Chapter 18

Sheldon was walking over to Amy's lab to meet with her after work. They were planning on making dinner together at his place. He wasn't used to the idea of someone else cooking in his kitchen, but she assured him that this would be a fun activity to do together.

Tonight was a night that Leonard was scheduled to stay over at Penny's house. If their talk went well, he would most likely not be in the apartment tonight. He was happy about this, because he wanted to spend some time alone with Amy, uninterrupted.

What was he going to do with Amy in this uninterrupted time? His mind started racing. Things had moved quite quickly that night in his office. He couldn't help it, he was missing her so much, and she showed up looking so lovely like an angel. He couldn't believe that he had acted so savage, pulling her up on his desk, slipping the top of her dress off, taking of her bra… Oh, she looked so amazing. Focus Cooper. He needed to act more like a gentleman tonight and keep his hormones under control. He looked up and was surprised he was already in front of Amy's open lab door.

"Hi Sheldon!" Amy called happily. She was packing up her bag, and getting her stuff ready to go. She looked like a vision, wearing a light pale blue summer dress and cream cardigan. She was wearing cute sandals, and her hair was pulled up in a ponytail.

He walked up to her and gave her a light kiss. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yes I am. I've thought up some new counterfactuals for us to play later" Amy smiled.

"Sounds good, although, how fair is that if you've come up with all the topics? I think that I should be able to have a few in there."

"Well you can think of a few on the drive home, how about that?"

"Ok, sounds fair. But be prepared to be stumped."

"Oh I don't know if you'll be able to get past mine Dr. Cooper, mine have a theme" Amy winked at him.

Amy locked her lab door and they were on their way.

Leonard was sitting in their dark apartment on the couch. He felt completely drained but his mind was racing with the events of this morning. What had just happened? Did he really break up with the love of his life? He couldn't imagine his life without Penny. Her words came flooding into his head. Did she really see him that way? Like some fool that worshiping a goddess? That she didn't see him as an equal, and that he was pathetically loving her? Tears started stinging his eyes. How did they get to this spot? He thought that they had finally gotten to a place in their relationship where they were both secure and happy. But she wasn't happy. She didn't even feel like she could open up to him. She always opened up to Sheldon instead. What was it about Sheldon that she found so easy to talk to? He was maddening, condescending and arrogant.

Leonard heard voices laughing outside the door, and then the doorknob slowly started to turn. He quickly wiped the tears from his eyes, and tried to look normal.

"That's not the meaning of that song Sheldon!" Amy laughed as she walked into the apartment.

"I simply can't understand what that song means then? If U seek Amy? I listened to the lyrics and they make no sense. "Love me, Hate me, Say all you want about me, But all of the boys and all of the girls are begging to If U seek Amy" Begging to what? If you seek Amy? How do you beg to if you seek Amy? The grammar is just appalling. It makes absolutely no sense."

Amy was howling laughing at this point. "Oh Sheldon, it's a play on words." She stopped abruptly when she saw Leonard sitting on the couch.

"Leonard, I'm sorry I didn't know you were here." Amy exclaimed. She looked at Leonard. His eyes were red, and he was sitting on the couch hugging the pillow. She rushed over to him on the couch and touched his shoulder. "Leonard, are you ok?" Leonard just stared at the ground.

Sheldon looked over and saw his roommate looking broken and despondent. He knew that the talk with Penny must not have gone well.

"I'll make tea" he said quietly, and rushed into the kitchen to put the kettle on the stove.

"Leonard, what's wrong? Amy asked again softly.

Leonard put his head between his hands and sighed. "I don't even know where to begin." he croaked. "I think Penny and I are over" he said quietly.

"What?" Amy said shocked. Sheldon looked over stunned. When he had talked to Penny, she seemed a bit confused, but still fully committed to Leonard.

"I don't understand. When I spoke with Penny, she was expressing dissatisfaction with her career, but she did not even give an inkling that she wanted to end things." Sheldon said.

Amy's eyes narrowed as she looked at Sheldon. "You and Penny are talking? You never told me that."

"She showed up at my office this morning out of the blue. I had no idea she was coming. She was there to see Leonard, but came and spoke with me first." Sheldon looked worriedly at Amy, who was frowning.

"Penny is not the one that ended things. I did it. She's only with me because she settled. I know in her head she thinks she can do better. That's why she is so unhappy."

"Did she say that?" Amy asked

"No, but…" Leonard started.

"What exactly did she say?" Sheldon asked.

"I was just so angry when she came to talk to me. She told me about the clubbing and that nothing happened. She went into a work situation, which I won't get into. She told me that she came to speak with you." Leonard glared at Sheldon.

