'This one was Leonard's,' Sheldon said, taking another helmet. He hesitated a moment, and then lightly placed it on Amy's head.

'Cool,' Amy managed, trying to ignore how gently he'd set it on her and the slight brush of his fingertip against her ear as he drew his hand back. 'So when's the next drill?'

'It should be next month,' Sheldon answered, 'but I'll have to re-write the procedures now Leonard's moved out. Maybe,' he continued, looking at her intensely, 'I ought to write them to include you…if you're gonna be round for Date Nights and all.'

Amy smiled, and felt her heart pounding as she looked back. Why was that so sexy? Was he even trying to be seductive? Her gaze followed him as he pulled something else out – another jacket.

'This was Leonard's jacket,' Sheldon said, shaking it out. 'He hated wearing it though – thought he was 'too cool' and that everyone was looking at us!'

'No respect for proper procedure,' Amy agreed, blushing. Her blush deepened as Sheldon looked her over appraisingly. 'You're about his size – you wanna try it on?'

Her breath caught as Sheldon held up the jacket for her to slide her arms into it. As she did, so did his. Suddenly he remembered a lecture Amy had given him on primate use of pheromones at the zoo once – he hadn't understood how it could work then, but considering that jacket was now impregnated with her perfume he was beginning to get the idea.

'How do I look?' The question almost came as a whisper.

Beautiful, Sheldon thought, without hesitation. That was the honest answer, but not one it felt safe to give. 'They sure suit you better than Leonard,' he murmured, not daring anything else. She was so close. Long suppressed emotions were threatening to burst to the surface and he couldn't let them.

Amy's breathing had grown heavy, and she trailed her fingers gently over the fluorescent nylon in an effort not to show it. Nearly four months ago, when she'd still been angry, she couldn't have imagined how hard resistance would be, even considering she'd had the briefest tastes of honey already. They had three weeks left – no more. How she'd ever concentrate on that presentation she didn't know, but right now, she had to go – before she couldn't.

As if he'd heard her thoughts, she heard Sheldon say, with some effort, that it was getting late, and that he really ought to let her go home. He didn't want her to, but if that's what it took to stop him pulling her up onto his bed right now, he had no choice.

'Yeah,' Amy sighed, slowly peeling off the jacket and setting the helmet down by her side. 'I better go.' They rose together and walked out to the door. 'Goodnight Sheldon. Thank you for everything tonight.'

'Goodnight, Amy Farrah Fowler.' She loved it when he used her full name. Oh, he was really not making this easy! She was just about to go when Sheldon stopped her.

'Amy, wait. You haven't taken your flowers.' A few minutes later, she was walking in a daze down to her car, Californian poppies in her arms. Time to get the equipment set up…

She'd always been scared when tremors hit as a child, and woke as soon as this one struck. She wasn't in her own bed though, and for a moment, the dislocation threatened to scare her even more, until she heard quick, heavy footsteps.

'OK, Dr Fowler, emergency protocol 7A, earthquake drill, is currently in force, please follow all instructions to the letter as of now,' Sheldon announced, stepping briskly into her room, a sudden light from outside bringing him into sharp focus. She sat up, startled, as her gaze ran down the man before her, safety jacket and helmet on as procedure demanded…but procedure appeared not to include a shirt. Still stunned, Amy couldn't resist as he held a hand out to her and pulled her to stand mere inches from him, her bewilderment turning to shock as she noticed she was only clad in a few wisps of leopard print frills herself.

'Well, come on, put your jacket on!' Sheldon commanded, holding it out for her. She slipped into it, and felt a helmet placed on her head.

'What happened?' she asked, fighting to concentrate as she was pulled close against him, soft warm skin on hers.

'4.9 on the Richter Scale, that's what happened. You ain't goin' anywhere tonight.'

'So what do we do?'

'In case of aftershocks, it's best all members of a household gather together,' Sheldon informed her, taking her by the hand, 'and stay in a designated place of safety.'

She was powerless to speak as he almost pulled her into his own room and locked the door.

'The building appears structurally sound,' he continued, 'but the power could go out at any time.' As he said it, the lights above them flickered and died. She heard a crack, and suddenly their bodies were bathed in a warm, green glow.

'That's all the light we got now, little lady,' Sheldon announced, lightly tracing the glow over her shoulders and down her bare arm, 'and there's no heating either.'

'So what do you suggest?' Amy breathed, as the glow moved back up, tracing the line of her breasts.

