Chapter 6

I own nothing, The Big Bang Theory and everything in it belongs to Chuck Lorre and Bil Prady (May they forever reign).

Hello my lovely, loyal and patient readers! I am so sorry for the delay, I know this chapter is long overdue, but it has been really difficult to write! To reward your patience I have good news: I will post 2 new chapters! This chapter got really long, over 20 pages, so I divided it into two, I hope this will ease your anger ;)

Now, the Shamy-feelings are increasing, hold on to your feels. With no further ado: ENJOY!

Amy's mouth fell open and a nervous feeling settled in her stomach. She stared at Penny who was looking back at her with a frantic look in her eyes. A thought suddenly presented itself. Amy shut her mouth as a gasp left her lips.

"Did you call her?" She asked in a judging tone of voice. Penny held her hands out and shook her head vigorously.

"No! Of course not!" She said frantically.

"Leonard then?" Amy asked curiously. Penny shook her head again.

"No, no one called her. She called Sheldon earlier and told him that she was in town for a few days and coming over to visit him. Something about a road trip or seminar or something with her prayer group." Penny explained, the frantic look never leaving her face as she began pacing. Amy furrowed her brows, her mind working in highest gear.

"Well then… How does that have anything to do with me?" She asked with confusion. Penny stopped her pacing and looked at her with a look of disbelief.

"It has everything to do with you!" She said, stepping closer to Amy. "It's true that Sheldon's mom has no idea about what has happened between you and Sheldon, but if she comes and you are not there, how long do you think Sheldon is going to be able to hold up before he breaks and tells her everything?"

Amy swallowed, feeling the nervous sensation spreading to the rest of her body. Penny stepped even closer and grabbed her shoulders, forcing Amy to look her in the eyes.

"Look, I know I can be intrusive and curious, but imagine having Sheldon's mother on your case. I mean, I guess you want him to understand his mistake and fix it, right?" Amy nodded slowly. "Well, if she finds out about what happened, then she is just going to sit you both down and force Sheldon to apologize and you to forgive him. Is that what you want?"

Amy swallowed again as she slowly shook her head. Penny let go of her shoulders and pointed in the direction of Amy's bedroom.

"Then you seriously have to get in there, change your clothes and let's go." Penny ordered in a stern voice. Amy didn't move. She just kept staring at Penny with big eyes.

Sheldon's mother was coming. And she had to go over there, she had to sit with Sheldon, talk to Sheldon and act like nothing was wrong. How was she ever going to make it?

Penny jolted her back to reality with three loud claps of her hands.

"Chop chop, Amy! Clothes, shoes, jacket and let's get the hell out of here before that boyfriend of yours ruins everything with his ridiculous inability to lie!"

Amy exhaled quickly and turning on her heels she made a beeline to her bedroom. She swung her wardrobe open as she quickly pulled out a skirt, a cardigan, a shirt and tights.

Moments after she was dressed and after grabbing her jacket and purse she and Penny rushed out the door.

"How long before she gets here?" Amy asked nervously as she turned to lock her door.

"Any minute now." Penny said in a frantic tone as they started walking down the hall.

They finally reached Penny's car.

"So, here's the plan." Penny said as she slowly pulled into traffic. "We are all going to act like nothing happened. Just go there, sit next to Sheldon, eat some food, have some small talk with his mother and then excuse yourself. Tell her you need to get up early or something. Just act normal and hopefully everything will run smoothly, okay?"

Amy looked out her window and nodded with a heavy sigh.

"You okay?" Penny asked in a more soft voice. Amy didn't look at her, but simply nodded again.

The rest of the car ride went by in silence. Finally Penny pulled up to the apartment building and killed the engine. Amy unfastened her seatbelt and went to open the car door, but Penny stopped her by placing a hand on her arm.

"Amy, hold on." She said in a low voice. Amy turned in her seat and looked at Penny, who was looking back at her with sad eyes.

"I know what is going on. I know why you aren't talking to me." Penny said. Amy didn't respond, instead she looked down at her hands.

"I am so sorry, Amy. I have been a crappy friend, of course I should have told you the moment I found out about what Sheldon had been telling Kripke. I mean, if Leonard ever pulled anything like that and you found out, you would probably break his nose like you did with that TSA agent." Penny said in an attempt to make Amy smile. It didn't work. Amy kept her eyes fixated on her hands and her lips pressed together. Another moment went by.

