A/N: Okay here is the end of the story. Sorry it didn't come before the deadline but that pesky holiday got in the way. I hope everyone had a safe and happy Christmas. Well anyway on with the story. This will take place from Christmas Eve until the weekend. I hope you like the way I write in his family. I don't want too much family drama but I have a feeling that George Jr. may give Sheldon a bit of a hard time when it comes to having a girlfriend and he may shock a few family members. We all know Meemaw loves Amy because why would she let her have her cookie recipe so I have a quick introduction of her in here.
Okay enough introduction and here is the story...I don't own any of these characters but they are fun to play around with.
The week went by quickly. Before the two of them knew it Christmas Eve was upon them. They had gotten along so well during the week. They seemed to anticipate each other's needs and routines. Amy didn't balk about the dinner choices or television shows Sheldon watched. She found just retreating to the bedroom and watching what she wanted was much easier than arguing.
They did have one disagreement about the temperature. Amy was used to a cooler temperature in her apartment so she tried to turn the thermostat down 5 degrees. Sheldon got angry and said the roommate agreement said the temperature was set at 71 degrees. Amy pointed out she was not his roommate and therefore not bound by the agreement. He said if she was ever to move in she would have to agree to that. She was not happy. She almost went home that night she was so upset. He finally agreed to lower it by 3 degrees. He did not want her to leave. He was getting used to her there and he could live with 3 degrees. That was the only thing they argued about that week.
They promised Mary they would attend a Christmas Eve church service as a compromise to not being in Texas on Christmas Day. Sheldon had always gone to a small church in Pasadena that reminded him of the one his Pop Pop and Meemaw had attended before he passed away. He found he liked the pastor and the people were usually very cordial to him. He always went during a holiday season so he could blend in with the others who only made an annual trek to church.
They chose the 9pm service to avoid a huge crowd. However when they arrived they found the place was practically filled and there was still 15 minutes until the service was starting. They found seats close to the front.
"It has never been this crowded before. I don't like it." Sheldon said to her.
"Don't worry about it. We will be fine." Amy said.
"Sheldon quickly realized why there so many new faces when a young man came out and began the service.
"Where is Pastor Mike?" Sheldon said to no one in particular.
The woman sitting next to Sheldon heard his question and answered him.
"He retired in July. This is Pastor Jeremy. He took over in September. He has brought a lot more young people to our church."
"Oh well that is nice. We are just visitors tonight." Amy said to her.
"But you had to have been here in the past if you know Pastor Mike." She said.
"My boyfriend has been. This is my first time." Amy answered.
"Oh well then welcome. I hope we see you again." She said.
The service was very nice. Amy loved the hymns that were sung. They reminded her of going to church when she was younger. Her mother would be proud. She never bugged her when she was a teenager to attend and Amy never wanted to go. She was unsure about whether there was a God and she didn't understand the need to take attendance. When Sheldon told her he had a once a year commitment, that worked for her. She never had to attend with him and usually he ended up going with his mom when she came to Pasadena or he went to Texas.
The couple made their way out of the service and greeted the pastor. He was very nice to them and invited them back the next Sunday. Sheldon explained his deal with his mother and told him he would most likely see them again next year. The pastor was grateful that he had not persuaded Sheldon to find somewhere new for the next year. They made their way home and got ready for bed.
Christmas morning, Amy was up early. She was so excited for Sheldon to get the gifts she had purchased she couldn't sleep. She made her way into the kitchen and put on a pot for tea. She was not one for coffee but she almost gave in that morning. She started cooking breakfast for Sheldon when he wandered out about 30 minutes later.
"You're up early." He said to her.
"Well I couldn't sleep. I was excited for Christmas." She said.
"Oh is that all." He said. "I thought I may have been hogging the covers. Oh wait you do that." He laughed.
"I do not." She said.
"You do and if you let me turn the thermostat back up you wouldn't be so cold." He said.
"Are we having this discussion again?" She asked.
"Um, well, I was just thinking if you were cold." He stuttered. He didn't want to fight, especially on Christmas.
