This was one of my three favorite chapters to write for this story (the other two are coming up in a few chapters). I really can't put my finger on why I liked working on this this one so much… it was just fun to do!

I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did putting it together for you.

The Compatibility Equilibrium
Chapter Five: The Yellow Singularity

Sheldon steeped his teabag in his mug, watching the water fade to a deeper shade of brown. He was purposely moving a bit slower than normal; a desperate attempt to avoid the mindless wedding chatter taking place in his living room.

"I like the lilies. Or the roses! What do you think?" Despite the physicist's best efforts to evade the conversation, Penny's piercing voice carried across the room and into the kitchen, permeating Sheldon's ear canals.

"Hmm… I'm not sure." He heard Leonard say.

"How about you, Bernadette? Which do you like?"

"Oooo… I like the lilies," the microbiologist chimed in.

When did it come to this? Sheldon thought. When did my own home become a simmering hotbed for babble about pansies and party favors? Whatever happened to the serious discussions about the latest issue of Watchmen or the newest Star Trek films?

He sighed and glanced back to the living room. His newly engaged friends were sitting on the couch, facing each other with their legs crossed, poring over wedding brochures and taking notes. Bernadette had reclined against the sofa on the floor next to Penny, with her feet extended in front of her – her purple leggings blending into the colorful, glossy pages of the bridal magazines in her lap.

To everyone's surprise, Penny and Leonard had decided to get married relatively quickly. They'd settled for a date almost two months away, leaving them only a few weeks to prepare. Leonard had claimed that he couldn't wait much longer to be married to his dream girl, while Penny maintained that she didn't want anything too elaborate and simply wanted to get all of the hullabaloo out of the way. She was more excited to be married then she let on, of course. Sheldon could tell by they way she stared like a goof into Leonard's pea-sized eyes. He could tell by the way she admired the ring on her hand while her fingers were clasped through Leonard's when watching television. He could tell by the way she'd already "secretly" moved some of Leonard's smaller odds and ends into her own apartment, thinking Sheldon wouldn't notice. But mostly, Sheldon could tell that Penny was excited because she simply wouldn't shut up about it.

And, of course, the compressed timeframe in which they'd chosen to arrange their ceremony meant that these sort of tedious wedding discussions had become annoyingly frequent.

"Well, at least I already have my dress picked out," Penny said cheerfully. "That's one thing we can check off our list!"

"Really? Can I see a picture of it?" Her boyfriend eagerly leaned toward her, hoping to catch a peak at the magazine in her hands.

Penny laughed and nudged her fiancé away. "Of course not! It'll ruin the surprise!"

"Trust me… I'm still going to be surprised to see the most gorgeous woman in the world walking down the aisle toward me."

"Awww… honey," Penny pouted her bottom lip out. "That's so sweet!"

Sheldon rolled his eyes, and wandered over to his spot on the couch. He tossed a stack of wedding magazines onto the floor and sat down, nudging Leonard out of the way.

"Excuse you…" Leonard threw a glare toward his roommate.

"Your elbows were in my spot."

The couple reluctantly wiggled further down the couch to give Sheldon some space.

"Anyway," Penny continued, trying to ignore the intrusion. "I'll give you a hint, sweetie. My dress is white and lacey. That's it! No more info!" She crossed her arms and Leonard gave her a playful smirk.

"Oh, Penny," Sheldon said with an air of patronization and a shake of his head. "Do you really think you should be wearing white?"

"Of course I do," she responded with a frown. "I'm the bride."

"Well, traditionally white is only worn by a woman who hasn't previously been deflowered by – "

"I know what it means, Sheldon!" Penny growled. "I'm wearing white anyway." She narrowed her eyes at him, as if daring him to press the issue.

Why am I even bothering? He thought as he clinched his jaw shut. I don't really care what they do.

Sheldon brought his hot tea to his mouth, and diverted his attention to the television. He turned the volume up to drown out the noise of the wedding planning with the sound of the epic Transformers battle taking place on the screen in front of him. It didn't do any good, though. His ears had recently been voided of their excess earwax – without any help from Leonard or Amy, he noted – and his Vulcan hearing was both a blessing and a curse.

"What about bridesmaids' dresses, Penny?" Bernadette asked. "What color are you wanting us to wear?"

"I was thinking maybe… red?"

Sheldon laughed to himself as he blew the steam off of his mug. "Wrong," he muttered under his breath, just loud enough for the rest of the group to hear.

Penny rolled her eyes again. "I don't even know why I care, but… what's wrong with red, Sheldon?"

The question earned her an 'Are you serious?' look from Leonard, and a groan from Bernadette, but Sheldon turned toward her, eager to elaborate.

