Chapter 4

As always, I would like to state that I own absolutely nothing. Nada. It all belongs to Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady, those great men dipped in awesomesauce.

I am so sorry for the wait, people. I got bussy. And quite frankly, this one was a bit tough to write. Anyway, now it's done the fourth chapter of this fic! So lean back, cuddle your blanket and enjoy!

Penny slowly made her way across the hall. She knew it was early, but she was hoping to catch Sheldon and talk to him without Leonard around. She reached the door, lifted her fist to knock but then hesitated. She lowered her hand and placed it on the door knob. Could she be that lucky? Biting her lip she slowly turned it and to her surprise the door was open. She opened it slowly and peeked her head inside. She found Sheldon already dressed and standing in the kitchen preparing his cereal.

"Good morning, Sheldon." She said in her most optimistic and happy voice. Sheldon looked up at her in mild surprise, but then his face hardened and he responded her greeting with a nod. Penny sighed. He was still mad at her. She opened the door fully and entered the apartment unsure what to do.

"So, you are up early, huh?" She tried, desperately hoping to make him talk. But Sheldon simply turned his back to her and placed the milk back in the fridge, not responding. The awkward silence in the room grew with every passing minute, and Penny felt like turning around and fleeing the scene. But she knew what she had come to say and she knew she had to say it sooner before later.

"Look, I know you are mad at me, Sheldon, but can we talk?" She said after a couple of minutes in a pleading voice. Sheldon didn't respond but merely took his bowl of cereal and made his way to his spot. He sat down slowly balancing the bowl in his hand trying not to spill. Penny sighed once again and made her way to the couch.

"Can I join you?" She said in a last attempt to make him talk. Sheldon just shrugged his shoulders and ate his first spoonful of cereal. Penny slowly sat down on the other side of the couch and looked at him. After a moment she cleared her throat and said.

"Okay, I get it. You don't want to talk to me and that's fine. You don't have to talk, I just came over to say something."

Sheldon responded by taking another spoonful into his mouth, and for a moment the only sound that could be heard was the crunching sound of cereal as Sheldon's jaw moved rhythmically up and down. Penny took a deep breathe, this was not going to be easy.

"Look, sweetie, I know that what you do or do not do in your relationship with Amy is none of my business. And I guess you had a point yesterday, perhaps I am a littlecurious. But I don't want you to think that the only reason I ask about your relationship is to satisfy my curiosity. I mean, you are my friend, Sheldon and I really care about you."

Sheldon swallowed his cereal and looked at the seat separating them. Penny took another breathe.

"I just remember the times when you needed me and Leonard to guide you and Amy through this whole relationship thing. But I guess that has changed now. I honestly just want you to be happy, Sheldon. And Amy to. If you need me to back of, I will. I promise, no more prying, no more questions. Just know that if you ever need help, advise or anything you can always ask me."

Sheldon didn't say anything, but Penny thought she could see his face soften up a bit as he slowly brought the spoon to his mouth.

"So... Can you forgive me?" She said after a couple of moments. Sheldon swallowed and slowly looked up and at her. With a small nod he said. "You are forgiven."

Penny let out a sigh of relieve. She smiled and said.

"Thank you. I'm glad we are friends again."

Sheldon returned her smile with a small one and said. "I'm glad we are friends again, to."

He stood up and made his way to the sink with his now empty bowl. After washing it he turned and said.

"Now, in the spirit of our reunion I believe it is only fair that you drive me to work."

Penny frowned at him and said. "Oh come on, Sheldon. It's early! Why can't Leonard drive you?"

Sheldon looked at her, raising his brows and crossing his arms. Penny looked at him for another moment before raising her arms in defeat.

"Fine! I'll drive you. Just give me a second to change out of this robe." She said and made her way to the door. Sheldon made his way to his chair and putting on his jacket he said.

"Chop chop, Penny, the great mysteries of the vast universe doesn't solve themselves. Every minute that my mind isn't working on discovering the yet unknown paths of physics is a loss for humanity."

