A/N: I am truly sorry that it took me so long to post another chapter. I have been caught up in some other things and projects that I couldn't find time to write this. Forgive me, to those who are still willing to read this. :(

Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to The Big Bang Theory, included in this story. Characters and plot that related to the show belongs to their rightful owners.

Chapter 3: The Locomotive Manipulation Revision (I)

Sheldon was awoken by a sound of loud music coming from their living room. He tried to dismiss it by putting on his soundproof headphones, but they were rendered useless as the bass pounded through the walls of his bedroom. He begrudgingly got out of bed and stomped his way out to their living room. He was greeted with the sight of Penny dancing in their kitchen while making their breakfast. The sight brought him a sudden rush of memory. A memory from six years ago of the same woman, dancing in his kitchen, with barely any clothing. If he were the same man that he was back then, he would've been yelling at her by now, spouting facts about loud music or anything to make her stop her wailing. The memory hit him so hard, that the view he walked in on this morning brought him a sense of nostalgia. Oh how times have changed.

Penny noticed him when she turned and immediately stopped. She placed the bowl she was mixing batter in and lowered the volume of the music.

"Hey sweetie, did I wake you up?" she asked.

"What do you think?" he retorted. Penny just rolled her eyes at him and gave a playful smile.

"So what are you having today?" Penny asked, although it was more for her entertainment than actually inquiring. She knows the schedule. She saw the disbelief in Sheldon's face and laughed out loud. The gesture shocked Sheldon and he stood, motionless with bulging eyes.

"Have you gone insane? Why are you laughing?" he asked.

"Oh, Sheldon. Ten years could pass and you'd still be the same," she answered, shaking her head at him.

"Why would I change? You know how much I dislike change."

Penny just looked at him, smiling. Sometimes, she still couldn't believe that she's friends with a guy who she used to dream of throwing out the window. But they are friends now; family, even.

She continued to prepare their breakfast while Sheldon started his morning ablutions. He came back a little over than thirty minutes and was greeted by the couple, already starting on their food.

"Pancakes with blueberries, evenly distributed," Penny tells him, handing out his plate with three pancakes. "Just help yourself with some syrup," she added.

They continued to eat in silence. Sheldon remembered that he hasn't spoken to the guys about his proposal plan. He wasn't exactly running out of time, but he liked things in order and all before the actual proposal takes place. The whole group will have their own participation and he thought of just setting a meeting with all of them so that they would be well oriented. He was deep in thought, when he noticed that Leonard was actually asking him a question.

"Sheldon," Leonard called from across the table.

"What?" Sheldon asked.

"I was asking you about going to Disney Land next weekend. Penny and I are going and thought of inviting you and Amy,"

"Next weekend? Thank you, but that won't work," Sheldon said.

The couple exchanged looks and tried to remember if Sheldon told them about any plans. Leonard shrugged and Penny looked back at Sheldon.

"Are you going somewhere?" she asked.

"As a matter of fact, I am. I was going to ask Amy to return to Napa Valley," Sheldon answered.

"Oh. Are you guys celebrating something?" Leonard inquired.

"No. Not really, I just thought a weekend getaway sounds fun,"

"Since when do you go on getaways?" Penny asked.

"Since when did you know the meaning of fun?" Leonard asked, almost in the same breath as his wife.

Sheldon glared at the couple, but decided to answer them, nonetheless.

"If you must know, Amy finds anything that we do together, fun," at this, Penny snorted. Sheldon narrowed his eyes at her but continued, "And a trip to Napa Valley is something I am very much looking forward to. The last time we were there, I was positive that I would not enjoy the experience. So I was surprised when I actually had a good time. About a month ago I thought, why not do it again? My vacation time is coming up anyway," he finished.

Penny looked impressed, while Leonard was looking at him from under his glasses. He was beginning to suspect something. He knows that Sheldon has been thinking about proposing to Amy. He thought that he should be feeling bad that his best friend is no letting him in on his plans, but really he was just a little worried. But at the same time, he is happy about the whole idea of Shamy, tying the knot.

