smell of K-Mart bourbon." Sheldon took the third arrow and aimed for the last can.

To prove his skill, he looked only at Amy while releasing the arrow. He hit all the cans with precision.

"Holy crap, you actually hit all of it." Amy covered her mouth with her hands. Seeing Sheldon doing something so manly in his cowboy hat made her loins quiver. Hoo.

"Congratulations, Sir." The gamekeeper handed Sheldon his prize.

He handed the stuffed monkey to Amy. "Here you go, ma'am." His Southern accent was heard as he gave a boyish smirk.

Amy was so touched he went through all that trouble to get her the monkey. "Thank you, Sheldon. You were amazing."

"Of course I was. What an elf I would've made." Sheldon gave back the bow-and-arrow and he and Amy decided to go somewhere else. They slowly walked to her car.

Sheldon's face softened as he saw Amy's expression. She looked so happy and content, holding the monkey in her arms.

"Aren't you going to name it?"

"Hmm... I guess I should. I'll call him Ricky."

"Ricky?"

"Oh, he was one of the monkeys who stayed at my apartment during my previous department's nicotine addiction study. He was quite a handful. He would always freak out when I ran out of cigarettes. Oh, I'm sorry I'm saying too much... I know you don't care about this stuff."

She must still be hurt about the things I said before. "No, it's okay. I'm more than interested. Ricky was a smoking monkey?"

"Yeah. I was giving him emphysema so the least I could do was let him hang out and watch cable at the time. When I was removed from the project, I never saw him again."

"That must have been hard for you."

"Not really. He was kind of an ass. If you ever had a chance to meet him, he would deliberately blow smoke at you." She shook her head.

Sheldon and Amy continued sharing stories until they reached the car.

THE AQUARIUM

Sheldon and Amy went to the aquarium. They couldn't wear their hats so they left them in the car.

As they walked around, they decided to have a friendly battle of wits.

"You may have a higher IQ than I do, but I bet I know more about marine facts with my eidetic memory."

"Oh, please. You're on."

They spent the whole time bragging about how much they knew until they couldn't. They had no more facts to share.

"Well, Dr. Fowler. I think we've reached an impasse."

"Yeah, you already know what I know. Guess no one wins. But next time, I'm not letting you off easy." She playfully hit his shoulder.

Sheldon: We'll see about that. Oh. Would you care to play an ocean-themed game I invented?

Amy: Sure. What is it?

Sheldon: It's called Food, Friend, Fight. One of us chooses three aquatic creatures, and the other one must decide which he would eat, befriend, or battle.

Amy: So it's like Kiss, Marry, Kill.

Sheldon: What is that?

Amy: It's a game where you're given three people and you choose which one you'd kiss, marry, or kill.

Sheldon: Well, my game is better, 'cause instead of marrying someone, you get to eat them.

Amy: Let's just play.

Sheldon: I'll start you off easy. Electric eel, pufferfish, shrimp.

Amy: Hmm. Well, I wouldn't fight the eel, because I know it can generate enough current to kill a horse. So I'd eat the eel, fight the shrimp, and befriend the pufferfish because it would be nice to have company on those days I feel bloated.

Sheldon: Very well done.

Amy: Thank you. Okay, your turn. Hmm. Seal, hagfish, SpongeBob SquarePants.

Sheldon: Well, I'd befriend SpongeBob but he's not real, so I can't do that, can I?

Amy: But you can pal around with a hagfish?

Sheldon: Hey, let's not pull at that thread. Okay. I'll fight SpongeBob because he's so friendly we'll just end up tickling each other. Um, I'll befriend the seal, because he's trainable, which is the problem I'm having with my current friends. Which means I'll have to eat the hagfish.

Amy: Isn't that gross? I mean, a hagfish can produce enough mucus to fill a bucket in a minute.

Sheldon: I know. It makes its own gravy, it'll slide right down.

Amy looked down and bit her lip. "I missed playing these kinds of games with you."

"Yeah... I'm so sorry for avoiding you."

"Apology accepted. I'm sorry for being busy lately."

Sheldon and Amy made up and were getting along great. They didn't realize how much time flew by until they heard that the aquarium was about to close.

Sheldon looked at his watch. "Boy, I didn't think we'd hang out this long."

"Me too. I really enjoyed spending this day with you. Thank you."

"Well, I can't take all the credit. It was pretty funny when that one anchovy started going the wrong way."

