Sheldon smiled as he woke to feel the warm and familiar sensation of his wife sprawled across his body. Her pyjama top had worked open during the night and it was now flapping loosely around her shoulders as she was draped over his chest like a living blanket. Sheldon's hands were cupping her curvy buttocks and Amy's hands were tucked under his shirt in the small of his back. Sheldon gave her rear a little squeeze and Amy wrinkled up her nose at the disturbance. Sheldon slipped his hand around to her tummy and gave her a light tickle.
"Hm..mum..num…" Amy murmured as she shifted away from his wandering hand and nearly kneed him in the groin as she curled her legs up under her.
"Ammmmyyy…wake up…" Sheldon blew gently in her ear and Amy reached up to bat what she thought was an annoying insect away, colliding with Sheldon's chin instead. "Ouch!" He rubbed at the mark, and a devilish glint appeared in his eye. His finger trailed lightly around her naval and then ran up her sides, bumping over her ribs as he shifted the open sides of her pyjama top apart.
"Aaammmyyy…" He called softly and lowered his head to peck lightly at her lips, feeling her sweet breath flow into his mouth as she continued to sleep. Her lips curved into a soft smile and her face relaxed as Sheldon continued to place light kisses against her lips as he tried to wake her.
"Mmm…Sheldon….missed you…" Amy smiled again in her sleep and Sheldon realised that she was dreaming about him. He smirked a little as he wondered what dream him might be up to and got his answer when Amy's legs parted slightly and she let out a soft moan. "Oh…Sheldon…" Amy started breathing a little deeper and her breasts rubbed against his chest as her body arched against him. He wondered whether he should wake her before things got a little crazy, but thought and everything else flew out of his head when her hand suddenly slipped around to his front and disappeared inside his pants.
"Oh…Lord!" Sheldon gasped out and Amy's mouth was suddenly on his as she thrust her tongue in his mouth and tangled with his own. Everything became like a blur after that, pants and underwear were shoved out of the way and tangled in the twisted sheets as they rolled over on the mattress feverishly reconnecting. Amy's eyes opened to stare directly into Sheldon's as they moved together, both reaching completion at the same time.
"I thought sex was off the table?" Amy asked quietly as she rested her head on Sheldon's panting chest.
"So did I, until you attacked me in your sleep." Sheldon raised Amy's chin up so that he could meet her gaze. "I don't regret it, do you?"
"Never." She vowed, and then blushed as she started fidgeting nervously. "Um, we didn't use err…anything and I'm not on any form of birth control."
"Is that a problem for you? Because we can go to the pharmacy on the corner and get something for you to take." Sheldon placed his hand over hers to still their movements and Amy gave a slight shake of her head, her other hand already coming around to rest against her abdomen.
"No, I don't want to take anything." She whispered and Sheldon's hand moved down to curve lightly around hers as he smiled against her bare shoulder.
"Good…then we won't." He pressed a kiss against her warm skin and then moved away, flipping back the covers. "I'm going to take a shower, feel free to help yourself to anything that you can find."
"Anything?" Amy whispered saucily as she walked her fingers over the mattress to tickle the curve of Sheldon's back and he grinned over his shoulder.
"Anything to wear, you naughty imp!" Sheldon rose from the bed and walked over to the bedroom door, "Want me to leave it running for you?"
"Sure, don't use up all of the hot water!"
"Hah! Seven minutes is all I need and then it's all yours." Sheldon grabbed a fresh towel from the rack just inside his room and slung it over his shoulder. "See you in a few."
They were sitting across from each other at the breakfast counter when Leonard let himself back in the apartment an hour later and gave them a wave.
"Just going to grab my uniform."
"Uniform?" Amy asked around a mouthful of toast and Sheldon shook his head as he wiped a dab of peanut butter from her bottom lip with his finger.
"Mucky pup." Amy wrinkled her nose up at him and he was just about to reply when there was a knock at the door and then it opened. Howard and Raj stumbled to a halt in the middle of the living room at the sight of Amy sitting across from Sheldon wearing one of his superhero t-shirts over a pair of sweatpants. Sheldon's finger was still hovering near her lip and he pulled it back to wipe it clean on a napkin.
"Dude…you're not even dressed yet! The battle starts in fifteen minutes!" Raj waved his hand at Sheldon's casual dress of twin t-shirts over tan cargo pants and Leonard came back into the room fully kitted out in his camouflage gear with his goggles hanging off one wrist.
"Sheldon's not coming along today; I'm taking his spot as commander and Penny's moving up the ranks. She's just getting dressed and we can pick her up on the way."
"But why?" Raj whined, "You're so vague in your commands and we never win when you lead us; I want Sheldon."
"It's so lovely to hear you praise my authority, Rajesh, but why is it you never seem to appreciate me in the field of battle?" Sheldon raised his brow at the other man, who had the grace to look a little abashed. "I'm sorry, but I have something far more important to do today and it doesn't involve having little balls of paint smeared over my body."