"I don't understand why." Amy finally said, eyes still cast down. "Why would you keep something like that from me? What can I possibly have done to deserve to be treated like that? I mean, you are supposed to be my friend, but I guess labelling us as "friends" is a mistake."

Penny let out a long sigh. "You have done nothing, Amy. You are great and I'm lucky to have you as my friend. And I do want us to be labelled friends." Penny said in a pleading voice, but Amy was still not meeting her look.

"Amy you mean a lot to me, and I would hate to lose you as a friend. I made a horrible mistake, I know, and I promise that it will never happen again. I guess I was just telling myself that whatever Sheldon was doing was harmless, but of course it wasn't. You don't deserve to be treated like that, and I can't tell you how sorry I am. I understand if you never want to talk to me again, but just know that I am really really sorry. And I just hope that you will consider forgiving me." Penny said in a more persistent tone of voice as she grabbed Amy's hand and squeezed it. Amy swallowed and slowly looked up to meet Penny's eyes.

"This is hard enough without feeling that your best friend is betraying you." She said in a low voice.

"I know, sweetie, believe me I do. And I feel terrible. I feel like the lousiest person alive for not doing anything about it and for hurting your feelings like that. I can't even imagine how hard this is for you. Just know that even if you don't forgive me I am always on your side. You can count on me." Penny said giving Amy's hand another squeeze. Amy looked down and nodded before retracting her hand and getting out of the car. With a deep sigh Penny did the same thing.

They walked up the stairs in silence. As they reached the second floor, Amy stopped. Penny turned to face her with a small frown. Amy took a deep breath.

"I forgive you, Penny." She said in a determined voice. Penny's eyes widened as she slowly opened and closed her mouth, not saying anything.

"You may not realize it, but during these last days I have felt more than just betrayed. It felt like all those times during my childhood and adolescence when I was constantly made a fool of and hurt by people who claimed to be my friends. It makes it hard to trust people. But you are the first one to actually apologize and mean it, so I guess that makes you a friend. And I guess I'm willing to take the risk." Amy said before letting out a deep breath.

"Oh Amy." Penny said in a shaky voice before she stepped over to Amy and wrapped her arms around her in a tight embrace. Amy swallowed and returned the hug. "I am so sorry, Ames. And I am so happy that you are my friend."

Amy couldn't say anything so she simply nodded at Penny's shoulder. They stood like that for another moment before Penny took a step back and smiled.

"Come on, we better get going, we still got two flats of stairs to kill."

And with that they continued ascending the stairs.

"Sheldon, calm down." Leonard said in a stern voice for the hundredth time that evening, but it had no effect. Sheldon kept pacing the living room with a terrified look on his face, his breathing increasing with every step. It reminded Leonard of the time he got his World of Warcraft account stolen, and he wondered if they had any paper bags in the apartment that Sheldon could use to breathe into.

"How can I possibly calm down, Leonard? My mother will be here any minute and Penny promised to bring Amy here but it will seem that she has failed to do so. What am I going to do?" Sheldon said in a single breathe. He inhaled quickly and began wringing his hands . "I knew it, I knew she would never agree to come here. This is a nightmare." Sheldon suddenly stopped his pacing and turned to face Leonard who was unpacking the take-out dinner he had brought home.

"I can't do it, Leonard. I can't lie to my mother. If Amy doesn't come this whole thing is going to turn into a Christian intervention! Oh dear lord, if my mother finds out about Kripke she is going to send me to Sunday school!" He said, his voice growing higher and higher with each syllable.

Leonard looked at him with an understanding frown. This was really an unfortunate situation, but Sheldon had to calm down. If Mrs. Cooper saw him like that, then they were all going to be sent to Sunday school.

"Look, I am sure Amy will be here. Just give it a minute." He said in an attempt to calm Sheldon down a little, but he felt nervous himself as he glanced at his watch.

Sheldon just looked at him with wide eyes as his Adam's apple bopped and he swallowed hard. Suddenly someone knocked on the door, causing Sheldon to yelp in surprise as a look of horror crossed his face. Leonard swallowed and slowly walking over to the door he asked.

"Who is it?"

"It's us, hurry up! Open the door." Penny's familiar voice made it through the closed door, and Leonard quickly opened the door allowing the two women to step into the apartment.

"Is she here?" Penny whispered glancing around the apartment.

