This story will move a little faster through the episodes now to keep the pace moving, so this one will take place during three episodes and then the next two will be skipped.

When I reread and edited this chapter, it felt a little like a filler to me. There is a lot happening and at the same time it's really only glimpses into their lives as they move along. I hope you'll still enjoy it!

More Than Anything

Chapter 8 – "Quirks and all."

Sheldon

"Didn't they teach you any science in high school? I could have done this class when I was six. In fact, I could have taught this class when I was six."

He had not wanted to lash out like this. But he had been tutoring Penny for weeks now and she didn't seem to make any progress.

It wasn't even that hard. A science class for non-scientists. Basic principles of physics and chemistry. Child's play.

This week, they covered basic chemical reactions. It couldn't get easier than this.

But he had been standing in front of his white board for an hour and Penny had yet to answer even one of his questions correctly.

"Sheldon, this is not working. I hardly understood anything in class, and I understand even less here with you. It's hopeless. I'll never be able to transfer."

He was about to agree. But then, Penny buried her face in her hands and looked as if she was about to start crying.

He had not wanted this. At all. It really was like that time years before, when he had tried to teach her physics.

"Why are you crying?" - "Because I'm stupid."

Just this time, there was much more at stake for her. He wanted her to succeed and get the degree she wanted. Any education was better than none.

"There, there.", he carefully patted her shoulder.

To his relief, this made her smile a little.

She turned to him.

"Sheldon, how do you understand this stuff? It is so abstract. All these elements and those numbers. How does this make sense to you? How did you learn this?"

He had never thought about it before. He could not remember a time in his life when he did not know about all of it.

"I don't know. It just makes sense. It always has to me."

She stared at him.

"Well, now that's not really encouraging."

He sighed. If only he could find a way to help her.

"Let's take a break for a second.", Penny suggested. "Amy missed our last girl's night because you invited her to an impromptu date night. What was that about?"

He was about to scold Penny for disrupting their lecture, but he had to admit, that night was still weighing heavily on his mind.

"Well, it all started at our regular date night when Amy ruined one of my favorite movies for me."

He proceeded to tell Penny how he had become so angry at Amy. How he had tried to ruin 'Little House on the Prairie' for her in return.

How instead, he had almost ruined the thing he loved most. Spending time with her.

And of course, how Amy had called out his behavior.

"Sheldon, we're in a relationship. When you get angry, tell me. You don't need to seek revenge."

He did tell Penny, that he and Amy still managed to end the evening on a high note.

But of course, he did not get into the details of how they chose something else to watch only to ignore the TV and make out on his couch – a thing he most definitely never wanted to ruin.

He did confess though, how much it scared him. Him and Amy going from being so happy and closer to each other than ever to being angry at each other like this.

Penny

It still felt strange, Sheldon talking about his relationship like it was the most important thing in the world to him.

"Well, Sheldon, it sounds like you two solved this problem in a very good way. So why are you still upset about it? It's normal to have ups and downs in a relationship."

They talked about it for a while. About his inability to read emotions, although they both agreed he had become much better at it. At least with the people that were close to him.

"It's just hard.", he sighed in the end. "Other people make it look so easy. But I have no idea how to do this. Handling emotions and conflicts and relationships in general. I don't know what I would do without Amy and Leonard and you explaining these things to me. It's frustrating that this comes so natural to all of you."

She grinned at him.

"Well, Sheldon, that is exactly how I feel about science and physics laws and chemical reactions. You make it sound easy, but to me it's completely foreign."

He furrowed his eyebrows.

"So, you're saying, the things I tried to explain to you today are hard for you because you lack the underlying concepts of it that come natural to me."

She rolled her eyes. "Duh."

"Which means, explaining relationship stuff to me is just as frustrating to you as trying to teach you is to me."

He stood up and erased everything that he had written on his whiteboard.

"What are you doing?", she protested. "Are you giving up on me? Cause I don't mind helping you with your emotional stuff. You're my friend after all."

He was scribbling some new things though. Or more drawing them.

