Hi lovely readers!
As always thank you so very much for all of the review on the last chapter, it means so much!
This prompt was requested by ThatAwkwardPotato where I was asked to write my dream Shamy proposal. I must admit, I'm not entirely sure I have one as I think it was done so perfectly on the show but it just so happened that the day after I was scrolling through social media and stumbled across 'The 13 questions you should ask before you marry someone' and although it may not be the most romantic, for me, it seems to fit Sheldon and Amy perfectly.
Thank you so much for requesting and I hope you all enjoy my little take on their proposal.
Leonard didn't need to be the genius that he was to know something was wrong. Their car ride together was unusually quiet. Normally Sheldon would insist on bragging about his research, belittling Leonard's or nag him constantly to play the new car game he had invented however, on this particularly occasion, he was silent. Leonard wanted to ask if his friend was okay but he was appreciating the peace far too much to disturb it.
"Leonard, can I ask you a question?" they were only ten minutes away from the university when Sheldon decided to strike up a conversation with him. Leonard had subtly tried things to make his friend talk. From at times driving a little too fast or breaking a little too hard, he really had tried everything to make him speak even if it was to just scold him.
"Sure. Is everything okay?" Leonard finally asked glancing over at his best friend who remained staring straight ahead out of the window.
"How did you know when the right time was to marry Penny?" out of all the questions Leonard thought Sheldon would ask he would have never guessed in a million years that it would be that very question. Yet the truth was, the question had been playing on Sheldon's mind for weeks and he had finally cracked and asked for advice. He loved Amy, really loved Amy and sure he could see a future with her but how did you know it was the right time to marry someone.
Leonard sighed. "You know what we were like Sheldon, we used to propose to each other all the time" he laughed as he looked back on his relationship with Penny. There had been a few failed proposals from both him and Penny but somehow, they found the right moment, the right time but Leonard wasn't entirely sure he could put it into words.
"Yes, I know" Sheldon nodded. At the time, he just wanted to knock their heads together and make them see sense. Even he could see how good they were together. "But when it finally happened, when you finally got engaged, how did you know?" he seemed eager for answers.
Leonard let out another breath, keeping his eyes firmly on the road despite being desperate to look Sheldon in the eyes and read his expression. "I guess it's just a feeling" he shrugged. "I loved her and knew that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her when you feel like that, I guess any time is the right time" the answer sounded very cliche but there was a part of him that wished Penny was also in the car to hear his declaration of love.
Sheldon wasn't entirely sure Leonards answer had helped him. He wanted much more information than just a feeling, it was obvious he had feelings for Amy. He wouldn't be living with her if he didn't have feelings for her, he wouldn't have shared a bed with her, shared his body with her if he didn't have feelings for her. He loved her, that surely was obvious.
"Can I ask you why you're asking?" he knew Sheldon well enough to know that he might not discuss this further and instead look to change the subject. "Are you thinking of proposing to Amy?"
Sheldon was silent for a moment, pondering over his answer. Pondering over how much information to give Leonard. "It's a possibility" Sheldon replied, feeling that this was a sufficient response that neither confirmed nor denied Leonard's suspicions.
"Wow. Sheldon, this huge. Marriage is a big step for you" Leonard had already latched on to the idea that Sheldon was going to propose and like with all the other times he had felt like this, was strangely proud of his best friend for coming so far.
"I never said I was proposing" Sheldon was defensive, he didn't like people jumping to conclusion about his and Amy's relationship, he had opened his mouth far too much before and that situation landed him in hot water. "I just happen to have a ring and I don't know when the right time would be to give it to her" he added, not knowing how much of a reaction this would cause from his best friend.
"You've bought a ring" Leonard stuttered in amazement and almost crashed the car. "Sheldon that's…."
"I didn't buy her a ring" he interrupted Leonard quickly, slightly taken aback by his friends surprise. "My mother gave me a ring to give to Amy about eighteen months ago when I took her to Texas with me for the first time"
"You've had the ring for that long?" Leonard asked. He was surprised by two things. One being that Sheldon had had a ring for a year and half and not used it yet and secondly that he was able to hide the ring for that long from Amy. He knew what Amy was like, once she got an inkling that something was wrong she could sniff it out a mile off, how Sheldon had managed to keep his cool for eighteen months whilst knowing that a potential engagement ring was on his possession, Leonard would never know.