"It's okay, I won't be leaving you. I promise." She said.
"Good." He pulled her in for a hug. Then he leaned down and kissed her. "Merry Christmas." He said as he came up for breath. No matter how long they had been doing that it still took his breath away.
"Merry Christmas." She said back dreamily. Every time he kissed her, it made her knees go weak. "I was just getting breakfast started. What would you like this morning?"
"How about sausage and eggs?" He suggested. "I think there is some bread so we can make toast."
"Okay, you start that while I get the eggs ready. Do you want them scrambled?"
"That sounds great." He said and started on the toast.
After breakfast, they decided they would exchange the rest of the gifts they got for each other.
"I can't believe how many gifts are under this tree." Sheldon said in wonder.
"They aren't all for you. I took the liberty of picking up a few things for your family for Texas." She said. "I also got your nephew's birthday gift."
"I hadn't even thought about gifts for them. You are so on top of things. Thank you. I did however get my nephew a gift. But we can give him both."
"What did you get him?" Amy asked cautiously. Sheldon didn't know anything about children and she was afraid he would buy something inappropriate for a 1 year old.
"Well I was on Amazon the other day and I looked under baby to 24 months and they were selling a learning laptop. It was recommended for ages 6 months to 3 years. I called my sister for approval and she actually thought it was a great idea. I had it shipped to my mom's house."
"Wow that is terrific. I got him a Laugh and Learn puppy. I also called your sister and she approved. She didn't mention that you had gotten a gift."
"I only called the other day. I should have asked you after what you did last weekend with our friends but I wasn't sure you would buy anything."
"It's okay if he gets two gifts from us." Amy said.
"So let me go and get my gifts for you." Sheldon said to her and disappeared down the hall. He came back with 3 gifts.
Amy had a few more gifts for him as well. And a really big surprise. She had decided that since they had a big dinner last week with friends and family over the last few weeks and would have a big dinner when they arrived in Texas the next day, she would follow his routine this time. She was going to take him out for Chinese and then they were going to the movies. She knew he would love this. Plus the new Hobbit movie was out and that was what they would go see. She would never ever admit it to him but she actually enjoyed those movies.
"Okay you first." Sheldon said to her. He handed her a small bag. She opened it and found a picture of him with Santa.
"Oh look how cute you are with Santa." She exclaimed. "I know exactly where I am going to put this. "Okay you are next." She handed him the first box.
He opened the package and found several T-shirts.
"These are great." He said holding up the Game of Thrones shirt. He handed her the next box.
"Oh I love the colors on these." She said as she held up a couple of cardigans. "They are beautiful."
She handed him the final box which contained the plans for the day. He opened it and looked confused.
"What's this?" He asked.
"This is our agenda for today. I know you are not a huge fan of this holiday and I thought that we could celebrate the way you would want to do it. So we are going to go out to The Golden Dragon and then we are going to go see The Hobbit."
"Really?" He asked.
"Yes, really."
"Oh, Amy this is the best Christmas ever. I can't believe we are going to eat Chinese and go to the movies."
"I thought maybe we could start a tradition, like we did the other day with the cookies."
"I like the way you think." He said. "Thank you so much for this." He leaned in and kissed her. The kiss deepened and after what seemed like an hour they came up for breath.
"You still have one more gift from me." Sheldon said.
"You mean that kiss wasn't it?" She asked playfully.
"Well…" He said blushing.
"I am kidding Sheldon." She laughed.
"Oh well, here is your gift." He was kind of disappointed. That morning he woke up and she hadn't been in bed. He was hoping he could have gotten some time with her this morning cuddling and other things but she had already been out in the kitchen. Now she was teasing him and he was trying to figure out how he could use that to get her back into the bedroom. He felt like a hippy giving into his urges but he was so new at this he figured the urges may calm down after a while. Plus he knew that there would be no way they would be intimate in Texas. For all he knew his mother would make them sleep in separate bedrooms.
She opened the last gift which appeared to be jewelry. Her mouth fell open when she saw the beautiful necklace that was inside.
"Sheldon this is beautiful." She said.