"You guys are going paintballing?" Amy chuckled and leant her head against her palm. "I thought you said you'd never do it again after I whipped your butt in that girl's vs boy's game?"
"I got better at it after I started playing every week. I happen to be the commander of that bunch of ragamuffins over there and we've managed to beat the Geology department quite a few times over the past few months. It's Humanities today so make sure that you don't take them out too quickly otherwise they'll start to cry like babies again." He addressed the last remark to Leonard who gave him a mock salute.
"Yessir, Major Cooper…debriefing here at 1300?" Amy chuckled again at the title and Sheldon leant over to murmur something in her ear. She checked her watch and nodded.
"I think so, sure one o'clock should give us plenty of time." Sheldon nodded over at Leonard, who started herding the guys out of the door.
"You go over and check whether Penny's ready to go, I just have a couple of things that I need to check out with Sheldon before we head off."
"Meet you at the car?" Howard suggested, and Leonard nodded practically shoving the two men over to the hallway. He closed the door behind them and quickly walked over to Sheldon, pulling the taller man into a hug.
"I don't think the others spotted it, but I noticed as soon as I walked in. I'm very happy for you buddy, sad that I'm gonna have to find a new place to live but so pleased it's working out for the two of you."
"What? Oh, the rings…yes we worked some things out last night and decided that we wanted to try and make a go of things." Sheldon looked down at his wedding ring and rubbed it with his thumb. "I'd almost forgotten I had it on…strange how I got used to it again so quickly."
"Leonard…there's no need for you to move out; I'm sure the three of us can live quite harmoniously here, it's a big enough apartment." Amy walked over to slip her arm around Sheldon's waist and lean against his side. "We're trying to take things slowly so you won't be kept awake by any amorous activities if that's what's worrying you."
"I guess I should have really run it past you first, after all you are my roommate after all." Sheldon began to look nervous and Leonard gave him a reassuring smile.
"Sheldon, I'm totally on board with the two of you reconnecting after all of these years. I'm a little sad that I'm going to be the third wheel around here, I just didn't want things to get awkward between us."
"Try to think of us as The Three Musketeer's; one for all and all for one… The two of you have probably developed a routine after so many years of living together, I'll be the one adjusting to that." Amy said as she glanced between the two men and saw them both relax.
"Actually, we live pretty much by the same routine as you and I did; specific bathroom schedule, breakfast cereals ordered by fibre content on a rotational basis and everything clearly labelled in the kitchen so that…"
"If someone else uses it they know exactly where to put it back." Leonard and Amy chorused together, Leonard's by rote as he had heard the same thing over and over every time he misplaced something and Amy's a little chirpier as it was her original rule to begin with.
"Does he still insist that the washing up is done as you go along?" Amy asked Leonard and when he nodded, she jerked her thumb toward her chest. "What about Chinese takeout once a week?
"It's take out every night as far as Sheldon's concerned; Thai, Pizza, Chinese, Indian…you name it, we order it."
"Sheldon!" Amy slapped him lightly on the arm. "What about all of those lessons we took together? You used to love cooking up a huge Sunday roast with all the trimmings."
"It wasn't the same without you…I hardly cook at all now, unless it's one of our fruit loaves or sourdough bread; and that's only when I'm feeling a little blue."
"Hmpfh…that changes today, buster!" Amy waved her finger at Sheldon and he stood smiling at her. "We're going to the market and then we're coming back here to cook a proper dinner. Take outs will revert to special occasions and a once a week treat; so you'd better decide between the pair of you what night you want it on."
"I need to go before the guys and Penny start looking for me." Leonard checked his watch and started moving toward the door. "I'll see you both back here at one o'clock."
"Leonard, could you do me a favour and not bring the guys back with you today? I would rather it was just you and Penny that knows about our situation until we settle in a little." Sheldon followed Leonard to the door and leant in close to murmur his request in his friend's ear. Leonard nodded understandingly and raised his hand in a casual wave of goodbye as Amy stepped into view. Sheldon went to close the apartment door but Amy stopped him with a gentle hand on his arm.
"We need to get a move on if we need to be back in time to cook that dinner."
"Oh, okay. Just let me grab my jacket and wallet and we can head out." Sheldon left the door open as he picked his jacket off the back of his desk chair and checked his wallet was in his pocket. "I'm ready, let's get you moved in."
Sheldon wandered around Amy's living room as she threw a few essentials into a bag in her bedroom. He picked up a little monkey ornament from the bookcase and was admiring it in his hand when Amy walked back into the living room carrying a small overnight bag in one hand and a garment bag over her shoulder.
"You don't seem to have packed very many things, Amy… I've already said that there is plenty of room in my closet for your clothes and you can have two full drawers in the dresser." Sheldon set the ornament back in its original place and crossed over to take the bags from Amy, setting them down on her pale beige couch.