"It's true, she did come to talk to me. But she was mainly upset about her career, and the fact that she wasn't happy in her new job, and was upset about not being a famous actress. She did express that she felt that she doesn't fit in with our group, and didn't feel she had common interests to everyone" Sheldon said quietly.

"I'm so happy my fiancé feels it is so much easier to talk to you than me! I guess you don't put her on a pedestal like Amy and I do!" Leonard said tensely.

"What? I don't understand. What are you talking about?" Amy asked.

Leonard got up from the couch and started pacing the living room. "She said that we put her on a pedestal, and idolize her. That she feels like she can't be herself around us, because we expect her to be perfect all the time. She said that we were using her to fulfil our dreams of having a hot girlfriend and a popular best friend."

Amy frowned, and looked at Sheldon. "Is that true? Did she say that to you also?"

Sheldon stared at Leonard and Amy who were both looking at him intensely. "Listen, just because I spoke with Penny doesn't mean that I am happy with her and her actions. But she has been a good friend for many years, so I felt I should hear her out when she wanted to talk. Leonard, I think her recent behaviour towards you has not been good. Amy, you know I am completely disgusted with the untrue words she said to you when you two had your fight. That being said, I do agree that you both put her on a pedestal sometimes."

"What? I can't believe you agree with her!" Amy said stunned.

"Amy, you have to admit, Penny doesn't always treat you the best. You always do what she wants, when she ignores you or is mean to you, you easily forgive her with no consequence. Leonard I could say the same exact thing to you. I've always called Penny out when I think she is wrong. You both don't. Perhaps that why she feels she can talk to me, cause I don't have unrealistic expectations of her." Sheldon looked over at Leonard. "What led to you breaking up with her?"

Leonard sighed exasperated. "I love her with all of my heart, and would do anything for her. I can't get rid of this feeling that she doesn't feel the same way. I don't want her to see me like some sort of puppy dog that is following her around with blind adoration. I want her to see me as her partner, her equal."

"I agree, that I think you two definitely have a lot to sort out if you are to stay together. But, I do truly think she loves you Leonard." Sheldon said quietly.

Leonard's eyes were filled with tears, which he wiped away with his hand. He continued pacing around the room. "I'm never good enough am I?" Leonard's voice cracked.

"Leonard, you've always been good enough. We all see it, and I honestly think Penny see's it too. The only person that doesn't see it is you." Amy walked over and put his hand on Leonard's shoulder.

Leonard sat down on the couch and started sobbing. His phone started buzzing. He picked it up, and saw the incoming text message. He looked up at Amy and Sheldon who were looking at him with worried eyes. "Hey that was a text from Howard. He wants to take me for a drink. I think I'm going to take him up on it."

"Are you sure? Stay here if you like, if you want us to stay or go, we'll do whatever makes you comfortable" Sheldon said.

"No I need to get out of here. Get some air. Howard is good at getting my mind off of things." Leonard said quietly.

"Ok, If you are sure. I don't want you to feel like you can't be at home though." Sheldon replied.

"No I don't. I just really need to get out for a while." Leonard put on his jacket, and grabbed his keys. "I'll see you guys later ok?" He walked out the door.

Amy sat quietly on the couch staring at the ground. She couldn't believe that Penny and Leonard had split. She started thinking about what Leonard had said, that she idolized Penny; and the fact that Sheldon agreed with her about that.

"Amy are you ok?" Sheldon asked as he sat down on the couch beside her. His face was filled with worry.

"Yeah, I'm ok. I'm just thinking about what you said about me idolizing Penny." She looked up at Sheldon. "You are right, I have idolized her. I've never had a best friend before. And Penny was so fun, and magnetic. She seemed so beautiful and perfect; I couldn't believe that she was friends with me. Girls like her were never friends with me. I guess I got caught up in the whole thing."

Sheldon smiled at Amy and took her hand. "You are the one that is perfect"

"Now don't you go putting me on a pedestal!" Amy laughed. "No, you are right. I just didn't want to hear it. It makes me feel kind of pathetic sometimes you know? I think I know how Leonard feels"

"I don't see either of you as pathetic. I see both of you as people with big hearts. You kind of remind me of MeeMaw that way."

"Well that's the nicest compliment I could have gotten." Amy smiled. She grabbed Sheldon's hand. "Let's not let this totally derail our date night. I think it's too late to cook now, so maybe let's just order a pizza. We can still play counterfactuals in the meantime"

Sheldon grinned at Amy. "That is a fabulous idea. I will order, and you get the first question ready for me. I've got a doozy ready for you already." He pulled out his cell phone and quickly ordered the pizza.