Penny opened the door and rolled her eyes, but she couldn't help smiling as she closed the door behind her and made her way back across the hallway to her own apartment.

Leonard struggled his way up the last steps carrying the heavy load of take-out dinner for seven people. As he finally reached his apartment door he was breathing heavily. I really need to exercise he thought to himself as he tried to open the door with his elbow. He leaned in closer, putting his weight on the door trying to wrap his elbow around the door knob. He suddenly felt door moving as someone from the inside opened it. Leonard lost his balance and he almost feel into the apartment, face first, but luckily he refound his posture lifting the food in an attempt to not spill it all over the place. He finally managed to stand up straight and looked up. Sheldon stood beside the door his hand on the door knob and a calm look on his face.

"What took you so long?" Sheldon said watching Leonard frowning in exhaustion as he placed the food on the coffee table, still breathing heavily. Leonard clenched his jaws together tightly and looked angrily at Sheldon.

"Just get over here and help me with the food. The others will be here any minute now." He said as he began unpacking the food. Sheldon closed the door, slowly shaking his head before making his way to the kitchen and pulling out plates and glasses for everyone.

The first one to arrive was Penny. She gave Leonard a quick kiss and went on to talk about her day that primarly had consisted of different auditions and long calls with her agent. Amy arrived shortly after, closely followed by Howard, Bernadette and Raj. After a couple of minutes of distributing plates and food containers everyone settled down to eat.

"So, Sheldon." Howard said in a sly tone after a couple of moments. "Tell us more about your hot kiss with Amy." Sheldon stopped poking in his food for a brief second but continued eating, determined to ignore Howard's attempt to embarrass him.

"Knock it off, dude." Raj said in an accusing voice as he looked at Howard with a frown. He then turned his attention to Sheldon and Amy and said. "I for one think it was really romantic of you to kiss Amy on a beautiful vintage train on Valentine's Day. You can't write things like that, man. Kudos, Sheldon."

Sheldon looked at Raj with a look of exhaustion and gratitude. Amy shot him a shy smile before resuming her dinner.

"Oh to hell with romance." Howard said with a smirk. "Come on, Sheldon. Does this mean that we can expect the two of you engaging in weird Shamy-hanky panky in the foreseeable future?" His smirk grew wider. Sheldon looked up at him with squinted eyes before looking back down at his dinner.

"Howie!" Bernadette's high pitch voice cut through as she slapped her husband on his arm with an angry look. Howard placed a hand on his arm, wincing and looking at her with wide eyes.

"What?!" He said in an innocent tone of voice. "I am just excited that the great Sheldon Cooper might actually get laid and finally lose his virginity!"

Bernadette slapped him again and looked at Sheldon and Amy with an apologetic look in her eyes. Sheldon could feel his cheeks grow warm and his mouth grow dry. He didn't dare to look at Amy.

Amy also felt her cheeks blush but she decided to slowly reach out for her glass of water. Right before she placed it to her lips she said.

"At least when he does, it won't be to his cousin."

Penny almost choked on her water and Leonard tried to clap her on her back but was finding it hard to do so as he was laughing uncontrollably. Raj's eyes grew wide and he also erupted into laughter, pointing a finger at Howard, whose mouth had fallen open in shock, a flabbergasted look on his face. Howard slowly turned to look at his wife, who tried to hide a wide smirk by taking a big bite of food in her mouth.

Amy slowly placed her glass back on the table and turned a little to look at Sheldon. He looked back at her with a big smile, and leaning closer to her he said. "Thank you."

She nodded and said. "You are welcome. I believe you know what to say now?" Sheldon's smile grew wider as he leaned back in to his spot and loudly said.

"Bazinga!"

That made the entire group laugh even harder. Leonard was holding a hand to his stomach as he bended over in laughing cramps, as Penny threw her head back unable to breathe. Raj almost rolled over on the floor, his eyes closed, and even Bernadette slapped her thigh as she no longer could hold back the laughter. The only one who wasn't laughing was Howard. He looked around on them, his cheeks red.