"Oh, I know that. And no. I am not giving up. We're taking a few steps back. It makes no sense to talk about chemical reactions and do calculations when you can't imagine what's behind all that."

He really did start at the beginning this time. He drew atoms for her, explaining things like protons and electrons and charges. Things she had surely heard sometime in high school but never paid attention to.

But she did now.

She started asking questions and he answered all of them patiently and two hours later, when he closed the lid on his white board marker, her head was spinning with all these new concepts and ideas.

"Wow.", she exclaimed. "You know, for the first time I feel I could actually pass."

"Well. You certainly made progress today.", he agreed. "But it will still take a lot of work. You're very much at the beginning of really understanding everything you need for your class."

She knew that. But with Sheldon's help, she had no doubt she would manage to do this.

And in return, she hoped she could keep helping him with his shortcomings.

Sheldon

Several days had passed since he had finally figured out how to teach Penny.

It had turned out to be easy after he had realized the problem. That him talking about physics felt to Penny like it felt to him when other people talked about their relationships. He had to break it down for her, just like she always broke feelings and social interactions down for him.

Amy had been very impressed with him, when he told her over tea and the way she had looked at him had made his chest swell with pride. Things between them were wonderful, their little disagreement long forgotten, and he had been in an excellent mood for a while now.

It had made him wonder where this sudden good mood was coming from. But after taking all the variables into account, he had concluded, that it had to be connected to Amy.

This had led to another conclusion too. One he could not tell anyone about because he still had to wrap his head around it himself.

But in the meantime, he focused on the thing that made him feel so happy now all the time.

That kissing thing. For a long time, he had told himself he was only doing it for Amy. To avoid the possibility that she could break up with him like Leonard had broken up with Penny.

Luckily it looked like her leaving him was no longer a possibility. The way Amy was always smiling nowadays when she was with him, even he knew it meant that she was happy too.

During one of their study sessions, he had asked Penny for advice on how to move forward. Because he did want to. He just did not know how much. And how soon. There were things that just seemed to be out of reach.

He had soon figured out though, that Penny's advice on that topic was not for him. She simply did not understand that in moving forward, he didn't just mean the physical part.

No, to him, it was about getting a part of that wonderful summer back.

But how?

Moving in together was not an option. Not yet. So, what else could they do?

Penny told him to just let go and do whatever his gut told him. It sounded easy coming from her. It was impossible for him though.

Sheldon Cooper did not just let go. He needed order. A plan. Parameters. Rules. Control.

He had snorted when Penny pointed out that this was not very romantic.

But he had to admit, that by now, kissing Amy good-bye was among his favorite parts of their time together. So much, he kept coming up with reasons to kiss her more often. Kiss her longer. Hold her in his arms longer.

So maybe, he was okay with things being a little romantic.

And she enjoyed it too. He knew that. All the signs pointed to it.

That's why he was at a loss of why she was so mean to him all of a sudden, after she had started working at CalTech.

He should probably not have listened to Howard when he told him, working at the same place as his girlfriend was a bad idea.

He had actually really been looking forward to it before his friend had confused him again.

But he had thought it had been cleared up. Why was she still so mad at him? Up to the point she wouldn't even take him home. After he had sat with her colleagues and delighted them with his humor.

He needed answers.

Amy

Mutton with coconut milk.

Just when she had thought she had finally figured him out.

Why would he bring something like that to her apartment? In the middle of the night no less.

Maybe his brain was itching again, telling him he had not kissed her good-bye earlier in her lab.

Why didn't he kiss her? Just because she did not want to take him home? Or did he not want to kiss her in front of that stupid monkey?

Well, maybe he had just noticed how angry she still was, after he had humiliated her in front of her colleagues.

Her anger at him almost disappeared though when he knocked at her door. Wasn't this, what she had always wanted? Him making an effort, coming to her place, spending time with her?

And then his confession. He liked her. Quirks and all. Oh, how she had loved hearing him say that.

She had not appreciated though being called a weirdo. Even if he meant well, it just was too ironic.

