A/N: I apologize for the delays. I've had health problems of late plus two very over due fanfics I had to update and get completed so I could devote all my time to this one. I hope this extra long chapter makes up for it and there is a lot more story coming. Thanks for all the kudos.
Disclaimer: I don't own BBT but take some characters out to play sometimes.
Sheldon woke up feeling stiff and grumpy. He looked around the living room trying to figure out where he was and was about to panic when he looked to his left and saw Amy….his Amy snoring quietly on the other end. Remembering where he was, he tried to stand up and was able to awkwardly. He heard his stomach and looked to his phone expecting it to be 1:00. Seeing his battery was dead, he looked around and saw the other clocks stated two o'clock and realized he forgot Michigan was in Eastern Standard Time. It was then that his bladder sent him an urgent message. He didn't like just walking through someone's house, but he also knew that he hasn't used the facilities since before he left Houston. He momentarily debated, but when his bladder became full to the point of pain, he sucked up his discomfort and went to look for a nearby bathroom.
Coming out a few minutes later in considerable relief, he was surprised to see Amy awake blinking her eyes. "Sorry I had to leave you and wander around the house, but I was in dire need of a restroom"
Feeling mostly awake now thanks to her nap Amy smiled. "It's fine. Are you hungry?"
"Yes"
"Good. I will make us some lunch"
"Amy"
Amy turned around to her boyfriend and saw nothing but misery in his eyes. "Yes, Sheldon"
"I need to talk to you"
"I know, but I think both need food and showers. This house has two bathrooms. I need one after being stuck at the airport for several hours. Besides, Steve texted me on my way back here. He will be by later to pick up clothes before leaving for Virginia."
Sheldon merely followed her as she walked to a nearby closet. 'Why would she be at an airport?' He didn't have time to think further as she pulled out two towels and handed them to him. She led him to the bathroom he was in a few minutes earlier. "I'll be out shortly"
Sheldon was done first, even with shaving. Seeing she was still getting ready, he walked into the kitchen. Looking in the cupboards, he saw pasta and sauce. Getting them out of the cupboard he started the water to boil and the sauce on the stove. Searching the refrigerator, he found the makings for a salad and he made one large one. By the time Amy came into the kitchen, Sheldon had the table set and lunch was done.
"Sheldon, what did you do?"
"Lunch. It's the least I can do after falling asleep on you. I hope you don't mind salad and pasta" He looked before getting a small smile on his face as he finally realized she wasn't bespectacled. "Where are your glasses?"
"Contact lenses. I got them when my friends were in town last week. Bernie got them, too"
Sheldon couldn't get over how her eyes looked without the barrier. She looked beautiful with her glasses but her eyes were stunning when one could see them. Controlling himself, he cleared his throat. "Lunch is ready"
She appreciated the small gesture. They sat down and ate in an awkward silence. Sheldon couldn't take the quiet any longer. "So what are you doing right now at the university?"
"I'm doing guest lectures and I taught a six week summer class on biological research which finished recently. Next week, the students come back for another six week session. I was only planning on guest lecturing this time, but with Janis's death, I may have to help out again if Steve isn't ready to come back."
Sheldon asked the question he needed to know. "Amy, are you coming back home?"
Amy looked up from her plate. "Yes, Sheldon I am. I like it here and wouldn't mind coming back in the future, but my home is in California. My life is there"
Sheldon picked around his plate trying to gather his courage to talk. Amy watched him, knowing what he wanted to ask her. In the past, she would have done the asking for him, but he needed to be the one to reach out to her. Patiently, she waited.
"Amy, um…I just wanted to tell you that I apologize for my frustration—"
'No, they were not going to do this again' Amy thought. "No, Sheldon"
He inhaled and started again. "For having issue with Leonard—"
"No, Sheldon. I want you to be honest, right now or you can grab your things and head back to Texas."
Sheldon shuffled his food around his plate again in an attempt to come up with the right words. Amy waited but decided that he was being his typical self and lost her temper. "You know what, why do I waste my time? Goodbye, Sheldon. You can find your way out"
Amy grabbed her lunch ware and stormed over to the sink but almost dropped her plate when she heard it.
