A/N: Thank you all for your patience. It's been pretty crazy here of late with some health issues and extra shifts I'm working to cover for a colleague. I will try to update quicker when things chill out. In the meantime, enjoy.

Disclaimer: I don't own BBT but take a few of them out to play sometimes.

Back in California, Penny sat on her couch in her bathrobe and hair pulled up in a messy pony tail. Leonard was asleep in the bedroom, but she couldn't sleep after talking to Amy and Sheldon.

She made Amy a promise that she would put their friendship first instead of always looking out for Sheldon. It was hard because he was also one of her dearest friends, and she knew he felt the same way about her in return. She heard a joke or two over the years about how she and Sheldon would make a good couple so he could loosen up, but all she could do was think of incest.

Doctor Sheldon Cooper was an egotistical idiot who sometimes needed a filter for his damn mouth. However, he was also the guy who came running when she fell out of the shower and drove her to the hospital when he was scared to drive. He also loaned her money when she was broke and didn't pressure her to pay him back. It took her a few years but she finished paying him recently. He was blasé about it, but for her, it was a debt to be repaid and that's just what you did.

He was the one who snuck in her room and gave her something to think about when she was debating breaking up with Leonard. He wrapped his defending of Leonard into a science discussion on homeostasis, but she knew he was looking out for his best friend.

They could never be a couple. They would kill each other and she knew as fastidious and neat as he was, her clutter or laid back manner would kill him. Besides, his heart was never hers to obtain, as it was meant for Amy, just like hers was meant for the short, bespectacled scientist sleeping in her bed.

Did she interfere by calling Sheldon and Amy about the other's crisis? She didn't think so, but hoped she was right. She didn't want to lose two friends by sticking her nose where it didn't belong. She just wanted them to talk to each other. Hopefully Amy called him since she was stuck in Michigan and that Doctor Wackadoodle got his butt up north since she was reassured his Mee Maw was going to be all right without him for a few days.

Keeping her fingers crossed, she got up, turned off the light, and went back to bed.

At the airport, Amy grabbed her things from her car. Unfortunately, the long term parking only had outside spots left, so she was drenched by the time she got into the small terminal. She checked in her luggage and even her TSA exam went somewhat smoothly. She had no issues getting to her gate, so she sat down and relaxed for the first time in several hours. She was encouraged from her good luck until it was announced that her flight was delayed due to inclement weather and it was now scheduled to leave at 6:00 AM.

Amy was drifting off to sleep when she felt a buzz in her pocket. Perking up, she checked and saw it was two in the morning and that she didn't miss her flight. Desperate to stay awake, she went and bought a cup of tea from a nearby vendor. When she sat down and start to steep it, she saw what she picked out and sighed. Earl Grey. 'Of course I would'

After she got settled in, she checked her phone and saw there was an email from Sheldon. Noting the time, it was sent only a few minutes ago. Calculating time in Texas, she realized it was one o'clock there. 'Why on earth would he be up that late? Of course, Mee Maw. Probably still at the hospital. I hope she's going to be all right. Penny never told me what she was there for'

She read the succinct email's few words.

'I'm not good at hippy dippy things, but maybe what you hear from this will show you how I feel. Please download'

Sheldon

Amy downloaded the attachment. When she opened it, it went to her music app, which surprised her. Grabbing her ear buds, she plugged them into her phone, and then pushed play. When she started to listen, she was perplexed. When she continued to listen, she was stunned. When it concluded, she was emotional as a tear came down her face.

Words could not express what she was feeling. She was on her phone starting to text Penny about this update when she stopped suddenly. She then erased what she started and backed out of texting. What Sheldon sent her was incredibly personal and she knew how hard it must have been for him to do it. It also showed her that his time away has helped him. How much it helped him or if their relationship would survive past the pain he caused her these several weeks remained to be seen.

She managed to stay awake until around 4:00 AM when she drifted to sleep. She was awakened thirty minutes later when it was announced that her flight would be delayed again until 9:30 AM. She was tempted to leave, but she knew she may lose her spot in the long term lot and going to nearby Freeland or Saginaw wasn't worth the hassle of coming back through security. Tired and frustrated, she counted to ten before getting up to go find breakfast.

Sheldon arrived at MBS Airport tired and out of sorts. Flights were behind schedule at Metro in Detroit due to fog and heavy rain. He quickly searched knowing that his bus to Mount Pleasant was due to leave in less than an hour. He quickly grabbed his luggage and followed the signs to the cabs. As he was running towards the exit, he glanced at a gate and saw a woman turned away from him sleeping. Seeing the brown hair made him think of Amy, but then he realized where he was. He refocused on his goal and was grateful to find an empty taxi for the bus station.

The bus station disgusted him as he saw it as a cesspool of germs. It wasn't until he got on the bus that he realized he wasn't wearing his bus pants. He felt nausea from the disgust, but he ignored his discomfort. He loved Amy and she needed him more than his neuroses.

He arrived at the address Penny gave him at 10:30 AM by cab during a horrendous thunderstorm. He did admire what he saw of the mid-sized town and college campus, but much preferred Pasadena and Caltech. He paid the taxi and walked wearily to the door. His stomach did cartwheels as he walked up the driveway. By the time he got to the door, he was about to vomit from nervousness along with being drenched from the rain still pouring down. Closing his eyes to steady himself, he knocked on the door.

Knock knock knock. "Amy"

Knock knock knock. "Amy"

Knock knock knock. "Amy"

He didn't get an answer. He tried again, but got no response. He tried her phone but it went straight to voice mail. Frustrated, he sat on the porch and was grateful for its wide length as it continued to rain while trying to stay awake. He was there for about fifteen minutes when he looked up and saw a car pull into the driveway. He immediately perked up when he saw it was Amy getting out. It did not go unnoticed when she got out and slammed the door hard and went into the back seat area.

"Son of a bitch! Damn rain! Damn airlines! Can't get a decent flight out until TOMORROW!"

Sheldon's eyes bulged out at his girlfriend's language. He tried to call out to her, but was unable to as he was frozen. He merely watched her as she walked through the rain onto the porch. When she looked up and saw him, she stood as still as he was. He could tell she was obviously exhausted with her eyes bloodshot. The speech he had planned to give her flew out of his head, so he said the only thing that would come to mind.

"Mee Maw said I was acting like an asshole and Missy told me to get our heads out of our butts"

A small laugh gurgled out of her before she ran into his arms. He grabbed her and held onto her as tight as he could.