"No, she's not here yet." Leonard answered and shooting a small smile in Amy's direction he made his way back to the kitchen, resuming his preparations of the food. Amy was looking just as nervous as Sheldon. They were standing far from each other in each end of the living room; Amy near the door and Sheldon near the kitchen table. Both of them were looking anywhere else but at each other. Penny stood in the middle looking at both of them. She cleared her throat.

"Okay, not to ruin the ambiance, but that kind of behavior is just screaming: Something's going on. SO! Amy, go stand next to Sheldon." She said in a commanding voice. Amy looked at her shaking her head. Penny sighed heavily.

"Come on, just do it! We don't have a lot of time, Sheldon's mom can be here any minute now. So you two have to use this time before she comes to, you know, get used to faking it."

Amy looked down but didn't move for another moment. Finally she let out a long breath and quickly made her way over to Sheldon, standing next to him, still looking down.

"Okay, guys, you still look like Spock and that Khan-dude standing next to each other."

Sheldon let out an exasperated sigh as Amy, Leonard and himself all looked at Penny with surprised faces. She frowned back at them.

"Honestly, you people talk about those things every day, I listen. Get over it. Now you two, look at each other. You have to do it when Sheldon's mom arrives." She said in a demanding tone.

Sheldon looked down at his feet and slowly moved his eyes to look at Amy, who was still not looking at him. After another moment Amy finally raised her gaze to meet Sheldon's eyes. He swallowed as their eyes met as he suddenly realized how long it had been since she had looked at him. And he had missed it. He deduced a hint of sadness in her eyes, something he hadn't seen before. But he did feel a familiar calmness envelope him in that moment.

Amy looked at Sheldon. It felt familiar and alien all at the same time. His calm face seemed to give the expression that nothing was wrong, but Amy had figured out a long time ago that Sheldon didn't show emotions like that. It's true what they say: The eyes are the window to the soul. And his eyes told her that everything was not all right. Was he sad? Or just nervous? Whatever it was, Amy didn't get a chance to find out as a knock on the door jolted them both back to reality. They looked at the door at the same time as Penny went over to open it with a hint of smile on her lips.

Shortly after they all heard the familiar voice of Mrs. Cooper breaking through the apartment that just moments before had been an oasis of silence.

"Hello, darlin'! How are you?" She said as she gave Penny a big hug. Penny's smile widened as she said. "Hi Mrs. Cooper! It's so good to see you again." She stepped aside to allow Mrs. Cooper to step in. She spotted Sheldon and putting down a bag she quickly made her way over to him with open arms.

"Hi baby!" She said in a happy voice before her tiny frame swung her arms around her son in a tight hug. Sheldon responded her hug by bending over and padding her on the back.

"Hello mother." He said as she released him from the embrace holding him at arm's length. "Look at you, haven't changed a bit since I last saw you." She said with an admiring look in her eyes.

"Hello Mrs. Cooper." Leonard said from beside Sheldon as he reached to give her a handshake. She looked at his hand and said.

"Oh don't be silly, Leonard. Get yourself over here." She said and gave him a quick hug. Leonard hugged her back with that big smile of admiration that always accompanied any of Mrs. Coopers visits. She then turned her attention to Amy who was still standing next to Sheldon.

"And how have you been, Amy?" She asked with a smile as she stepped over to her and pulled Amy into a bear hug. Amy tentatively returned the hug with a small smile.

"Very good, thank you." She said politely.

"I hope you are hungry, Mrs. Cooper, dinner is ready." Leonard said as he carried the food over to the coffee table. Penny, Sheldon and Amy all turned towards the kitchen eager to help out.

Mrs. Cooper grabbed Amy's hand and began pulling her towards the couch.

"Oh let them do that, how about you and I have a talk? Lord knows I haven't seen or spoken to you for ages!" She said as she led Amy to sit down on her regular spot, sitting next to her. Amy could feel her heart pounding and her mouth dry out. She shot a glance towards Sheldon who was looking at her with wide eyes. She quickly turned her attention to Mrs. Cooper, if she kept looking at Sheldon she would be too nervous. Amy smiled at Mrs. Cooper in order to veil her nervousness. It seemed to work as Mrs. Cooper returned her smile and said.

"I remember last time you and I had a chat. It was back when you and Shelly had that little misunderstanding. It's hard to forget that strong smell of 25 cats all cramped together like that in a tiny room."

Amy felt a bit sad at the memory. Things had seemed simpler then; how times change.