'The Arctic solution.' The ground shook below them once again as Sheldon pulled the covers back, and taking her hand once again, pulled her down alongside him. 'In such situations, there's only one course of action – share bodily warmth.' He'd knocked the helmet from her head as they lay down, but kept his on, and she pulled him close to her, hard, hungrily.

'What if it's a big shock?' she asked. 'One that could bring the whole building down?' He didn't answer, but his hot, urgent kiss burning her was answer enough. Then they had tonight – they had tonight, no time to waste, no questions to ask. Amy sat up, and tore the jacket from her, pulling the flimsy bra with it, and felt hard, almost roughened caresses over her breasts, down to her stomach, over her thighs. She moaned as she felt her dampened, silky knickers slide down to be lost somewhere among the covers, and reached up to pull at the belt buckle and zipper she could feel under considerable strain. She needed to feel him in her, deep inside that hot, wet, secret place that burned at his touch…needed him harder, faster…now…

Her harsh, raspy breathing woke Amy then – that and the pulsating ache between her thighs. Slowly letting her eyes focus as best they could in the dim light, she rolled onto her back, and then pushed her hot, somewhat sweaty covers aside. Her heart was racing, and she almost forgot the equipment attached to her head. It was only when she uncharacteristically pulled her nightdress over it that she noticed. Lying there, naked, bathed only in the diffuse glow of a street lamp outside, she considered it for a moment, and decided she didn't care. If these results were going to show sexual arousal, she'd give them sexual arousal.

Darting a glance towards the door, Amy remembered she didn't have her toothbrush in here. She'd broken even before she'd left the previous evening and done it straight after her shower, necessitating another one in the process, and right now, she didn't have five minutes to waste. Anyway, sometimes a girl could do things better on her own…what was that about needing him hard inside her…She didn't have to be quiet this time, and wasn't. Neither did she have to worry about the force of her release as she indulged the cravings of her fantasy and the man that fuelled it.

Panting hard, Amy eventually felt the waves that rocked her slow and settle. If that had been a real experiment, she'd have just ruined her results. Just as well it wasn't…she couldn't have resisted tonight. It was no surprise, therefore, when in a quiet moment the following afternoon, Amy ran her EEG findings through the relevant programme, and got exactly the spike she was expecting. The results, and the very personal evidence she'd observed last night, all pointed to only one conclusion: Sheldon's dreams showed the same thing. The question that remained, was did they concern her?

Amy sat quite still for a moment. She hoped they did, but how to ask in such a way that Sheldon didn't freak out? She knew all too well how private a question it was, and so maybe…maybe it was best not asked just yet. However, the EEG readings she taken from him previously would certainly form an appendix to the 'report' that she intended to present him with at the end of his four month probation…that really wasn't far away. She smiled, and felt a little nervous at the same time. As it was, she had real, definitive proof of his love for her now, from so many things over the past few months, and wanted to 'reward' his efforts. How he'd want her to, though, she didn't want to guess. She'd learnt a long time ago not to make assumptions where Sheldon was concerned, so maybe she shouldn't now, but so much was telling her otherwise…she ought to see the girls. Tomorrow – after Penny's wedding dress shopping – and she'd organised it this time, so she was definitely going!

'So how many bridesmaids are you having?' Emily asked, as Penny rifled through various pieces of (to Amy's eyes) ivory perfection that could only be enhanced by having her bestie's body grace them.

'Well, there's Amy, who's Maid of Honour,' Penny replied, smiling over at her. She'd learnt her lesson, and wouldn't take her kooky friend for granted again, 'and Bernadette, then my sister and her daughter. Oh, and my sister's pregnant again, so she's probably gonna need a bigger dress.'

'Does your brother have any kids?' Bernadette asked, looking at a pale blue dress that reminded her of her Cinderella outfit. It would need some taking up though…

'Yeah, two boys,' Penny said, pulling a dress out to take a closer look. 'His girlfriend left after he went back into rehab though.'

'Oh, I'm sorry,' Emily apologised. 'Will he be there?'

'Uh, I don't know yet, all depends on how he's doing. How about this one?' she continued, holding up a dress that appeared fairly simple, but with some beautiful stitching on the bodice and beading scattered over the skirt.

'Beautiful!' Amy responded enthusiastically, training her camera over it in detail. 'Now go get changed!' It probably wasn't strictly necessary that she was wearing her tiara in order to 'test' it in conjunction with any possible dress, but she was anyway.

'Amy, what do you think of powder blue?' Bernadette asked then, holding up the dress she'd found.

