Sheldon and Amy were chatting about their dinner plans as they climbed the last set of stairs leading to the fourth floor landing and Sheldon paused to jerk his head to his jacket pocket.
"Would you mind grabbing my keys out of my pocket, sugar? It's the silver coloured one on the superman key fob." Sheldon insisted on carrying all three of the canvas grocery bags leaving Amy with just the plastic carrier of peaches. She slid her hand into his jacket pocket and rooted around for the key, pulling it out and inserting it in the lock.
"Darn it! I knew I should have put them in my pants pocket instead…that would have been much more fun!" Sheldon grinned over at his wife as she turned the key in the lock and pushed the door open. "Tell me more about this casserole of yours? How is it different from Meemaw's recipe again?"
"Because it uses chicken that you've already roasted. Say you've roasted a large bird and only used half of it; you simply chop up the meat from that joint and make up a sauce from chicken stock and a roux…you can add a soft crust if you only add a little of the sauce and you've got chicken pot pie."
"Hmm…I quite like that idea, I don't usually agree with eating left overs but I suppose if you've transferred the chicken to the refrigerator within two hours of it being cooked and it is in a suitable container it should be alright." Sheldon had his head turned to Amy and it was only a low grumbling noise coming over from the couch that alerted him to the fact that they weren't alone in the apartment. He glanced over his shoulder and gave a groan when he saw that Howard and Raj were sitting on the couch with Leonard at their side. Leonard gave Sheldon a look of apology as he rose up to help with the grocery bags.
"Sorry, buddy…but they wouldn't take no for an answer. I tried to tell them that we weren't having our usual takeout and they just ignored me."
"Don't worry about it Leonard…Amy and I decided that we didn't have enough time to prepare lunch, so we're going to have it tonight instead." Sheldon murmured to his roommate as Howard sidled up to start rooting through the grocery bags.
"Ooh…deli roast chicken, nice!" Howard started to peel off the wrapping from the chicken and Sheldon leant over to rap his knuckles, pointing to the fridge.
"Not for you, Howard…fridge please." Howard grumbled about how he and the others had fought of a marauding bunch from the humanities department and now they weren't even getting fed for their troubles. "Wolowitz, I specifically told Leonard that we would not be providing sustenance after paintball today and yet you still insisted on coming over, if your stomach is complaining now you only have yourself to blame." Sheldon's keen sense of hearing picked up Howard's grumbles and Amy smiled softly as she bent down to pick the last of the bags up from the floor.
"No you don't little lady…you've done enough for a while. Go and sit down, take a load off while I get our sandwiches together…cheese and pickle or ham salad?" Sheldon nudged Amy out of the way, picking the bag up himself and setting it on the counter. Amy frowned at Sheldon's bossy tone and he gently ran a finger down her cheek. "Please?"
"Alright…" Amy begrudgingly agreed, requesting a cheese and pickle sandwich before heading for the couch. She sat down in Sheldon's spot, folding her arms across her chest and leaning toward Leonard. "He's bossier now than before…is he always like this?" Leonard chuckled and exchanged glances with Raj who was looking at the couple in fascination; they both nodded and Amy gave a little grunt of disapproval.
"Wolowitz…if you are that hungry you will find some chips in the bag over there. Please take them and go!" Sheldon was growing increasingly irritated with the way Howard was mooching about and finally snapped his finger at the bag that Amy had been about to lift onto the counter. Too late, Sheldon realised what the last item to be purchased was until Howard pulled it out of the bag.
"Leonard! There something you and Penny want to tell us? I didn't even know you guys were still dating!" Howard brandished the pregnancy test in the air, just as Penny stepped through the door. "Penny!" He ran over to Penny and gave her a hug. "You're a sly one…keeping something like that to yourself."
"Huh?" Penny made a face as she tried to escape Howard's clutches, she finally pulled back enough to glance around the room. "Someone want to fill me in on what I've been keeping a secret?"
"Howard thinks that the two of us have been dating behind his back..." Raj blurted out, and clapped a hand over his mouth; his eyes wide with shock at the fact that he had managed to speak with not only one but two women present in the room.
"Leonard! What have you been saying to them? Didn't you tell them that you slept on the couch?" Penny started yelling at Leonard who held his hand up in appeal.
"I didn't tell them anything, I swear…"
"Penny, it's okay….you can tell us anything." Howard patted Penny on the shoulder and she cringed beneath his touch; finally spotting the pregnancy test in his hand. Her eyes darted to Leonard who subtly tilted his head toward Sheldon and Penny let out an inward squeal of excitement.