"It's called a Love Molecule Necklace. When I was at the store I was looking for the DNA necklace I had read about and then I saw this and it was even more perfect." The necklace had the molecules for serotonin, for happiness and satisfaction, dopamine, for love and passion and acetylcholine for learning, dreaming and memory.
"I love it!" She leaned in and gave him a kiss. Again he quickly deepened the kiss and this time pulled her close. He had his hands on her waist and quickly moved them up to her breasts. She moaned at his touch. He slowly pushed her down on the couch. They were frantically kissing and just as frantically devoiding each other of clothing.
"Wait." Sheldon said quickly.
"What?" Amy asked really out of breath. She couldn't believe he was stopping this now.
"Should we move this to the bedroom?"
"I don't see why we need to do that. No one is home and we aren't going to be interrupted." She said and she pulled him back towards her on the couch. He didn't argue and continued what he had started. They were soon lost in all the passion. The morning could not have gotten any better.
That afternoon they had a great time at the movies and at the Chinese restaurant. The owner even gave them a complimentary order of dumplings for Christmas. That night the two went to bed earlier than usual because they had an early morning flight for Houston the next morning. It was the best Christmas Sheldon had in a long time.
The next morning the two were up at 6 and called a taxi to take them to the airport. It was extremely crowded and Sheldon was glad they decided to arrive two hours early for their 9:15 flight. Sheldon was not a fan of flying but knew it was the best way to get to Texas fast. It was only a little over three hour and they would arrive in Houston around 2:30. Sheldon's brother George was at the airport to pick them up when they arrived.
"I told mom we were just going to get a cab when we couldn't rent a car on short notice." Sheldon said when he saw his brother.
"Well just be grateful someone is here because look at that line over there at the cab stand." Amy said to him.
"Hey Shelly." George said in way of greeting.
"Hello George. How are you?" Sheldon tried to say politely. He didn't really like his brother that much but he didn't want to be disrespectful in front of Amy either.
"I'm fine." He answered.
"Are you still married to Stephanie?" He said a bit more impolitely.
"Yes smart ass. We've been married now for 10 years. We have 2 kids. You've never been to any of their birthday parties. What makes Matthew's so special?" He asked getting angrier by the minute.
"Well for one he was at the birth. I would say that makes it special." Amy chimed in to the conversation.
"And you are?" George asked sarcastically.
"This is my girlfriend, Amy." Sheldon answered him.
"So she really exists. I didn't want to call mom a liar when she came home a few years back and said you had a girlfriend but I told her she must be mistaken."
"I assure you Amy is very much my girlfriend." Sheldon said angrily.
"In every sense of the word?"
"I'm not sure what you mean by that but if you are asking if we go out on dates and such then yes."
"That is not what I mean Sheldon." George said.
"Well then I am not sure what you mean by in every sense of the word." Sheldon answered him.
Amy was mortified. She knew exactly what George meant and she couldn't believe he was asking these personal questions in the middle of an airport.
"Let me answer him Sheldon. Yes George, your brother is my boyfriend in every way he could possibly be. He loves me and I love him. If that is not a satisfactory answer then you can just shove it." Amy answered him.
"Are you telling me?" George started to ask but Amy cut him off.
"I don't see how it is any of your business so I won't dignify it with a response. You can take my earlier answer to mean whatever you want it to mean. Now if you can show us where you parked I would really like to get going."
"Wow Shelly. You really got yourself a feisty one there." He said to him. "I like her."
"Yes that she is isn't she?" Sheldon smiled. He couldn't believe how Amy had put George in his place so easily.
George took their bag and led them to his truck which he had parked in the lot.
"Have I told you today that I love you?" Sheldon whispered to Amy as they walked to the truck.
"No but you can tell me as much as you like." She smiled. He leaned down and kissed her quickly.
The drive to Mary's house was mostly silent. Sheldon was still in awe that Amy could hold her own against George. George was still shocked that not only did his little brother bring home and actual girl but one that didn't take his crap. He knew immediately that she was perfect for Sheldon. He could tell that she wouldn't put up with his nonsense either.