"You scare me"
Amy turned around slowly before putting down her plate and utensils. At a loss for words, she could only say "What?"
"You scare me" Sheldon's arms made a surround motion with his arms. "All this terrifies me. Sometimes it's so overwhelming that I want to regurgitate from fear. I don't know how to deal with situations like this"
"What is all this, Sheldon?" Amy stated repeating the motion with her arms. "I don't want riddles. This is me you're talking to. Just say it"
When she saw that he was searching for the right thing to say, Amy had an idea. "Let's play Counterfactuals"
It was Sheldon's turn to be at a loss for words. "W-what?"
Amy walked back towards to the table. "Question. In a world where Dr. Sheldon Cooper and Dr. Amy Fowler never saw each other again, could Dr. Cooper move on with his life successfully and fully?"
Sheldon remembered his grandmother's words. 'Don't over think it. You always over think. Just say what's in your heart' He just spit out what he wanted to say. "No, Dr. Cooper could not"
"Defend"
Gathering all of his guts, he spewed his feelings. "Dr. Cooper would sad and alone. He appreciates the presence of Dr. Fowler as an intellectual equal, one who challenges him and gives him someone to have insightful conversations with"
He took a breath and then continued as he got up and slowly walked to her. "But over time, he began to see her as more. He realized she was a…vital organ in his life. Any day that he didn't speak to her was one that was very lonely, so he would read the text messages or emails from her he saved since they met."
He stood in front of her. He took her hand and held it as he looked into the green orbs that had him heart and soul. "But it's not just her mind that encourages him. It's her beauty, inside and out. She has the most beautiful green eyes that a man could lost in if given a chance. She wears several layers of clothes because she is comfortable with herself, another trait that Dr. Cooper finds very attractive. However, more than once he has been curious to find out what is under the layers, even more so since Valentine's Day on the train. His imagination has taken him to places that made him very excited but also uncomfortable because he realized he was just like everyone else, needing sexual gratification and closeness to another. It terrified him because he is opening himself up to places he thought were long locked away from reach or were not part of his routine."
He squeezed her hand as he continued. "He is also not experienced in the ways of the flesh and was afraid even with the copious research he has conducted over the past several months he would fail at it….fail her, but at the same time, he can't see him ever taking that step with anyone else but Dr. Amelia Farrah Fowler"
"Sheldon, I told you about calling me Amelia. I hate-"
He ignored her and continued before he lost his nerve. "He could see the two of them each winning a Nobel and someday in the future creating progeny that no other child could compare. He would only want to create these children with Dr. Fowler in the sanctity of a marital contract with frequent coitus. He knows to get to that point will take him out of his comfort zone in regards to physical contact and it will take him time, but he would do it for her…..because he wants her….and because he wants it, too. She's the only one who has ever pushed him to imagine it."
He took her other hand. "In conclusion, Dr. Cooper will do anything to keep Dr. Fowler in his life because he is in love with her"
Amy sat there in shock. 'He said it. Oh my God he said it' As she sat there, she realized that their future rested on how she responded. She saw the look of panic in his eyes and his skin turn pale, so she replied the only way she knew how.
"Correct"
Before she knew it, she was being picked up in Sheldon's arms as he took her in for a kiss that made her breathless. They briefly came up for air before they joined their lips together again. His tongue rubbed against her lower lip as he pushed her into the kitchen sink. When she moaned, he pulled her even tighter to him. They were so involved in themselves that they didn't hear a thing.
"Ahem"
Both jumped back startled by a fatigued Stephan. "This must be Sheldon"
"Y-yes. Doctor Sheldon Cooper, this is Doctor Stephan Thomas"
The other man merely nodded. Amy let go of a reluctant Sheldon to give a comforting hug to Stephan. "I'm so sorry about Janis. Can I do anything?"
"I just need some quiet while I get some things together. My flight for Virginia is at 4 PM out of MBS. I could use a ride there. It was raining like hell on my way up, but it's clearing now. I don't want to leave Janis alone longer than I have to."
