A/N: We are meeting meemaw in this chapter. Please be aware that I based her on the meemaw we met on Young Sheldon and not on the one we met on TBBT.

Wedding bells and broken hearts

Chapter 4

Amy

Amy opened her eyes. She felt surprisingly well-rested, having slept through the night soundly. She put on her glasses and checked her surroundings.

In the daylight, the room looked even more beautiful than the night before. She still could not believe, Sheldon had booked it on purpose. Had she been missing a clue here? Was Sheldon more invested in their relationship than she had thought him to be?

Yawning she turned around. The faint smell of talcum powder startled her.

The events of the night before entered her mind. Sheldon had come into her room and… and spooned her? That did not seem right. She shook her head.

If it weren't for his smell still present in her bed, she would have thought it had just been a dream.

What had prompted him to check on her? Maybe… Did he still care for her? Maybe, just maybe this room had not been a mistake. Maybe he had wanted to stay here with her.

It had felt so good, being held by him. Comforting. But then he must have left after she had fallen asleep. She felt a pang of pain in her chest.

Of course, he would have left. They were broken up after all and he was just fulfilling what he thought to be a social obligation.

Nothing else. He did not care for her. Not really. Not the way she cared for him. He cared about comic books. And living on Mars. And TV shows.

And social conventions. Which he had thought this was. That's why he came to her room and held her. Her heart sank more with every thought.

It was ridiculous. How often had she gotten her hopes up over the last five years, just to get them crushed over and over again.

She had to ban that memory of Sheldon holding her to the back of her mind. It did not mean anything. It would not do her any good, thinking about it any longer.

Sighing, she got up to get dressed. She still did not know what was on the plan for today or any other day of this week. It was so unlike Sheldon not to share an itinerary with her.

But then again, almost everything about this week was unlike Sheldon.

Sheldon

He had been waiting in the hotel lobby for almost thirty minutes. Maybe they should have specified a time to meet up.

He cursed himself. Usually, he was better at planning than this. But his thoughts had been a mess ever since Amy had left him.

Tired. So tired. He had never felt so tired in his entire life.

But it was more than just the lack of sleep. He was exhausted. Emotionally drained.

He still could not make sense of his actions last night. Why did he feel the urge to climb into bed with Amy? Why did he care so much about the fact that she had been sad?

And why had she been sad anyway? It was her choice to break up with him. Did she regret it? Maybe, just maybe, did she want him back? His heart beat rapidly at the thought.

But no, that was not possible. Amy was such a strong-willed person. She would not just change her mind on a whim. She would not have broken up with him if she weren't certain.

And while she did let him hold her, she did not reciprocate. In the past she had never missed an opportunity to get her hands on him.

No. It was over. And it would stay over. The ring in his pocket was proof for that. He had forgotten to do it yesterday, but today he would definitely put it into his old room and be done with it.

Finally, he saw Amy approach him. He was relieved that he would not have to go to her room and get her.

But pain shot through him, when he realized, she did not look half as tired as he felt. Another sign of her vanished feelings for him, he mused. It was only him, lying awake for hours, wishing things were different.

"Good morning, Sheldon.", she greeted him curtly. "What are our plans for today?"

No word about the night before. No 'Thank you for comforting me' or 'I missed you this morning'. No 'I made a mistake. Please forgive me and let us resume our relationship'.

He looked at her blankly. How did she get over him so quickly? Did she ever really love him?

Clearing his throat, he answered her question.

"My mother has organized a small church service for Missy and Mike. Since they are not getting married in a church like she had wanted them to, she insisted to at least have us all pray for God's blessing."

It was so stupid. But since his mother worked at the church, the pastor had agreed to do this as a favor for her. At least this would count as his annual church attendance.

Amy nodded. "Do I need to dress up for it? And what about the plans for the afternoon?"

Sheldon forced himself to look at her more closely. Why would she have to dress up? She looked pretty. Just like always.

"You're fine.", he mumbled. "And in the afternoon, we're visiting meemaw. Since she is desperate to meet you and can't make it to the service."

Amy's expression changed. Did she look worried?

"Is your meemaw so frail she can't go to church anymore?", she wondered.

Sheldon chuckled. It felt good. He had not found anything funny for a long time. A frail meemaw?