"I guess the game's up…I can't conceal it any longer." Penny let out a mock sigh of anguish and threw herself at Sheldon. Play along she hissed in his ear. "Oh, Sheldon! I didn't know how to tell you…"
"Um…there, there…" Sheldon reluctantly patted Penny on the shoulder and glanced over at Amy who was grinning all over her face at his obvious discomfort.
"You mean…? You and…?" Howard's mouth fell open in shock as he pointed to Sheldon and Penny.
"Eeeewww!"
"Heck, no!"
They both yelled out, grimacing at the very idea and Amy smiled as she saw that she had nothing to fear from the blonde beauty; there was no chance that Sheldon was even remotely attracted to this Penny creature, that much was obvious from the way he was cringing as she rested her head against his knee.
"There, there? Is that the best you can do, Sheldon?" Penny stuck her tongue out at her friend as she got to her feet. "Jeez, remind me not to come in search of comfort from you again in a hurry." She turned to Howard and shrugged her shoulder. "Sorry to disappoint you Howie, but this womb is currently unoccupied and will remain that way for the foreseeable future."
"So, whose is this then?" Howard waved the box in the air as he glanced around the room expectantly, and then groaned as he saw how close Sheldon and Amy were sitting on the couch. "Aw…Sheldon, you didn't…"
"Hey…I thought you said there wasn't going to be any amorous activities!" Leonard smirked over at his new roommates and watched Sheldon blush.
"That was a momentary aberration and is not likely to be repeated…Amy wishes to take things slowly and I gave her my word." Sheldon squeezed Amy's hand and she smiled up at him.
"Hmm…you may have to be penalised for telling me such a porky…perhaps takeout twice next week as punishment?" Leonard's eyes were sparkling with barely concealed joy as he watched the pair practically squirming with embarrassment. "Only joking, buddy." Leonard leant forward and reached around Amy to pat Sheldon's leg.
"Okay…what in the frack is going on?" Howard couldn't take it anymore and flung his hands in the air. "This is like an episode of 'The Twilight Zone'…I can't keep up…Who are you and what have you done with the real Sheldon Cooper?" Howard slumped on the floor, running his hands through his hair in confusion. "I mean, you met this woman for the first time in ten years and suddenly she's taking a pregnancy test? Come on Sheldon…you're not thinking straight…"
"It's okay, Howard." Leonard leant down to pat Howard on the back and the other man looked up and shook his head.
"No, it's not…don't you remember what happened with that girl that we set Raj up with? She seemed nice enough on the surface but she was only using him…I don't want Sheldon to go through all of that." Howard was clearly distressed at the thought of Sheldon being taken for a ride and shook his head in despair.
"Howard, it's not like that at all." Sheldon left Amy to crouch down beside his friend. "Look at me." Howard reluctantly looked up at Sheldon, noticing that his friend looked years younger and far more relaxed than he'd ever seen before. "Do I look unhappy to you?"
"No…"
"That's because I finally have the love of my life back with me, Howard." Sheldon glanced over at Amy and she smiled softly at him. Sheldon looked down at his left hand and Howard's eyes followed, finally spotting the wide gold band on Sheldon's ring finger. "Thank you for being concerned, you are a true friend, Howard Wolowitz." Amy left her spot on the couch to join Sheldon at Howard's side, surprising them all as she pulled Howard into a warm hug.
"Thank you for caring so much…if it's a boy, I'll name him after you." She whispered into his ear, and he pulled back smiling widely. Howard glanced over at Sheldon and nodded.
"I like this one, she can stay."
"Thank you so much for your approval." Sheldon murmured as he helped Amy to his feet, glancing over at Howard… "That was sarcasm, Howard."
"I got it." Howard grinned from the floor and rose to his feet, checking his watch. "I'd better see if Ma's left me anything out for dinner; she's gone to see my Aunt Rosa for the weekend so I'm fending for myself…Just an evening of Ramen noodles and maybe 'The Jazz Singer' to keep me company."
"No girlfriend, Howard?" Amy asked from the couch, looking over at the small man in disbelief. "I am surprised that someone with your good taste is without a life partner. You were talking about the 1980 Neil Diamond version were you not?"
"Is there any other?" Howard grinned, "You like Neil Diamond?"
