Valentine's Dinner

"You okay?" Howard asked Amy quietly as he caught her looking over her shoulder in hopes of Sheldon returning before the train reached Napa.

"Why?" Amy replied sarcastically as she took another large gulp of her wine. "Because my boyfriend is off playing choo choo with some weirdo?"

"Well, to be fair…they're both weirdo's." Howard replied, running his fingers down the stem of his glass and narrowly missed being kicked in the shin by his wife for his indelicate remark.

"I don't know what made me think tonight would be any different." Amy sighed heavily as she swirled the dark ruby liquid in her crystal glass.

"Just the fact that you got him up here still says a lot." Bernadette remarked, trying to cheer her friend up a little. "To be honest, I bet Howie 200 bucks it wasn't gonna happen."

"Yeah, gonna collect my big ass Lego R2D2 as soon as we get home." Howard rubbed his hands together gleefully at the thought of getting his hands on his new toy.

"See? It's not just Sheldon. They're all idiots." All Howard could do was shrug in agreement; he knew that Bernadette was the biggest influence in his life and he was thankful every day for whatever deity had brought her into his life. Amy looked over at the couple gazing lovingly into each other's eyes and pushed back from the table; only to find Sheldon and Eric had returned and were blocking her escape path.

"Amy, guess what? The conductor said as soon as he gets off work he can come back to the bed-and-breakfast and play his banjo for us." Sheldon beamed his smile over at Amy, and that was the straw that broke the camel's back.

"Sheldon, I need to speak to you in private. Right now!" Amy got to her feet, throwing her napkin over her barely touched meal.

"There's a car with a glass roof. Want to go look at the stars?" Howard whispered to Bernadette and she gently ran a hand through his sideburns.

"Oh, that sounds so romantic!"

"Give it a rest!" Amy snapped at the lovey dovey couple and they got the hint to make their quick getaway. "Why are you still here?" Amy asked Eric, who was standing in between herself and Sheldon.

"Excuse me? I think you're being a little rude." Sheldon looked at his girlfriend in utter amazement, who was this creature that had suddenly appeared from the being that once housed a small, timid scientist?

"I'm being rude? You've been rude to me this entire evening."

"How is that possible? I've hardly spoken to you since we got on the train…" Sheldon's voice trailed off as he realised exactly what he had just said. "What is your problem?"

"It's Valentine's Day. We're supposed to be having a romantic weekend." Neither one of them were aware of Eric sidling away as he sensed the friction rising between the couple.

"Oh, really? Because I remember you saying that this trip was going to be something we could both enjoy. Did you mean that or were you just trying to trick me?"

"Fine, it's true. I deserve romance, and I didn't know how else to make it happen. Well, Sheldon you may have just proved your own point – you may have found something that made you happy on this train, but I've found the whole experience miserable and…I'm leaving!" Amy went to leave the dining cart only to find Sheldon holding onto her arm to keep her in place.

"Now hold on one cotton pickin' minute. You want romance? I'll give you romance…" Sheldon reached over to pick up his as yet untouched glass of wine and took a hefty swallow. "Wine…mmm…urgh! Grape juice that burns…" He held her firmly in place as he stared directly at her. "Now we gaze deeply into each other's eyes…ha! You blinked, I win!"

"Sheldon…" Amy protested as Sheldon continued to make a mockery out of everything that she held as her deepest heart's desire.

"Let's see. What's next? Kissing's romantic." He suddenly leant over and pressed his lips firmly against Amy's; intending it only to be a quick peck…long seconds passed and Sheldon found himself savouring the feel of her soft lips underneath his own. He found himself stepping closer until he was pressed up against her soft body, and his hand moved down to grasp her hip holding her firmly against him. Sheldon finally tore his mouth away when the need for air overtook him.

"That was nice…" Amy spoke softly and Sheldon blinked and nodded in response.

"Good." His voice sounded huskier than usual and he wasn't quite sure what to do next. "Um…the conductor said if I come back to the engine room, he'd show me how to bring the train through a crossing."

"Okay, have fun." Amy nodded and took a step away from Sheldon and was surprised when he took a step closer instead of moving away.

"Do you want to come with me?" Sheldon couldn't keep his eyes away from Amy, he felt an instinctive need to remain in close contact and smiled happily when she nodded in response. He held out his hand in invitation and felt her smaller hand curl around his fingers as they turned to walk towards the engine room.

"Hey guys, wait up!" Eric's familiar tone stopped the couple in their tracks and when Amy saw the grin that Sheldon gave the other man, she knew that she was beaten.

"I think that I'll stay here and have a coffee to clear my head. You guys run along and play with your engine." Amy slipped her hand out of Sheldon and made her way slowly back to the table. Sheldon followed her with his eyes for a moment, noting how her shoulders were hunched over as she sat back down and was torn between sitting back down beside her and continuing their conversation and following after Eric, who had now disappeared into the engine room.

"Hey, Sheldon…we're nearly at the crossing point!" Eric's voice called out, and the siren that stirred Sheldon's blood reared it's head once more, and he followed Eric into the engine room; failing to notice Amy calling the waiter over to the table.

"Excuse me, but could you tell me where the first stop is before we reach Napa Valley?"

"Is there something wrong, miss?" The waiter came over and could see that she was in some distress. He leant over to point out where the train would next pull in; they would arrive in a little under five minutes.

"You could say that, I've just broken up with my boyfriend and no longer wish to continue on with this farcical journey." As Sheldon and Eric brought the train through the next crossing, Amy sent an e-mail to his private account; before Sheldon and Eric even reached the dining cart area she'd left the train and was on her way back to Pasadena.