They arrived at the house a short time later. Amy saw there were quite a few cars parked in the driveway. She started to feel nervous. She had no idea what Sheldon's family was going to be like. If George was any indication she was in for a long day. Once they had parked, Amy asked if she speak with Sheldon quickly before going inside the house. George grabbed the bags and headed inside.
"What's wrong?" Sheldon asked sensing she was upset.
"I'm just a little nervous about meeting everyone. What if they don't like me?" She said.
"They are going to love you as much as I do. George was going to be the worst and you handled him perfectly. I never saw George's jaw drop so far when you told him to shove it. I was so proud."
"What about your Meemaw?"
"Amy, Meemaw loves you. All she ever hears me talk about is you. I have told her so much about you that she has been nagging me for two years to bring you down to meet her. I am afraid that if I hadn't agreed to come on this trip she was going to fly herself out to California to see you for herself. So you have nothing to worry about at all. Mom loves you and so will Missy. So let's get in there before they all come out here."
"Thank you. I needed to hear that." She said.
"You're welcome. Now let's go." He said and he took her hand.
They walked up to the door and went inside. They were greeted by a living room full of people. Even Sheldon was surprised at the number that were in there.
"Hello everyone." Sheldon said to them. "I was not expecting to see so many here today."
"Well your mother told us you were coming home and bringing a girl. We had to see that for ourselves." A voice came from the rocking chair.
"I see. Well then everyone this is Amy." He said pulling her close to his side.
"Hi everyone." Amy said nervously.
Sheldon introduced Amy to everyone individually. Two of his aunts and uncles and all 4 of their children were there as well as Missy and her husband and George's wife and kids. He did not see Meemaw anywhere.
"Hey Missy where is Meemaw?" Sheldon asked concerned.
"Right here Moonpie." She answered coming out of the kitchen with Mary right behind.
Sheldon walked over and gave her a big hug.
"Now Moonpie, aren't you going to introduce me to your lady friend?" Meemaw asked him.
"Of course, Meemaw, I want you to meet my girlfriend Amy." He said.
"It is nice to meet you." Amy said to her. She wasn't sure what to call her.
Meemaw pulled Amy into a big hug.
"Now I want you to call me Meemaw. Shelly talks so much about you that I feel I already know you." She said.
"Okay Meemaw." Amy said and smiled.
The weekend went by very quickly. The party on Saturday was very fun. Matthew refused to nap that day and when he was given his cake he promptly fell asleep right in the cake. There were many pictures taken of the event. A few of Sheldon's relatives gave him a hard time about having a girlfriend but none were cruel. He realized that they had grown up and actually had a very good time getting to know them again.
The immediate family got together on Sunday for a late Christmas dinner. They had waited until Sheldon and Amy arrived to have the big meal. It had turned quite cold for Galveston. It hadn't been that cold in about 10 years. As they were finishing dinner, George's daughter, Samantha screamed from the window.
"Hey everybody look! It is snowing." She exclaimed.
"No way." George said in disbelief. He walked over to the window himself to see. "Well I'll be damned. It is snowing."
"I guess you predicted that George." Sheldon said.
"What do you mean?" He asked perplexed.
"Ten years ago when I came home for Christmas you said if I ever brought a girlfriend home, it would snow in Texas. I guess you were right." He said.
"Yeah I guess so." George said.
"Well I think it is beautiful." Mary said.
"It truly is." Meemaw agreed. "Merry Christmas everyone."
"Merry Christmas." Everyone said at once.
Okay that's it. I know I was way over the limit of words but I got in 6 of the 8 words. No I couldn't find a place for Antidisestablishmentarianism until right now so it doesn't count.
A picture of the necklace Sheldon gave Amy is now my cover image for this story if you want to take a look. I hope you liked my gifts. I thought Chinese and a movie would be a big hit for Sheldon. I hope you agree.
I hope you enjoyed this submission to the challenge. Please let me know by reviewing. It will tell me if I should continue writing or just give it up altogether.
Merry Christmas everyone!