Amy saw the man's heart was breaking, so she stepped away. "Sure"
Turning back to Sheldon, she walked them out of the kitchen. Seeing that the sun was trying to peek out, she led them to the front door. "Come on, Sheldon. Let's go for a walk"
The couple walked out of the house and headed through the neighborhood. It was silent for a few minutes, but Amy needed to speak her mind.
"Sheldon, I love you, too, but you hurt me"
He turned and saw her holding back tears. "I know"
"Do you?"
"I-I think I do"
Amy suddenly was hit with fear and nausea as the conversation she had wanted with Sheldon pressed forward. To calm her stomach down, she stopped Sheldon in front of an elementary school and turned them until they got to a Merry Go Round. They sat down. "Before we talk about our relationship, I want you to tell me about Mee Maw. How is she doing?"
"Fine. S-she tripped on one of Noah's toys. She has Atrial Fibrillation, plus she hurt her hip and ankle, so she's going to need help for the next few weeks"
"When do you have to go back?"
"I don't know. Mee Maw yelled at me to come here. Missy is going to help Momma take care of her"
Amy saw her boyfriend's face and saw his conflict. Deciding what she was going to do, she got up. "Come on, Sheldon"
Sheldon looked at her confused. "Wh-what are you doing?"
"Simple. We are going to take a quiet walk around this beautiful neighborhood and CMU, perhaps even show you where I am currently working. Then we are going back to the house and I'm going to make arrangements. I may have to return to help Steve with his classes, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it."
Sheldon was still confused. "But why?"
Amy turned to look at him. "Because you're going back to Texas…..and so am I"
Sheldon looked at her with such love and gratefulness. As soon as that thought came, he realized that she was sacrificing for him. "Amy I can't ask you to do that"
"Why not, Sheldon. I'm your girlfriend. I can work for CMU and be there for you and Mee Maw"
"Amy…."
She saw his hesitation and her pain returned with a vengeance. He didn't want her there. He purged himself to her and now he was realizing his mistake and was back tracking. She realized she needed to protect herself. "I should have known, Sheldon. You give me an inch, you panic and step back a foot. I'm not doing this shit with you anymore. I deserve better than this. Don't worry, Doctor Cooper, I won't be bothering you anymore"
Sheldon watched her storm off towards the house shocked at her salty language. Realizing she was misunderstanding him, he ran after her. "Amy!"
She turned around, but continued to walk. "What Sheldon? What rationale are you going to hide behind this time? Being around my career will make you a failure?"
She tried to move faster, but his long legs caught up with her too quickly and she felt her arm getting yanked. "Let me go, Sheldon!"
"No, Doctor Fowler. If you would just stop thinking for a minute I will tell you what I was trying to say, which was this!" He took a deep breath. "I love you, Amy Farrah Fowler. Everything in me is saying I don't want to ask you to put yourself out and hope you don't bring up our relationship issues, but Mee Maw said I have to stop over thinking things. So, thank you for being there for me. When do you want to leave?"
Amy stood in silence for a moment as Sheldon's words knocked the wind out of her before remembering what they were talking about. "Well, I did get a flight out for Houston tomorrow morning"
Sheldon stopped as he realized something. "Wait a minute. How did you know about Mee Maw? I never told you"
"Penny texted me. You called Leonard, he told Penny, she told me"
Amy's words finally sunk in as he remembered her arrival to the house. "You were yelling about a flight this morning. Where were you going?"
"Houston. I was at that airport this morning for the four a.m. red eye there, but it kept being delayed before being canceled this morning because of the heavy rain. That's why I came back here, so I could get ready and fly out tomorrow morning"
"I was there! I thought I saw you, but figured that I was imagining things since I was trying to get to the bus station. I'm sorry you were inconvenienced. But why were you coming to Texas? You could have called or emailed me"
She stepped closer and caressed his cheek. "Because I love you. Careers, being right, none of that matters when the one you love needs you. It took Janis dying yesterday to see that. We have things to work out, but you also have some growing up to do first. I will help you and then you will help us"
Sheldon felt a tear fall down his cheek and he quickly wiped it away. "Okay"
The couple held hands as they walked towards Preston Street and CMU. After several minutes, Amy felt an unexplained sense of dread and nausea. Feeling uncomfortable, she managed to push those down as she began pointing out various buildings on campus to her boyfriend.