"Yes, I do believe you are right. That stench was indeed a disgrace to one's olfactory senses." She said matter-of-factly with a little nod. Mrs. Cooper looked at her for a moment, not saying anything, a mildly confused look on her face and her mouth open ever so slightly. She finally cleared her throat and said.

"Now, Sheldon tells me that you poke in human brains for a living? How is that working for ya?"

Amy furrowed her brows. She sincerely doubted that Sheldon had explained her job as "poking brains". She cleared her throat.

"Yes, I am a neurobiologist, so I do spend a lot of time slicing brains. Uhm… it's working very well, it's a very exciting field." Amy said with a faint smile.

Mrs. Cooper nodded her head and raised her brows.

"And why exactly do you do that?" She asked leaning closer. Amy looked at her with a confused look.

"Uh… I'm sorry. Why do I do what?" She asked.

"Why do you slice in brains? Shelly keeps telling me how his science nonsense is eventually going to disprove the existence of our Lord and savior. Now is this neurobiology thing of yours also going to do that or is there any sense to it?" Mrs. Cooper asked with a friendly smile. Amy's confusion was total. Mrs. Cooper's warm smile mixed with her somewhat condescending and threatening question rendered Amy completely speechless.

"Dear lord, mother. As I have told you countless times before, it is not nonsense. My work is of utter most importance for the future of the human race and its understanding of the universe we live in. And quite frankly, one does not need science to know that the existence of God is nothing but hokum."

Sheldon surprised them both as he suddenly was standing next to Amy with two glasses in his hands. He was looking at his mother with raised brows and an exhausted look on his face. Mrs. Cooper pressed her lips tightly together and met her son's gaze with a hard look.

"Now Shelly, we have had this discussion many times before, but to call the existence of the Good Lord hokum is not something I'm prepared to accept. Don't think I won't smack your grown behind silly; I'll jerk a knot in your tail right here, right now." She said in a stern voice. Sheldon swallowed but held his mother's gaze. Amy was feeling more than uncomfortable sitting right in the middle of this stare-down from hell. Mrs. Cooper and Sheldon stayed like that for another minute before Sheldon finally looked down at his shoes. With a firm nod, Mrs. Cooper returned her attention to Amy.

"I'm sorry dear, but sometimes this son of mine needs some tough love before he learns not to sass his mother." She said in a more happy voice. Amy nodded and before she knew it, Mrs. Cooper grabbed her hand and said.

"I thank our Lord that he found you." Amy didn't know how to respond, looking into the admiring eyes of Mrs. Cooper. She swallowed and tried to smile. Mrs. Cooper returned her smile and turned her attention to Sheldon.

"Shelly, you're a lucky man. You have found yourself an intelligent, understanding and beautiful woman." She said with a wide smile, squeezing Amy's hand tightly. Amy felt her cheeks grow warm and she cast her eyes down to her hands, who were now fiddling with the hem of her skirt.

"That she is."

Amy didn't know what surprised her the most, the fact that Sheldon had just said what he said or the low, warm and almost sad tone he had said it in. She looked up from her hands but was met by Sheldon's back. He had placed the two glasses on the table and was making his way to the kitchen. For some reason she wanted him to turn around. To look at her. But he simply walked over to the refrigerator, opening it and not meeting her look. Amy felt her heart growing heavier; this whole situation was beginning to eat her up from the inside. All she wanted to do at that moment was to rush out of the apartment and go home. She just wanted to be alone. She wanted to sort out her feelings, who were now rushing through her in one big undefinable blur. Penny's voice brought her back to reality.

"Hey, Ames, can you give me a hand over here?" Penny asked in a high pitch voice. Amy turned to Mrs. Cooper and excused herself before making her way to the kitchen, standing next to Penny, who was seemingly mixing a salad.

Penny looked down at the salad as she spoke.

"It's going well, I don't think she is suspecting anything. But you almost blew it with that sad puppy face of yours a couple of moments ago." Penny said in an almost commanding tone of voice. Amy nodded her head slowly, and swallowing she said.

"I know, I'll try to keep my feelings at bay. I just found it hard at that moment."

Penny turned to face her. She handed her the bowl of salad, and as Amy took it from her, Penny placed her hands on top of hers and looked her in the eyes.

