Wandering through an aisle, with occupied cages on either side of him, Raj stared at each adorable furry face. He thought it would be best to get a small dog, so Cinnamon wouldn't feel as threatened. Hopefully they would get along...

A squawk from beside him made him turn, and he found himself peering up at a white parrot named Snowdrop...And, through the bars, Lucy's familiar face stared back at him.

"Lucy?" he asked, and walked around the cage. She was moving quickly down the aisle, away from him; but upon hearing his voice she turned to look awkwardly at him.

"Oh. Hi. I didn't see you."

"What are you doing here?" Raj asked.

"I was looking for a pet, I thought it would be easier to talk to something who couldn't judge me out loud."

Raj nodded.

"What about you?" Lucy asked him.

"I'm getting a playmate for Cinnamon."

"That's cool...Anything in mind?"

"The breed, no. But I'm gonna call her Spice. Well, it's a tossup between Spice and Sugar."

Lucy nodded, and he was wondering what to say next; but he didn't get the chance.

" 'Bye," Lucy said, and she turned and continued to bolt down the aisle.

"Uh, take care," Raj called, and tried to focus his attention back on the puppies' cages. Continuing past the bird aisle, he further explored the furry-faced animals until he found the perfect pet. She was a sweet little West Highland White who blinked sadly up at him. She was about Cinnamon's age, healthy, and spayed.

"You're the one," Raj told her. "I'll be right back."

-0-0-0-0-

Carrying Spice-or-maybe-Sugar in his arms, Raj let himself into his apartment and closed the door. "Here we go, home sweet home," he told his latest pet. "Cinnamon! Come here, girl!"

He set Spice-or-maybe-Sugar down as Cinnamon bounded toward him. As soon as she saw the new pet, her attention shifted and she approached the snow-colored terrier, sniffing her. Raj watched, feeling like a proud parent...

...Until Spice-slash-Sugar growled, sobering Raj only seconds before she attacked Cinnamon. Fear for his oldest pet had him blurting the first of the choices that came to mind. "Sugar, stop it!" Raj commanded, and both dogs obeyed. "Shame on you. That's not how we greet family!"

His cell phone rang and he pulled it out of his pocket. "Hello?" he asked, walking to the couch. "Oh, hi, Howard, what's up?"

He watched Sugar chase Cinnamon out of the room.

"Whoa, no need to bite my head off about it! Does she want to speak to me? ...Okay. Tell her I'm sorry, okay? ...Well, it's true! And disgusting. Not even Cinnamon does that. ...Okay, sheesh! You'd think you'd be able to tell the truth around friends. ...Wait, we're okay, right? ...'Bye."

Raj hung up. A yip had him hurrying to the bedroom. The instant he turned on the light, Cinnamon fled to him, hiding behind his leg.

-0-0-0-0-

Amy looked up at Sheldon. They hadn't spoken much since he had gotten in her car; and now that they were on a date at the Cheesecake Factory they were speaking even less.

"You're awfully quiet, Sheldon."

"As I have repeatedly told you and all my other friends, it's a waste of time to point out the obvious."

"I'm worried about you...You're hardly ever quiet."

He finally looked up from his menu.

"Everything okay?" she asked.

"I'm sorry. I suppose I'm thinking about what Penny said."

"Does the thought of living with me repulse you?"

"No! It just worries me."

"Tell me your concerns," Amy coaxed.

"What if I can hear you snoring through the wall? What if you get sick of my schedules? What if you have or make a schedule that clashes with my own? How well do you cook? And what else are you allergic to?"

Amy leaned a bit closer. "Sheldon, we don't have to go through with this," she said gently. "I haven't given my notice yet. Nothing is official."

He looked at her.

"Think about it. And, if you want Leonard's key, just say so."

"Would you be mad?"

"No, Sheldon. I understand you. Truth be told, I have some concerns, too."

"Like what?"

"Well, you have been known to talk in your sleep; and I know I could hear you from Leonard's room. You've been preternaturally frightened of noises since the break-in, and I don't want to freak you out whenever I get up at night."

He studied her eyes. "And yet, you still want to live with me," he guessed. "Why?" he added, when she nodded.

"Because I love you. And instead of dwelling on the cons, I focus on the reasons why I'd like to be your roommate."

"What are they?" Sheldon asked.

"We could see each other all the time. We could carpool to work, I could make your Meemaw's cookies, drive you places, and you could wear a nasal strip. And headphones."

Sheldon considered. "That is true."

"And I don't object to your schedule; I embrace it. I don't have other allergies, and my cooking is decent."

His eyes met hers. "Sounds like the pros outweigh the cons."

Amy smiled softly. "Sheldon, we don't have to rush into this. I know I got drunk and stupid and said things I regret, but we've both done that. Do we really need to dwell on it? I don't want to be the reason you're uncomfortable. If you wish - we can just get our feet wet. Have more sleepovers. You wear Breathe Right and headphones, I sleep in Leonard's room, and we see how it goes."

He thought about it, and then nodded. "I can't see why that wouldn't work."

"So then it's settled?"

"Yes." Sheldon smiled and looked back down at his menu. "I'm going to need to write a new agreement."

-0-0-0-0-

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thanks for waiting! I'm sorry this is coming about so slowly; I often don't have time to write.