"She was my second cousin!" He exclaimed looking down into his food and poking at it eagerly as the rest of the group finished laughing and drying of their tears.

The rest of the meal went pleasantly as the conversation quickly changed topic, now addressing news from peoples jobs and the plans for the rest of the evening.

"Gentlemen, I believe you will enjoy tonight's selection of video games." Sheldon said in an optimistic tone as he placed his now empty plate on the coffee table. "I was revisiting the games from our previous video game night's when it struck me that we haven't played Halo for quite some time. I therefore believe that you will agree that it is the perfect choice for our impending evening of virtual gaming." He finished of with a smile looking around at each of the guys, who all nodded in agreement.

"And check this out. I have new codes and modifications that will improve our gaming experience significantly." Howard said rubbing his hands together. The guys quickly emerged themselves in heated discussion about the specifics of the different aspects of their game.

Penny looked at Amy and Bernadette with raised brows and a saying look, and they each responded with a knowing nod.

"All right guys, I think we are going to head over to my place, open the wine and girl this night up a little, am I right ladies?" Penny said as she got up from her chair. Amy and Bernadette both got up and answered in the affirmative. Penny made her way over to Leonard and gave him a kiss and Bernadette kissed Howard goodbye before nudging him. "Behave." She said with a saying look in Sheldon's direction. Howard brought his hands up in defeat, nodding slowly. Amy took her jacket and purse from besides the couch and turning to Sheldon she said. "Well, good night, Sheldon." Sheldon looked up at her and smiled. "Good night, Amy." And with that the girls left apartment 4A and made their way to apartment 4B.

"And then I told Howie's mother that I just simply couldn't eat another bite of brisket, or else the buttons of my cardigan would burst! And would you believe what she said? She told me that I was too skinny and needed to be fed up if I ever wanted to carry children." Bernadette said in a frustrated voice as Penny poured wine in three glasses at the counter of her kitchen around which the girls had seated themselves. Penny frowned and said. "Wow, that's a little harsh, don't you think?"

Bernadette just looked at her with a dark look and said. "Believe me you don't know half of it. Just fill that glass up, sister." Penny lifted her brows slightly before adding some extra wine in Bernadette's glass. Amy took her glass and said. "Actually, there might be some truth to that. It has longed been believed that women with broad hips are better able to carry children, so naturally your mother-in-law is simply trying to secure the future of her sons possible offspring." Penny and Bernadette stared at her, Penny biting her lip and Bernadette with a frown on her face. Amy noticed their worried looks and quickly added. "But I am not sure about the scientific validity behind that argument, it might as well be an urban myth." She took a sip of her wine in an attempt to not add any more awkwardness to the conversation. Penny eyed her and said.

"So, Ames. You haven't told us about your Valentine's trip to Napa Valley." Amy slowly lowered her glass, looking down on the table a shy smile on her face. Bernadette nudged her and said. "Oh yeah, that's right! Word on the street is you shared a sweet lip lock with Sheldon!" Amy's smile grew wider as she brought her glass back up to her mouth, nodding. Penny smiled a big smile and said.

"Way to go, Amy! So… Are you going to tell us what happened?"

Once again Amy lowered her glass, her smile fainted a little.

"Well, yes of course. But first I believe I have something to say to you, Penny." She said in a more serious tone, she was determined to say what she had been thinking the last couple of days . Penny bit her lip again, suddenly feeling nervous. She took a deep breath and said. "Sure, what is it?"

Amy looked at her best friend and took a deep breath of her own. "It is about the events that took place a couple of days ago." She began, unsure how to proceed.

"It's about my talk with Sheldon, isn't it?" Penny said abruptly as Bernadette took a sip from her wine, trying to make sense of the conversation. Amy nodded and said.