He was banging at her door in the middle of the night with strange smelling food. But she was a weirdo? And he was the one who had to put up with her nonsense?

She couldn't resist just shutting the door on him. Well, she would not make him put up with her nonsense right now. And he could try to find his own way back home in the middle of the night, since he would certainly not want to be driven home by some weirdo.

Sheldon

No good-bye? Well, it looked like she had just made his point for him.

He was just turning around to leave, when he realized, he had not kissed her. Again. No. This would not do.

Sighing, he knocked again.

"What?"

Before she could shut the door on him again, he grabbed her and silenced her with a deep kiss.

She resisted at first, but just after seconds, he could feel her melt into it. Just like she always did.

He should have figured that out sooner. The quickest way to stop her from being mad at him. It would have saved him some trouble in the past.

It was so familiar now. Her scent. Her soft curves. The taste of her lips. Before he could stop himself, he walked her into her apartment and guided her to the couch where he proceeded to kiss her deeply.

It was different. Her bathrobe felt soft under his fingers and a thrill went through him when he imagined, she was only wearing her nightgown underneath.

He had to restrain himself from untying the knot and testing his hypothesis.

He pulled away from her and when he looked into her eyes, he was surprised by the intensity of the way she stared at him.

"Sheldon… what…"

"I had not kissed you good-bye yet.", he explained, the emotions that were coursing through him almost too much for him.

"So… this is good-bye then?", she clarified.

He looked at her confused. Of course, it was good-bye. It was late and he had done what he had come here for.

He stood up. "Well, I should try to get some sleep now."

She followed him to the door.

"Look, Sheldon. It's late. I don't want you to call a cab in the middle of the night. And I do not feel like getting dressed and driving you home. So, why don't you just stay here?"

Even though she had proposed this before and it should not have come as a surprise, he froze on the spot.

Just stay here? Did she realize what she was asking of him? But then again, she had stayed at his apartment almost the whole summer.

"Stay here?", he asked tentatively. "You mean sleep on your couch?"

She bit her lips. "Yes. Or… we could… share my bed."

Amy

She could see his eyes widen.

"Just to sleep.", she added quickly. "I know we're not ready for… I am not asking…"

He was thinking about it, she could see that. He was not ruling it out.

"Amy…", he said finally. "Please don't get mad at me again. But I think, this is too big of a step for me right now. But I am willing to sleep on your couch tonight."

She released the breath she was holding. He was willing to stay. And he had thought about her suggestion. This was a step forward. A big one.

"Of course. I'll get some sheets for you. And I'm sure I'll find something comfortable for you to sleep in."

After some digging in her closet, she found the sweatpants she had once bought for her first girls' night at Penny's place.

They did not fit at all, being both too loose and too short for Sheldon and she had to prevent herself from laughing at how he looked.

She could not find a shirt for him to fit though, so he settled on sleeping in his Flash T-Shirt after she promised him to drive him home in the morning to get a fresh set of clothes.

She promised herself to be more prepared next time. Oh, please let there be a next time…

A few minutes and a chaste good-night kiss later, Amy was lying in her bed, smiling to herself.

Yes, of course, she would have wanted him in her bed. But the fact that he had been willing to think about it, the fact that he chose to stay at her apartment forgoing his pajama-rotation. It was more than enough.

And she was already giddy, thinking about waking up in the morning with him in her apartment.

Sheldon

He was still thinking about her suggestion when he was lying on her much too short couch.

It would have been much more comfortable, sleeping in her bed. So, what was stopping him?

He knew, she would keep her promise and not try any funny business. He knew he could trust her.

But the thing was, he did not trust himself anymore.

The things she made him feel at times, it was overwhelming.

My girlfriend. Mine.

Oh, but how he wanted to give in to it. How he wanted to be with her. In her bed. How he wanted to explore just a little more of what else could be.

But there was a part of his brain reminding him that this would be wrong. He would lose control. He would probably lose a part of himself too. And he was afraid of how it would change their relationship.

If only he could shut down that part of his brain.

Leonard

He would kill Sheldon. He would kill him and then put his head on a spike and display him outside of the apartment building as a warning to all the meddlers and nosy-rosies.

