Chapter 11 : A Ghost from the Past

Niki gets some advice from an unexpected source.

The next morning, Niki sat at the dining room table, more or less pretending to work. What she was really doing, and she was fully cognizant of it, was waiting for Penny to return with Lori. She needed to know what Sheldon's response had been when he had been told she would not be Skyping today. Eventually she decided to actually do some work and the morning had passed rather quickly after that. For all Sheldon's sputterings, she had managed to accomplish quite a bit since he had been gone. His harsh words regarding her lack of dedication to her research still stung. Sheldon, of all people, should have known how much a caustic remark regarding her work would hurt her. Niki sighed, she knew what she had been getting into when she married Sheldon, she just didn't think that he would ever allow it to go to the level he was currently taking it.

Suddenly, Penny came in through the front door and yelled, "Hello! We're back! Nik, are you home?"

Niki walked out to the living room, smiled, and told her friend, "Here, give me Lori. Do you want to leave Blake here for a while? I'm sure the kids would like to play together."

Penny shook her head definitively as she picked up her son and prepared to leave, "No, that's okay. You've got work to do and looking after two kids at once isn't going to help. I don't have to be in until later this afternoon. So, what do you say I take Lori with me and you can work in peace."

"That's really sweet of you. I'll come get her this afternoon, okay?"

"No need for that. I just remembered, Mary is coming over in a few minutes and she wants to take Lori and Blake for the day. I think her and Alfred are planning to do something fun with them."

At that pronouncement, Niki gave a small smile and asked, "When will they be back?"

Penny grinned and made the comment, "When I get home tonight I'll call you and bring Lori back to you. Unless you're going to be talking to Sheldon."

Niki shook her head resolutely, "No, you can be sure I will not be talking to Sheldon tonight."

Penny crossed her arms and fixed her friend with a questioning look, "Still pissed at him? Even after all I told you?"

Niki gave a drawn out sigh and answered her with, "No, I'm not angry, I'm just tired. This distance thing is not working for us. In fact, I think I'll work for a little while longer and then I'll take a break and go up and use the telescope. That's what I used to do when I got upset while I was at Mt. Wilson. Staring out into the universe sometimes helps put things in their proper perspective."

"Whatever floats your boat, Nik. Look, I wish you and Sheldon could get past this. It's so not like you two to be at odds with each other."

Niki came closer and asked her, "Penny, do you remember when I was first dating Sheldon?"

"Of course I do."

Niki pretended to be observing something out the window as she continued, "Well, do you remember when I kept telling you that I was not like Amy and I couldn't ignore his bad behavior like she did?"

Penny took two of her fingers and tilted her friend's head away from the window and towards her, "Nik, she didn't ignore it exactly, she was just very patient with it. I know you're not. But I wish you'd try it just this once. The poor guy looked upset when you weren't there with Lori."

"What did he say?"

Penny shrugged her shoulders and said, "Nothing. He just went even more pale than usual and nodded. He was cool with Lori, though."

Niki gave a small grin and admitted, "He always is. He's a great father, I'll give him that much."

"Nik, you and Sheldon are both stubborn hotheads with more pride and ego than is healthy for either one of you. That's what binds you together so well most of the time, you guys really understand each other. But when you guys butt heads, it's never just a little tiff, it's WWIII. I know you're mad at him, but just think about what I told you earlier, okay? Can you promise me that?"

Niki nodded and replied, "Sure. I truly mean that. But right now, I'm going to go up to the telescope and try to chill out for a bit." She took her daughter from Penny and hugged her tight. "You be a good girl for Grandpa and Grandma, okay?" Niki then gave her back to Penny and waved goodbye to both of them. For about the millionth time she said a prayer of thanks for Penny's friendship. She did not know what she would have done in this situation without her.

When they had left, Niki made herself a cup of tea, relaxed for a half hour or so, and then made her way over to the front house and climbed the curving staircase that led to the second floor and her and Sheldon's offices. She walked past them without looking and finally came to the pull-down staircase that led to the spacious cupola and the telescope housed inside.

Once inside, Niki took a seat on one of the comfortable futons/window seats located along the curve of the room. She had closed her eyes to think for a moment when she felt something hard and solid beneath her. Reaching under the cushion she pulled out a picture frame. Curious as to what it held, she turned it over to find a picture of a very serious looking woman with gorgeous green eyes and silky brown hair. Without looking at the inscription, she knew this was a picture of Amy Farrah Fowler-Cooper. Sheldon had described her very accurately whenever her name had been mentioned by him. She had also seen her picture briefly one day while cleaning out the nightstand on his side of the bed.