"Yes. Now, you are my best friend and you are Sheldon's friend to, and I know that you were only trying to help the other day. But what you said to Sheldon really freaked him out, Penny. I almost wasn't able to make him relax; he was practically catatonic." Her tone of voice revealed a hint of frustration. Penny's face turned into a worried frown as she slowly nodded her head. "I mean… How could you tell him that I would leave him like that?" Amy said in now full blown frustration. Penny looked at her with guilt-ridden eyes.

"You told Sheldon she was going to leave him?!" Bernadette exclaimed, still confused.

"I know, Amy, and I am so sorry!" She said in a pleading voice, ignoring Bernadette. "I know I totally should not have said that! I just… It just frustrated me that he was going to leave you hanging like that and not do anything about that kiss, you know? I mean, you are my friend Amy and I really wanted Sheldon to treat you right. You know how he can be, he probably wasn't going to talk to you about that kiss and your relationship, so I felt I needed to step in, because you really deserve all of that." Penny paused her ramble for a short moment. Amy looked at her, lips pressed closely together and her eyebrows turning her face into an indulgent frown. Penny reached over the counter and rested her hand on top of Amy's.

"Amy, I am really sorry. I never meant to make this harder for the two of you, I just wanted to help. I know I can be a little intrusive, and as I have already told Sheldon, it's because I keep thinking that you guys still need me or Leonard to help you through these sorts of relationship things, but you are obviously capable of dealing with them just fine. So believe me, I am going to stop intruding. If you ever need advice or anything at all, you can always come to me." Penny looked at Amy with pleading eyes, but Amy looked down at her hands.

"Yeah, me to, Amy. Just say the word." Bernadette chimed in with a little smile. She still didn't quite understand the situation, but she could at least offer her sincere support.

"And I appreciate your effort, Penny. You have always been there for both me and Sheldon; and you are right. This is all new to me and your advice and guiding has been needed and helpful in the past, but now Sheldon and I are able to do these things on our own. You just have to trust that I will seek your help when I need it. Surely, as you friend I believe I deserve that trust. Because the more you interrogate Sheldon and I, the harder it gets to trust you and I don't like that." Amy said it all in a single breathe; she really needed to let it all out.

Penny nodded her head slowly with a sad look on her face, as she quietly repeated. "I know… I know.."

An uncomfortable silence fell over the group of girls.

"Amy… I am really sorry, can you please forgive me?" Penny said after a couple of moments. Amy slowly looked up. First she looked at Bernadette and then she looked at Penny, meeting her gaze. Then her lips curled up in a small smile and she tilted her head slightly before saying.

"You know I can't possibly stay mad at you, bestie. You are forgiven." She looked to Bernadette. " And thank you, Bernadette." Amy raised an index finger and returned her look to Penny. "But just don't let this happen again."

"I promise!" Penny said with a big smile of relieve. Now she had made amends to both her friends, and she finally felt the burden that she had been carrying for the last couple of days fall of her chest.

"Now! Let's get comfortable in the couch so you can tell us about the kiss!" Penny said with excitement, she knew how much Amy had been looking forward to talk about it. Amy's smile widened as the three girls made their way to the couch. Penny curled up in her favorite armchair and Amy and Bernadette sat on the couch.

"But before you say anything, what was all that about? What happened?" Bernadette asked, eager to understand what had apparently happened in her absence. Amy and Penny shared a look before they began explaining. They took turns in telling Bernadette about the events that had taken place. Bernadette's eyes grew wider as she turned her head back and forth between Amy and Penny.

"And then I realized why Penny had told me to come over. So after that Sheldon and I had a talk and sorted everything out." Amy said, finishing the story.

"So everything is all right between you two?" Bernadette asked.

Amy nodded eagerly. "Oh yes, everything is more than all right, they have never been better." She said happily taking another sip of her wine. Bernadette nodded slowly and took a sip of her own wine, pondering about the load of information that had just been thrown at her. Then she put her glass down and turned to Amy.

"But now you have to tell us about the kiss!" She exclaimed, her eyes wide. Amy smiled a shy smile and began fiddling with the hem of her skirt. She cleared her throat.