"Yes" he nodded. Silence fell over them for a few moments, both debating what to say next. Leonard had so many questions that he wanted to ask him but he wasn't sure how much information he would get out of him. "Leonard" Sheldon spoke, "you won't say anything to Penny will you" the last thing he wanted was for Penny to find out about his potential proposal plans if she did and then blabbed to Amy then he wouldn't quite know what to do.
"Of course I won't, have you met my wife."
—
A few days had past since Sheldon's conversation in the car with Leonard. During that time, Sheldon couldn't get the idea of the ring, sitting neatly in his bedside draw out of his head. How did you know when the right time to marry someone was? He and Amy had taken their relationship incredibly slow, he was aware of that but the last thing he wanted was to rush into this. Like Leonard had said this was huge but before he did anything he needed to be sure she was the one. Plenty of marriages fail and he didn't want them to become just another statistic. This was his future. Their future and he wanted it to be for ever.
Doing what he did best, Sheldon decided to research the matter. He wasn't sure he'd ever been so secretive on his phone, he would suddenly click off a tab or turn his phone off completely when Amy walked into a room and he had never been so religious with clearing his browsing history before. He wasn't sure what would come first, his proposal or Amy leaving him due to suspecting he was having some sort of affair.
Through his research, he had discovered various questions that seemed to be deemed appropriate to ask your potential wife before finally committing to marriage. He liked this and took comfort in the fact that at least he had Amy would be moving in the right direction with a clear path on how their marriage would progress, surely you both had to be on the same page, right?
"What's this?" Amy asked when Sheldon presented her with the folded piece of paper. They had just eaten and were settling down for the evening when Sheldon produced the list of questions from his back pocket. This was simple, he would present Amy with the questions, give her time to answer them, during this time he would answer them too and if their answers matched then he would ask her to marry him. He couldn't believe he had ever doubted how easy this was. "A list of questions?" she looked up at him confused as her eyes scanned over the contents of the paper.
"Yes" he nodded. "I'd like you to answer them if that's okay?" He hadn't even thought about Amy refusing to do this, what would happen then? Would marriage never happen?
"Can we not just talk about this?" she sighed, placing the piece of paper on the coffee table in front of them. They had been together for almost seven years and over that time Amy had grown more than accustomed to Sheldon's ways but even she found this a little odd, even for him.
"Nope" he shook his head. "I want you to take your time, think about your answers and be honest. Very honest" he didn't want her to lie and simply tell him what she thought he wanted to hear if that was the case then their marriage would be doomed from the start.
"Do I get to find out why?"
Swallowing hard, Sheldon's clever mind worked over time to try and find a suitable answer. He couldn't exactly say that this was because if successful then he would propose but he needed to think of an answer quickly, knowing Amy would be on to him if he didn't supply one soon.
"I'm doing it too" he hoped this helped, "I think it's important that every so often we review the status of our relationship" he explained, feeling rather proud of what he thought was a witty, rational, not raising suspicion answer.
"Review our relationship? After seven years? Is this some strange little contract thing of yours?" she was mocking him, he knew that but the smile on her face made it hard for him to feel anything but love for her.
"Are you going to do this or not?" he asked.
"Sure" she laughed, picking up the piece of paper and looking over the questions again. "You do know it's a good job I love you"
—
On one of her rare days off, Amy found herself sitting at the breakfast bar in her kitchen, a mug of coffee near by and a pen between her lips as she pondered over some of the answers to Sheldon's little questionnaire. She had surprised herself that on her day off, she felt the need to at least make a start on this. He would only continue to nag her for it if she didn't meet the two week deadline set.
1) Whose relationships/marriage do you admire?
I find this a tough one to answer, I guess the easy option would be to say my parents. They've been married for over 30 years and really do love each other but they're not us. Leonard and Penny I think are incredible and so different from one another but their love just works but again, they are not us and we are not like them. I think maybe, I admire us, is that too big headed to say? Maybe you'd approve of this answers. It's us because of what we have achieved, how far we have come and how much we have both grown throughout our relationship. I love how much you've changed for me and I want to continue to grow with you forever.
2) What do you see our individual/combined goals being for the future?
To just continue to be us, to be our own little team. It would be nice to get married one day, settle down and start a family, have a healthy work/life balance but all that really matters is that we're happy and healthy. I want you carry on making me happy and for me to strive to make you as happy as you make me. I guess that's it, is this a boring answer?
3) Would you like to have children? If so how many? What is your timeline? How do we plan to raise them?
