A/N: Thanks for all the great reviews during my hiatus on this story and for being picky with my chapters and holding up updates, but I just want my readers to get the best mphs95's fertile mind can offer in between work and helping other writers beta their stories.
On a personal note, we fanfic writers all have to stick together, especially when non-writing, cowardly idiots go on Twitter and other sites to make fun and/or state cruel things about our stories (You a**holes know who you are). This happened to a friend of mine who writes some of the best Shamy stories I've ever read.
As stated in the past, we do not get paid for this and we put ourselves out there for the enjoyment of others. If you don't like a story, don't hid behind a social media nickname. Have the balls to tell that person to their face (or in this case, a PM or note on the BBT forum) why you don't like their story. Perhaps your suggestions will be taken seriously to make the story better.
Also, I do thank Hazelra7 and QBMaja for helping me with this chapter. I was indecisive about parts and these two helped me out a lot. The story is in my head, but it's the execution that gets a writer in trouble sometimes.
Disclaimer: I don't own BBT but will take them out to play sometimes...probably most of my free time during this hiatus. August will not come fast enough!
Carrie Fowler held the phone to her hear impatiently as she waited for her daughter to pick up. When she got the voice mail again, her anger shot up to white hot.
After leaving another message, Carrie slammed down the phone. Once again, her efforts were thrown back in her face. She shouldn't be surprised. All her life, no one appreciated her or any assistance she offered to make their lives better.
Unlike her late husband, she loved her daughter enough to ensure Amy's purpose in life would not be derailed, particularly by a tall, skinny, sexaholic scientist.
Oh she remembered being blinded by love.
A typical day at USC's Human Resources Department, dealing with employee squabbles and idiotic people breaking company policy…an appointment to orientate a new employee, a researcher in the neurobiology department named Robert Fowler.
After their orientation ended, he surprised her by asking her to have coffee with him after work. She never made plans with someone she had just met, but something about him drew her in.
That night, she found out that he was also from Glendale, but he matriculated at a different high school. His parents were wealthy thanks to a conglomerate that began with one gas station outside Glendale before expanding into a chain of stations in California and Oregon. However, it was his high intelligence that got him full ride scholarships into Harvard and Leeds University in the United Kingdom before returning to the States. That quick coffee date turned into hours as she became amazed at how he seemed genuinely interested in what she had to say.
All her life, she didn't have friends. Every time she tried, she was always rebuffed. After a while, she realized that no one would appreciate her intelligence and talents, so she gave up.
However, this shy, withdrawn man wormed his way in as one date turned into two and before she knew it, they were in love and she was saying yes to his proposal. After they became married, she realized that she didn't need friends because she had Robert. The two of them would have an amazing life together and didn't need anyone else but each other.
After they started their marital life, though, it seemed the more support and guidance she gave her husband, the more he rejected her. Why couldn't he see how she was trying to love him? Wasn't a wife's job to make things better for her spouse?
Hell, she even ignored his blatant flirtations with women he encountered. Every time he met a woman…every female they would talk to…she knew.
His female colleagues were the most obvious. The smiles they gave the other when they would discuss their projects. The worse was when these harlots would fake an interest in her life and interests. It was disgusting.
Oh, he always denied it, saying the women were merely fellow scientists, a friend, or with acquaintances, just being polite. She knew better though, even if there was no evidence outside of what she saw. He may have covered his tracks well, but he couldn't fool her. However, she needed him in her life because she couldn't face being alone again.
One day when Amy was thirteen, Carrie realized that due to her skipping two grades, her daughter would soon enter college. The one thing that their love created and kept her and Robert bonded together would be gone.
Also, when Amy turned twenty-five, she would also have access to the trust fund her grandparents created her for at birth as well as the account Robert opened when she was born that he faithfully deposited money in every two weeks.
The fears that she had ignored over the years came back with a vengeance as she realized that one day, she would be alone again. Determined to never let that happen, she worked to ensure Robert and Amy would never be far away. After her husband's death, she pushed her only child further to show her that her place was at her mother's side.
To her shock, her daughter chose to go to Massachusetts for school anyway and Carrie was unable to prevent her from going. Later on, Amy didn't consider her mother's needs before accepting an offer to spend a semester overseas in Norway during graduate school along with going to Saudi Arabia later on, merely signing a power of attorney to make sure her bills were paid while gone.
She was thankful that her daughter returned to California after school ended, but was shocked when Amy moved out and into her own apartment. What made it worse was it was her Aunt Flora who convinced her great-niece to do this. Thanks to her elderly aunt, Carrie was also forced to encourage her daughter to date.