"Well… It was..." She began, suddenly feeling nervous. She took a deep breathe. "It was amazing." She said with a dreaming expression on her face. Penny and Bernadette shared a saying look.

"So was Doctor Whack-a-doodle any good at kissing?" Penny asked with lifted eyebrows. Amy nodded her head and said. "Oh yes, indeed. He was very gentle and careful but yet very…. Powerful."

"So how did it feel?" Bernadette asked eagerly. Leaning closer and lifting her eyebrows in a sly matter she added. "Did he set your loins on fire?"

Amy bit her lip and felt her cheeks grow warm. "It was unlike anything I have ever felt before." She said. "And I don't believe "loins on fire" is ever going to be enough to explain how it felt."

Penny couldn't hold back an excited squeal as she clapped her hands together looking at Amy with an admiring look. Amy looked at her with a surprised frown but then she smiled widely at her best friend's reaction.

"Did he have any moves? I mean, how did he kiss you?" Penny asked shortly after she had pulled herself mentally together. Amy tilted her head and pondered.

"No, I don't believe anything he did could be classified as moves." She said while shaking her head.

"So what? He just placed his lips on yours?" Bernadette asked with a frown. Amy took a deep breathe. How could she explain it to them?

"Oh no… He did much more than that." She said in small voice. Both Penny and Bernadette looked at her with wide and expectant eyes, waiting for her to continue. She looked down on her hands, took a deep breath and told them everything.

How they had been arguing prior to the kiss. How Sheldon had surprised them both by leaning over and kissing her out of mere frustration. How he had relaxed into the kiss, stepping closer to her. How the feeling made her heart skip a beat and her legs feel weak. How he had added depth to the kiss, causing every fiber in her body to ignite. How he had placed a hand on her hip which had led to chills down her spine. How he broke the kiss and how he had looked at her.

As she finished talking she slowly looked up at Penny and Bernadette. They were both staring at her with wide eyes and open mouths. Penny had her glass of wine raised half way up to her mouth, but it would seem that she had forgotten all about it as just stayed there.

"Oh my god…." Penny said in a small voice, finally breaking the silence. Bernadette mouthed a silent wow. Amy didn't quite know what to make of their expressions. She cleared her throat and looked back down on her hands.

"Oh my god!" Penny said again this time a little louder, and before Amy had time to look up, Penny had made her way to the seat between Amy and Bernadette, throwing her arms around Amy in a tight hug.

Amy didn't know what to say so she simply returned the hug. Penny held her in arm's length and said. "I am so happy this happened! You have been waiting forever and now it's really happening!"

Amy smiled and said. "I guess so. I mean it took a while, but it was definitely worth the wait."

Bernadette's small figure appeared behind Penny. "So what now? How are you going to move forward?"

Penny leaned back in the seat and looked nervously at Amy.

Amy cleared her throat and said. "Well, as I said. We talked things through and came up with an agreeable plan for moving things forward."

"So… Are you going to get more physical?" Penny asked hesitantly. Amy looked at her friends and pondered over how much information they needed. Her talk with Sheldon was private after all.

"All I can say is that kissing is now a reality." She said and smiled.

"That's it?" Bernadette said with a surprised look. "I mean, I understand that you are moving forward, but you have already kissed him twice and now he has finally kissed you. You haven't moved things further than kissing?"

Amy frowned and tilted her head. "What do you mean?" She said curiously. Penny cleared her throat. "It's just that we know you want a more physical relationship with Sheldon, so I guess we are just surprised that you haven't tried to move things along in a more brisk pace."

Amy lifted her eyebrows as she finally realized how much further her friends expected her to be in her relationship with Sheldon. She swallowed, took a sip of her wine and said.

"That is true. But while I do look forward to being more physical in my relationship with Sheldon, I am also very comfortable with taking things slow." She paused and put her glass back down. "I believe that you mostly hold Sheldon responsible for the slow pace of the development in our physical relationship, but that is not entirely fair. Sheldon and I are moving things forward in a pace that we are both comfortable with."