"It was!"

Their cheeks were hurting from all the laughter. They didn't want the day to end.

As they left for the exit, the rain started pouring down. They were stuck by the aquarium entrance.

"Oh no, my car's parked a few blocks away from here."

"That's okay. We could wait it out."

"I suppose we should."

They talked to each other to pass the time.

"So, how much did Star Trek mean to you as a child?"

"It was everything. The show really resonated with me. Spock was obviously a favorite of mine. In every problem I encountered, I would always ask What Would Spock Do?"

"Did it work?"

"I tried doing the Vulcan nerve pinch on my neighbor once. He broke my collarbone. I can still hear it click."

"That must have been very upsetting for you."

"Oh, not at all. As I said, the entire point of emulating Spock was to rise above human emotion, which I've spent a lifetime mastering."

Why did you kiss me then?

That was what Amy wanted to ask. She took a deep breath to calm herself. She didn't want her bitterness towards their stagnant relationship to ruin her mood. Reflecting on his words, she finally understood why Sheldon was the way he was. He was someone who thought that he could solely live his life based on pure logic.

"Yes. I can see that." You hide everything so well... Amy pursed her lips.

Sheldon's voice became softer. "But you know... Spock was half-human. So, no one could blame him if he did experience such emotions..."

Wait. Is he saying what I think he's saying?

"I do remember you telling me you found the concept of romantic love to be an unnecessary cultural construct that added no value to human relationships. Does that still hold true?"

Amy was surprised by his queries. She felt like they were treading through uncharted territory.

"I-I'm not sure anymore."

"What?"

"I mean, if it's with the right person, I believe romantic love would be far from unnecessary."

"Have you found the right person?"

"I thought I did. Turns out I was just fooling myself..." She cleared her throat, hoping he wouldn't get the hint. "In any case, I hope that one day, I could love someone and be loved in return."

Sheldon felt numb. Is she talking about Kripke perhaps? Or Stuart? "Who-"

She interrupted his questioning. "Let's just leave it alone, shall we?"

He cleared his throat. "Alright then."

Sheldon tried to change the topic of conversation to remove the looming awkwardness between them.

"I can see why you'd like Pride and Prejudice, but Little House on the Prairie?" That show is filled with plotholes.

He started seeing Amy's eyes light up. "I love Little House. It made me want to live on a farm so much I tried to milk my cat. That tangy bowl of Cheerios was not worth the stitches."

Luckily, the atmosphere changed and Sheldon and Amy continued bonding while waiting for the rain to stop.

Amy: It's been an hour. I don't think the rain is stopping any time soon.

Sheldon: It is getting pretty late... How about we call Leonard and Penny?

Both checked their phones only to find that their batteries have died.

Sheldon: Drats! We didn't even bring our hats with us.

Amy: How about I run to my car and you wait here until I come and get you?

Sheldon: But Amy... You're going to get wet.

Amy: No matter. A little rain wouldn't hurt.

Amy headed straight out into the rain and ran for her car.

"Amy! Wait! You really don't-" Realizing she wasn't listening to whatever he was saying, he ran after her.

He finally caught up to her and removed the windbreaker he was wearing. He held it above her head while they were running.

"Sheldon, I told you to stay there."

"What kind of captain would I be if I left my lady in trouble?"

Amy's breath caught in her throat. Sheldon was trying his best to sound cool. It almost worked until he slipped and fell on his ass.

"OWW!"

Amy let out the breath she was holding and started laughing at him.

"You're finding this amusing, aren't you?"

"I'm not saying anything! Here." She gave her hand to him so that she could pull him up. But Sheldon had other plans. He pulled her down as she fell the same way as he did.

"Who's laughing now?" He chuckled.

"You're so childish."

"What? You started it."

"Then let's continue our competition earlier with a race. Thanks for the jacket. Prepare to admit defeat." Amy got Sheldon's windbreaker, swiftly got on her feet, and ran as fast as she could.

He ran after her and tried to beat her. "Not if I get there first!"

As much as Sheldon wanted to get annoyed, he didn't. He couldn't place a finger on it, but he wasn't bothered at all. He was too busy being competitive with Amy that the humiliation of getting soaked or slipping was the last thing on his mind.

Sheldon and Amy finally reached her car and went inside. Drenched from the rain, they were both out of breath.

Sheldon spoke first. "That was exhilarating!"

