Amy woke the next morning feeling nauseous and headachy and wondered where the *expletive deleted* she was. She lay staring at a ceiling not her own and slowly the evening came back to her – including the pleasant buzz she had had for most of the party. That was, she reasoned, why she was feeling so miserable this morning. She gingerly turned her head to the left and saw an unfamiliar clock on an unfamiliar nightstand. It read 11:30. She quickly sat up and just as quickly regretted it. She crawled out of bed and slowly made her way to where she remembered the bathroom to be. This manifestation of nausea and headache, she recalled, was termed a hangover and was caused by a combination of mild alcohol poisoning and dehydration. She reached the toilet just in time.

This was well outside her comfort zone.

She asked herself if the fun was worth the consequences.

She wondered how Sheldon was.

She wondered where Penny was.

The answer to the first question was – maybe.

The answer to the third question was – right in front of her holding out a glass of something that looked like tomato juice with a celery stalk in it.

"Hair of the dog, Amy. Drink it and you'll feel better."

"Dog hair? How will that help?"

Penny laughed, "it's just a saying – 'hair of the dog that bit you' – there's no dog hair in it, but it will make you feel better: temporarily. After that you should eat something, take a couple of aspirin, and get some caffeine inside you."

"Ugh, food. I'm not sure I can eat."

"You can and you will. Drink your Bloody Mary, brush your teeth – that'll help, trust me – and come out to the living room. I'll have some toast and tea ready."

Amy complied. The drink did help. The nausea and headache abated and she felt that she might be able to manage some tea and toast. Getting the bad taste out of her mouth certainly didn't do any harm. She walked out to the living room, saw Sheldon sitting on the couch and dashed back into the bedroom. She peeked out the door. Yes, he was still there, it wasn't an alcohol-induced hallucination.

"Amy, are you all right?" He sounded concerned.

"I'm fine; I just wasn't expecting you to be here."

"Obviously, or you would have been wearing something more - opaque."

She groaned.

"Shall I leave and come back when you are more appropriately attired?"

"Please, I would appreciate that."

"Very well, I will return in three quarters of an hour."

He left. She came back into the living room/kitchen, sat at the counter where her toast and tea cooled, glared at Penny, and sighed deeply.

"Sorry, Amy. I guess I wasn't thinking." Penny didn't look the least sorry, but Amy decided not to pursue it. "Anyway, we'll have to go up and clean up after the party and the clothes you wore last night won't really work for the job. I think I have something that will fit you and will be comfortable for the work we have to do."

"It won't be transparent, will it?"

"No, of course not."

The slightly too snug red yoga pants and the too snug white tank top with a lace detail barely covering her cleavage were not, as Penny had promised, transparent. They did, however, show off far more than was comfortable as far as Amy was concerned.

"You really do have a cute figure, Amy. You need to show it off. Even if Sheldon doesn't work for you, there are a lot of normal guys who'd be after you in a hot minute."

"Like Howard?'

"Howard isn't normal. But if he bothers you, number one, just give him a smack on the nose and he'll leave you alone and, number two, let Bernadette know and she'll give him a smack on the nose and he'll leave you alone."

"Violence?"

"For a smart guy, Howard doesn't have a clear understanding of the word 'no'. You have to reinforce it."

Amy, the neurobiologist, understood this.

Sheldon, as promised, returned precisely three quarters of an hour later. He looked startled and a little discomfited by her clothing, but said nothing. He did, however, hem and haw a great deal.

He immediately jumped to plans for a new Social Interaction Test Agreement. Penny cut him short.

"First we get the roof cleaned up. Then you and Amy can discuss any further plans you want to make together. Now, let's get upstairs."

Amy was relieved. She was really not ready to talk to him about more "dates".

Leonard and Raj were waiting on the roof. When they saw Amy, Leonard gulped and Raj's eyes widened significantly. Penny smirked. Amy turned bright red.

The roof was a disaster. Penny put on some music – not something Amy would have played – and got everyone organized. As is usual, it took longer to clean the mess than it did to make it, but Penny did have a way of making it fun. She handed out trash bags and started dancing around the roof, picking up trash to the beat of something by Lady Gaga. When they finished they had seven bags of trash and three bags of recyclables, the tables, chairs, unused cutlery and disposable dishes had been put away, the grill had been cleaned and put back in storage, and the decorations had been taken down, boxed up, and returned home – including Sheldon's candles.

As they carried the trash bags to the dumpsters, Sheldon tried to reopen the agreement discussion. Amy shook her head.

"Not now Sheldon. I'm hot, I'm in need of a shower and a change of clothes, I'm tired, and I'm hungry. I have things I have to do at home. If you think it's necessary to do this, let's set up a time and place to do it. I suggest tomorrow afternoon. Possibly we can have the discussion at the coffee shop where we first met." She smiled slightly; she was rather pleased with herself, after all. She, with Penny's help, had taken control of the situation. If Sheldon wanted to continue their "relationship", she would have more than a little to say about it. The reaction of the other men had boosted her confidence and she was feeling it. Penny winked at her.

Sheldon had no choice but to acquiesce.