a/n: Good gravy! I was not expecting that kind of response to the second chapter. I sure hope I have what it takes to make this story worth your while, people. Thanks so much for the love. I feel inspired. Still trying to keep these characters in character.

a/n: Also, this chapter took longer than I expected. Thank you for your patience. Let me know what you think. And please feel free to be honest. This is the final chapter after all. (You have no idea how nervous I am about posting this.)

Building A Better Girlfriend

Chapter 3

"I already told you that you would get jealous. That's what's up with the weird feelings you're getting. The hospital can't fix jealousy," Leonard tried to explain to his roommate as he turned off their Xbox 360.

The taller physicist folded his arms tightly across his chest and stared at Leonard. "And I already told you that Sheldon Cooper does not get jealous."

"So, you're really gonna hire some guy to sweep your woman off her feet and then lay with her?" Leonard asked.

"..." Sheldon's mouth moved, but the only things that really came out were unintelligible stammering and filler words. Was the great Sheldon Cooper speechless?

"Then, I'm also gonna let you in on a little secret. You don't want her first time to be with a guy whose profession is pleasing women. Because if you ever do decide that sometime down the line you finally want to be intimate with her yourself, she'll be ruined for regular men," Leonard said.

"Oh, now you're just being silly," Sheldon finally said.

"Fine. Don't listen to a word I say. Go around thinking you're not jealous. Go around thinking that having another man make love to your girlfriend is actually a good idea. But once you find out that you were wrong the entire time, I can't say that I won't tell you 'I told you so'," Leonard ranted. "I'm going to bed." He stormed out of the living room without so much as a goodnight.

Sheldon frowned. (What's he so upset about? It's not like it's his girlfriend,) he thought. As he headed toward his bedroom, he began thinking that conditioning one's own girlfriend was much more complicated than conditioning someone else's.

...some days later...

Sheldon had Leonard drive him to Amy's apartment. An unannounced visit from her boyfriend was sure to brighten her day. Besides, they had to discuss the details of Amy's escort.

Something in the back of his mind made an attempt to push forward, but the "train" of thought that was pi crossed its path, preventing its transition to the forefront.

After his signature knock, there was no immediate answer. He was sure that she was there since her car had been in the parking lot. As soon as he was about to rap again, Amy finally opened the door. The condition she was in startled him a bit. Her entire body was soaking wet and she wore nothing but a towel.

His gaze lingered on her naked shoulders before he had a chance to avert his eyes. "Do you always answer your door like this? What if I'd been a stranger?"

Amy pulled him inside and closed the door. "A stranger? With that knock? No, I knew exactly who was there, though I wasn't expecting you."

"In any case, you shouldn't do that. What if Leonard had been here with me?" Sheldon asked, looking back at her. The towel she wore was longer than any normal towel should be and she was clutching it tightly to her chest.

"Then I'm lucky he wasn't. If you'll excuse me, I'll just finish getting dressed," Amy said.

He watched her hurry back into her bathroom, relieved that she didn't seem to harbor any malice toward him, considering their altercation earlier in the week. He was sure that since he hadn't received any communications from her, aside from the update on his condition health-wise, that she might still be angry. (We really don't hold grudges,) he thought, taking a seat in his spot on her couch.

The first thing he noticed was the clipboard he'd left with her. Had she chosen which gentleman with whom she wanted to engage in coitus? Sheldon suddenly began feeling woozy and his chest didn't feel right. He felt cold. There was a strange pressure on his gums. The backs of his eyes were prickly. He was short of breath. His hands felt more empty than usual. He was as light as air, yet as heavy as a Buick. He wanted to stand. He wanted to lie down. He wanted everything and nothing at all.

And when Amy finally came back into the room, Sheldon realized that his teeth and his hands were tightly clinched, so he did his best to relax. The physicist was all too conscious of her movements as she took a seat next to him.

"Now, what brings you here unexpectedly?" Amy asked.

"Your hair is still wet," was Sheldon's response. He'd surprised himself with his statement. He was sure that the first thing he would do was ask to be taken to the hospital. His sudden and bizarre symptoms were really getting out of hand, yet it was her damp hair that he chose to address.

"Obviously," Amy told him.

"Well, shouldn't you dry it?" Sheldon asked.

Amy looked at him strangely. "I like to let my hair dry naturally sometimes."

"But do you think that's a good–"

"Sheldon! I know you didn't come all the way here to lecture me about wet hair. Why are you here?"

Sheldon's eyes immediately shot over to the clipboard.

His girlfriend nodded and picked up the clipboard. "I wasn't aware that you wanted to discuss it so soon. I have yet to make my decision."

Sheldon rolled his eyes. "How difficult could it be?" he asked snippily.

"I don't know if you know this, Sheldon, but a girl's first time is very important to her. Some women spend their whole lives waiting for the right one to come along. Someone to whom she can give everything that she is," Amy said, staring sadly at the cover sheet.