"There's enough there for a few days, I can always come back here to grab a few more things as I need them; your apartment is only twenty minutes away after all." Amy patted Sheldon's cheek in a brief caress. "I just need to clear a few items out of my fridge and then we can be off; luckily I was planning on doing my grocery shop today so there isn't much in there to empty out."
"You find a box or bag to empty the things into and I'll give it a quick spritz with some disinfectant." Sheldon offered and Amy nodded in approval; bending down to retrieve her antibacterial spray and a disposable cloth from under the sink.
"It shouldn't be too bad as I only did my fortnightly deep clean last week." Amy handed the items to Sheldon who started wiping down the counter tops as she started emptying out the fridge.
"Amy, you hardly have any food in there to get rid of! What have you been surviving on all week?" Sheldon nudged Amy aside as he saw the paltry items sitting in the small box that Amy had fetched from her closet. There were a few carrots and a lone apple sharing the space with a single pot of yoghurt.
"I don't like to buy fresh food in bulk; there's only me and I hate to waste food. I buy only what I know I will be using and I've already told you that today was supposed to be my grocery day." Amy poured the last few drops of milk out of her left over carton and ran the tap to rinse the liquid away. She emptied the trash and carefully tied the top of the bag closed, placing it near the door to remind her to carry it downstairs when they were leaving. Sheldon glanced over at it and raised his eyebrow.
"Tell me where your trash bins are kept and I'll take it down for you now…otherwise our hands will be all stinky when we go to the market to get supplies for lunch."
"Thanks, sweetheart. Take the stairs or elevator down to the basement, the bins are just to the left. I'll finish the fridge and have a quick look around to check I haven't left anything important behind." Amy pecked Sheldon's cheek and he left with the bag. Amy spritzed the fridge and wedged the door open so that it wouldn't smell once she had switched off the power. She decided to strip the bed down while she waited for Sheldon's return, stuffing the dirty linen into her woven laundry hamper along with the clothes she wore yesterday and the damp towels from the shower that she took as soon as they had arrived at her apartment. Amy was wheeling the hamper back into the living room when Sheldon tapped on the front door announcing his return.
"It's open!" Amy called out and he let himself in, frowning at her as he peered around the doorframe.
"You shouldn't have said that, I could have been anyone!"
"I doubt a thief would have tapped nine times on my door calling out my name in quite the same way that you do, sweetheart; you are pretty unique in that way." Amy grinned over her husband who walked over to the sink to rinse off his hands, and then stood looking around at something to dry them on. Amy offered him the corner of her bath towel and then pointed to the bottle of Purell that rested on the small shelf above her sink. Sheldon spritzed his hands and rubbed them together, spreading the pungent liquid all over his skin.
"Mmm…that's better." Sheldon murmured as he finally felt that his hands were suitably decontaminated. He glanced around the living room and noticed that Amy had placed her laptop case next to her overnight bag. "Do you have everything you need now?"
"I think so." Amy ran through her mental check list and nodded. "Yes, I'm ready…shall we drop these things off at your apartment first and then go out to the market? I wouldn't feel comfortable leaving my laptop and research in my car while we shop." Sheldon nodded in approval and picked up her overnight bag and laundry hamper.
"Very sensible idea, Amy. I'll get these, will you be alright carrying the rest?" His eyes flickered over her abdomen and Amy grinned.
"Sweetheart, it was just one time and I'm fairly certain that I'm okay in my cycle right now."
"That's what we thought before…and then came Emily." Sheldon waggled his eyebrows and Amy threw a cushion at him. Sheldon chuckled as he ducked to avoid the flying missile and then set the hamper down so that he could place the cushion back in the appropriate place. "Come on, darlin' let's get the two of you home."
"Sheldon! I am not pregnant!" Amy picked up her shoulder bag, box from the fridge and laptop case and followed Sheldon out into the hallway. He nudged her aside so that he could double lock her apartment door, and then took the box from her hand setting it inside the laundry hamper.
"You said that last time too, super sperm remember?" Sheldon chuckled again as Amy threatened to hit him with her shoulder bag and they headed toward the elevator. "What's the earliest you can take a pregnancy test these days anyway?"
"You're asking me? How on earth would I know?" Amy glanced over at her husband who just stood inside the elevator grinning like a loon. "I think there are some that are more sensitive than others; seven days I think, but those are the more expensive of the tests."
"Let's pick one up when we're at the market…and no wine tonight, just to be on the safe side."
"If it will make you shut up, then fine; we'll pick one up at the market." Amy gave in finally and missed the smirk of satisfaction that spread over Sheldon's face at her words. If the test turned out to be positive then that was just fine with him, and he expected Amy too; and if it was negative…well that just meant that they had a whole lot more practising to do….he had a feeling that Amy didn't want to take things slow any more than he did if that morning was anything to go by.