"Well, if you must know… According to basic color psychology, red represents lust, power, and anger," he explained. "Hardly a message one would want conveyed at one's wedding."

"Okaaaay…" Penny offered him an overly cheesy grin. "What color do you think we should pick?"

Sheldon eyed his neighbor suspiciously. He sensed that Penny was simply humoring him by asking for his opinion. Probably some form of sarcasm, he thought – but he couldn't be sure. Regardless, there was still no reason not to impart his wisdom upon her.

"Yellow," he said smugly, returning his lips to his hot cup of tea and twisting back toward the television.

"Yellow?"

"Yes."

"But… I thought yellow meant you were scared," Penny said. "I'm not scared to marry Leonard. Although, I guess I am a little scared to be marrying someone who's already caring for a child." She motioned in Sheldon's direction. "I'm not ready to be a mom, Leonard." She pursed her lips to keep from laughing, and Leonard gave her an amused grin.

"Oh please, Penny. Need I remind you that your fiancé dressed up as the Hulk to get a 10% discount on comic books last week? And I'm the child?"

Leonard turned beet-red, and the smile fell from Penny's face.

"Fair point," she conceded with a nod of her head.

Sheldon simply rolled his eyes and set his tea on the table. At this rate, I won't get to enjoy my beverage before it falls below its optimum temperature.

"To address your concern... Yes – yellow can represent fear. But it also traditionally stands for joy and hope. It's a much more positive color for an event like this. Besides, it looks great on Am – " Sheldon caught himself before he could finish saying her name.

Amy.

He'd always liked the way she looked in yellow. It's the color she had worn on their last date. She'd dressed up more than usual, wearing a banana-colored dress that matched the most impractical shoes he had ever seen in his life. No doubt a purchase made at the behest of Penny. But, he had to admit that the color of the dress, paired with her dark brown hair, really brought out the little specks of gold in Amy's mostly emerald-green eyes. They'd sparkled like stars behind her glasses.

Not that he'd admit to noticing such things.

He suddenly realized that the group was waiting on him to finish his thought, and gulped.

"… Everybody," he finally managed to say. "It looks great on everybody. It's a much more versatile color, which means that yellow would better suit your wedding party. A wedding isn't just about the bride, after all."

As he stopped talking, he noticed that the trio was gaping at him.

Oh lord, he thought to himself. They've sucked me in. It's like a black hole of frivolity. He stood up quickly, turned off the TV, and cleared his throat.

"I'm going to my room. Please don't disturb me with any more of this nuptial nonsense." He tossed the remote into the armchair, then darted down the hallway and slammed his door behind him. A wave of silence came over the living room.

Finally, Leonard turned back toward his fiancé with glee-filled eyes. "Oooo! If we picked yellow and blue we'd look like the X-Men!"

Penny's nostrils flared in annoyance, and she just glared at him.

He offered her an encouraging grin. "I'm sure Amy's dad will be done with his wheelchair by then. I could borrow it and be wheeled in like Professor X!"

"Leonard… for the love of God… If you want to marry me at all, I suggest you stop talking now."

At that, Leonard abruptly disappeared behind the wedding brochure in his hands and Penny's eyes fell to her friend on the floor in search of help.

"Hey, don't look at me," Bernadette said with a shrug, returning her attention to a bridal magazine in her lap. "I've already been sucked in by one of the man-children. I'm obviously not immune to their charms. I can't help you, sister."

"So… I've decided on yellow for my accent color," Penny said as she and Amy perused the grocery store produce section.

"Yellow?" Amy asked, forcing herself to stay involved in the conversation. It was difficult; because her mind kept bouncing back to the conversations she'd had with Ben and Sheldon over the past few days. She had been finding it hard to focus on the here-and-now, but she also didn't want to detract from her friend's happiness during this exciting time in her life.

Amy tapped the grocery basket gently against her knees as Penny stopped to scan a crate of mangoes. "I didn't know you were even considering yellow."

"Well, I wasn't at first," her bestie explained. "But… something changed my mind."

"What happened to red?"

Penny shrugged, picked up a mango and squeezed it. "I don't know. Just… decided against it." She put the mango back and picked up another from the pile.

"Well, yellow's a great choice," Amy said, a bit more cheerfully. "You know, yellow represents joy and – "

"Hope," Penny interrupted, dropping the approved mango into her basket. "Yeah, I know."

Amy smiled. Her friend had certainly done her homework.

"You'll look great in it, too, Miss Maid of Honor," Penny grinned, nudging Amy with her elbow as they continued down the fruit aisle.