"So... What do you have planned for your trip?" Leonard tried, hoping Sheldon would tell him something.

"Well, the itinerary during our last visit served us well. I figured we should just follow that again," Sheldon said, not looking up at the couple.

"Nothing... special planned?" Leonard tried again. Penny looked at him questioningly, but her husband just patted her leg.

Sheldon looked up and jutted his lower lip, feigning being thoughtful. He then shook his head at Leonard and said, "Nope."

"Okay then," Leonard said, giving up.

Sheldon smiled at his friends and got up from the stool to get his things and start the day. Leonard wasn't sure about it, but he strongly believes that the guy was hiding something from them. He saw no eye twitch to help him, though, so he just dismissed it and followed his friend.

Knock, knock, knock "Amy,"

Knock, knock, knock "Amy,"

Knock, knock, knock "Amy,"

Amy looked up to find her boyfriend, by the laboratory door, smiling at her. She was pleasantly surprised of his impromptu visit. He rarely drops by her lab ever since she started working at Caltech.

"Hi Sheldon. What brought you here?" asked Amy while removing her gloves. She was just about to transfer some brain specimen that was delivered that morning. Sheldon looked at the things she just abandoned and scrunched up his nose before walking inside and going around the table. Amy covered the dishes so that he wouldn't have to look at them.

"Well, I came here today to ask you something. See, my vacation time for this year is coming up, and we all know how much President Siebert loves pushing me out the university doors when that happens, right?" he started.

"Yes. But only because every year, you give him a hard time by refusing to actually take some time off," she pointed out.

"Well I don't need time off. Everybody knows my time is better spent here, where my mind can work wonders!" he exclaimed.

"Alright, alright. I'm just reminding you why President Siebert has always been like that."

"Okay then. Anyway, the reason I'm here is because I wanted to know if you could start your weekend a day early, next week," he said.

"Oh. Let me check. Why are you asking?" asked Amy, checking her schedule on her iPad.

"Well, I was wondering if you would like to go on a trip with me? To Napa Valley, to be precise," Sheldon said, while playfully dragging his index finger across her table.

Amy stared at him. He's never asked her to a trip, out of town, before; unless you count conferences or comic book panels. Then it hit her; maybe there is a seminar or something that he wanted to go to. Her shoulders slumped and she frowned at him. Sheldon was still looking at his moving finger and wasn't aware of his girlfriend's current reaction. So when he looked up, he was surprised to find her glaring at him.

"What?" he asked in a whiny voice.

"Why are you asking me to go to Napa Valley?" she asked, coldly.

"Uh, to go on vacation? What other reasons are there?" he shot at her.

She was taken aback by his response. Apparently, he was asking her to actually go on a vacation and not some boring panel about super heroes or comic books. She still couldn't believe him, so she decided to confirm what he means when by saying 'vacation'.

"By vacation, you mean go to a hotel, have lunch, dinner, relax?" she asked, narrowing her eyes at him.

"Yes," he answered, simply.

"And this has nothing to do with any comic books, super heroes, scifi movies?"

"No. Why are you asking these questions? Shouldn't you be the one with a better grasp of what vacation is?" he asked, starting to get annoyed.

"Well, yeah. I mean... I'm sorry. It's just... It's you," she stated, offering an apologetic smile.

"What does that mean?" he asked, raising one brow.

"Nothing. I'm sorry. Your idea sounds lovely, I would love to go," she confirmed.

"Alright then. I don't know why you had to waste time, asking silly questions, but alright."

"Okay. So do we leave, Friday?" she asked, trying to redirect the conversation. It wasn't her intention to offend him.

"Yes. I should get going. I just wanted to get your confirmation. I have booked everything, so just pack whatever you need for three days... Or maybe I should pack for you..." he mused, putting a finger on his chin.

"No, Sheldon. I think I can manage. Thank you, for arranging everything else, though. Let me know how much I need to chip in for the lodging."

Sheldon frowned at her.

"Just why would I do that?" he asked, a bit offended that she thought he would make her pay on a trip that he planned.

