Amy

Penny opened the door a few short seconds after Amy's slightly frenzied knocking began. She looked a little baffled. "Hey Ames. What's up?"

"Penny, may I come in?"

"Of course. Make yourself at home. Do you want anything to drink?"

"Do you have tequila?"

Penny raised her eyebrows. "What's going on?...Oh God. What did Sheldon do?"

Amy shook her head. "No nothing…I just…am having conflicting emotions and I thought alcohol might help."

Penny gave Amy a curious look and then said "Well, how about we try something a little less strong. I have some wine. Is that ok?" Amy nodded her head.

When Penny came back, she handed a glass of white wine to Amy, who immediately took a large gulp. Penny again raised her eyebrows and then took a sip of her own wine. "So what's up?"

Amy paused. She didn't quite know how to begin or what to say. Instead she took another drink. She took a breath. "Sheldon held my hand last night." She looked at Penny, who looked only mildly shocked. Amy waited for a response.

"Oh…I'm not sure I understand. Is that why you're freaking out?"

"Yes." Amy waited for Penny to give her advice.

Penny took another drink of her wine. "Sweetie, I'm sorry, but you're going to have to walk me through this. I'm not sure I'm understanding the freak out."

"Well, what does it mean? I mean, this is Sheldon. He actually proposed amending the Relationship Agreement." Penny looked genuinely surprised at that.

"Not bad Shelly," Penny said. She turned to Amy, "So I'm still a little confused. Isn't that a good thing? I thought you were really excited when he held your hand on Valentine's Day."

Amy gave a little smile at that. "I was…and I'm happy he held it last night…I just, don't know how to process it." Penny gave her an encouraging look. "Well, it's just, I've had to fight for every step forward with Sheldon. What brought on his sudden desire to have a hand holding amendment in the Relationship Agreement? And should I be encouraged by this? Does it mean he's going to be more willing in the future for further intimacy? Or does it mean that he just wanted the right to mark his territory? You have much more experience in matters of the heart Penny. Tell me, in your vast experience, what does this mean?"

Penny cleared her throat. "Vast? Well, I don't know that I have 'vast' experience…" She glanced at Amy, but Amy was waiting for Penny to answer her questions. "Sweetie, I don't know what to tell you. I'm afraid my, ahem, 'vast' experience doesn't translate into Sheldon. He's a whole different breed of man." Amy looked crestfallen so Penny put a hand on Amy's shoulder. "But, I do think this is a positive sign. "

"Really?"

"Of course sweetie! Think of it this way. Sheldon, self proclaimed germaphobe and touch bubble enthusiast, is willing to change a, um, 'legally binding' contract in order to have the right to hold your hand. That has to mean something right? It's certainly a huge leap forward for him. Lord knows, I never thought I'd see the day when our little Shelly had a girlfriend, let alone one he was willing to bend the rules for." Penny winked at Amy, who was already starting to feel better. Then she had another thought.

"So where do I go from here?"

"Well…where do you want to go from here?"

Amy blushed and had a hard time answering. She took another long drink of her wine and looked at Penny, who had a twinkle of laughter in her eye. "What's the matter Ames? You weren't so shy the last time you wanted to kiss Dr. Cooper." Amy's blush deepened.

"Yes. Well. If you'll recall, I had had significantly more alcohol. And I really don't remember that night."

"Well, what about that night you guys cuddled? Didn't you proposition him then?"

Amy stammered, "Yes, well, I was feeling…morose…the circumstances were different…and I went in to the proposition knowing what the likely answer would be."

"Boy this hand holding thing has really thrown you for a loop hasn't it?" Amy nodded. "Don't let it worry you so much. You and Sheldon have come a long way in a relatively short time…for you at least. I say just bask in the glow of victory for a little while. You can't make the next move if both of you are uncomfortable. Just milk that hand holding for all it's worth sister!"

Amy felt better. "Thank you Penny. I knew you'd know what to say. You always do." Amy smiled at her. Penny smiled uncomfortably back. "Thanks Ames…"

Amy looked at her watch and stood up. "I should get going. It's getting late. Thank you for listening to me."

"Any time Amy. And hey, if anything else is bothering you feel free to come over and chat again."