Strangely enough, she felt no pangs of jealousy. She and Sheldon had always been completely honest with each other concerning their late spouses. She knew that Amy still held a special place in his heart, as Paul did in hers. Still, she studied the picture more closely. The woman in the picture certainly did not resemble her in the least. Niki supposed that was a good thing, she didn't want to think Sheldon had fallen in love with her because she resembled his late wife. That would have been, to use a Mary Cooper phrase, 'downright creepy'. Amy's hair was long, shiny and a medium brown in color, while her hair was a bit shorter and ash blonde. She decided upon closer inspection that she was much thinner than Amy. Amy looked to be of a normal weight for her height while she, Niki, bordered on being too thin. The main difference, though, was in their mouths. Amy had an almost stern look about her while Niki admitted to herself that she most often looked like she was about to tell a joke or pull a prank on someone, which she often was.

Sighing, Niki put down the picture and stared into space. She wondered to herself what the woman in the picture frame would have done in this situation. She picked up the picture once more and addressed the photo it held, "Just what would you have done if Sheldon Cooper had insulted your professional integrity?"

The woman in the picture responded with, "I would have immediately stood up for myself and tried to reason with him."

Niki almost dropped the picture frame in shock. "Excuse me, did you just speak?"

The woman in the frame nodded, and responded with, "Yes, and I spoke to you. Dr. Horner, I truly want to thank you for all you have done for Sheldon. He needs a good swift kick in the rear sometimes. I was not always a very accurate kicker but you never seem to miss."

Niki decided to continue the conversation with Amy, whether she was real or not, "Until now. Usually when he says things like he has been, I know he means no deliberate harm. But this time, I felt actual malice. Look Amy, Sheldon and I have had our fair share of disagreements, but we've always settled them amicably. This whole scenario is totally new to me."

Amy gave Niki the tiniest of grins and told her, "Welcome to my world. I was always debating on how best to deal with Sheldon and his tantrums. It made life a bit difficult at times, but never, ever boring."

Niki decided to go all the way and ask for some advice from her, so she responded with, "So what do you think I should do? Penny says he is just reacting this way because of change and stress. Do you think that's true?"

"If Penny said that to you, there is more than likely a good deal of truth to it. I often went to Penny for advice."

Now it was Niki who gave a small grin and replied, "Yeah, so do I. Did you know she is an actress now?"

"Yes, I know that. Don't ask me how I know, but I do."

"Okay. What do you think my next move should be with Sheldon?"

Amy's look turned serious and she gave Niki this advice, "Let him know you love him, no matter what boneheaded thing he has done. He needs that, he really does."

Niki looked a bit hurt at her words and asked her, "I suppose. But what about me?"

Amy sadly explained to her, "I'm sorry. But when you're in a relationship with Sheldon Cooper, you will often have to let that attitude go. He needs the reassurance, not you."

"You're wrong there, Amy. I need it too."

Amy shook her head and explained, "Good luck getting it. Sheldon can be extremely selfish sometimes. I hate to say that, but it's true. Just let him know you understand what he is going through and maybe, just maybe, he will give you that reassurance you feel you need."

Niki's face took on a stubborn look and she told her, "Thanks, Amy. But I don't work that way. I don't give in to his, what did you call them? Tantrums, that's it. I just don't put up with them."

This time, Amy's grin was wide, "Why not? He puts up with your sarcasm and stubbornness."

Niki's eyes went wide and she countered with, "Excuse me? I'm stubborn and sarcastic?"

Sheldon's late wife nodded and gently continued, "Of course. It is why he loves you. That, and you're amazingly intelligent. You don't find Nobel Prizes in Cracker Jack boxes, you have to earn them. Congratulations on that, by the way."

"Tell me something, and this is just between the two of us, was Sheldon ever romantic with you?"

This time, Amy gave a hearty chuckle and told Niki, "Not hardly. Oh, he would tell me he loved me and he would kiss me sometimes, but you have to remember that Sheldon was still pretty emotionally repressed when I was with him. He is far less inhibited now."

"But you still think he needs reassurance?"

The apparition nodded and replied, "Now more than ever. He has opened himself to you in a way he never did with me. He needs you to show you still care about him, even when he's acting like a jerk. Look, Niki, he's far from home, far from you, far from his daughter, and far from his friends, except for Leonard. He's most likely a little resentful that you have all of that around you."

