Sheldon and Amy left work early on Thursday in the hopes of beating rush hour traffic.

"I can't believe you've lived in the area your whole life and have never seen the Queen Mary," Sheldon said in disbelief, as they made the drive to Long Beach.

"My mother never took me, and I had no one else to go with."

"Well, little lady, you're about to find out what you've been missing out on."

"I take it you've been there before?"

"I have. The guys and I went there eight years ago when Leonard was trying to get out of seeing Penny perform in a one-night showcase of Rent." At Amy's confused look he added, "I'll tell you about it later if you promise not to tell Penny."

When they arrived, Sheldon removed a selfie stick from his messenger bag. "I thought we could take some pictures of us with the ship in the background before we go in. It will probably be too dark after dinner."

They attached Amy's phone to the stick then stood side by side as Sheldon guided it to find the perfect angle so the ship was visible in the shot. He wrapped his free arm around her waist.

They took several pictures with different variations on their pose. Amy slung an arm around Sheldon's neck. In another pose they stood facing one another as they gazed into each other's eyes.

"I hope the camera's still on us," Sheldon said, as he struggled to keep it steady.

"I can take a photo of you two," a young woman offered.

Amy gave her consent to use her phone. "That would be wonderful. Thank you so much."

She and Sheldon resumed their pose. They tried a few additional poses, including one of Amy pulling Sheldon's head down to kiss his cheek. Amy thanked the kind stranger for her help.

"You're welcome. You two make such a cute couple. Are you newly weds?"

The two scientists looked at each other quizzically, then Amy spoke up. "No, why do you ask?"

"You just seem so happy together. I wish someone would look at me the way he looks at you. I'd better run. I hope I captured what you were looking for in the pictures."

They thanked her again then browsed the pictures documenting their date so far. Each picture revealed two sets of sparkling eyes and radiant smiles.

They headed into the ship hand in hand. Sheldon had booked the Glory Days Historical Tour at 5:15 and made dinner reservations at Sir Winston's, the ship's 5-star restaurant, for 6:30, but first they checked out the new 4-D theater. They chose to see Planet Earth: Shallows Seas.

Amy delighted in the motion of her chair. She grabbed Sheldon's hand when she lurched forward and shrieked when a fine mist of water sprayed her face. Sheldon chuckled at her antics.

"Are you enjoying yourself so far?" He asked as the show came to an end.

"That was really fun. I'm tempted to stay for the Spongebob show too."

"We can come back after dinner if there's time. The tour's starting soon." He reached for her hand and pulled her out of her seat.

They met their tour guide in the public exhibit area where she gave their group some history about the Queen Mary before escorting them to parts of the ship that are off limits to the general public.

Sheldon began spouting off facts about the ship. Soon some of the members in their group were hanging on his every word, while their guide tried to bring everyone's attention back to her. Amy gave her an apologetic smile. She gently tugged on her date's shirtsleeve to get his attention.

"Can you please excuse us?" She asked the group.

She led him a few steps away. "Later you can take me on a self-guided tour and tell me everything you know about the ship," she whispered, as she squeezed his hand and smiled.

"Sorry," he said sheepishly. "I just wanted to be sure you didn't miss out on all the information," he said. They continued the tour with no further incidents.

One hour later the group returned to the public area. Sheldon placed his hand on the small of Amy's back and guided her up the stairs to Sir Winston's.

When Amy entered the restaurant, her jaw dropped as her eyes soaked in the elegant decor. "Sheldon, this is beautiful!"

"It is, isn't it," he agreed.

The hostess directed them to a table for two next to a window that overlooked the water and the city beyond. Their waiter came by a few moments later with ice water in wine goblets. "Would you care to see the drink menu?"

Sheldon looked at Amy. She shook her head no. "Water is fine with me."

The waiter left them to peruse the menu. Amy's eyes bugged out at the prices. "Sheldon, everything's so expensive," she murmured.

"Don't worry about the cost. You can choose whatever you'd like. Money doesn't mean a lot to me. I earn enough to pay my rent and utilities and to purchase food, comic books, and the occasional super hero figurine. I have some funds in savings bonds and a 401K. Everything else sits untouched."

They placed their order, then Sheldon withdrew the selfie stick from his bag once again. He moved his chair closer to hers and placed his arm around her shoulders. They took a few more pictures before he moved his chair back so they were once again seated across from each other. They sipped water and discussed the events of the day.

When the waiter returned with their meals, he topped off their water. They asked if he could take a picture of them making a toast.

Sheldon raised his glass. "To second dates."

Amy followed his lead and gently clinked her glass to his. "To second dates."

"I've seen on TV where they do this thing with intertwined arms while holding wine glasses," Sheldon said.

They tried it but ended up tangling their arms and spilling water everywhere, causing them to laugh hysterically. The waiter snapped a couple of shots.

"I guess we should have tried that when our glasses weren't so full," Amy giggled. She dabbed at her jumper with her napkin as Sheldon did the same to his dress shirt and pants.

After dinner they returned to the 4-D theater for the 7-minute Spongebob show then explored the ship on their own. Sheldon pointed out various artifacts and objects, including the 1/40 scale Lego model of the ship, before heading upstairs to wander the decks.

He steered Amy towards the railing facing the Long Beach lighthouse. The sun had set, giving them a view of the city's lights. His arms encircled her from behind. She leaned into him, and he placed a kiss on top of her head.

"It's so peaceful. I wish we could stay here all night," she sighed.

"The evening's not over yet." He carefully spun her around to face him. They gazed deeply into each other's eyes as he slowly lowered his head until their lips met. She snaked her arms around his neck as he enfolded her in his arms, pressing his body against hers.

When they finally came up for air, Sheldon licked his lips.

"That was nice," Amy said breathlessly.

"Good," he replied, smiling down at her shyly.

They stood in the same position for several minutes before once again turning towards the water. They eventually stepped away from the railing and walked down the stairs. She fit her hand in his as they disembarked the ship.

On the drive back to Pasadena, they reflected on the evening.

"I would have loved to see the Queen Mary when she made her maiden voyage in 1936," Amy said dreamily.

"But then you'd be really old... or dead."

"Sheldon!"

"If you were old, we wouldn't be here together right now. It would be like taking my Meemaw out on a date."

"I didn't mean it literally. I just think it would have been fascinating to see the passengers dressed in their best attire - the women in formal dresses and the men in suits and hats."

"Had we dressed more formally, it wouldn't have been very comfortable," he pointed out, "but I could have worn my Dr. Who fedora. That would go well with the clothing from that time period."

When they pulled up in front of Sheldon's apartment, he twisted in his seat to face her. "I know we already had our goodnight kiss on the ship, but isn't it customary to end the date with a kiss?"

"We can't break custom; that would be deplorable."

He looked around to make sure no one was watching then leaned over the console and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. She cradled his face in her hands as she reciprocated.

He reluctantly pulled back, "It's getting late. I don't want you to be exhausted at work tomorrow. I had a wonderful time tonight."

"Better than the time you went with the guys?" She teased.

"A lot better."

"I had a wonderful time, too," she sighed happily. "Thank you for another lovely evening. I'll see you tomorrow for Chinese food and vintage video game night. Night, Sheldon."

"Goodnight, Amy Farrah Fowler."