Amy pulled a plastic produce bag off its roll and began sifting through the grapes for the best bunch she could find. She didn't care much for grapes herself, but she knew Sheldon enjoyed them, so she subconsciously bought his favorite kind any time she was at the grocery store. However, considering the current state of her relationship, Amy was worried that this particular purchase might end up turning into raisins before actually being eaten.

Why hasn't Sheldon reached out to me yet? She wondered. Doesn't he miss me as much as I miss him?

The possibility that, in fact, he hadn't been affected by her absence was something that she didn't want to dwell on at the moment.

"Penny… are you absolutely sure you don't want Bernadette to be your Matron of Honor?" It was only fair, after all. Amy had already been Bernadette's. It seemed too good to be true that she would get to be Maid of Honor twice.

"Don't get me wrong, Penny!" Amy continued, noticing the concerned expression on her friend's face. "I'm elated to be tasked with standing beside you as you forever bind yourself to the man you've deemed to be your best mate… despite his challenged height, horrible asthma, and unfortunate lactose intolerance that gives him the ability to clear a room after eating yogurt."

Penny's nose bunched up in disgust. "Ugh. Maybe I should pick Bernadette…" she mumbled.

"What's that?"

Penny beamed, and threw her arm over Amy's shoulders. "I said 'Are you kidding?' You're my bestie! Of course I want you to be next to me up there!" The blonde released Amy and grabbed a few granny smith apples to add to her basket. "Besides, Sheldon is the Best Man. Bernadette's liable to kill him before the two of them even make it down the aisle. I'm sure Sheldon would rather be paired with you, anyway."

Amy couldn't help but deliver a disbelieving snort as she inspected a promising bunch of grapes in her hand. "Yeah… right."

"Honey, you and Sheldon will work things out soon enough. I wouldn't worry about it." A sly grin spread across Penny's face and she nudged Amy playfully. "You should've heard the way he was talking about you yesterday."

Amy's heart sped up a few beats. "Really? What did he say?"

Penny averted her eyes to a pile of limes. She grabbed a pair of them and played with them in her hands. "Well… it wasn't so much what he said. It was more what he meant. He implied that you were pretty in yellow."

"Oh… wow." Amy couldn't hide the disappointment in her voice. She was tired of constantly having to read in-between the lines with Sheldon. She didn't want her friends to have to work out some sort of word puzzle to make her feel good about her relationship.

"It may not sound like much, but it really was very sweet," her friend explained.

"Penny, Leonard doesn't have to imply anything when it comes to you. He's romantic. He'll tell anyone within earshot that you are gorgeous – even though that goes without saying, because Helen of Troy obviously has nothing on you."

Penny was wearing the same expression that she donned anytime Amy spoke to her in her made-up language of Op: complete and utter confusion.

Amy elaborated. "Helen of Troy? The face that launched a thousand ships?"

Still a blank stare.

Thank God she's pretty, Amy thought, rolling her eyes.

"Nevermind," she sighed. This was exactly what she had been trying not to do. She'd let the conversation with Ben get to her. He had confused her. His words had worked their way into her brain like some kind of worm, making her bypass the real issue at hand and focus on things that she knew didn't matter.

After a long night with almost no sleep, Amy had come to the conclusion that Ben – without realizing it – had only been projecting his own insecurities onto her. Amy did feel a twinge of guilt for everything she'd said to him in her frustrated state, and made a mental note to apologize for it later... but, in the meantime, she refused to let Ben try to tell her what she does or doesn't want out of her own relationship.

Nobody was the boss of her. Not Ben. Not Penny. Not even Sheldon.

Still, she couldn't help but wonder if the things that Ben said were at all indicative of the way that Sheldon actually felt. Was she pushing him too hard? She certainly didn't think so... but maybe she had been without realizing it. How do I stand my ground on this issue, but still assure Sheldon that he isn't losing control of everything? It was a fine line to walk, for sure.

"You okay?" Penny asked.

Amy smiled slightly. She could tell her friend's question was coming from a place of genuine concern. "Just forget it, Penny. I'm not really upset about Sheldon's lack of romance. I don't even know why I brought that up."

"Oh please," Penny's face contorted in disbelief. "Of course you're upset about his lack of romance. You're a woman. You have... you know... needs." She wiggled her eyebrows at Amy and added the limes that she'd been fondling to the rest of the fruit in her basket.

Amy groaned. Why is everyone so absorbed with sex? Is this what Sheldon feels like all of the time? Just a constant barrage of people pressuring him?

"Penny," Amy said with her chin in the air. "While it is true that I am a woman with 'needs', as you say... Sheldon and I are at a level of intimacy that we are comfortable with for now. I'm not concerned about his lack of interest in romance or a physical relationship. Not anymore."