Sheldon frowned and looked at her for a moment. "Right one?" But wasn't he her 'right one'? Coitus was just coitus. What they had was so much more. A random encounter with some bloke she'd only be having sex with shouldn't matter. Yet, even as he thought it, his hands clinched again, knuckles white.

"Maybe you'd like to help me decide," Amy suggested.

Sheldon rolled his eyes again and didn't respond, only clinching and unclinching his fists.

"I mean, if I'm going to spend a magical evening ending in coitus with someone, isn't it better if he's Sheldon-approved?"

"Why would you even want to do something like this? Ours is a thinking species. We should not succumb to the wiles of our endocrine systems," Sheldon told her.

Amy narrowed her eyes at Sheldon. "It was your suggestion."

Well, he couldn't really go back on it since he suggested it, now could he? Why was he suddenly second guessing his initial theory? It was perfectly logical and she was a willing participant now. He could schedule these erotic meetings during girls' night. And he would still have his Lego fun time. Everything was falling into place. (Except for the fact that some stranger would see her naked shoulders,) a thought came to him from nowhere.

Her shoulders should have been the least of his worries.

He took a deep breath in resignation. This was for the sake of evolution. Her status upgrade demanded the use of positive reinforcement. And positive reinforcement for her meant providing a means for more intimacy than he could give. Her behavior would become pliable as a result. "Fine," he said quietly. "But before we begin, I think I should mention that you didn't offer me a beverage."

Amy stood and nodded, the clipboard still in her hands. "My apologies. Tea?"

Sometimes he was almost positive that this woman was a mind reader. "Yes, please."

What was he so desperate to change about her in the first place? Was the influence her friends had on her really so bad? After all, he did like her for who she was, quirks and all. Penny and Bernadette may have been adding an unnecessary tune to the perfectly balanced melody that was his girlfriend, but it was not enough to sour the song that was their relationship.

Sheldon followed the neurobiologist into the kitchen and watched as she filled her kettle with water and set it on the stove.

"I do have one in mind, but I'm still not sure. I think we should have a look at all of them to see which ones you prefer," Amy said, fingering the clipboard on the counter.

Sheldon stared at the cover page and frowned. He was beginning to feel antsy, so he clinched his hands into fists again. That visit to the hospital was starting to sound better and better. "Alright." Hadn't he just decided that none of this was really necessary?

Amy flipped to the first picture of a gentleman with dark hair and dark eyes. "What do you think?"

Sheldon flinched and looked away. "I doubt you could have an intellectually stimulating conversation with him. Next."

His girlfriend looked at him for a moment, then flipped to the next picture. "This one's an older guy, but he's handsome."

Sheldon found himself rolling his eyes about that statement and his face began feeling warm. It was his own stubborn pride that wouldn't allow him to put a stop to this. "Same problem. Next."

"Are you going to approve of anyone here?" Amy asked. "Because you're practically throwing a temper tantrum."

"I am a man of science. I do not throw temper tantrums and my approvals and disapprovals are based on logic," Sheldon told her.

"Your approvals and disapprovals are based on jealousy."

The physicist's mouth hang open in surprise.

"Admit to it and we'll call the whole thing off. Three little words. You can say them. Just say 'I am jealous' and this will all be a thing of the past," Amy offered.

The more he looked at it, the more it seemed that he might indeed be jealous. This was not a topic with which he was familiar. And he had been told more than once that he had been jealous before throughout his relationship with Amy. He didn't want to believe it, but Leonard was right. His little roommate had correctly diagnosed his symptoms well before he'd realized it himself. (I can never let him know,) Sheldon thought.

Unfortunately, Amy was standing there waiting for him to admit it out loud to her. How troublesome.

The kettle whistled.

"Look at that. It's tea time," Sheldon said.

Amy took the kettle off the stove and set it aside, then turned back to him. "I'm waiting."

Sheldon sighed. "Fine... I'm jealous." He was rarely embarrassed, but admitting to such a primitive emotion stained his cheeks pink. Leonard would have a field day if this got out.

Amy's smile brightened the entire apartment. "See? That wasn't so hard. Now we can put this messy business behind us." She picked up the clipboard and handed it to Sheldon. "You should be glad. I was gonna pick the guy on the last page."

As Amy attended his tea, he frowned at the clipboard. Was this an attempt to pique his curiosity? He didn't care who she would have picked. It was all in the past now. Why linger on such unpleasantness?

"You may have admitted you were jealous, but I still want my romantic evening with that guy," Amy prodded. "Even Bernadette and Penny thought we would be a perfect match."

Sheldon rolled his eyes for the hundredth time that day and flipped to the last page. It was the picture of him that she kept on her cell phone.

Amy simply wriggled her eyebrows suggestively as she passed him his tea.

The End

a/n: I know this was kinda predictable, but please let me know what you think. Thank you for reviewing and favoriting and thank you for taking the time to read this fic.

a/n: Also, it looks like I tend to end stories in odd spots. Sorry about that.