A/N: Amy meets the rest of Sheldon's friends in this chapter.
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When Sheldon and Amy arrived at 4A, everyone was already there. The group gaped at the newcomers. Sheldon brought a girl over?
"Everyone, I'd like you to meet Dr. Amy Farrah Fowler. She's a neurobiologist at Caltech. Amy, you've already met Leonard and Penny. This is Howard and his wife Bernadette, and this is..."
"My name is Rajesh Ramayan Koothrapalli, but you can call me Raj."
"Thank you, but I think I'll call you Rajesh until we know each other better."
Sheldon and Amy shared a smile. Sheldon walked over to the coffee table, where he set down the bag of food he was carrying, then took a seat at his spot on the couch. He looked back towards the door to see Amy standing there uncertainly.
"Move over, Wolowitz. Amy will sit next to me."
Howard grumbled but vacated the middle seat and grabbed a chair. Sheldon gazed back at her and patted the seat next to him. All eyes were on Amy as she slowly made her way to the couch. She set the food she was carrying next to Sheldon's then settled in between him and Bernadette.
Leonard and Penny exchanged a look of disbelief. They knew Sheldon was making his new acquaintance run errands but were shocked that he asked her to come over and meet his friends. He knew her less than 36 hours, and already he was asking her to sit next to him. It took him years to tolerate his current friends. What sort of magic hold she have over him? Howard and Bernadette discreetly glanced from Sheldon to Amy and back again. Raj openly stared at Amy.
Amy looked down at her hands folded neatly in her lap then cleared her throat, "Good evening everyone." A chorus of hi's and hello's were directed at her.
"Welcome back Amy. I hope Sheldon hasn't been giving you too much grief over the whole suitcase thing," Penny said. She explained to the group what transpired over the weekend as everyone dug into their meals.
"Not at all," she replied, smiling at Sheldon who returned her smile. Amy thoughtfully chewed a few bites of food before turning to the petite blonde to her right. "Bernadette, Sheldon tells me you're a microbiologist."
"I am. I waitressed at the Cheesecake Factory with Penny to put myself through school. I was head hunted by Zangen, a big pharmaceutical company. They pay me a buttload of money."
Raj interrupted, "I'm an astrophysicist at Caltech. You should stop by the telescope lab one night and let me point out the constellations. We could maybe set out a blanket, get a bottle of wine..."
Leonard couldn't believe his ears. "Really Raj? Don't you have enough women in your life?"
"You mean Claire and Emily? Claire and I only went out for coffee once. It wasn't a date; I just helped her with her screenplay. I've been thinking of breaking it off with Emily. I'm not sure if we're right for each other. In fact, she and I are seeing each other tomorrow, and I was thinking about doing it then. Then I'll be single and ready to mingle!"
"Raj, do you really want to break up with your girlfriend right before Valentine's Day?" Penny asked.
Sheldon scoffed, "Valentine's Day is just a ploy for the chocolate, floral, and greeting card companies to prey on the gullible."
"Agreed. Fun fact - did you know that the iconic Valentine's heart shape is not actually based on the shape of a human heart, but rather on the shape of the buttocks of a female bending over?" Amy informed the group.
"Wow, now there's two of them," Penny whispered to her husband. She addressed Raj again. "Sweetie, I really think you should wait before breaking up with your girlfriend."
"Why? Emily's not the romantic I am. Her idea of a Valentine's date is to watch Texas Chainsaw Massacre."
"That's not the point. You'll hurt her feelings, and she'll be all alone on the biggest love celebration day of the year," Penny stated.
"She'll be fine, and if Amy agrees to a date, I won't be alone. So what do you say, Amy? I'm pretty sure the telescope is free on Valentine's Day," Raj looked at her expectantly.
"I'm sorry, Rajesh. We've just met and know nothing about each other. Besides, I find the idea of Valentine's Day off putting."
"Okay, how about another day?"
Amy didn't know how to respond. A man she just met was asking her out? What did he even see in her, or was he so desperate that any woman would do? Luckily Sheldon saved her from having to answer.
"That's enough, Koothrapalli. Cool your jets. I miss the days when you couldn't talk to women."
Amy was wary of Raj, but that didn't keep the neurobiologist in her from being intrigued by this new piece of information. "Ah, selective mutism. What I would have given to cover your skull with electrodes and analyze your brain wave activity." She asked him when it started, how long he lived with the condition, and how he was able to overcome it. Raj was eating up the attention.