"Almost done, Ames. Hang in there. I don't know if it means anything but Leonard just told me how Sheldon was a nerve wreck earlier, but when you came he just… relaxed. He calmed down. You did that." She said with an encouraging smile. Amy answered her smile with a small one of her own and a nod. Penny let go of her hands and gave her a small nudge. Amy took a deep breath and made her way back to the coffee table.

The dinner went by smoothly and conversation was flowing easily. Penny made sure to ask as many questions about Mrs. Cooper's excursion with her prayer group as possible, thus attempting to prevent the conversation to turn to Sheldon and Amy. Mrs. Cooper was clearly very excited about her current religious adventure, since she took every opportunity to talk about it in vivid details.

Sheldon was doing his best to be as chatty as usual in order to not reveal anything, and the same went for Amy. She smiled politely, ate her food as fast as she could, asked relevant questions and explained some of her work regarding addiction to Mrs. Cooper as patiently as possible.

As everyone was finishing eating and dinner was reaching its end, Amy prepared herself to leave. She shot a glance in the direction of Penny, who responded her look with a tiny nod. Amy rose from her seat and with an apologetic smile she said.

"Well, it was really nice to see you again, Mrs. Cooper, but you'll have to excuse me. I have a lot of work to do and I have to get up early tomorrow, so I better get going."

Mrs. Cooper put her plate down and stood up with a surprised look on her face.

"Oh, dear lord in heaven, I almost forgot! You are going to enjoy this, Shelly!" She said as she quickly went to retrieve her small bag. "Meemaw and I baked you that Pecan pie you love so much!" She said, eagerly pulling out a big Tupperware from inside the bag. Sheldon put his plate down and looked at his mother with nothing less than fascination. Mrs. Cooper smiled at the sight of Sheldon's admiring look before turning her attention to Amy.

"Now, dear, surely you are going to stay and eat a piece of pie with us?" She asked as she made her way to the kitchen, opening the Tupperware and Leonard hurried to assist her, pulling out plates. Amy looked at Penny who returned her look with wide eyes. She then turned to Sheldon who was looking up at her with a peculiar look in his eyes. Was it a look of hopeful anticipation? Did he want her to stay? She pressed her lips together and returned her focus to Mrs. Cooper who was now dividing pieces of pie on the plates that Leonard was putting out. Amy took her purse and said.

"I wish I could, Sheldon has told me a lot about your famous Pecan pie, but I really must be going." She said and shot Mrs. Cooper a small smile. Mrs. Cooper returned her smile and sighed.

"Ah well, I would hate to keep you from your work." It felt like there was a hint of something in Mrs. Cooper's voice, but Amy was unable to place it. She didn't know what to do, so Amy just looked down, shifting her weight from one foot to another.

"But I will not allow you to leave before you take some pie home with you. You are not going to deny me that, are you?" Mrs. Cooper said in a friendly tone, causing Amy to look up and meet her eyes. She was met with a heartwarming smile as Mary Cooper's skilled hands quickly packed a piece of pie into the tin foil that Leonard handed her. Amy loosened up a little and returning the smile she walked over to the kitchen counter.

"Of course not, Mrs. Cooper." Amy said. Mrs. Cooper walked around the counter and met her. Handing her the tinfoil package, she opened her arms and pulled Amy into a hug. Amy returned the hug as Mrs. Cooper said. "It was so nice to see you again, Amy. All though I would have wished that we could've had a little chat, it's been so long. But I am still in town for the next couple of days, if the Lord pleases it then we might meet up before I leave."

Amy swallowed and said. "Sure, that sounds good. It was really nice seeing you again too, Mrs. Cooper."

Mrs. Cooper sighed and released her from the hug, but still holding her at arm's length. She caught Amy's eyes and held her gaze.

"Everything is going to be just fine and all will be solved." Mrs. Cooper said in a soothing voice. Amy suddenly felt her heartbeat elevate and her mouth grow dry. "Now, you just remember that the Lord never gives us anything that we can't handle."

Amy's eyes quickly darted from Mrs. Cooper to Sheldon. Leonard was handing out the pie amongst the group, and no one seemed to notice the subdued conversation between Mrs. Cooper and Amy. In that exact moment Sheldon put his plate down and looked up, meeting her eyes. Amy swallowed hard as a wave of emotions rolled over her. In that instant she just felt like canceling it. Calling it all off. To just sit next to Sheldon, talk to him and be with him like she used to before that dreadful evening. She wasn't sure what had caused her emotions to emerge; Mrs. Cooper's words or seeing Sheldon sitting there between the rest of the group without her with that look in his eyes.