"I should have phrased this differently. She told my mother she couldn't make it because she needs to rest. But she told me in confidence, that she finds church on Sundays tedious enough and won't waste a second of the time she has left to attend another service."

He smiled fondly. His meemaw was simply awesome.

Amy giggled lightly. It was a sound he had not heard in a while. She was even more pretty when she smiled like this.

He forced himself, to not keep staring at her.

He had been looking forward to finally have Amy meet his meemaw. Having the two greatest women he knew finally in the same room. Not to mention, his meemaw had been asking to meet Amy for years.

Sheldon sighed. Of course, that seemed like a waste of time now, since there was no reason for his meemaw to get to know Amy anymore. But she did not know that. Yet.

They got in the car. Just like the day before, they did not have anything to talk about. It was so weird, not having anything to talk about with Amy.

It was as if last night hadn't even happened. Or maybe it just had not meant anything to her.

Amy

It was extremely uncomfortable sitting in the front pew of Mary's church.

Not just because of the hard, wooden surface. But also, because there were many people sitting in the same row and she and Sheldon were practically squished together.

She tried not to focus on the way their sides were touching. She could feel how tense he was. Trying not to move, trying to make himself as narrow as possible.

Was that the same man who had held her willingly just hours ago?

She tried hard, not to let her discomfort show. They were still pretending to be a couple after all.

The service itself was nice enough. Especially when Sheldon's mother went to the front and said a prayer for Missy and Mike. She could see the pride in Mary's eyes. Her happiness about her only daughter getting married.

Her own mother probably would never get to experience something like that.

Amy's mind drifted off. It was impossible not to think about the night before. She could not figure out what it meant. She kept going back and forth.

Had Sheldon been genuinely worried about her? Did he care about her more than he let on? Or was it really just a social obligation to him? Did it even matter? Did she want it to matter?

Sheldon

Oh, the horror.

Having to attend church was bad enough.

Having to attend church practically glued to Amy's side while his mother was saying sentimental things about the joy of marrying the love of your life? It was like he had died and went to hell.

He had to force himself to keep a straight face and not run out of the service. As far as his family knew, he was still part of a long-term relationship after all.

Too bad he wasn't. He sighed and closed his eyes willing time to move a little faster.

Finally, it was time to leave. They said their good-byes to his family and got to the now familiar rental car.

And then, finally there were in meemaw's driveway.

Despite the turmoil in his soul, seeing his meemaw's house always soothed him. It was the place where he had always been the happiest.

She was the one person in his life who had always loved him exactly as he was. She had always at least tried to understand him.

So, when the little old lady opened her door and embraced him, he felt himself relax for the first time in many days.

"Moonpie, oh it is so good to see you." He closed his eyes and exhaled. He felt better already. Finally, being held by someone who loved him unconditionally.

"And there's your lovely lady friend." She let go of Sheldon to take a look at Amy.

For the first time, Sheldon felt really bad about deceiving his family.

It would have been so good to talk to his meemaw about all the pain he was going through. But he had to keep pretending. There was no going back.

"Yes, meemaw, this is my Amy.", he faked a smile, hoping to sound convincing.

Amy

If Amy felt meeting Mary and Missy was emotionally challenging, meeting Sheldon's meemaw was a whole new dimension of overwhelming.

She had stood by awkwardly while the old woman had hugged her grandson. Seeing how much love there was, she felt like an intruder to this tender moment.

But when the sweet lady introduced herself to Amy and offered to be called meemaw by her, she had a hard time holding back the tears. It felt like the teasing of a life she would never be able to have. Not for real.

Inside the house, Amy was bombarded with all sorts of questions. About her life, her career, their friends, her hobbies.

Sheldon was rather quiet, letting her do the talking, but he looked more relaxed than she had ever seen him, sitting in his meemaw's living room.

Surprisingly she found herself having much in common with Sheldon's grandmother. And after sharing their love for quilting and crocheting, the older woman went and got her most recent work.

"Amy, would you mind helping and old lady? I'm almost done with these coasters, but my eyes have seen better days. I could use some assistance if you don't mind."

Amy looked at the samples. They were lovely. Little coasters in bright colors, most of them unfinished. She hadn't expected to do needlework during her visit, but she guessed there were worse things than hiding out here with meemaw who had welcomed her so friendly.

"If you want, I can help you, meemaw.", she offered. The old lady's eyes lit up.