Niki thought for a moment and then asked, "Hmmm…okay. So how do I give him this reassurance?"

"How do you two communicate best?"

Niki went into deep thought once more and told Amy, "Well, we make love a lot. And we sit in the Jacuzzi and talk after dinner sometimes."

Dr. Fowler-Cooper made a pointed reply, "Can't do that now, can you? And if I know Sheldon, cyber sex is off the table."

"Yep, you're spot on with that one."

Amy probed Niki further, "So? What else reaches him?"

Niki's face suddenly held a bright smile and she looked directly at the woman in the frame,

"Amy, I know what I'm going to do now. Thank you for the advice, even if you are a ghost in a picture."

Amy's reply was gracious and kind, "Thanks. You know, I still love him."

This time, it was Niki who replied kindly as she acknowledged what Amy had said, "I know that. And he still loves you."

"And I know that. He's good like that. Nikita, I want the man happy. He truly wasn't for so many years."

Niki sat up ramrod straight and demanded, "What about me?"

Amy confessed to her, "I don't really care about you. You're a stranger to me. I do appreciate you bringing love into Sheldon's life again, but beyond that, you're on your own."

"Gee, thanks. You make me feel so wanted and important."

The ghost of marriage past informed her, "It's not what I feel for you that's important. It's what Sheldon feels for you. Are we in agreement on that?"

Niki realized the truth behind Amy's words, "Yes. Well, I suppose I've got work to do. Thank you very much for your advice, Amy. And in case I never see you again, goodbye."

Amy's face began to fade as she waved to Niki and replied, "Goodbye, Nikita. Just take good care of yourself and Sheldon. And that adorable daughter you have."

Before Niki could ask her how she knew about Lori, she found herself lying on the futon, the picture in its frame resting on the floor.Whew!What a dream that was!It was just a dream, right?But it felt so real.That's ridiculous, pictures don't really talk to people.But it seemed so real.Well, whether you were really here or not Amy Farrah Fowler-Cooper, you gave me some good advice and I'm going to follow it.

Niki got up from the futon and ignoring the telescope in the middle of the room, grabbed her laptop and set to work. Music was how she and Sheldon often expressed their feelings to each other, so she sent Chaka Kahn's Through the Fire to Sheldon via Facebook along with a message that said, I know you're going through a lot, Cooper.Just know that I still love you to the farthest star and back.Nothing will change my feelings for you. That accomplished, she went downstairs just in time to see Mary and Alfred come through the front door of the building with Lori and Blake in tow.

As Blake ran off to find his mother in her bedroom, Mary greeted her with, "Hey, Niki, how y'all doing? I hear my son has been a bit of a pain to ya lately. I hope you two got that settled."

"Where did you hear that? From Penny, I'll bet. Anyway, things are getting better." She stooped down to catch her daughter as she came running towards her crying out, "Mommy! I went wif Gamma 'n' Gampa!"

Niki held her precious daughter close to her and replied, "I know you did, Sweetheart. Did you have a good time?"

Lori squealed, "We saw Muppets!"

"Oh, you went to see the new Muppets movie? I'll be that was fun. I loved the Muppets when I was little. They very funny, aren't they?"

"I wike da singing."

Niki looked over the top of her child's head and replied, "Yes, Lori. Music can make magic things happen. Or at least I hope so."

Lori looked up at Niki and asked her, "Go home, Mommy?"

"Of course, darling. We'll go home now. But first I want to thank your Grandma and Grandpa for taking such good care of you."

Alfred smiled warmly at the small child held in her mother's arms, "It was no problem at all, Niki. Mary and I love to have the grandkids sometimes."

"I know, and I appreciate it. Now, if you'll excuse us, me and this little Muppet are going to go home and to bed."

When they arrived home, Niki gave her daughter a bath and put her to bed. She then took a hot shower herself and crawled into her own bed. When she awoke the next morning, she found the following message from Sheldon on her Facebook page, Niki, I got in quite late and saw your message.I will get back to you later on that. Right now, I'm off to have dinner with my new friend, Dr. Powers.

Niki blinked at the computer screen and thought to herself, Good, Sheldon has found himself a friend besides Leonard to hang with.I wonder if this guy is a physicist, too?I'll have to ask Sheldon the next time I talk with him.

Dr. Powers isn't a guy, Niki.