She quickly jolted her head back to look at Mrs. Cooper, who was still looking at her. Amy knew that her attention had only been averted for less than a second, even though it felt like forever to her. She inhaled slowly, unsure what to say. Mrs. Cooper squeezed Amy's shoulders and said. "Whatever important work you are doing, I pray that it will pass by easily." Amy swallowed again and shot Mrs. Cooper a faint smile, feeling her heart slow down a little.

"Thank you, Mrs. Cooper, I'm sure it will." Amy said in a low voice. After another moment Mrs. Cooper let go of Amy's shoulders and made her way back to the kitchen. Amy grabbed her jacket from Sheldon's office chair and turned to face the rest of the group, who were now deeply engulfed in eating the delicious pie.

"Well, goodnight all." She said courtly as she took the first step towards the door. She was met by small farewells from around the table. Suddenly Mrs. Cooper cleared her throat incredible loud, causing everyone to look at her and Amy to stop dead in her path.

"Shelly, what do we do when we have a guest that's leaving?" She said in a stern voice, looking at Sheldon with a hard look. Sheldon returned her look and slowly put down his plate.

"We walk them to the door." He said in a low voice, getting up and slowly making his way over to Amy.

"And when that guest is a lady and it's dark outside, what do we do?" Mrs. Cooper asked as she cut the rest of the pie.

"We follow her to her car." Sheldon said, looking down at his shoes as he put on his jacket.

"No, really, it's fine Mrs. Cooper. Besides, I didn't drive over here, I am just taking the bus. No need to walk me anywhere." Amy said in a dismissive manner. From the corner of her eye she could see Sheldon looking at her.

"Nonsense, Amy. I sure as shooting didn't raise Shelly without manners. No son of mine is gonna let his girlfriend wander around the streets of this city of heathens after dark by herself. He will follow you to the bus and make sure that you get on board safe and sound, and that is final." Mary Cooper said in her sternest voice, causing both Sheldon and Amy to take a step back and close their mouth. Amy quickly caught Penny's eyes who returned her look with a small smile. With a deep breathe Amy turned around to find Sheldon already standing by the door holding it open for her. With a last tiny smile to Mrs. Cooper, Amy slowly made her way past Sheldon and out the door. She waited until Sheldon closed the door behind them and together they began descending the stairs.

Sheldon could feel his heart racing in his chest. His palms were getting clammy and his mouth felt like the inside of a sandpit. Normally he didn't mind silence, especially when he was with Amy. They had always been able to enjoy each others company in the most blissful and comfortable silence, he had never experienced anything like it. But there was absolutely nothing comfortable about the suffocating silence between them as they rounded the first flat of stairs.

Amy's nervousness increased with every step. She kept fighting the urge to simply run down the stairs and escape this whole situation. The tension between them was so thick that you could cut through it with a spoon. Suddenly the four flats of stairs felt like an eternal descending, swirling vortex of unanswered questions and awkwardness. She didn't dare to look at him so she kept her eyes on her feet and her hands tightly grasped around the strap of her purse as the steps disappeared under her feet and they rounded another flat of stairs.

Sheldon looked at Amy as they began descending the third flat of stair. She was looking down, causing her hair to fall from her shoulders and cover most her face. He couldn't read her expression since he could only see very little of her face, but from her body language Sheldon deducted that she might just be as nervous as he was. He cleared his throat as silently as possible, but due to the complete silence between them he might as well had fired of a gun. Amy looked up, meeting his eyes; she still had an illegible look on her face. They both slowed down simultaneously, almost halting halfway down the stairs. Sheldon looked at her for a little while before opening his mouth, but no words seemed to emerge. Amy raised a brow, but Sheldon simply closed his mouth again looking back at her with wide eyes. After another moment he looked down at his shoes and shook his head. And so they continued their torturous walk down the stairs.

What was that about? Amy had a hard time figure out the look on Sheldon's face. Was he planning on saying something? She felt her heart beat faster. She was exhausted and confused, the last thing she needed was a confrontation about the miserable state of their relationship. Not now, not here, not like this.

Suddenly Amy felt her foot slip on the step underneath her and the unmistakable falling sensation hit her causing panic to arise as she desperately grasped for anything to keep her from falling. She immediately felt Sheldon grabbing her hand and placing himself behind her, supporting her with his other hand on her back. With his help, Amy was able to quickly regain her balance. She looked up at him and he met her look with sincere concern.