Something had been off with Alex lately. She had been distant, only replying shortly to his texts. He had finally managed to corner her at the University and that's when she had told him what Sheldon had said to her during the Scavenger Hunt.

The nerve. Yep, he would definitely kill him and then claim not guilty because he was not of sound mind. Any jury would surely understand.

He was racking his brain on how to fix this while the whole group was having dinner at the Cheesecake Factory when Howard told them about his plan to perform a song he had written for his anniversary with Bernadette.

And then it hit him. He was romance ninja. If Howard could come up with something this romantic, then so could he.

He would find a way to sweep Alex off her feet and get her to believe him that right now, he was solely focused on her.

Because he was. He really was. And he was not hung up on Penny. It was completely normal to still notice when she was home.

To still try to catch a glimpse of her when she was working at the Cheesecake factory or listen to every word she said to anyone when she was hanging out with them.

It was not unusual to listen to Amy's conversations with Sheldon whenever Penny's name came up.

No. He was not hung up on her. He was dating Alex now. And he would do everything it took for her to keep giving them a chance.

He would plan the perfect date for her.

Penny

Howard did not have to ask her twice to participate in his idea. Of course, she would do this for Bernadette. And it was about time that Howard realized how lucky he was.

"It's so romantic, what he's planning.", Amy had gushed. "I did not think Howard could be so thoughtful. I mean, how many men are out there who would plan something like this for their wife?"

Penny smiled sadly to herself. Well, Leonard would have. Leonard always used to do romantic things for her.

But he did not do them for her anymore. She had heard him talk to Raj earlier while he was preparing his cello.

He was planning something for Alex. Romance ninja would strike again.

But this time not for her.

Alex would probably appreciate it more than she had anyway.

She had barely made it through the beautiful song before she fled back to her apartment.

Already teary-eyed, she took her Leonard-box out of her closet. There they were. The evidence of Leonard's romantic actions towards her.

The plane ticket. The rose. The letter. The snowflake. And many more.

Penny did not cry often. But tonight, she allowed herself to feel the pain. The tears kept coming for what felt like an eternity.

Although she still loved him, she knew it was not their time. They had made the right decision, breaking up. She was following her plans and he…

He was moving on. Good for him. She wanted him to be happy. She really did.

She closed her box and put it away again.

Maybe the time had come for her to move on as well.

Sheldon

Congratulations, Dr. Fowler. You just made the fort."

What a weird date.

He had spontaneously proposed to go out to eat at the Cheesecake Factory. He did not know why. Maybe because of all the talk about romance.

Or maybe because waking up in her apartment the week before had been so wholesome. Seeing her first thing in the morning. Having breakfast together. Taking turns using her bathroom. Playing trivia games while carpooling.

It had felt almost like it had during the summer.

Or could it be because of the romantic thing she had said to him earlier at the hospital?

"Sheldon, I've been thinking about it and you're right. You don't deserve any credit. All you did was misread some numbers on a table. A very easy table, too. Honestly, I'm embarrassed for you."

She got him. She understood the fact he did not want to get famous by accident or plain luck. She knew he was better than that.

He wanted to be successful because of honest work done by his exceptional brain.

Regardless of the reason, he just had felt the urge to take her out.

But all evening, she had been distracted. 'In the zone.'

Was she trying to come up with a new study? Oh no, was her study at CalTech almost done?

He loved having her at his university. She would not want to go back to UCLA, would she?

When she drove him home later, he asked her to come up to his apartment to have tea.

Because he loved drinking tea with her. And because he did not want the evening to be over yet.

And if he was honest to himself, because kissing her on his couch was so much better than kissing her in her car.

He handed her the hot, steaming cup of tea.

"So, have you made any progress tonight with your project?"

Amy

Huh? What was he talking about?

"What project?"

He sat down beside her.

"Well, the project you are working on. You've been in the zone all evening."

She could feel her cheeks heat up. They were probably crimson red now.