Penny nodded and said. "That is really great, Ames." Bernadette smiled and nodded. "Sounds like you have this under control." She said. Amy returned her smile. "I believe we do." She said with a nod.

"But did you talk about when you are going to get… Intimate?" Penny asked carefully. She knew she was in dangerous waters.

Amy was unsure of what to say. Finally she took a deep breath and said.

"There are many ways of being intimate. Physically intimate is just one of them."

Silence filled the living room as no one said anything for a while. Finally Penny broke the silence. "Wow." She said in an admiring tone. "That was deep, Ames."

Bernadette nodded and added. "And very admirable to."

" I mean.. Heck.. It took me years to sort out my feelings for Leonard." Penny said in a pensive tone. "And here you are three years into your relationship and already almost having the intimacy and closeness of a married couple."

Amy looked down at her hands and smiled.

"See, that's what Sheldon should be telling Kripke." The second the words had left Bernadette's mouth she wished that she could stuff them all back in again. Penny turned to look at her with big and saying eyes.

"What do you mean? What has Sheldon been telling Kripke?" Amy asked with a confused frown.

Bernadette quickly grabbed her glass of wine and took a big gulp while cursing internally at her lack of tact. Amy looked at Penny who was making an extreme effort no to look at her. But Amy knew that something was going on, that they were hiding something. And she knew how to get the information she needed. How does the cheetah attack a herd of wildebeest? By going after its weakest member.

"Bernadette?" And the sound of her name Bernadette took another big gulp of wine her eyes darting around the room. "What did you mean? What has Sheldon been telling Kripke?"

Bernadette put her glass down and proceeded to wring her hands. "I… I really couldn't say. It's not a big deal."

"Really? You are shaking like a leaf. I want to know. What has Sheldon been telling Kripke?" Amy said in a persuasive tone.

Bernadette swallowed, desperately trying to think of a way out of the mess she had created. She looked at Penny who shook her head ever so slightly. She couldn't take it anymore. She could feel Amy's look piercing her.

"This is why Howard should never tell me anything!" Bernadette exclaimed before turning to face Amy. Penny looked at her with a frantic look in her eyes.

"Sheldon told Kripke that he and you were engaging in regular intercourse." Bernadette spat out the words and turned to grab her glass of wine.

"He told him what?!" Amy exclaimed as she felt anger rise inside of her.

"Amy, please calm down. It's been a long time since then." Penny said in a calming voice as she placed a hand on Amy's arm, trying to calm her down and somehow avoid this night from turning into a blood bath. Amy looked from Bernadette to Penny and down on her arm.

"What exactly did he say?" Amy asked in a dangerously low voice as she began breathing heavily.

"Nothi…" Penny was interrupted by Bernadette.

"He told him that his work was suffering because of his many intimate encounters with you." Bernadette said in a frantic voice. The truth was out there, and she couldn't hold it back no more.

Penny turned to face Bernadette, the look in her eyes was screaming. "Seriously?!"

Amy got up from her seat, quickly followed by Penny. "Where are you going?" She asked nervously.

"To talk to Sheldon, of course. Did you think that I would let this pass just like that?" Amy said in an angry voice.

"Come on, Amy, let's talk this over. I understand that you are angry, you have every right to be, but nothing good is going to come from you talking to Sheldon now. Believe me sweetie, when you are that angry you aren't thinking clearly." Penny said in a desperate attempt to keep Amy in her apartment.

"I will be the judge of that." Amy said in a low voice. She turned on her heels and marched over to the apartment door. She swung it opened and marched across the hall to the apartment door of 4A.

She almost kicked the door open and stepped inside. The guys were deeply engulfed in their gaming as none of them seemed to have noticed her.

"Sheldon Cooper, I hope your mother have been praying for you lately, because believe me you are going to need it!" Amy said in a high and furious voice. That seemed to jolt Sheldon and the others out of their trance. Leonard paused the game and looked at Amy with a frown just as Penny and Bernadette came running into the apartment behind Amy.