"You really never tried running through the rain before?"

"No, I couldn't risk it. But now, I can see why my siblings used to do it."

"It's fun, isn't it?"

"It was. I always have fun when I'm with you."

Sheldon flashed Amy such a huge grin. She couldn't help but feel overwhelmed by how cute he looked.

It was such an innocent remark. But for Amy, she could feel her heart about to burst with joy.

Before she could reply, Amy caught his gaze. It was the same one he had when he was about to k-

She put some distance between them and immediately looked away. Sheldon noticed her discomfort.

After a brief silence, Sheldon spoke up.

"Umm, Amy... Would you like to be my best friend?"

Amy looked back at him, brows raised. "I thought Leonard was your best friend."

"He is. You'd be my best girl-slash-friend."

She let out a soft chuckle. "I would love that. I mean you are my perfect mate. Platonically of course."

"You sure it's not Howard?"

Amy snorted derisively. "Why would it be Howard?"

"I don't know, both of you enjoyed singing and dancing together so much..." He pouted.

"We do get along well, but we both know I enjoy your company even more."

"Really?" His face lit up.

"Absolutely."

"That's good to hear." He smiled. Suddenly, Sheldon started to sneeze.

"Oh no. I told you not to follow me." She placed her hand on his forehead. "You're burning up and your hair's dripping wet."

Amy's face was full of concern. She got some tissues from the glove compartment and used one to gently dab Sheldon's forehead. The gesture was so intimate but Sheldon couldn't complain. He started shivering, closing his eyes.

He snapped out of his reverie and grabbed hold of her arm. "You're dripping wet as well." He tried reciprocating her actions but Amy tensed up.

Sheldon was subtly hurt. It was as if she didn't like it when he touched her.

"Uh, you should use those on yourself. I'll be fine." Sheldon leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms.

Amy wanted to argue but she realized the best solution would be to drive him home as fast as possible. "Don't worry about me, let's go home." She stepped on the gas as she drove off to bring Sheldon back to his apartment.

After drying and charging her phone in the car, Amy texted Penny once they arrived. Leonard and Penny went down and felt so worried after seeing the two of them all wet. Leonard opened the passenger door.

"Oh my God. Are you guys okay?"

"I'm fine. But I think Sheldon's going to get sick. We ran through the rain while we got to my car."

"Hey, buddy."

"H-h-hi Leonard." He was so cold.

Penny took note of Amy's appearance. "Amy, you're soaking wet too. Why don't you stay with me tonight? I can give you some fresh clothes." Penny suggested.

"Yeah, and I could make you two some tea." Leonard offered.

"No, it's fine. I can still drive home."

They continued insisting but Amy wouldn't have any of it. "It's okay, I can take care of myself. Besides, it was all my fault that Sheldon's in that condition. Thank you for your concern. Good Night. I'll text you both later."

"Okay... If you say so. Get home safely, Ames. Good Night."

Penny and Leonard took Sheldon upstairs while Amy proceeded to go home.

Amy got to her apartment and took a hot shower.

Penny messaged her saying that they took care of Sheldon and got him to bed and she felt a wave of relief. I'm glad he's okay...

Amy drank some tea and prepared for bed as well. She reflected on the day she just had.

Who would've thought that she'd actually go on a date with the guy who was the reason she decided to date in the first place.

She wanted to move on from Sheldon. She wanted to tell herself she could find somebody else. Their "date" didn't allow her to. It actually solidified whatever feelings she had for him.

It wasn't just attraction anymore. Amy felt like she was falling deeper and she couldn't avoid it. She needed to finally admit it to herself.

I'm in love with Sheldon Cooper.

As much as it hurt her, she was content with staying as his best friend- at least that was what she kept repeating to tell herself. She didn't want to scare him with her feelings. She was ready to keep her love for him a secret for as long as possible.

Lying on her bed, she snuggled Ricky, who now smelled like talc into her arms. She closed her eyes not even realizing she was crying herself to sleep.

"Howard and Raj texted me. Turns out Elizabeth Wilder was indeed Amy all along."

"That's insane. I couldn't handle the fact that Sheldon signed up for online dating, but the fact that Amy was his perfect match? Even the universe wants them together."

"Yeah, it's amazing. It's like they're soulmates or something."

"Too bad Sheldon is Sheldon. Amy must be so crushed."