"I love Neil Diamond." Amy grinned back, finding herself liking Sheldon's friend more with every passing moment. "I have the 25th Anniversary DVD; why don't you stay for dinner and we'll stick it on?"
"I thought you only brought your essentials with you today?" Sheldon asked as he left his seat on the arm of the couch so that he could head over to the kitchen.
"Neil Diamond is totally essential!" Howard chimed in as he ran over to take a seat in the beige armchair; leaning over the arm to continue chatting with Amy.
"I guess there will be five of us for dinner then." Sheldon mused quietly as he watched his wife and friend giggling over in the corner. He heard a heavy sigh from the far end of the couch and glanced over at the quiet Asian man in the corner. "Might as well have a rave while we're at it! Raj, would you care to join us for dinner?" Raj nodded enthusiastically and Sheldon washed his hands before pulling the tray of deli chicken out of the fridge to start cubing it. Amy glanced up to see Sheldon making a start on the dinner preparations, and with a smile for Howard got up to join her husband in the kitchen.
"He lives with his mother, then?" She murmured to Sheldon as she washed her hands at the sink, and Sheldon nodded. "Thought so, any man that can quote whole passages from that movie couldn't possibly live alone." Sheldon bit back a chuckle at her words, settling for a small grin. Amy started on the sauce for the casserole, pulling the tub of chicken stock from the fridge and peeling back the lid so that she could warm it through in the microwave.
"Anything I can do to help?" Howard leant over the counter and Amy smiled at him as she grabbed a bag of carrots from the fridge and plonked them down in front of him.
"Those need peeling and cutting into small chunks, think you can handle that?"
"Sure, doesn't sound too hard." Howard studied the vegetable peeler and flipped it over in his hand, looking for the right end. Leonard walked over and grabbed the peeler out of his hand.
"Give me that before you hurt yourself." Leonard swiftly moved the peeler over the carrot, removing just the minimum amount from each one. "I'll peel and you can chop."
"What about us? Anything we can do?"
"How are you with making up some dumpling dough or starting the roux?" Amy asked and saw the blank look that appeared on Penny's face. "Okaaay…what about chopping up an onion or finding me some frozen peas?" Penny's face brightened and she nodded.
"I can chop an onion." Amy slid the necessary over to Penny and she made a start. Raj opened his mouth to speak and closed it again. Sheldon glanced up and leant over, nodding as Raj whispered into his ear.
"Raj said he can make dumplings."
"That's great…We need enough for two each." Amy smiled softly at the shy astrophysicist who gave her a slight grin in return. Sheldon passed a large bowl over to Raj who started rummaging in the cupboard for the ingredients he needed. Leonard left the carrots to pluck a beer out of the fridge and set it down beside his friend.
"Raj has problems talking to women, he can only do it after he's had a drink or a sedative." Sheldon murmured in Amy's ear as they moved across to the stove to start on the roux. Amy nodded thoughtfully as she melted a stick of butter in the pan and added the onion that Penny had diced. Sheldon stirred the pot, waiting for the onion to turn translucent so that Amy could add the flour.
"I see, selective mutism… very interesting." Amy stirred the flour slowly into the pan, watching as it formed a golden ball. Sheldon added a little of the stock and Amy stirred briskly; they added the rest of the stock a little at a time until it was all absorbed. "Time for the carrots and the peas, please Sheldon." He added the vegetables and then tipped in the chicken. Amy gave everything a slow stir and then placed the lid on the bubbling pan. "We leave that for a few minutes and then it goes into a casserole pot with the dumplings on top for about forty minutes. What does everyone fancy for dessert? I've got fresh peaches and raspberries, so we could have a simple Peach Melba."
"Mmm, yummy." Sheldon rubbed his stomach and nodded in agreement. "Leonard is lactose intolerant though, so he couldn't have the ice cream."
"I've got some dairy free frozen dessert in the freezer, I could have that instead…what's Peach Melba?" Leonard looked over from where he was washing off the chopping boards, setting them on the drainer to dry off.
"To put simply, it's peaches that have been poached in a sugar syrup served with a raspberry sauce and ice cream. It's quite a light dessert so it won't sit heavily in your stomach like a cobbler would."
"It's yummy, Leonard. Meemaw taught Amy how to make it when she came out to visit us." Sheldon washed his hands again, drying them on a piece of kitchen towel. "Speaking of Meemaw…"
"Yes, we should tell them as soon as possible." Amy answered his question before he had even finished and Leonard grinned, it was like having two Sheldon's in the apartment; only the second was a much improved version of the original!