Knowing the danger this put her in, she skillfully manipulated her daughter by reminding her of her less than positive experiences with her peers growing up. Eventually, she planted enough seeds of doubt in Amy's head so that her only child was convinced that she didn't want to date, but had to once a year for use of her mother's George Foreman grill.
This, and her other actions, kept her aunt happy, ensured she was comfortable enough financially to treat herself while Amy was still always nearby when she needed her.
For several years, this was very successful and Carrie relaxed, knowing she would always have someone by her side.
All that changed when Amy started to keep time with that pervert Sheldon Cooper and his friends. For the first time, it became obvious to Carrie that she needed Amy more than Amy needed her.
She decided to size up her challenge by requesting a meeting. To her shock, the young man who should have been trying to impress her instead was making vile comments on their activities, encouraged by her daughter!
Amy later refuted all the comments from that Skype call, but it didn't matter. If it was said, it was on his mind as well as hers. She knew she was a good mother, as she tolerated her daughter's flirtations with friendship and trying new things as what she need to do.
When Amy stopped being forthcoming with her life, she had to resort to occasionally snooping in her daughter's apartment. Her daughter took her key back six month ago stating her friends lived closer in case of an emergency, which both knew was a lie. She had to resort to bribing the superintendent for access. It was the last time she was there that she found an unopened packet of pills.
Unfamiliar with the drug name, she wrote it down and did research. When she found out what they were for, she went apoplectic as she realized all the ways she taught Amy to respect herself were being ignored.
She didn't raise Amy the way she did for her to turn into one of those unmarried girls without hymens like that girl Penny she called her best friend. Women like that were nothing more than whores. No way would a child of hers be less than perfect, especially after her sacrifices to ensure Amy's success.
No more.
It was time for her to stop her child's infantile need for independence once and for all.
After a short period of time, she realized she would need help, hence calling that pervert's mother. The other woman was pious to the point of annoying, but she also sensed a woman who wouldn't tolerate premarital sex and whoring around with her children.
Carrie was confident that Mary would strike the blow in that relationship, leading her daughter back to where she belonged, at her mother's side.
She was still infuriated at her daughter's insolent attitude during their last conversation. Amy had the audacity to tell her to mind her own business and that she was an adult who could do what she wanted before being rude and hanging up on her. However, she knew her daughter would never go long without talking to her and would apologize in a short while like she always did in the past.
Amy not calling her the next day was new, but she still had confidence. By the end of the day, she was furious. Her daughter would respect her.
Annoyed, she called the Cooper house. Instead of Mary, she spoke to someone she assumed was Doctor Cooper's grandmother. To her shock, the woman would not assist her in tracking down her daughter, only that she would pass on the message.
It was then she noticed her daughter did not call her back again within the hour.
Giving Amy one more chance, Carrie called again. When she got the voice mail, she left what she determined would be her final voice mail and hung up.
Making a decision, she reached on the end table for her laptop. After a few clicks, she found what she was looking for, determined to put an end to her daughter's insolence.
Sheldon and Amy had their arms and legs wrapped around each other as they continued to make out. He was able to get the cardigan off but was having issues with unbuttoning her blouse with one hand, which Amy assisted him with to his great relief.
Amy's hand moved under his shirts and started caressing his back causing him to shiver. When her nails gently grazed his skin as he opened her blouse, he moaned loudly. When he saw only her bra on, the last remnants of the blood in his brain shot straight down to his groin.
"Where is your undershirt, Amy?" Sheldon groaned as his lips traveled on her collarbone and chest.
Amy smiled. "In a better place than on me. As a scientist, I thought you would appreciate the easier access to the subject. Complaining, Doctor Cooper?"
'Oooohh good Lord she used my title again' He thought to himself as his lips and teeth grazed on top of her breast before undoing the snap, freeing her breasts to his delight. After pulling her up long enough to remove the offending garment, he tossed it to the floor and returned her to the bunk.
"Oh, never, Doctor Fowler. As a scientist, I do appreciate the assistance that my colleague afforded me. In the spirit of cooperation, I feel the need to return the favor."
Amy's brain was quickly losing whatever blood remained at the husky tone her physicist was talking in. "Oh, really? Cooperation is key to a successful experiment. What did you have in mind?"
"This." Sheldon said before he moved away and ripped both of his shirts off in quick succession before returning to his girlfriend. Both groaned at the feeling of their skin comingling, creating a delicious heat.
Amy almost lost her mind when her boyfriend moved his left hand to hers and intertwined their fingers before stretching their arms over her head. His right hand moved to her breast while his lips moved to her other one and took it in her mouth before sucking greedily.
Soon the couple was lost in each other, forgetting for a short time the events of the last few days.