"I don't think you have to worry about them for long, Penny. Sheldon said some pretty interesting stuff as I got him to bed."

"Oh my God. Spill."

After placing VapoRub on Sheldon's chest, Leonard tucked him in.

"Want to tell me what happened today, buddy?" Seeing him with Amy, Leonard assumed Sheldon ditched his date.

It might've been the fever, but Sheldon was completely vulnerable right now. He talked to Leonard with such raw honesty.

"Amy and I had the best time. And guess what? I asked her to be my best friend."

"I thought I was your best friend."

"You're my best male friend. She's your counterpart. However, if it really came down to choosing one over the other, we both know who I'd choose."

"I know, I know. Amy's become such a huge part of your life, hasn't she?"

"Yes... And I'm scared, Leonard. What if she does find the right person? Someone she could better spend her days with?"

"Even when that happens, she won't be gone from your life. Like you said, she's your best friend."

"Why can't things just go back to the way they were before?"

"Because people change, Sheldon. Why can't you just man up and admit your own feelings?"

Sheldon went silent for a minute. He took a deep breath.

"...Because it doesn't even seem like she's interested in being my girlfriend. And it would be even more troubling if she was. I don't think I could handle it. What if she'd expect more from our relationship and I wouldn't be able to give her what she wanted?"

"I don't think Amy's that kind of girl... Don't give up on her just yet."

"But she's slowly pulling away from me. How do I stop her from doing so?"

Sheldon started coughing and Leonard decided to end their conversation.

"You should rest. You don't need to think about that right now. Amy would be worried if you didn't get better."

"Okay," Sheldon said weakly. He closed his eyes and went to sleep.

Leonard noticed a tear streaming down from Sheldon's face. He reluctantly closed the door, not wanting to leave him.

Penny felt so bad. "This is unbelievable. He loves her, doesn't he?"

"He doesn't want to acknowledge it. He also thinks she doesn't feel the same way. I mean, I would too. She said his kiss meant nothing."

"She did? But she told me she liked it. A lot."

"Why would she lie about that?"

"Uh oh. I think I know why."

"What did you do?"

"I gave Amy a heads up about Sheldon's relationship agreement. I didn't want her to get hurt. Do you think it was something I shouldn't have meddled with?"

"I have no idea. But all I know is that if the universe wants them together, then in its own cosmic way, everything will work out."

"Gee, you're such a romantic."

"I'm not a romance ninja for nothing, you know?" Leonard smirked.

Amy couldn't sleep a wink last night. She kept dreaming about Sheldon and imagined herself passionately kissing him in the rain. She knew that recently watching "The Notebook" was a bad idea.

She headed to Los Robles to see how Sheldon was holding up. Luckily, she didn't catch a cold or anything. She would be able to visit him.

"Hey, Amy. Sheldon's still in bed. But you could go check on him if you'd like."

Leonard welcomed Amy in and she went to Sheldon's room.

She saw him sleeping soundly on the bed. Careful not to wake him, she placed the soup she made for him on his bedside table and sat on the side of the bed.

She felt guilty yet again. If I hadn't suggested we'd run through the rain, he wouldn't be sick...

Amy placed her hand on Sheldon's forehead to see if he was still burning up. His fever went down. Thank God.

Before she could leave, she heard Sheldon's voice. "Don't leave me."

She checked to see if he was awake but she figured he was dreaming. He shifted in his sleep.

She let out a breath and proceeded to get off his bed.

But she couldn't move. Sheldon took hold of her arm and pulled her to him.

They ended up together on his bed with Sheldon hugging her from behind. She felt her cheeks heat up.

What the hell is he dreaming about?

Amy struggled to free herself from his embrace. She kept squirming until she heard the words she never thought she'd hear escape from his lips.

"I love you."

End of Chapter 17.

Author's Note: Woah. Things are getting so intense for our favorite couple. Tell me what y'all thought of this chapter, I'm sorry if it was too sweet or angsty. I'll dial it down if it bothers any of you. I'm also here to remind you all that I plan for this to be a slow-burn type of AU. For me, it's much more satisfying this way considering the end I have in store for the two of them.

Notable episodes I used: The Raiders Minimization, The Spock Resonance, The Herb Garden Germination, The Platonic Permutation

Please continue leaving a review! A fav and follow would also be appreciated, so if you haven't, what are you waiting for? Until next time, Shamy fans!