"Are you all right? Are you hurt?" He asked in a worried tone. The irony of his questions did not go by Amy unnoticed. Was she all right? Well after the fall that almost happened that easily could have broken her clavicle or leg she was fine, she was still alive. But that about summed up her state of "all right". She was the saddest she had ever been, she had rarely felt this emotionally drained and she was looking into the eyes of the man that only days before had made her happier than she had ever been, but who was now causing her the worst pain imaginable. Was she hurt? Words couldn't even begin to describe it.

But of course that was not what he was asking her. Amy held Sheldon's gaze another moment before breaking it and looking back down at her shoes as she slowly shook her head. Sheldon swallowed hard and became very aware of the placement of his hands. He slowly retracted his hands from her with a small nod. After a minute that felt like a year they slowly resumed their walk down the stairs. As they reached the lobby Sheldon went over and opened the door for her. Stepping outside the apartment building felt like waking up from a dream. The sounds of people talking, cars driving by, dogs barking and the wind lazily drifting by hit them both like a sudden explosion. Amy took a deep breath and relished the feeling of fresh air in her lungs; it cleared her mind for a second and helped her relax a little. Sheldon walked next to her, feeling both relieved to be outside and yet still ill at ease by the unpleasant tension between himself and Amy.

The walk over to the bus stop was short and silent. Since they had arrived at their destination safely there was surely no reason for Sheldon to stay. Amy turned to him, but Sheldon gave absolutely no impression to go away. Then she remembered Mrs. Cooper's words:

"He will follow you to the bus and make sure that you get on board safe and sound, and that is final"

She sighed and looking at her watch she turned to look after the bus. They were early, the bus wouldn't be there before at least another five minutes. Sheldon stood a little away, shifting his weight from one foot to another. He looked up at the sky. No stars. Sheldon liked looking at the stars, it brought him a certain level of calmness the way he could use them for directions, the way they shined and sparkled, the way he, if he brought his neck back far enough, could emerge himself completely in the night sky; it was an almost intoxicating feeling and he would sometimes get completely dizzy just standing there under the stars. He had spent many hours as a child looking at stars whenever the world stopped making sense to him. When his parents were fighting, when no one understood him, when he felt like a freak, when he felt like he could do nothing right, the stars had always been there. In a world of chaos they were structured, in a world of darkness they were light. But it would seem that the stars weren't going to offer him any comfort tonight. He sighed and looked over at Amy. She was now standing and looking up at the night sky herself. She slowly looked down from the starless sky and met his eyes.

Sheldon hesitated for a moment before he stepped closer to her. He swallowed hard and took another step.

"Amy…" He began but for some reason he couldn't say anything more, it was almost like the words refused to leave his throat. He opened and closed his mouth a couple of times, still speechless. Finally he took a deep breath and said.

"Thank you. For agreeing to meet my mother tonight, I do recognize that as a very generous act on your part, given our current situation."

Amy pressed her lips tightly together as she watched him struggle to get the words over his lips, but his words and expression left no doubt in her heart that he was being sincere. She didn't know what to say. She hadn't spoken to him for what felt like a century, even though it was simply a couple of days. Perhaps no words would do. Pressing her lips more tightly together she gave him a small nod. She immediately recognized the rather hurt and confused look that appeared in his eyes at her non-verbal response. Remembering what Mrs. Cooper had said earlier, she decided to utter a couple of words. There was no reason to set all rules of proper manners a side. Despite their indifferences they could at least still act civil. She swallowed and said.

"You're welcome."

Sheldon's expression lightened a little before he slowly nodded his head, just as the bus made its way down the road heading in their direction. Amy reached into her purse and dug out a small amount of change for the bus ride as Sheldon just stood there, watching her. The bus finally arrived and the bus driver opened the door. By impulse Amy checked her watch before entering the bus and standing with one foot inside the bus and the other at the pavement she turned to meet Sheldon's eyes and said.

"23 hours and 30 minutes."

And with that she stepped into the bus, the door closing behind her in a swift motion.

Deep breathes, people. Deep breathes.

Okay, what do you think? As earlier mentioned, this is getting more emotional, and I am really curious to hear your opinion! Please leave a review, it fuels my writing and makes me one happy Shamy-shipper!

Until next time: Live long and ship hard!