Forty-five minutes later, calls to UCLA and CalTech, along with Central Michigan University came back fruitless, to Carrie's ire.
She truly loved her daughter and only wanted the best for her, but Amy never appreciated the sacrifices she made. Friends and a career only messed that up.
Now it was imperative that she steer Amy away from the corrupting influence of that scientist and his friends. Grabbing her purse, she pulled out her wallet and made a call.
"American Airlines? I need to book a flight to Galveston, Texas. Yes, immediately."
Carrie waited for a moment but when she got a response she was not satisfied. "I can't get a direct flight until Thursday? That is ridiculous. Well, what the hell can you get me?"
The older woman pursed her lips as she was losing patience. "I would have a three hour layover there before I would even get into Houston? That is ludicrous, but I guess I have to take it."
She gave her credit card information and waited. "What do you mean, declined? It's an acceptable credit card. Run it again!" She waited. "Fine, just a moment and I'll get one you can't mess up."
Putting the phone down, she went into the study and pulled a piece of paper out of her drawer before returning to the phone.
"Here's another number. Don't screw this one up." She waited for a moment after giving the updated information. "Fine, thank you."
Carrie hung up the phone and after grabbing her cane before heading upstairs. "Once I present my case to Mary, she'll help his family understand what needs to be done. If not, well, I can wield a mighty stick."
The woman knew she didn't look like much, but she could always turn on the meek charm when called for. For a moment, she heard a recurring voice in her mind telling her that Amy was an adult who was smart enough to make good decisions. It also said she was making a mistake and will someday push her daughter too far, but as before, she always ignored it as second guessing that she could not afford.
Amy owed her after all the disappointment she gave for over a decade.
She was annoyed to use that credit card information for the flight, but the monthly check didn't come until Friday and she couldn't wait until then. She just needed to remember to make the payment before it was noticed.
"Amy will start appreciating my efforts on her behalf and that's a fact." Carrie said to herself as she pulled her suitcase out of her closet and started to pack.
When done, she realized she was missing a vital piece of information. Going back downstairs, she found her notebook and searched for what she was looking for.
"You're right…Sheldon is like Bones, but no way is Amy like Agent Booth ."
Penny laughed as she felt the back of her head again, not used to the feeling on the back of her neck. That morning, after Leonard went to work, she gathered her courage and cut her hair short. While still in shock, she had to admit she loved it. After a second, she turned back to her fiancé.
"Not physically Leonard, but emotionally, she's had her own experiences in life that she brought into her relationship with Sheldon, which held her back as well. Thankfully, the Shamy are finally working their way back together. I'm just hoping it won't be as long as Booth and Bones took."
Penny and Leonard were hanging out in 4A watching the last episode of Season Six of Bones on Netflix. They were snuggled together with Leonard's arm around her while hers was around his stomach.
"So how do we knew they slept together in the last episode?" Leonard asked.
Penny looked her fiance with a 'Duh' face. "We just do. Now be quiet, this is the best part of the episode."
Before they could watch, Penny's phone buzzed. As she looked for it, she quickly turned to Leonard. "Pause it!"
"But you've seen this episode like twenty times. You know what happens."
"Do I need to bring up Gollum and Lord of the Rings?" Penny asked as she found it under the couch.
Leonard was quiet before he held up the Roku remote. "And we're pausing."
Penny looked but lost the color in her face when she saw the caller. Taking a deep breath, she answered the phone. "Hello? Good evening, Mrs. Fowler."
As soon as Leonard heard the name and Penny's formal tone, he turned to his fiancée and watched her on the phone.
Penny rolled her eyes again as she listened to the other caller. "No, Ma'am, I haven't heard from Amy or Sheldon since I talked to them on Face Time yesterday, updating me on Meamaw's recovery from her fall last week."
Leonard watched his fiancée lie. A few hours ago, the two got a Skype call from Amy and Sheldon updating the couple on their plans with a request for secrecy, including from their other friends. The couple didn't delve into why, but Leonard and Penny knew their best friends had their reasons for the request. Unless there was a true emergency, he wasn't going to betray them.
As for Penny, he didn't know what she and Amy talked about the night Sheldon left. Since that night back in May, however, he saw that there was a new determination in his fiancée to be a better friend. In the past, Penny would have blabbed to everyone in the group anyway and Amy's mother with the right sob story. This time, though, she was a stone.