Sheldon's left eye twitched as Koothrapalli monopolized the conversation. He was glad Amy appeared more relaxed, but he had to put a stop to this by changing the subject.
"I know you all have plans for Valentine's Day, well except you, Raj, and you know that I think the holiday is complete hocum. Amy, from your previous statements, I have come to the conclusion that you have no plans to take part in this cockamamy celebration either. I'm planning to host my first live episode of Fun With Flags that day. Would you care to join me?"
"What's Fun With Flags?" She asked.
"Uh oh. Here we go," Leonard groaned.
"I'm going to ignore your comment, Leonard, seeing as we have a guest in our home tonight. Fun With Flags is an internet show I created a few years ago that teaches the viewers about flags. Vexillology, or the study of flags, is a fascinating subject. I'm the producer, writer, and star of the show. Occasionally I will invite guest stars, such as my friend Wil Wheaton, from Star Trek."
Amy thought back to Valentine's Days past. Each one was spent alone. She hadn't given them much thought though, as she was a woman of science. The day was just like any other. She'd go to work then come home to play her harp, read a book, or maybe watch an episode or two of Little House on the Prairie. Sheldon shared her views on the holiday. There would be no gifts or any sort of inappropriate physical contact, and the flag show sounded interesting.
"I would be happy to join you, Sheldon."
When the guys began arguing over which superhero was better - Green Lantern or Green Arrow, Penny led Amy and Bernadette to the island to start their own conversation. Penny poured a glass of red wine and offered it to Amy. She politely declined as it was getting late, and she had to drive home soon. She shrugged then slid the glass over to Bernadette. Amy watched as she twirled it around but didn't take a drink the whole time. Interesting.
Amy learned that Sheldon seldom took part in the ingestion of alcohol. She herself did not often have the chance to partake. Perhaps if she got another chance to hang out with Penny, she would take her up on the offer.
At 8:30 Amy excused herself. She had to get home and prepare for the next day. "I should get going. It was nice meeting you all."
"I'll walk you to your car," Sheldon offered.
They walked down the stairs side by side in comfortable silence. When they reached her car, she said sincerely, "Thank you for inviting me, Sheldon. I had a lovely time."
"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself. They're good people. Well, everyone but Raj. Ever since he's conquered his inability to speak to women, he's gotten very cocky."
"I don't have any romantic interest in Raj. He'll have to find another significant other." She thought she glimpsed a flicker of relief on his face but quickly dismissed it.
After they exchanged goodbyes, she unlocked the door, sat down in the driver's seat, and rolled down the window to let in the fresh evening air then turned on the ignition.
"Amy, wait!" Sheldon bent down so they were at eye level. "I promised I would give you notice the next time I ask you to do anything for me. I'll leave you alone for a couple of days and contact you when I have the contract written up. You have my number, but I don't have yours." He handed her his phone.
Amy entered her cell and work numbers along with her email address into his contact list. Sheldon looked at her information, briefly closed his eyes, and already had everything memorized.
"Bye, Sheldon. I'll wait for your call." Sheldon waved as she backed out and kept his eyes fixed on her car until her tail lights disappeared into the night.
He climbed back up the stairs. When he reached the 4th floor landing, he heard the muffled voices of his friends. As soon as he turned the door handle and let himself in, however, everyone went suspiciously quiet. He looked from one guilty face to another. "Were you talking about Amy behind her back? Don't you like Amy?"
"No one said anything negative about Amy. We're all just surprised," Leonard affirmed.
"Why?"
Howard spoke up, "I never thought I'd live to see the day Sheldon got a girlfriend."
Sheldon huffed, "Amy's a girl who is my friend, but she's not my girlfriend."
"Then why did you ask her to join you on Valentine's Day?" His friends looked at him expectantly.
"It has nothing to do with what day it is. We will be hosting an internet show about flags, not engaging in coitus. You heard her herself. She finds the holiday off putting."
"I'm going to get to know her better, and then she'll be my girlfriend," Raj said dreamily. Sheldon reached over and karate chopped Raj on the shoulder.
"Hey! Why did you do that?" Raj asked, massaging his injured shoulder.
"To send a message. She is not for you!"
"If I didn't know better, I'd say Sheldon's jealous," Penny piped up.
"Oh please. My relationship with Amy is purely intellectual. I'm merely trying to protect her from this two-timing Casanova."
"We believe you, Sweetie," Penny stated sarcastically.
"Thank you, Penny," Sheldon replied, as usual taking the words literally but oblivious to her tone of voice.
