Chapter 53 - Aftermath - Settling In
Amy pulled herself from sleep, getting up for work each morning was now something she dreaded, because it meant that she had to leave Sheldon's warm chest against her back and his arms that held her tight. She was still amazed at how much he changed, yet didn't change, to everyone outside their group he was still old Sheldon, but to their group and especially her he was a different man. He was much more tolerant of his friends, especially Leonard and Penny, treating Leonard even more as a friend and brother than she had ever seen before. However, the change with his friends was nothing compared to the change with her, she really didn't know how to explain it, but if she did she would use words like love, appreciate, protect and cherish when she finally described it and him. It was like now, ever since he came back, he had become devoted to her, it was a new feeling for her, a man so openly wanting her, that people would actually notice and be jealous of her. But to be honest she never cared what people thought, their love was their's alone, and if anything, the weeks since he returned he had showed her what true love could be with him and made her understand that with him it was forever.
Amy started to close her eyes again, wondering for the hundredth time since they started sleeping together, if it would really be so bad if they played hookie from work. However, that thought left her mind when she realized Sheldon was awake, feeling his morning gentle little squeeze on her breast, he always did just before he started to talk. And like every morning she tried not to giggle, because every night his hand wasn't there, but before each morning it always seemed to find its way home.
"Amy, Honey, are you up." Sheldon softly said near her ear, then gave her a little kiss on that ear.
Amy giggled, she loved how he tried to wake her up each morning and wondered if she would ever be able to sleep peacefully again without him with her. "Yes cuddles." she teased.
She knew he was going to do it, but it was still exciting and fun when he did, he buried his face in her shoulder immediately attacking her neck with kisses and sucking, making her giggle and laugh as she tried to escape his grasp. "Sheldon…..stop…..let me go…please." she managed to get out as she squealed in laughter.
Her only respite was when he stopped to inform her, "I told you not to call me cuddles." before he resumed his attack on her neck, again.
Like many times before in ended as quickly as it started, this time Amy on the floor of the bedroom, all the bed covers on top of her as she pulled them with her in her escape. Sheldon on laying on a bare bed, just looked over the edge and his beautiful girlfriend a small soft smile on his face as he relished how happy he was, "Dr Fowler, you don't have to sleep on the floor."
Amy was just getting her breath back from giggling so hard, "I might as well Dr Cooper, since I could never get any more sleep in that bed this morning."
Sheldon chuckled, "Shower?"
Amy smiled, "I thought you'd never ask."
Sheldon got out of bed and offered Amy his hand to help her up, "Come here you Vixen." a kiss passing between them before then going to the bathroom for their morning routines and eventually showers. It never failed to amaze Sheldon, that when they showered together, they always spent more time in the shower together than the total time it took them both to shower alone. Of course being with Amy, was filled with amazing things all the time, and he never grew tired of any of them.
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Penny was working at her desk in police headquarters that day, she was now lead negotiator for a team of three other negotiators and had overall supervisory responsibilities for each of them concerning tactical assignments. She also now how been at her desk job for a while and had it down completely, so today, without anything major happening, no training going on or other specific tasks to do, Penny was actually bored, waiting till she could lunch with Leonard. So Penny sat there at her desk, just staring at her computer, and soon she couldn't stand it any longer, 'Googling', Arthur (Art) Langston, it was then that Penny found out that Art actually existed in her timeline. Penny now couldn't stop herself, if she tried, as she stayed at her computer trying to find out more, and more she did, Art was a TV show producer like he had been in her other self's timeline. Penny's memories from her other self now seemed to almost take over her mind, Art existing and having the same career being too much of a coincidence for her to ignore.
Penny then checked the police data base and found that there had been a complaint on Art, 8 years ago about groping and trying to solicit a girl at a party, however the case was dropped when the girl decided not to press charges. Penny then checked the girls name and found out she was a minor actress that had a couple parts in Art's productions the next couple of years after the incident. Penny's physiological training and Police experience were now both telling her he was still doing what he did in the other timeline, and he was guilty as sin. Penny also, knew she couldn't let him get away with it anymore, she owed that to herself.
Penny grabbed a report form and filled it out, identifying an anonymous tip involving an unknown John Doe producer drugging girls for sex, making it anonymous because who would believe her tip came from the memories of her other self from a different timeline. Penny dated the tip from the day before while she was eating lunch with Leonard and said it was a walkup by a girl unknown, then put a very common description of the girl on the form. Penny then put the tip together so it would not specifically say Art but he would be a logical suspect, she was ready, she filed the report and included her research to date on the case. She knew that the tip would not be giving a lot of attention, because it was anonymous, so when she volunteered some of her time to check it out, since she got it, she would be welcomed with open arms. Penny smiled, Art would pay this time, really pay, she told herself, thinking she felt her other self jump for joy.
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Alex strutted though the halls of Cal Tech, she was going to see Leonard and Sheldon to discuss a project she was working on. She was still amazed that Sheldon let her call him Sheldon, ever since he got back, and that he was now so nice to her. He seemed to always ask her how she was doing and what was going on in her life, almost like a father, which wouldn't have been a weird if it wasn't Dr Sheldon Cooper who was doing it. He was genuinely concerned about her well being, and it had taken her weeks to get over how freaked out she was at first about it.
Leonard also seemed even more nice to her too, if that was possible, he always talked to her and not just to say 'Hi', but really talked to her about everything. It gave her a feeling that he was being protective of her, which she couldn't lie to herself, she would always have feelings towards him, so having him watch over her, was an amazingly good feeling. It was also nice that he wasn't sending her mixed signals, he was still madly in love with Penny, which since Sheldon came back was even more obvious than before. However, also since Sheldon came back, he made it obvious she was a special person to him, not a love interest, but something more than a friend, someone he cared about, and it just brightened her soul, to have a friend like him.
She felt she was floating down the halls of Cal Tech anymore, so she was shocked when she so suddenly found herself at Dr Cooper….Sheldon's door, carefully knocking before she peeked in. "Um its me Alex." Any sudden nervousness she felt being washed aside as she saw the smiling faces of the two men who where fast becoming the most important men in her life. Alex smiled back as she entered the office, almost giggling when they both asked how she was doing and both meaning it, it felt so good to cared about by her friends, and Alex couldn't be happier as she told them about her project.
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The next couple of weeks, time seemed actually to fly by, Amy's wedding preparations occupying the girl's free time as the guys now joined in to help their friends wedding be special. All of them now having only one goal, making it possible for Amy and Sheldon to keep to the schedule they had set and have the best wedding they could ever want. However, now that the gang was getting together more and more, everyone had to get use to the personal displays of affection that seemed to happen more and more with Amy and Sheldon. Sheldon did seem the same to them, however, with Amy he was a completely different person now, hugging and cuddling with Amy was now a common occurrence, kissing her not hidden anymore, and they seemed to touch each other all the time. It was so obvious they were in love, that Bernadette made sure no one teased Sheldon anymore and the girls never again had to discuss with Amy about Sheldon's lack of affection, he was now just affectionate as the other guys in the group, with Amy, sometimes even more.
Therefore what happened the next Saturday morning was a shock to Penny, when just after Leonard left to get a few things she heard the knock at the door and looking through the peephole she saw Amy. Amy showing up on a Saturday morning wouldn't have ever been normally shocking, but the Amy standing in front of her, wrinkled clothes, bloodshot eyes, and an expression on her face Penny couldn't describe, was more than shocking. Penny immediately becoming worried and stepping towards her friend, as soon as she opened the door, "Amy what happen, is there something wrong?" it only took Penny a second to then realize that Amy was stepping back away from her approach, and to know something was seriously wrong.