"You would? That's so nice of you dear. We can sit and do this together and you can tell me more about life with my grandson." She side glanced to Sheldon.

"But only if my moonpie can spare you for so long. It will take us some time to do them, and I know you young folks need some time to yourselves."

"That's no problem meemaw.", Sheldon blurted out. Amy closed her eyes inadvertently. For a moment she had almost forgotten about the break-up.

But of course, Sheldon would be thrilled to get rid of her for a few hours.

Sheldon

He had not been prepared for his meemaw to start loving Amy the moment she met her.

Part of him wanted her to hate his ex-girlfriend. And maybe she would have, had she known about the way Amy had broken his heart.

Luckily, his cellphone rang just when he agreed to let the two women spend time together.

Crocheting. It seemed ridiculous for a brilliant scientist like Amy. And still, he had always secretly admired her for her unusual hobbies.

She was so interesting. So different from everyone else.

Sighing, he answered his phone.

"Yes, mother, what is it?"

"Shelly, I am sorry to disturb your time with meemaw. But would it be possible for you to come over? I need help getting furniture from the attic. Mike wanted to help but something came up at work. Missy is busy with wedding related stuff, and I am taking care of the baby. God only knows where your brother is."

Under normal circumstances, Sheldon would have tried to avoid this menial work, but right now it was a welcome reason to get away from another emotionally draining situation. And he could finally get rid of the ring that seemed to be burning a hole through his pocket.

"Yes, mother, I'll be over soon."

He turned to Amy. "My mother asked me to help her with something. You don't need me here, do you?"

He had not even waited for her answer. It was pointless anyway. She did not need him. Not here, not in Pasadena, not in her life.

Amy

Amy grabbed one of the coasters and inspected it. She was just about to start, when meemaw came back from the kitchen with a bottle of wine and two glasses.

She looked at her surprised. "Oh, meemaw, I don't know how much of a help I am after a glass of wine."

Meemaw just laughed. "Oh, sweetie, do you really think, crocheting is the first thing I think of, when my grandson brings home his girlfriend of five years for the first time? That was just a ploy to get Sheldon to leave. Now, you're welcome to finish one of these coasters but what I really want is for us to have a nice glass of wine and talk."

"But why the ruse?", Amy wondered. "You could have just asked me to stay here and have a glass of wine with you."

The old lady smirked. "My family doesn't like me drinking. The doctors are against it too. But what good would it do? It's not like I could get young and healthy again. Might as well enjoy a drink here and there."

Amy chuckled. Sheldon's meemaw really was something else.

It was a shame though, that she would not get to work on those lovely coasters. She hadn't crocheted in a while due to her buzzing social life she had been living since she met Sheldon. She actually missed it, creating something.

She made a mental note to do this more often once she would be home again. She would have a lot of time at her hands after all, now that there would be no more date nights. No more hanging out with the group of friends she had come to love so much.

And it was only a matter of time, before there would be no more girls' nights. Penny and Bernadette liked her, she knew that. But in the end, they would pick Sheldon over her any day.

"So, Amy, tell me, how did this thing start between you and my grandson?"

Meemaw's question pulled her out of her depressing thoughts. She put the coaster aside and took a sip from her wine.

"Well…", she started. "I had an agreement with my mother to date at least once a year and one day I got matched with Sheldon on a dating website…"

"No, dear, I am aware of that. My grandson told me this already. But I am curious about how you fell in love. What made you pursue a relationship with him? I want the juicy parts." The old lady smiled at her conspiratorially.

Amy sighed. It was hard thinking about that. She took a huge gulp of wine.

"There's not much to tell. When I met Sheldon, I had already given up on ever meeting anyone I was interested in dating. But Sheldon, he was so much like me. We were on the same level intellectually. And we had so much fun together."

She smiled when she remembered the first months of being friends with Sheldon. He had changed her world in so many ways. "Like me, he had his quirks. But he was so brilliant and insightful. I had never met anyone like him before."

It was true. Over the years, before she had met Sheldon, there had been some people who were friendly or at least polite to her. But that was mostly out of pity. Being nice to the lonely, weird girl that had no friends.

But not Sheldon. He had seen her the way she had wanted to be seen all her life. He had respected her. At least back then, before they had started dating. And for the first time, she had felt, someone really wanted to spend time with her.