"I will thank you." And with that Amy left Penny's apartment, feeling much calmer about things. As she walked down the stairs, hoping not to run into Sheldon, she reflected on the conversation. Penny was right, she and Sheldon had come a long way. She didn't know why this amendment to the Relationship Agreement had thrown her so much. She was beyond thrilled of course. The fact that she could now request to hold Sheldon's hand any time she wanted was a perk she didn't think she'd ever grow tired of. But when Penny started asking Amy where she wanted to go from here Amy had started panicking again. She wasn't even sure what her panic was about. After all, as Penny pointed out, it's not like she hadn't suggested kissing to Sheldon before (or just outright kissed him…). She would definitely have to think about this some more. She didn't want to move so quickly that one or the both of them backed off. And to be honest, now that she knew she would be getting some physical contact from Sheldon she was happy to wait for the next step. Yes, now that she realized that, she was starting to feel much better. She would happily wait until such time as she felt the next step was appropriate. That and she didn't really want to risk any more violations to the Relationship Agreement so soon…

As the weeks wore on, Amy's panic wore off. She asked to hold Sheldon's hand as many times as she dared. Sometimes he would protest at first, but when she reminded him of the amendment and the fact that he was the one to propose it, he would always relent. Always when they were holding hands she would have the irresistible urge to smile. She had a hard time keeping her emotions in check. She knew that with Sheldon she couldn't put her feelings for him too much on display as he found that very off putting. But every once in awhile she would glance out of the corner of her eye and catch him looking at her or their intertwined hands. He would always glance away quickly and would deny that he had done any such thing. But Amy knew what she saw and it gave her hope every time she caught him. Hope that perhaps some day soon he would be willing to move on to step 2 in their relationship: kissing.

Amy knew she had to tread carefully if she wanted to get Sheldon to agree to allow her to kiss him. Part of the reason she held his hand so frequently was to get him used to contact with her; although truth be told the other part was simply that she loved holding his hand. In fact, she loved it so much that sometimes she would let go, as the contact would make her heart beat faster and she would have the overwhelming urge to cuddle up next to him or kiss him right then. And she knew that she couldn't allow herself to do that as it would only cause him to freeze up. No. This would require careful prior consideration.

She looked over at him seated next to her, smiled, and took a deep breath. "Sheldon." He looked from the television to her. "I was wondering if you would like to come over to my house tomorrow night for dinner. We could also watch more Doctor Who if you like."

Sheldon blinked and said, "But tomorrow isn't our regular date night."

"I know." Amy took another deep breath. "But I thought it would be nice to hang out together somewhere else besides your living room or a restaurant."

"But what's wrong with my living room or a restaurant?"

"Nothing," Amy replied. "I just thought it would be a nice change."

"But tomorrow is Halo night."

Amy didn't respond, but waited for an answer from Sheldon. He thought for a moment and then said "Alright," smiled at her and turned back towards the television. Amy grinned and turned back to the t.v. as well. Out of the corner of her eye she saw the other members of their group exchange glances and hidden grins. Penny winked at her and Amy blushed.

She had everything set. She had ordered Chinese food from the Szechuan Palace, but instead of eating it from the boxes, she had arranged it in bowls and had set her coffee table. It may not be very formal, but at least it was a little more upscale than eating out of take out boxes. She had put some candles on the coffee table as well, and had folded napkins beside their plates. Just as she put on the finishing touches she heard Sheldon's signature knock.

Knock knock knock "Amy"

Knock knock knock "Amy"

Knock knock knock "Amy"

Amy walked over and answered the door. "Hello Sheldon. Please come in."

Sheldon grinned and stepped over the threshold. "Thank you Amy."

"Would you like a beverage?"

"Oh yes, please. Do you have any Yoo-hoo?"

"Yes, of course. Please. Make yourself comfortable." Amy went to get his drink and Sheldon sat down.

"This is a very nice set up Amy." Sheldon looked over at her with a smile. "It reminds me of the time Rajesh was staying with me as a temporary roommate. Oh and I see you have made all the necessary provisions." He held up the bottles of Spicy mustard and low sodium soy sauce.

"I'm glad you like it Sheldon. Shall we?" As they ate, they conversed about their day. Sheldon was excited about his latest research, as he felt certain that, if he could get the math to work, it would be enough to procure his Nobel Prize. Amy loved watching him speak so enthusiastically. This was, she had observed, a side of Sheldon that few others noticed or appreciated. Usually people were either uninterested or mocking Sheldon's enthusiasm (or, to be more specific, his condescencion of other's work). As a result, few noticed the happy twinkle in his eye when he described the work he so loved. Surprisingly, after chatting on for 30 minutes about his work, Sheldon switched topics and asked, "And how is your current research going?"

Amy beamed. Ever since he had worked with her in her lab, he was much more genuinely interested in hearing about what she was doing. "Oh it's going very well." She proceeded to fill him in on the details of her current research. He watched her intently, with a small smile on his face. And, since they had finished their meal by then and had sat back on the couch, he reached for her hand.

Amy stopped mid sentence, and blinked. This wasn't necessarily the first time he had grabbed her hand, but it was still somewhat shocking. Here he was, being genuinely interested in her research, allowing her to spend several minutes talking about the research even, and then grabbing her hand as if it were the natural thing for him to do.

"Amy?" Sheldon cocked his head. "Are you alright?"

She looked up from their hands, into his concerned eyes, and blinked rapidly. Her mind was blank. "I..." And then she leaned over quickly and kissed him.

A/N: Thanks again for reading. And remember, review review review! Stay tuned for Sheldon's reaction. ;)