You know how I feel about this one. I would absolutely love children, sooner rather than later. I would definitely love to give our child a sibling so I would say two children and then maybe we'll be lucky enough to have more. I was an only child and life got lonely so I'd never want that for our child and I know that even though sometimes you protest you adore your siblings and the way you all are together makes me so happy. I'd love to create something like that with you. My biggest concern is time, I'm only getting older and that doesn't bode well for conception, I really would want to start trying as soon as possible. How do we plan to raise them? Is this not just something you figure out day by day? I guess I would like to raise children with good morals, manners and just an understanding of what it means to be a good person. If they love Science that's a bonus but I'd never push them into anything. As long as they were happy and healthy, that's all that matters.
Amy pondered over the next question, a question about their future living arrangements. Where did they see themselves living? Would they move to a different city? A different state? Truly, she loved where they lived now, their friends across the hallway, it was really all she'd known for such a long time but she figured people move on. If they were to have the children she had discussed above they would definitely need to move to somewhere bigger, she hoped it was only a matter of time.
Just as she was about to put pen to paper, the door to her apartment flung open to reveal her best friend. She loved how they could waltz in to each other's apartments without a care in the world. If either of them moved, she would miss this so much.
"Hey" Penny smiled brightly however, her smile faltered when she saw Amy working. "Sorry, I didn't realise you were working from home. Leonard told me you had the day off" she explained.
"No, no, it's fine" Amy told her, putting down her pen and waving her hand. "I'm not working really, it's just some questions Sheldon has asked me to answer"
"Questions?"
"Yeah, relationship questions" Amy rolled her eyes, as she held the paper in her hand. "You know what he's like"
"I don't know how you put up with him sometimes" Penny laughed, knowing all too well what Sheldon was like. She had lived with him for years and had become more like his sister over the years, she adored him but she also knew he was hard work. "Anything I can help with?" Penny asked.
Amy pushed the piece of paper across the breakfast bar to her friend. Sinking down into one of the stools, Penny blew out a breath as she read through the questions. "Wow, maybe I need to ask Leonard some of these. Financial goals? Improvements to our relationship? Would you ever consider couples therapy? I know I always make fun of him but this actually sounds pretty sensible" she had surprised herself by how much of a good idea she found this.
"You really think so?" Amy asked, "I did just ask if we could talk it all through but he insisted on both of us writing down our answers to then compare" she rolled her eyes again, sometimes saying her boyfriends behaviour out loud made her realise at times how ridiculous he could be but she knew that if a few questions was all it took to make Sheldon feel comfortable and happy, then that she could do.
"Sounds like he's setting you both up for life" Penny smiled wiggling her eyebrows playfully. "What are you going to put for this one?" her long, manicured finger pointed to question 12, a question all about their sexual needs and desires.
"That is private" Amy answered quickly, a smile on her face as she pulled the piece of paper away from Penny. Truthfully, she wasn't sure what to answer, she knew Sheldon had told her to be honest but this was the question where she feared their answers would be completely different. So different people would wonder how they ever made their relationship work, she would tackle this question later.
—
5) How well do we handle stressful situations and conflict?
This is something we have both got so much better at doing. I think communication is key and the best way to solve conflict or to let go of your stress is to talk it out straight away. I know that this isn't always your desired first option and you deal with things in your own way, sometimes by yourself, sometimes with people that aren't me and I guess there's still apart of me that needs to continue to learn that that is okay. I need to give you more time but you also need to listen to me when all I want to do is vent and I'll always be here for you if you ever decide you need that too.
6) How important is communication?
See answer above. The most important thing. Talk, talk, talk. Talk to me all the time Sheldon about anything and everything. Always.
After a lovely lunch date with Penny, Amy proceeded to answer the rest of the questions. There was a part of her that was actually enjoying doing this, it was almost like therapy being able to write down all of her thoughts and address the potentially issues in their relationship. Before she knew it, she'd reached question 12 and again she found herself back to chewing the pen.
12) What are our sexual needs/desires?
Do you know what Sheldon, I'm really worried this question is going to be the one thing we don't see eye to eye on but you've told me to be honest so here goes. Sex in any relationship is healthy and important and I know that you might not necessarily see it that way but it really is something I want us to do more often. I know that we are still pretty new to it all but I would love a little bit more spontaneity. Sex doesn't need to be on schedule, the more I'm thinking about this that schedule really needs to go. It should be a mood, a moment, a want, not because it's 9pm on a Thursday, can that schedule please go? I want us to have fun, be spontaneous and maybe a little more adventurous. I know this is a big thing for you but meet me halfway?