"Oh, you're not, hmm?"

She shook her head. "Oh no. I'm not. A physical relationship will happen one day and it will be wonderful. Once that door is opened he won't be able to contain himself… I have no doubt. In fact... I'm convinced that the longer the wait, the better it will be. Have you ever seen that man bake bread? Takes for-freaking-ever... but he insists that time is the secret to it's amazing taste. Well... that... and a sprinkle of sugar. And he's right! It's delicious! Much better than that crusty stuff you find on any old store shelf!"

Penny gave her an amused smirk.

"No, Penny," Amy continued. "My current spat with Sheldon is more about his lack of respect for my opinion than it is anything else."

"Pssh… " Penny brushed Amy's comment away with a wave of her hand. "I wouldn't worry about it. Sheldon doesn't respect anybody. Last week he compared me to a hamster and said that my dreams of being a famous film star were – quote – 'like a domesticated rodent's futile attempt to escape captivity using his exercise wheel'."

Amy frowned. She hated it when Sheldon belittled their friends like that. She knew he had it in him to be kinder than he actually seemed.

"Although," Penny added, "I will say that out of all of us… he respects you the most. He has a funny way of showing it, but he at least thinks of you as his equal."

Amy shook her head. "You're wrong, Penny. Sheldon used to consider me his equal, but his feelings for me have grown. And somewhere along the way, I think he began associating me with a part of humanity that he's always deemed a weakness. Science and love don't jive in his mind. I believe he thinks of our connection on more of an emotional level now… rather than an intellectual one."

"Well, that makes sense," Penny shrugged. "And it's a good thing, right? That he thinks of you that way?"

"No!" Amy said, shocked. "Why would you think that?!"

"But... I always thought that you wanted... " Penny eyed her in disbelief, then threw her hands into the air in surrender. "That's it… I'm callin' it! I had been holding out hope that I might understand you two one day, but I don't think it's ever gonna happen!"

Amy's shoulders sank. Of course Penny wouldn't understand.

Amy simply wanted Sheldon to both love her and think of her as the same person she'd been when they first met – back when they had fun together without the guidance of a Relationship Agreement. And Amy was that same person, really. Sure, she'd grown in some ways. They both had. But they were both just as dedicated to their respective careers as they always had been. Sheldon simply needed to realize what Amy had already learned long ago – you can have both. Love and a career. Spontaneity and control.

The Relationship Agreement had it's time and place. Amy had been sad to see it go, but since it's nullification, she'd been able to look at the bigger picture and the possibilities. Now she wanted more. She deserved more. She wanted her relationship with Sheldon to feel like more than just a 'situation' he had to control with a document. She wanted to be considered his true equal again... and she knew that part of Sheldon wanted that, too. Amy was certain of it. Otherwise, he wouldn't have voided their Agreement in the first place.

Amy knew Penny would never be able to sympathize with her situation.

"I do appreciate you trying, Bestie. But I honestly don't believe anyone can help me. Nobody truly understands my position."

"Well… What about Claire?"

Amy stopped in her tracks. "What?"

"Claire," Penny repeated, as she stole one of Amy's grapes and popped it into her mouth. "She seems to be in the same situation as you. She's dating Whack-a-doodle Number Two, after all."

Penny was right. Amy really did need to talk to the one person who could possibly understand.

She immediately pulled out her phone and sent her newest friend a quick text with a dinner request for later in the week.

Claire quickly responded.

– Sure! Cheesecake Factory? You seem to like that place. –

Amy smiled at her phone before responding.

– Sounds great! See you then! –

"Okay, enough of this!" Penny grabbed Amy's arm and began tugging her toward the wine section. "You're bringing me down, girl! I'm gonna buy some wine and some Haagen Dazs and we're going to have a girls' night later so we can talk about how childish our boyfriends are! Do you realize that Leonard actually suggested having everyone dress like superheroes at our wedding?

"You're kidding!" Amy gasped.

"The X-Men, Amy! I swear, if Leonard was in charge we'd be walking down the aisle to the Batman theme song or something. Thank goodness I wear the pants in the relationship. At times I think I should be the one in the tux."

Penny winked at her and Amy began to relax a little. She dropped Sheldon's grapes into her basket and allowed her friend to lead the way toward the booze and ice cream.

Chapter Six is being edited now!

A/N: I didn't realize how long this one was until I copied into this website! That may explain why it took so long to edit. That and, well, the usual life stuff. Typical excuses. haha :o)

Thanks for all the reviews and constructive criticism on the story so far! I always appreciate it!