Amy stood up and took off her cardigan. She pulled the hair tie out of her hair and shook her hair so that it was in loose waves framing her face. She kicked off her sandals, and sat in Sheldon's spot, tucking her legs up into the couch.

Sheldon stared at her. God what was she doing to him? Her hair was down and wavy. Her milky white arms were exposed. She was exposing more leg than normal with the way she was sitting in his spot. She was looking at him with the most alluring smile. He wanted to just go to the couch and pin her and kiss her senseless. Was she purposely trying to distract him, so that he would lose at counterfactuals?

"Are you ready?" she asked coyly.

"Ummm…yes." Sheldon walked over and sat next to her, in her spot on the couch. He sat very close…a little too close.

She smiled brightly at him. "Ok, I will start off easy. In a world where koalas are trained warriors, what country will rise to power during a worldwide famine on eucalyptus leaves?"

Sheldon grinned at her. "That's easy. Switzerland."

"Defend"

"Australia emerges as a superpower due to its super army of Koalas. The army grows to an astronomical size, depleting Australia's natural resource of eucalyptus. Due to the worldwide shortage of eucalyptus at that time, the Middle East, China and India have also been depleted of its meager supply of the leaves. Switzerland uses is vast monetary resources to fund large greenhouses to grow eucalyptus, and attain the super army of koalas."

"Correct. As the winner of that round, you must take off a piece of clothing." Amy smirked.

"Take off? Shouldn't I have to take off something, if I lose? Not win?" Sheldon asked.

"Well, I am making the rules for the game today. Lose something Sheldon." Amy said.

"Well ok." Sheldon pulled off his green lantern t-shirt, leaving his black undershirt on, and folded it neatly. "I'm not one to argue with the rules. But be prepared. Your question might have gotten a bit easier."

"Ok I'm prepared" Amy laughed. Sheldon leaned closer towards her, she could smell the faint smell of his cologne and baby powder.

"In a world where mangoes are considered pets, what is the most popular toy for pets?" Sheldon asked.

"Really Sheldon? Come on, the answer is so obvious. It's a mini-trampoline. I think you made that question easy on purpose." Amy whispered in his ear.

"You are correct. But rules are rules. You need to take something off." Sheldon was eyeing her hungrily. She was only wearing a sundress, her cardigan was already off. There was not much choice in items of clothing that she could remove. His eyes dilated as he looked at her.

"Fine, rules are rules." Amy sat up straight and then carefully removed one earring.

"Hey! That is not an item of clothing!" Sheldon protested.

"It is part of my outfit, so it's considered an item of clothing. That's what you get for cheating with an easy question. I should really put my cardigan back on!"

"Noooo….the earring is fine I guess. But I still don't think jewellery is clothing. Ok, it's your turn again."

Amy licked her lips and smiled. "Ok Sheldon, In a world where coitus is for reproduction only and coitus for pleasure was a punishable offense, would Sheldon still try to undress his girlfriend and have his way with her?"

Sheldon stared at her, as he felt his face flush. "I think I will give you demonstrative answer" he responded. He pinned her down on his spot and kissed her passionately. Amy moaned as she felt Sheldon's tongue enter her mouth. They lay there kissing, and felt their bodies growing hotter, sweatier, entangled. Amy broke away for a second and sucked his ear. She whispered into his ear "Correct. You need to lose an item of clothing."

Sheldon sat up and grinned at her. He took off one shoe and sock. "Two can play at that game", he whispered. He pulled Amy onto his lap and started kissing her neck, her collarbone and was inching towards her breasts. "You need to be punished for cheating Amy, you gave me an easy question. I think you need to lose another item of clothing."

"Well I have another earring I can take off." Amy whispered.

"That's not what I had in mind" Sheldon said huskily. He slid his hand up her bare leg, up along her bottom then slid it toward her hip. He hooked his thumb into the side of her panties and slowly started to move them down.

"Oh my god Sheldon." Amy grabbed his face and started to passionately kiss him as she was sitting on his lap straddling him. He was slowly sliding her panties down her legs.

Knock Knock Knock…PIZZA!

"Damn it! Why are we always interrupted?" Sheldon gasped. Amy jumped off his lap and tried to sort herself out.

"We have lots of time to get there. Lots of time." Amy whispered, and she shimmied her panties back up to the appropriate place.

Sheldon smiled at her. "I think this version of counterfactuals is my new favorite." Amy smiled back at him. Mine too, Amy thought, Mine too.

A/N: Aawh Poor Amy and Sheldon keep getting interrupted! Hope you enjoyed the sexy counterfactuals… = )