13) How well do we compromise?
If the coital schedule can go I would say pretty well. This is the last question so I might not completely answer it but I'm just going go ahead here and say what I need to say. Answering all of these has made me realise just how far we have come, compromise is super important and now we're so much better at it. The bottom line is Sheldon, we're not perfect, there are things we need to work on, I don't think we would be a normal couple if there wasn't but I want to work on those things with you because I love you. I love you so much and whatever happens because of this little quiz know that, okay. I love you more than anything this world.
Amy felt rather proud of herself when she reached the final question, like she had said in her answer, she felt proud of them. They were their own little team, they always had been, them against the world and she never wanted it any other way.
—
When Sheldon returned home that evening, a little earlier than usual, Amy was curled up on the couch, reading. He always loved watching her like this, this was his Amy, doing her most favourite thing and he always thought she looked so beautiful, so much so that he always felt a little guilty disturbing her.
"Hello" he sat himself down on the couch next to her, not even sure she had registered that he was home. She looked up at him with her green eyes and gave him a smile, before closing her book.
"Sorry, I was miles away" she placed the book on the coffee table. "Oh, look what I finished today" she handed him the piece of paper. Sheldon looked at it for a moment before unfolding it and scanning the page, he would recognise her handwriting anywhere, joined up and italics, formal yet neat.
"You've answered them all" Sheldon almost assumed that Amy would get bored of answering the questions, that she would think this whole thing was silly and give up after five questions, but here he was holding a piece of paper with all thirteen questions answered and from what he could see, some in quite a lot of detail.
"Yeah, I thought that was the point"
"No, it was. I just…." he could feel his heart thumping in his chest, if these answers were similar to his own then he would be asking Amy to marry him. Asking her to become his wife, to share their life together. Suddenly, feeling very overwhelmed, he quickly excused himself. "I'm going to go and shower Amy" he told her as he stood up and rushed off to the bedroom.
Plenty of people had told Amy about Sheldon's unusual behaviour but even she had to admit, his reaction just then was odd. She thought he'd be thrilled, she thought he would hand her his piece of paper too so she could read his answers, if anything, he looked terrified.
Once in the bedroom, Sheldon sat on the edge of the bed and began to read through Amy's answers. After the first question a sudden thought popped into his head, what if his and Amy's answers didn't match at all? What happened then? He hadn't even entertained this idea until now. He hadn't allowed himself to think of anything else except to marry Amy. That's when it hit him, hit him that none of this really mattered. So what if Amy's answers were different to his, he loved her, they could do anything as long as they were together, overcome any hurdle or obstacle that stood in their way. Sheldon decided in that moment that he was going to marry her regardless, he was going to propose no matter what this piece of paper told him. Despite this though, he kept on reading and his smile grew wider with each question, each question where he realised that without a shadow of a doubt in his mind, Amy was the one for him.
"Amy" he poked his head around the bedroom door. "Amy, we're going to go out for dinner, okay?" he would propose tonight, what was the point in wasting time.
"What?" she laughed looking over her shoulder at him. "Have you read my answers already?" she was wondering if this was his attempt at being spontaneous, his attempt at doing something romantic.
"Nope, not yet" he lied, not wanting to raise Amy's suspicions to something going on. "I just think we should go out and spend some time together"
"Okay" she laughed, slightly surprised and taken aback by it all. "Are we going anywhere fancy? Do I need to dress up?" she asked, pulling herself up from couch. She could get used to this.
"Yes to both" he nodded.
—
When Amy had agreed to dinner, she had never expected Sheldon to choose somewhere so beautiful and romantic. An Italian meal over candle light, you really couldn't go wrong. Their evening really had been beautiful but Amy had a strong gut feeling that something wasn't quite right. Sheldon appeared to be nervous, jittery and at times just not quite with it. Little did Amy know this was because of the engagement ring nestled carefully in his jacket pocket.
After desert, Sheldon paid and they left the restaurant hand in hand. A gesture that surprised Amy as Sheldon was never one for public displays of affection. She really wasn't sure she believed him when he told her he hadn't read the answers to her questionnaire, he was being just a little too perfect.
He had also insisted on walking, something that yet again Amy found odd. Even though it was a short walk, Sheldon never really liked being outdoors and would never choose this over travelling in a car. It hadn't escaped Amy that they had passed the coffee shop where they first met on the way here and from the direction they were heading it looked as if they would be passing it on the way home too.