Sheldon looked at Amy in confusion. "What on earth is going on?" He asked in an irritated voice. He hated to be interrupted in the middle of a game.

Amy squinted her eyes at him and crossing her arms over her chest she said.

"Do you mind explaining to me what you have been telling Kripke about us?!" She said in a threatening voice. Sheldon's expression turned from confusion to shock. He swallowed and opened his mouth but nothing came out so he closed it again.

"I'm afraid I don't know what you are talking about." He finally mustered to say.

"Oh really? Is that so? Well then I suggest that you use that remarkable eidetic memory of yours, Dr. Cooper!"

Sheldon had never seen Amy that angry. It was terrifying.

Penny walked in front of Amy, now standing between her and Sheldon, and putting her arms out she said.

"Look, perhaps you should take this discussion to my apartment?"

Amy looked from Penny to the open door. Then she pointed a finger at Sheldon and pointed back at the door and said. "Right now!" Before she marched out of the apartment.

Sheldon didn't move. He looked around and realized that everyone was looking at him.

"What are you waiting for, Sheldon?" Penny said in an angry whisper. "Get your ass across that hall!"

Sheldon placed his joystick on the coffee table and slowly got up from his spot. He took one last look at everyone around him; they were still staring at him in shock. He looked at the door, swallowed and made his way out of the apartment. As he was crossing the hall he tried to keep a straight face. He made it through the open door of apartment 4B and turning to slowly close the door behind him he said.

"What is this about, Amy?"

Amy was standing in the middle of the room with her arms crossed over her chest and a piercing look in her eyes.

"Don't play dumb with me, Sheldon. You know exactly what I am talking about!" Amy exclaimed.

Sheldon swallowed and look down at the floor, not saying anything.

"How could you tell Kripke that we are having intercourse?!" Amy was getting angrier by the second. "Why?! Why would you say that?!"

Still nothing. Silent moments went by. Finally Amy broke the silence. "Well?" She said impatiently.

Sheldon slowly looked up at her. Clearing his throat he said. "It is true that I have told Kripke that. But in my defense I would like to state that I had very valid reasons to do so."

Amy looked at him in surprise. "Please do tell. What valid reasons could you possibly have for such a cruel lie?" She asked in anger.

Sheldon cleared his throat again. He felt warm and very uncomfortable. He still couldn't believe that they were having this conversation.

"Well, as you know, Kripke and I were forced to work together for a short period of time. We exchanged papers and when it became clear to me that Kripke's work was much more advanced compared to mine I prepared myself for humiliation, but then Kripke offered me a way out by suggesting that my work suffered do to extensive sessions of coitus with you. So naturally I took it and agreed that that was truly the reason why my work was lacking." He said in matter-of-factly. Surely that explanation would cause her to calm down and realize that it was all a misunderstanding.

Amy couldn't believe it. How could he say what he was saying and still be so calm? Had he no idea how wrong it was?

"Sheldon, how could you possibly think that a lie like that is even remotely all right to tell?" She asked, completely confused.

"It was better than the alternative." Sheldon said, looking at her as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Amy held a hand up. "Hold on. So you told that lie just in order to not look bad in front of Kripke?" She asked in a low voice.

Sheldon let out a relieved sigh and said. "Yes, exactly."

"So you told that lie without any concern as to how it would affect me just to avoid having to admit that Kripke did something better than you? You told him intimate details about our non-existing physical relationship just to save face?" Amy's voice never rose to more than a small whisper.

Anyone else would have seen the warning signs. Anyone else would have known to retreat, to back down while they still had the chance. Anyone else would have noticed the indicators that Amy Farrah Fowler was about to explode. Anyone else but Sheldon.

He simply nodded and said. "Yes."

That was enough.

"What the hell, Sheldon?!" Amy jelled causing Sheldon to flinch in shock. He looked at her with a surprised look on his face unable to speak.