"Uh... You know, cause we always split the cost of almost everything?" she asked, smiling at him. Sheldon wasn't having any of it.

"Amy, I realized that in the past, we have gotten used to that kind of system; however, from now on, I would greatly appreciate it if you quit assuming that I need you to pay for things. Unless I tell you to chip in, that just means you don't have to. Are we clear?" he asked, authority, clear in his tone.

"Yes," she answered, gulping at how intense he was looking at her. She was conflicted of whether she should be amused, afraid or turned on. It was rare for Sheldon to show this side of him, in front of her. She should be worried, but frankly, she just liked it a lot.

"Good. Now I really have to go if I want to make it to lunch," he said walking towards the door. He was almost a meter out of her lab when he remembered something. He walked back in while Amy was putting her gloves back on. She heard his steps and turned around.

"I almost forgot," he said before holding onto her shoulders and crushing his lips on hers. He made the kiss last for almost fifteen seconds and pulled away. "I'll see you later." With that, he dashed out of the laboratory, leaving his girlfriend with her mouth hanging open.

The following days went by quickly and before Amy knew it, Thursday was almost over. She was expecting Sheldon to be at her place by seven to do some last minute inspection of the things that she packed. She would've said no, but she was still floating about the idea of spending the next three days with her boyfriend.

When they had a girl's night out, last Tuesday, Bernadette brought up the idea of a possible proposal. Amy didn't want to entertain the idea, but at this point, she's running out of excuses as to why Sheldon was still waiting. Their relationship is going really well; professionally, they were both in a good place. She just couldn't figure out what else was holding him back.

Her thoughts were interrupted by Sheldon's knocking. She went to answer her door.

"Hi," she greeted.

"Hello. Let's get started. Leonard's downstairs and I told him to wait for me."

"What? Why?" she asked.

"I still need to buy something from Wall Greens," he lied, stepping away from her to hide his face.

"Oh. Okay," she replied, following him to her room.

Sheldon did everything that was on his list. Checking everything that is in her bag and suitcase. He did his preliminary inspection of the things that she needs during their trip and bid her good night with a promise to do another round in the morning before leaving.

xxxxx

Amy lay awake that night, thinking about the possibilities of what could happen during their trip. She kept shaking the thought of getting engaged after this weekend, but her heart was just too excited about the idea. Sheldon has been doing some of the most unconventional, well to them, things for her lately; he's becoming unpredictable. It was like being with an old, new, brand new Sheldon. She didn't know how to take that all in, but so far, he has been nothing but a sweet boyfriend who still had the old Sheldon in him. It was a perfect blend, in her opinion. With a smile on her face, she slowly drifted into a dreamless sleep.

"Are you sure you didn't forget anything?" Sheldon asked for the third time.

Amy just finished loading her last bag in the trunk of her car. Sheldon didn't offer any help getting her things down from her apartment, with his argument being that her building had a working elevator so she didn't really need any help. His questions were just making her feel more irritated.

"For the last time, yes!" She snapped at him, slamming the door a little harder than she intended. He backed off a little, so she just smiled smugly at him.

They went in the car and started their journey to Napa Valley. Sheldon started with their classic game of counterfactuals, then suggesting they play something else, after losing twice to his girlfriend. Amy's sour mood slowly subsided along the way and they got to the vicinity, thirty minutes earlier than their expected time of arrival. Sheldon got worried that they were too early and Amy had to calm him down when he could start giving her a lecture about checking in at hotels. When he stopped his rant, he gave her directions to their exact location. Amy was surprised to find out that they were not staying at the same bed and breakfast that they rented the last time they were here. As they got closer, Amy couldn't help but open her mouth in awe. They stopped in front of an old, but fancy looking house.

"Sheldon, this is lovely," she says, walking on wooden legs.

"Well, I took the liberty of looking for a place that would meet, both our standards and this place was what I found. Now why don't we unload our things so we can go inside?" he asked, making his way to the back of her car.