Quickly, she finished her glass. She had not thought about their beginnings in a very long time. All the times she had started to read or play the harp or quilt and got interrupted by Sheldon facetiming her. Oh, and what a welcome distraction it always had been. It seemed to have been ages ago.

She did not really understand why she opened up to meemaw like that. Maybe it was the wine – since meemaw kept refilling her glass.

Or maybe it was the way the old woman smiled at her and made her feel comfortable. She proceeded to tell Sheldon's meemaw their history.

How her feelings for Sheldon increased until she realized, she wanted to be with him. How she had looked at him secretly, trying to figure out if he would ever make a move. How she had pretended to be interested in his friend Stuart to get Sheldon to finally see her as more than just a friend.

The old lady laughed. "Well, aren't you a clever girl. There's no doubt my moonpie was interested in you before that but making him jealous certainly accelerated things."

Amy smiled. Yes, that had been her plan then. She had been sick of hoping Sheldon would realize on his own what a great couple they would make. And it had turned out better than she had expected.

"Well, I guess, that's it, meemaw. That's how we started dating."

She did not really want to talk about the rest. Meemaw did not have to know how much work it had been at times. About the rejection and the humiliation. It was not her place to talk to her about that stuff. Not to Sheldon's grandmother.

Nevertheless, she was met with a knowing look. "It can't have been easy, building a relationship with my grandson. You must be a very patient young lady."

Amy looked at her surprised. "Why would you think that?"

Meemaw sighed. "I love my grandson very much, Amy. We always shared a special bond. I know a grandmother should not have favorites. But he is mine. Always has been. And like you said, he is so unique and wonderful in so many ways."

Meemaw smiled fondly. Amy could feel the love she had for her grandson.

"But even I know, he has a hard time dealing with emotions. He gets that from my late husband, you know. It must have taken him a long time to accept his feelings for you."

Amy gasped. "It did.", she admitted. It had been painful for her, all the occasions when Sheldon had rejected her and pushed her away. It was part of the reason why she just couldn't take it anymore.

Even though things had been better lately, sometimes she felt ashamed of how she let herself be treated all this time. It had been the last straw when he had insulted her at Bernadette's and Howard's house.

"Well, either way, Amy I am really glad to have lived long enough to see my grandson bring you here. I never stopped hoping he would someday find someone he could let in. You must be a very special person."

Amy didn't answer. She couldn't. It was overwhelming. She had to bite her lower lip to stop it from trembling.

It was true, Sheldon had let her in more lately. The feeling in the back of her head was there again. The feeling that maybe, she had made a mistake. Maybe she had acted too rashly.

But it was too late now anyways. It was over. And meemaw would be the next person to hate her once she found out the truth.

A while later Sheldon came back with Missy in tow, who insisted to spend a little time with Amy herself. ("Meemaw you can't just hog her all day. She's my bridesmaid, I should get to know her better too.")

It was a welcome distraction since all the talk about Sheldon had made Amy dizzy. Or maybe it had been the wine. So, she agreed to take a walk with Missy and the baby to the park. Some fresh air might be good for her after all.

Sheldon

He was glad Amy had left with Missy. Everyone in his family was gushing over her, telling him how lucky he was. It was almost unbearable. So much he hadn't even thought to put the ring into his room. It felt so heavy in his pocket.

Well, at least he would get to spend time alone with meemaw now. Maybe they could play a board game. Or she could watch him play with the trainset she had gifted him the last time he was here.

But instead, she pulled him to her kitchen and sat him down at the table. "Sit, moonpie. I made your favorite cookies."

He had always loved meemaw's cookies. But now they reminded him of last Christmas when Amy had made them for him.

He took one on out of the box and nibbled on it. The treat he used to associate with his meemaw's hugs suddenly tasted awful. Like sand.

He could not bring himself to eat it, so he laid it back on his plate.

"So, I got to talk to your lady today. She is really lovely.", Meemaw mentioned.

Sheldon coughed. Not this again. "Yes, she is.", he mumbled.

"I don't think I've ever met a girl like her before. You told me so much about her intelligence and how great she is at her job. But I did not expect to meet such a sweet girl. So loving and caring. And she is excellent at crocheting.", she continued.

"Yeah, yeah she's a delight.", Sheldon muttered.

His meemaw put down her cup of coffee and looked at him imploringly. "So, Sheldon, tell me. When did she break up with you and why?"