"I might give Meemaw a call now, she'll know how best to let Mama know." Sheldon glanced over at Amy for approval, and she nodded slightly.
"Go on then, you've got plenty of time before we eat." Sheldon picked up his phone and wandered into his bedroom to make the call; leaving Amy to slide the casserole into the oven for the final stage of the cooking.
"Meemaw it's Shelly…how're things back home?"
"Moonpie! It's unusual for you to call twice in a month…but lovely to hear from you just the same. Nothing much has changed since we last spoke, but as that was just a few days ago what did you expect?" Meemaw chuckled a little and Sheldon joined in, letting out a breathy sigh as he folded his long legs beneath him on the mattress.
"Meemaw…something's happened, and I don't quite know how to tell Mama." Sheldon spoke quietly and Meemaw listened without saying a word, knowing that when Sheldon was like this it was best just to let him get things off his chest. "I never thought it would happen like this…I turned around and bam! It was everything and yet nothing like I had imagined…so many emotions tumbling around and I couldn't speak or think for a second."
"You're not making much sense, Moonpie…Do you want to slow down a little and start from the beginning?"
"I've found her." With those three little words, Meemaw knew exactly what had her little Shelly in such a tizzy and she let out a quiet sob.
"Oh, Shelly…I don't know what to say…Is she alright? What's she like? Oh, I think I'm fit to burst!"
"Meemaw…she's just…I'm…" Sheldon couldn't think of the words to describe exactly how he was feeling and Meemaw chuckled.
"So she hasn't changed much then? That sweet girl always did have you tongue tied and in a tizzy. Is she there? Can I speak with her?"
"She's cooking dinner at the moment, we're having the gang over for Chicken Casserole and dumplings. Meemaw, we're going to try and make a go of things this time." Sheldon let his words sink in a little and then continued. "Our feelings haven't changed a bit, Amy explained everything that happened and I don't want a whole heap of questions and accusations thrown at her as soon as Missy and Mama hear about things."
"Moonpie! Your Mama wouldn't dream of saying such hurtful things and Missy knows better. If you're happy with Amy's explanation then that's all there is to it…no one else even has to know what happened."
"Thanks Meemaw…Amy's had a tough time of things over the last few months and when she lost her mother, some things came to light that she wasn't aware of and she's still feeling the shock a little."
"Oh, that poor darlin'…Skype me next time so that I can see how beautiful my girl's grown up to be…She is beautiful, isn't she Shelly?"
"Very…her hair is straight now and she wears it tied back with little clips above her ears. She's lost a little weight, but that might change soon enough." Sheldon caught his breath at inadvertently revealing the possibility of her pregnancy and Meemaw was shrewd enough to catch it.
"Are you tryin' to tell me that you're giving me another chance at being a Great Meemaw?"
"Maybe…we don't know yet, it's too early to tell. We got a little carried away and there's a slim chance that Amy may have conceived; she didn't want to take anything afterwards so I think that she's okay with it."
"And what about you, Shelly? How would you feel?"
"Like I'd found the end of the rainbow." Sheldon replied softly and looked up as Amy tapped on the door. She pointed to her wristwatch and then at the hallway and Sheldon beckoned her closer. "Someone wants to say hello." He handed the phone across to Amy and slipped off the bed.
"Hello?" Amy said hesitantly and heard the quiet sobbing coming down the line.
"Oh darlin'…you sweet, sweet girl."
"Meemaw, oh you don't know how long I've wanted to hear your voice. I've missed you so much." Amy started crying softly and Sheldon stepped out of the room, giving the two women a little privacy. Amy and Meemaw had clicked as soon as they had first been introduced over the telephone all those years ago. Meemaw had left Texas to travel to Cambridge as soon as Amy had moved in with Sheldon and the two women had become fast friends despite their age difference; both bonding over their deep affection for Sheldon.
Sheldon walked into the kitchen and started laying out plates for their meal, setting them out along the counter and grabbing the cutlery from the drawer. He kept glancing down the hallway every so often, but Amy remained out of sight. Just about when he had decided that dinner couldn't wait any longer, Amy's tear stained face appeared from around the corner and Sheldon shoved the oven mitt at Leonard's chest and ran around the counter to take Amy into his arms.