"Okay," was all she could say. She was excited to see the interior of the place where they will be staying for the next three days. She helped him out with their things and walked up the short walkway to the door. Sheldon rang the doorbell and a middle-aged man opened the door.

"Good morning. Are you Dr. Cooper?" the man asked.

"Yes. And this is my girlfriend, Dr. Amy Farrah Fowler," Sheldon replied, gesturing to Amy.

"Wow, two doctors. Well, come on in," the man continued, opening the door wider, for the couple to get through. "And let me help you with your things," he added, taking their suitcases.

Amy got even more giddy when she saw the Victorian theme of the bed and breakfast. She got a glimpse of the dining area and the living room and by the looks of it, both rooms were nothing less of a classic Victorian house. She was so happy about Sheldon's choice that she couldn't keep the silly grin off her face. Sheldon noticed her and he was pleased at how she was reacting. He held out his hand and she took it without hesitation. When they finished going up, two sets of stairs, Amy remembered something that she failed to ask before leaving Pasadena.

"Sheldon?"

"Yes?"

"How many rooms did you book for our stay?"

"Just one. Why?" he asked, tilting his head a little.

"Oh," she replied. She doesn't know why she never thought about discussing their sleeping arrangements, so she was surprised to find out that they will be staying in the same room.

"How many beds are there in the room?" she asked him. Just then, the attendant stopped in front of a tall wooden door and opened it. Her question was rendered moot when she saw the inside of their room. It was spacious, with mustard colored walls. In the center was a king sized bed that was elegantly made. To the left of the room, was a fireplace and facing it, across the bed were two chairs with a view of the front gardens. She went around the room and didn't even notice that the attendant already left because of how much she was admiring the view outside. When she turned around, she saw Sheldon already unloading his clothes and placing his things inside the wooden cabinet. She was so overwhelmed by what he's done, and she thought about what other things he might have in store for this vacation. If their lodging was already making her feel like this, she couldn't stop thinking about how she'll be if he does what she hopes he will do, soon.

The urge to hug him was getting stronger so she squared her shoulders and walked slowly to him. Sheldon was occupied with arranging his things inside the cabinet, that he didn't notice her footsteps, muffled by the carpeted floor. She breathed in and wrapped her arms around his midsection. Her sudden action rendered him motionless and all he could do was look down at her arms, wrapped around him.

"What are you doing?" asked Sheldon.

"Thank you," she replied, hugging him a little tighter.

"For what exactly? And would you mind letting me go, because your hug feels like you're crushing my ribs," he complained and she did what he asked. Her happiness would not be deterred by his complaints. She just smiled at him and reached up on tiptoes to kiss him. He returned the kiss, but quickly pulled away.

"You haven't answered my question yet," he told her, frowning.

"Oh don't be such a grumpy baby. I was thanking you for choosing this place. You are right, it meets both our standards."

"Well, little lady, you should know by now to never expect anything less than great from me," he replied, smugly.

"Of course. But sometimes, you still surprise me, so thank you."

"You're welcome. Now, why don't you start unpacking? It's almost time for lunch and I would like to eat before we meet any of the other guests," Sheldon said, pulling her suitcase closer to the cabinet.

"Alright," she replied, and she started taking out her clothes. Then she remembered something else. "Sheldon, why did you choose a room with a single bed?"

"Amy, this is a king sized bed," he answered matter-of-factly while patting the bed.

"I know that. What I meant was, why did you get a room with just one bed?"

"Oh. That," he acknowledged. He looked up at the ceiling, trying to think of the best way to answer her query.

"Well?"

"It made perfect sense to me. We are a couple and we have slept together already. I mean, we've already seen each other naked. I don't see why sharing a bed should be an issue. And also, the last two times that I slept next to you, I slept soundly."

"Oh," was all that she could say.

"Well, I'll go to the bathroom. Make sure you arrange your things in ascending order based on usage," he said. He left and went inside the bathroom to wash up.

Amy was getting more and more impressed with Sheldon by the hour.

"Well this is going to be an interesting weekend," she whispered to herself, while unpacking the rest of her stuff into their shared closet.