Oh, dear Lord, he could never find out where her mind had been earlier. 'Like mommies and daddies do.' It was so embarrassing.

"Oh… that… yeah. I guess I did… make progress."

He raised an eyebrow. Oh no, he noticed something was up.

"Well, then tell me."

"Uhm. I don't want to bore you. It's biology. I know that does not interest you."

He smiled at her.

"That might be true usually but the experiment you did on your monkeys last time I was in your lab had me intrigued. So, please tell me what you are working on now."

Oh, no. This was bad.

But on the other hand… they were kissing all the time nowadays. Maybe she should just tell him. Let him know how much she liked their kisses.

"I was not thinking about a project, Sheldon. I was… dreaming about you kissing me."

He had not expected that. She could see that.

"You… you were? But why? You know I would kiss you anyway at the end of the date. Why waste your time dreaming about it when you could engage in conversation with me?"

She bit her lip.

"I know. I am sorry, Sheldon. But… you looked so good tonight. Purple really suits you. And you invited me out on an impromptu date. That was so romantic. And what you said earlier about me making the fort. I just… I was looking forward to being kissed by you tonight. I… I really enjoy it when you kiss me, Sheldon. A lot."

She averted her eyes. He would probably tell her she was being a hippy.

But when she looked up again, he seemed to be much closer.

He took the mug from her and sat it down on the table. Then, he took her hand in his.

"I like it too.", he admitted softly. "Kissing you."

She beamed at him. "You do?"

"Yes.", he said simply. "I tried to deny it, Amy. To be honest, when we started kissing regularly, I told myself I was only doing it for you. So you won't do the same as Leonard and leave me."

"I would never leave you, Sheldon.", she insisted. "With or without the kissing."

He smiled at her slightly. "That's good to hear."

Her heart was beating rapidly.

"You really enjoy kissing me?", she clarified. "It's not just an obligation to you?"

"Amy!", he exclaimed rolling his eyes. "Don't make me say it again."

She giggled.

"Fine.", she conceded. "You don't have to answer. You could just kiss me. Since you enjoy it so much."

He rolled his eyes again. But he leaned in and brushed his lips against hers softly. He then put an arm on her hip and squeezed her lightly.

Oh, how she loved this. She wrapped his arms around his neck and kissed him back eagerly.

A soft groan escaped his throat before he deepened the kiss, pulling her closer and holding her firmly.

"Okay.", she breathed out when they came up for air. "I do believe you. You clearly like this."

He smirked at her and pulled her on his lap. "Can't talk.", he whispered. "In the zone."

Leonard

He would have to stop calling himself romance ninja.

He really, really sucked at this.

And now, instead of spending a romantic evening with Alex, he was stuck at the emergency room with her.

What was he thinking, taking her to the roller-skating disco?

Yes, Penny had loved it there. But Alex was not like Penny. He had to remember that.

And he had failed to ask her beforehand if she had any roller-skating experience.

Spoiler alert: She had none.

And he had too little experience to keep her steady.

So, now she had to sit here in the examination room with him pacing around, while they were waiting for the results of the x-ray.

"I'm sorry, Alex."

It was the first thing any of them had said to each other after they arrived here.

"It's alright.", she said softly. "It was a nice idea. But Leonard, frankly, I don't know why you invited me out tonight."

He blinked at her.

"I wanted to go out with you again, Alex, to convince you that the things Sheldon said to you, they were nonsense."

"Are they? Nonsense? So, you don't think you and Penny will get back together at some point?"

She was looking at him with a pained expression.

"I don't know.", he answered. "I can't tell you what the future brings, Alex. But I can honestly say, that right now, I want things between you and me to work out."

She looked at him for a long time, studying his expression. Probably trying to figure out if he was sincere.

And he was. Mostly.

"Leonard, I know you were not over Penny when we started dating. We talked about this before, so I knew what I was getting into. But I need to know, if this is really what you want. That I am not just an intermezzo before you run back to her."

He sighed. "I want to be honest with you. Yes, there is a part of me, that still has feelings for Penny. But I really do like you, Alex. I like you a lot. I enjoy spending time with you, and I want to see where this could be going. I want to move forward. That's why tonight I was planning to ask you…"

He stopped himself. Was it the right time?