"No, Mrs. Fowler, as I said, she hasn't checked in with me since yesterday, but I'm sure she will later. She's with Sheldon so I'm not worried. Did you call his mother's house in Texas? You talked to Meamaw? Oh, isn't she's the nic-"
Leonard could see Penny could barely get a word in edgewise as she merely rubbed her eyes in frustration. "You want Mrs. Cooper's address? I don't have that, Ma'am, but I know she lives in Galveston. I've only seen her when she's here in Pasadena."
Leonard could swear Penny was grinding her teeth as she continued to listen. "Mrs. Fowler, Leonard's not here now, but I don't think he remembers the address since he's only been there once or twice over the last ten years."
Penny's eyes bugged out when she heard the woman's latest request. "No, Ma'am he can't meet you in Texas. He has a full time job at CalTech and he's in the middle of a very important project at the moment."
Finally, Penny reached her limit. "Mrs. Fowler, I don't know Amy's exact location at the moment. I know she would have called Leonard and me immediately if there was an emergency. If you left her a message, I'm sure she'll get back to you when she can because she's always really good about that. Oh, someone's at the door, so I have to go. Always nice to talk to you. Good bye."
Penny pushed to end the call and threw her phone into her chair in frustration. "God what a fucking bitch!"
"Penny, why was Mrs. Fowler asking about Amy, myself, and Texas?"
Penny stomped back to the couch. "That crazy woman is annoyed because Amy hasn't answered any of her calls today. She wanted Mrs. Cooper's address and when I said I didn't know it off hand besides the fact it's in Galveston, she wanted you to meet her in Texas so the two of you can find Amy at their house. She's a nut job, Honey."
Leonard thought for a moment before he realized something. "You don't think—"
Penny's eyes bulged. "Oh, she just might."
"We need to call Sheldon and Amy." Leonard said as he reached for his phone.
"Yes, we do." Penny found her phone and saw it was almost dead. "Son of a bitch. Can you call Sheldon, please?"
"Sure." Leonard said before dialing his number from memory.
As the train entered Missouri, the couple were getting ready for bed with Sheldon brushing his teeth in the bathroom compartment while Amy checked her phone. He knew his mother called four times during the day, but he still couldn't talk to her. Maybe in a few days, but not now as the anger from her attitude to Amy and her stunt with her medication still seethed inside him.
When done, his hand began to throb again, no doubt exacerbated by his earlier demonstration to his girlfriend of his dexterity as he became intimately acquainted with her awesome boobies earlier. He looked into his toiletries bag for ibuprofen and saw there was none, but knew Amy had some. Her penchant for preparedness only rivaled his own and it was something that turned him on.
Knowing they had a long day ahead of them tomorrow, he used Kohlinar to calm himself down. When ready, he came out of the cramped bathroom compartment. "Amy, may I have some of your i—"
Sheldon was silenced by the sight of his girlfriend pale as a ghost holding her phone while staring at the wall. His stomach dropped to the floor as he saw her hands shaking as he quickly walked the two steps to her. "Amy, what's wrong?"
Whatever trance she was in broke because she turned and gulped before smiling at her boyfriend. "Nothing, Sheldon."
Suddenly, she began to babble. "Are you done getting ready for bed? I want to take a shower and brush my teeth. Do you need anything for your hand? I have some ibuprofen. I'll get it for you."
Sheldon grabbed her arm with his good hand. "Amy, stop. You're shaking and you look like as pasty as Leonard usually does instead of the pleasant ivory hue you usually are. What's going on?"
He knew he wasn't good at reading facial expressions, but he was certain he saw hesitance. "Amy, tell me, please."
After a moment, Amy sat down still clutching her phone. "W-while you were getting ready for bed, I was checking my messages to see if Penny or the girls called. They didn't, but my mother left a message from when she called earlier. In fact, she left seven messages."
Sheldon had a bad feeling, but he pressed forward. "What did Mrs. Fowler have to say?"
Amy was ashamed but was more afraid of Sheldon's reaction to what her mother had to say about his family. Looking into his eyes, she remembered the commitment they made in Texas. Gathering her courage, she pushed a button on the phone until she found her voice mail messages and pushed a button.
'Honey, I'm worried about you. You know I love you and I hate it when we fight. Please return my call.'
'Amy, this is your mother. You haven't called me in two days and I'm not very pleased considering you merely sent me an email stating you would be going to Texas. Please call me back.'
'You didn't answer again. You are screening my calls and I resent that. You young lady need to get off your high horse and answer this phone.'
'Amy, where are you that you can't return my phone call? It was rude of you to hang up on me last time we talked. You will treat me with respect. Stop screening my calls immediately!'
'Amy, this is the fifth message I'm leaving you. I do not appreciate being ignored nor the rudeness of Doctor Cooper's family when I called their house in that cesspool called Texas. You will return this call in a timely manner. Do you understand?"