'Well, power of veto rests with the bride, but…have they got it in my size?'

'Sure, just not mine!'

'Hey guys,' Penny called just then, 'what do you think?' There was a collective intake of breath as Penny emerged. Her generally rather revealing style was transformed, as she stood before them, pulled in even more at her small waist and her already gravity defying bust swept up to new heights. The dress fell away in a silken waterfall to the floor, and she'd undone her ponytail to let her blonde tresses flow with it.

'Oh, wow, Penny you look beautiful!' squeaked Bernadette, with eager agreement from Emily.

Amy was speechless for a moment. 'Penny, you are no less than Venus incarnate,' she announced, not caring if her friend got the reference or not. She didn't.

'I'm not playing tennis!' The look in Amy's eyes, and the other girls' nods of approval, softened Penny though, and her smile warmed as she ran her fingers down the exquisite bodice.

Much later, after filming, and interviews, and trying on various others, and the bridesmaids' dresses, the girls returned to 4B, where Amy made Penny take her dress out again and lay it out on the bed. Penny agreed, but had to quickly make it first, and was more than ready for a glass of wine when she came back.

'So, Amy, you next, right?' Emily asked, a slightly naughty smile on her face.

Penny and Bernadette exchanged glances. Emily hadn't quite got what was going on with the Shamy relationship yet – in as much as anyone ever did, and hoped Amy wouldn't mind.

They needn't have worried. The cheerful mood that her Maid of Honour duties had put her in continued to light Amy's smile as she replied, 'Well, as Sheldon would say – it's a possibility!'

The girls squealed a little, and drew closer. 'So, Amy, what happened on Thursday?' Penny asked, with baited breath. Amy had, of course, sent them a run-down of all the salient points, but this was her first chance to go over it with them in detail, without any wedding distractions.

'Well, Sheldon asked me round, and we had dinner on the roof…'

'Oh that is so romantic!' gushed Emily. 'Dinner under the stars!'

'I know, right!' Amy continued, excitedly. 'And then we shot a laser off the moon!'

'Yeah, yeah, like when they did it when I was with Zach,' interrupted Penny impatiently. 'But what happened after? Are you still doing that 'waiting' thing?'

'You are, right?' Bernadette demanded. 'He did run off…' She'd always been the strictest when it came to Sheldon apologising for leaving town.

Amy took a quick sip of her wine. 'Yeah,' she replied. 'But I didn't know how hard it was going to get.'

'Sooo, did things get a bit…hot?' asked Penny, sipping her own.

'Well…' Amy wasn't sure how to answer that. What happened with the Emergency Kit probably wouldn't sound particularly hot, but it was. And she wasn't even going into what happened that night…

'Not exactly,' she stalled. 'Sheldon took me through his Emergency procedures.' Only Penny had an idea of what that meant.

'That's what Leonard had to do, right? When Sheldon made him sit outside the building looking like an extra from The Village People?'

'I…guess…but, anyway,' Amy managed, trying to change the subject. They couldn't understand how sexy it actually was. 'How do you think I ought to be when Sheldon's probation is up? You know, when he comes to the Symposium? How should I play it?'

The other women sat back at that, considering. 'Well…' Penny began, 'from what I've seen from Shelly-bean over the past couple months, he's got it bad. I say go for it!'

'Yeah…I guess he has been really sweet,' admitted Bernadette. 'I'd love all that stuff on the roof if Howie did it for me!'

'And he's even inspired Raj!' exclaimed Emily. 'He thinks I don't know, but he's been Googling hotels with a penthouse suite ever since!'

Amy still didn't look convinced. 'So, when you say 'Go for it', you mean sex, right?' she asked, with characteristic bluntness.

'Well, yeah!' insisted Penny.

'You don't have to do it all,' added Bernadette, putting her hand on Amy's arm, 'just what you're comfortable with.'

'But I don't know what we're comfortable with,' Amy continued. 'That's the problem.'

'Hey, listen,' Penny said. 'After Leonard came back from the North Sea, there was no stopping him. You aren't having sex, but your 'no kissing, no nothing' thing is kind of the same thing. And how was Howard after he came back from space?'

They looked towards Bernadette, who reddened as a wicked little grin lit her face. 'Once I got over my cold, like an even hornier sexy Buzz Lightyear!'

'Right,' continued Penny. 'So not getting any drives a man mad, even that man.' She inclined her head across the hall. 'And I think he's ready for more than you think.'