"Ask me what?"

She looked at him with a glimmer of hope in her eyes.

He took a deep breath.

"Alex… will you be my girlfriend?"

She smiled at him brightly.

"Really?", she whispered.

"Yes.", he said firmly. "Really. I am serious about us, Alex."

"Come here.", she demanded softly and patted on the seat next to her.

Of course. She could not stand up with her hurting ankle.

So, he sat down next to her, and looked at her expectantly.

"Yes.", she said, pulling his head to hers for a gentle kiss. "Yes, I'll be your girlfriend."

They were interrupted by the doctor telling them nothing was broken. She had just twisted her ankle and would receive a bandage and some pain meds.

She also had to sign some papers but shortly after, they were able to leave the hospital.

"So. I was planning to take you out to dinner before this happened. Are you hungry? Because I know a place right th…"

She silenced him with a kiss.

"How about we pick up some food on the way to my place? Something we can heat up easily in… let's say… an hour or something?"

"An hour? What are you planning to d… Oh."

She grinned at him.

"Alright, let's go."

He wrapped an arm around her. Not just to help her walk with her twisted ankle but also because it felt good, doing this.

Romance ninja was back.

Sheldon

Oh yes, he really did like this.

He had no idea how long they had been making out.

He only knew that this was making him dizzy. The smell of her shampoo. The taste of red wine mixed with chocolate on her tongue. The soft fabric of her cardigan under his fingers.

He found himself wondering, how different this would feel if he removed one or more of her layers.

But different to the first time when they had been kissing like this, he was able to control himself. He was prepared now for the things it made him feel.

And that alone was enough to make him feel safe enough to keep doing this.

When they finally got back to drinking their tea, it was cold already.

"I should go now.", she said and just as it always did, this sentence made him a little sad.

He checked his watch. Yes, it was almost his bedtime. Oh, it was such a shame.

Not for the first time, he wished to go back to that blissful summer when saying good night did not mean saying good-bye.

Reluctantly, he walked her to the door.

She looked up to him with a sparkle in her eyes.

"So, tonight was great. Thank you for planning this extra date."

"You're welcome.", he replied softly and cupped her face.

It was not necessary. They had kissed enough tonight. But he really, really wanted to kiss her again.

His lips descended on hers. It was a feather light kiss. Their lips were barely touching. But it meant the world to him.

"Bye, Sheldon.", she said quietly before leaving.

"Amy?", he called after her.

She turned around just before she reached the stairs.

"Amy, would you…", his breath hitched in his throat. No. No, he could not ask her to stay. There was no reason. It wasn't that late. She was not too tired to drive.

And what if Leonard's date was unsuccessful and he would come home? Amy would have to stay in his room then. And that was unthinkable.

"Would you… uhm…", he stuttered. "Would you pick me up in the morning? Leonard's not here yet and I'm afraid he might sleep in and be late tomorrow."

She looked at him surprised. Did she notice he had wanted to ask her something entirely different just now?

"Of course.", she smiled at him. "You know I enjoy carpooling with you. In fact, if you want, I could pick up something for breakfast on the way and be here a little earlier."

It sounded heavenly. Having breakfast together and spending some time with her before work.

"Well, if this is something you want, sure.", he nodded.

She bit her lip.

"It is something I want. But tell me Sheldon, is it something you want as well?"

Her eyes bore through him. Well, he had admitted to so many things by now.

"It is.", he replied. "It was one of the things I enjoyed very much during the summer. Having breakfast with you before work. In fact.", he took a deep breath. "Why don't we make this a habit? Maybe once or twice a week?"

Oh, how he loved it when she smiled at him like that.

"Sounds perfect."

Next time on 'More Than Anything':

While most of the gang celebrates Thanksgiving together, Penny decides to take a leap. An embarrassing revelation leads her to visit someone from the past. The past also seems to haunt Sheldon as he uncovers feelings, he thought to have buried a long time ago.