'Young lady, I know you are with that underachieving sexual deviant Sheldon Cooper. I've told you to break up with him because he was no good, but you don't listen. You better not let him break your hymen because unmarried girls who do that are whores. I raised you better than that. I will expect a phone call within the hour.'
'Amelia Farrah Fowler, since you couldn't extend the courtesy of returning my call, I will go to your friends and your employment until I get answers. You will not disrespect me, young lady. Goodbye.'
"I-I'm sorry, Sheldon. You have a wonderful family. Please don't let my mother's comments change how you feel about us."
Forgetting the pain in his hand, Sheldon merely pulled his girlfriend into a tight hug which Amy accepted. "Short of you having a pumpkin latte with another man, I could never stop loving us."
After hearing his words, the physicist had a moment of jealousy, but pushed it down and brought his attention back to his girlfriend.
"Pumpkin latte?" Amy asked before moving out of the embrace to face her boyfriend. "What are you—"
She started to giggle as she realized where his thoughts were. "Sheldon Lee Cooper, you're the only one who could make me laugh right now."
Sheldon did his breathy laugh before becoming serious. "I won't anyone hurt you, Amy Farrah Fowler. Just remember that soon, we'll have a battle plan."
Amy got out of her pity party. "You're right and thank you. She's probably just worried about me because I've never gone this long without speaking to her. I will check in tomorrow and be short and sweet. I'm still in shock about what she did calling your mother."
She got up and scrounged in her purse before pulling out a bottle and taking four pills out before giving them to Sheldon along with a bottle of water from earlier. "These are 200 milligrams each, so take all four."
"Thank you, Amy." Sheldon said before popping the pills two at a time and chasing them with his beverage.
"I'll be out shortly" Amy said before giving Sheldon a quick kiss.
When Amy entered the compartment, the physicist sat back as a wave of nausea came over him. Needing to distract himself, he grabbed his phone and was surprised to see a message from Leonard. He wondered why Amy didn't tell him before he remembered that they put their phones on silent after their make out session.
He listened and the tone in his best friend's voice concerned him enough that he immediately dialed. "Leonard, what is going on?"
As Sheldon listened to his best friend and Penny speak, the nausea in his stomach intensified by one hundred. When they finished speaking, he jumped in. "She called Meamaw?"
Sheldon listened another minute before checking the time and saw the late hour. "It's too late to call. I'll email Meamaw. She's on the computer more often than my mother."
The physicist couldn't stop the snarky tone in his voice and wasn't surprised the two picked up on it so fast. "Why does it matter who I get ahold of at the house? Never you mind, Penny. Nothing to talk about."
Sheldon exhaled as he listened on the line. "No, no I'll talk to her about it tomorrow. That woman left seven rude messages on her voice mail and I think she's had enough tonight."
Sheldon rolled his eyes. "Yes, Leonard, I will let her know later, I promise. Thank you for calling and thank Penny as well for keeping her mouth shut for the time being. Hey, I have precedence of your fiancee's gossipy nature. Just tell her thank you an—Penny quit calling me Moon Pie! Only Meamaw gets to do that. Good night, Leonard and Penny."
Amy came out a short time later and saw the pensive look on her boyfriend's face. "What's wrong, Sheldon? Is it your hand still?"
He snapped out of his trance. "Yes, but medication will make it better. Oh, Leonard and Penny called from his phone because she let her phone go dead…typical."
"Anything interesting out of Pasadena?"
Sheldon took a deep breath and prayed for a miracle to hold back his twitching as he lied to his girlfriend. "No. Just Leonard missing my presence as usual. Ready for bed?"
Amy was too distracted to notice Sheldon's intense stiffness. "Of course." She looked up and saw the other bunk. "So who gets the top?"
Sheldon's eyes bugged out and Amy thought he was insulted at the question. "Sorry, of course you will get the bottom bunk."
As Amy got up to climb, she felt a hand on her ankle. Turning to the source, she looked at her boyfriend. "Yes, Sheldon?"
"Will you sleep down here with me? I've…well, I enjoyed sleeping with your earlier and I don't think I'll be able to fall asleep otherwise."
Amy smiled. "Of course."
"Oh goodie!" Sheldon said as Amy crawled onto the bunk with him. She immediately curled up next to him as he held her close before the two gave each other a gentle good night kiss.
"Good night, Sheldon."
"Good night, Amy."
Sheldon got the light as the two laid down to sleep. Unbeknownst to the other, each lied there awake with thoughts racing through their minds.
'Will my mother drive Sheldon away for good one day?' Amy thought.
'I hope I can protect her when the time comes.' Sheldon thought.