"I did tell you it was cold" Sheldon spoke to Amy as if she were a child, when she took hold of his arm and cuddled close to him, visibly shivering. Every bone in his body was telling him to give her his jacket but he quickly stopped himself when he realised that's exactly where the ring was, for now his poor wife to be would just have to freeze.
"It's okay, you're keeping me warm" she smiled.
They approached the coffee shop where they first met. It was fair to say the place had changed over the years, gone was the rustic, warm feeling and in its place were glossy counter tops and fancy artwork. The place was dark and empty, closed for the evening but regardless of whatever this place became it would always be somewhere special for them. For this exact reason, this was where Sheldon was about to propose. When he had been going over proposal ideas in his head nowhere felt more special than here for if it wasn't for this very place they never would have met and a life without Amy was one that he couldn't bare thinking about.
"I have my answers by the way" he reached in his pocket and pulled out the neatly folded piece of paper, quickly unfolding it, he presented his answers to Amy. This was all part of his plan, the first little step towards the big question.
"Ooo" Amy excitedly grabbed them from him and became to read through them. It was dark but thankfully Sheldon had stopped in the light of a street lamp, the glow was surprisingly beautiful. Amy was thorough and came to a complete stop, as her eyes carefully looked over his writing, taking in every little detail, every single word. "Sheldon" she laughed, not tearing her eyes away from the page, "this crazy, these answers are almost identical to mine" she always knew they were made for one another but this was madness. "Are you going to tell me what all of this was about?" she asked finally looking up to see Sheldon smiling at her a few feet in front.
"Turn the paper over" her eyes were fixed on the piece paper in her hand, the paper that was now blowing ever so slightly in the breeze. She was transfixed and playing right into Sheldon's hands.
"Thirteen questions you should ask before you marry someone" Amy read aloud Sheldon's rather fancy green writing on the back. "Now for the most important question of all" she read, her voice already wavering, she had pieced it all together already, tears were already stinging her eyes, clouding her vision and it was only made worse when she looked up to see Sheldon down on one knee in front of her. "Sheldon" she whispered trying to keep the tears at bay.
"Amy, will you marry me?" it was only now that she noticed the ring in the little box. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen, a small diamond sandwiched between two blue sapphires, it was dainty and delicate and just the most perfect thing. She could feel the tears cascading down her face.
"Yes" she finally managed to choke out, the word was like music to Sheldon's ears. Amy couldn't recall a time in her life where she'd been so happy, where she had felt so much love in one tiny moment. "Yes, of course, of course I'll marry you" Sheldon rose to his feet and Amy ran towards him, wrapping her arms around his neck as he tightly held her round the waist. She pulled away and kissed his lips with little sweet kisses, mixed with her tears, she couldn't stop kissing him, she didn't want to stop kissing him. Ever.
"Amy" he pulled away from her, he wanted to remember this moment forever. Despite the tears, the happiness etched on her face and in her eyes was one he never wanted to forget. "Give me your hand" he was thrilled she had agreed to marry him but he needed to see the ring on her finger, that way he would know this was really real. He gently took hold of her hand and carefully slipped on the delicate ring, the fact that it was the perfect fit, only seemed to confirm that Sheldon had made the right choice.
"Sheldon, this is so beautiful" she held her hand out admiring the ring and watching the diamonds sparkle in the light. She was never one for over the top jewellery but this was just perfect, it was everything she would have chosen herself.
"It belonged to my great grandmother, my mother gave it to me a while ago" he explained. Amy gasped feeling as if her heart was about to explode from the love of not just Sheldon but his family, this ring with just a few words had become even more special. She had a piece of his family, a possession that she now could pass on to their very own children.
"Sheldon, this is just…" she was well and truly lost for words, speechless. "This, this night, it's been perfect. I can't wait to marry you"
She threw her arms around him again and with more tears from Amy and more whispers of I love you, they were officially engaged and Amy couldn't wait until the day she became Mrs. Amy Cooper.
—
Thank you all so much for reading. As always reviews are always welcome and so appreciated. I love hearing your thoughts.
Prompt requests are now closed however, I just wanted to mention the next prompt I'm going to be writing. I had two separate requests both asking for Sheldon to take Amy to Texas, the requests were at different times in their relationship but I've decided to merge it together as one prompt. I'll be covering Mary giving Sheldon the ring for Amy in the next prompt too.
Stay safe everyone
Lots of love