"Shush, don't cry darlin'…I'm here." Sheldon crooned softly as he stroked his hand through Amy's hair as she sobbed against his shoulder, her hands clutching handfuls of his shirt in her tight grip. Sheldon led her over to the couch and sat her down in his lap as he cradled her gently. "Aw…honey, you'll make yourself sick…"
"I can't help it…she said she loved me!"
"Of course she loves you, in fact she probably loves you more than she loves me." Sheldon said as he cuddled Amy close and ran his hand up and down her back. "You were the reason she called every week wanting to chat, I only used to get a call once a month; as soon as you moved in everyone wanted to call us all of the sudden. You even had George calling asking for advice about Marsha!"
"She was so sweet and kind…I didn't expect that; I thought she'd hate me for leaving you." Amy rubbed her hand over her wet eyes and sniffed hard. Sheldon leant over to grab a tissue and found Raj there holding the box closer, with a sheen of tears behind his own eyes. Sheldon mouthed a thank you and Raj nodded as he moved back to the armchair. Leonard brought the plates of food over and set them on the coffee table, going back to the kitchen to fetch more. Sheldon wiped Amy's eyes dry and urged her to blow. "She wants to come see me…"
"Really?" Sheldon looked startled at the news, and hastened to explain. "I knew that she'd want to see you, but thought that she'd want us to go down there. Meemaw hasn't left Texas for years, she's always said that she was too old to be gallivanting about."
"She wants to come up in a few weeks, just on her own without having to worry about what your Mama or Missy wants to do. She said that she's been keeping something for me and it was time I had it back…what do you think she means?"
"Um…I do know but don't want you to get upset again." Sheldon stared at his hands, and nervously started twisting his wedding ring around on his finger. Amy placed her fingers lightly on his hand and glanced up at him.
"Is this something to do with Emily?" She asked quietly and Sheldon nodded. "Then I won't be upset, how could I be?"
"Because I didn't do like you asked…" Sheldon whispered and Amy struggled to hear him. "I couldn't just toss her away, so I had Mama come down and pack a few things up to take back to Texas with her."
"Oh stringbean, how could I ever be upset with that? I love the fact that you cared enough not to listen to my silly rambles…what did Mary take?"
"Her shawl, the little hat and bootie set that Missy made and something else…"
"What else?" Amy held her breath, hoping against hope that there was one final thing that Sheldon had ignored from her tormented screams.
"Emily…Mama took Emily back with her and Meemaw's taken care of her for all of these years." Sheldon didn't look up, certain that Amy would be running out of the door at any second. Instead he found himself being strangled half to death as Amy threw herself into his arms and peppered his face with kisses.
"I love you…I love you…I love you…" Amy murmured as she continued kissing her husband, thankful for the fact that his heart was as big as the state that he hailed from.
"You're not mad at me for going against your wishes?" Sheldon leant back and gazed down at his wife, Amy shook her head and pressed a firm kiss to his lips.
"No, sweetheart I'm not mad…in fact if we didn't have a living room full of guests, I'd be tempted to show you just how mad I'm not." Amy slid off Sheldon's lap and leant forward to pick up their plates, handing one over to Sheldon and keeping the other for himself.
"Um guys…I have one question…who's Emily?" Raj was sufficiently relaxed enough to address Amy directly and she waved away Leonard's annoyed whisper to Raj begging him to shut up.
"It's alright, Leonard. Emily was our daughter…she passed away the day she was born and I didn't handle it well." Amy forked up a little chicken and chewed it slowly, glancing around to gauge the reaction of Sheldon's friends. Penny was sniffing quietly in the large wooden desk chair, and Amy knew that she and Leonard were already fully aware of the situation. Howard looked at Sheldon in amazement, unable to believe that he could have kept such an awful thing secret for so long. Raj had tears rolling down his cheeks and finally set his plate aside and practically threw himself at Amy; sobbing against her shoulder and grasping for Sheldon's hand.
"He's Hindu…and a firm believer in Karma. He's muttering something about how your daughter will probably be reborn as a Princess in her next life as she didn't get a chance in this one." Howard translated Raj's tearful mutterings and sniffed back a few himself, swiping a hand under his eyes and clearing his throat. "So, now that our dinner is far too salty to enjoy…how about dessert?" Everyone chuckled, just as Howard had hoped and he started piling the barely touched plates on top of one another to carry them into the kitchen, taking the time to dry his eyes on his sleeve and hope that no one spotted him.