"Do you have any idea how hurtful that is?! How humiliating it is?!" Amy continued her wrath. She could see his Adam's apple bob as he swallowed.

"I fail to see how this affects you? I lied about an activity that we don't even perform to one of my co-workers. And seeing that said activity isn't going to happen in the foreseeable future then any part of my lie involving you can't be a source of humiliation, because it simply never happened." He said, his voice now revealing his nervousness.

"But everyone thinks that it happened, that's the point! And that is humiliating, Sheldon! And how could you possibly think that telling that lie wouldn't affect me?! I am a noted scientist but you have reduced me to nothing but dirty jokes that fly around amongst low-lives like Kripke. This is completely unacceptable, Sheldon!" Amy was furious. She was frustrated. She felt like grabbing Sheldon and shaking him until he realized his mistake.

"You have to tell him the truth." Amy said after a while of silence. Sheldon looked at her in complete horror. She couldn't seriously ask him to do that? Amy looked him dead in the eye. She was serious.

"I hardly think so." Sheldon said, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I believe we have reached an impasse." Amy said in a dark tone of voice. Sheldon felt a sensation of fear slowly sneaking up on him. He swallowed hard and held Amy's gaze.

"I believe you are overreacting." He said.

Amy felt like someone had dropped a big stone inside her stomach. She found it difficult to breathe as her throat constricted. She looked at him. If he was indeed unable to see his mistake, then she could possibly have forgiven him. If he really didn't know how hurtful that lie had been, then she could possibly have explained it to him. If he really couldn't see any wrong in his actions, then she could possibly have let it go.

But she could tell that he knew he had done a bad thing. She could tell that he knew that lie had been over the line. She knew that this wasn't a confused and lost Sheldon. This was simply Sheldon being stubborn, refusing to admit his mistake; both to her and to himself.

She pressed her lips closely together, as she made up her mind. She looked down at her shoes. This was it, this time she wouldn't let it go. She wouldn't accept a hollow explanation or half-hearted apology. No, this time he would have to be the one to do the talking and explaining; to realize his mistake, to swallow his pride and fix it. She looked back up at him, his arms still crossed over his chest and that look of stubbornness and pride still in his eyes.

Then she slowly uncrossed her own arms and turned to take her jacket and purse. She put on her jacket and swung her purse over her shoulder, quickly checking her watch.

"Where are you going?" Sheldon asked in confusion.

Amy turned back to face him. Then she took a few long steps in his direction until she was standing right in front of him, never letting go of his gaze.

"The time is now 8.30pm. Sheldon, you have exactly 48 hours to fix this. You are going to tell Kripke the truth, admit your mistake and apologize to me for what you have done. In person. Or else I am terminating our relationship." She said in a stern tone, although she couldn't help her voice from shaking a little at that last comment.

Sheldon slowly uncrossed his arms and looked down at her with a frown. The sensation of fear now came rolling over him in waves.

"Are you threatening me?" He asked in a small voice.

"No Sheldon, this is a promise."

And with that Amy stepped passed him and placed her hand on the doorknob, but before she could open the door Sheldon stopped her by placed a hand on her arm. She looked up at him, his face had hardened.

"If you are waiting for me to come clean to Kripke and apologize for something that never took place, then you are going to wait in vain." He said in the calmest voice he could muster at this point.

Amy looked down at his hand as an expression of hurt quickly made its way over her face. Then her face hardened and she slowly looked up and meet his gaze.

"48 hours, Sheldon."

And with that she was gone, leaving Sheldon with nothing but the sound of the door slamming behind her echoing in his mind.

*Dun Dun Duuuuun*

How do you like my plot-twist? Let me know.

Oh, and to the Shamy-shippers: *Jumps behind imaginary shield and waves a white flag* SORRY! But have faith. I am a Shamy-shipper myself.

That been said, it is going to be a bumpy and emotional ride from now on, so hold on to your feels, people.

Please leave a review, let me explore those brilliant thoughts of yours, I am truly curious as to what you think.

Until next time, dear readers:

Live long and ship hard!