Chapter 5
The annoying repetitive beep of Barry's alarm clock was droning on in his bedroom. He reached out his hand to try to whack the alarm off, but managed to knock his phone off the bedside table. After banging his clock multiple times, he turned off the annoying alarm. Now he was trying to reach his phone from the floor without extracting himself from the covers. It was pointless…he sat up and retrieved his phone from the floor. He crawled back into bed and opened up his email, shielding his eyes from the bright light. Twenty messages! He sat up and started going through them. They were all regarding his Light Cone Quantization paper. He had posted the paper the previous day, late in the afternoon. Most of the emails were from physicists in Europe, who had read the paper overnight. He started scanning his emails, with a big smile on his face. Most of the responses were great. Barry hopped out of bed. This was fantastic! This paper was really leading to something big.
Barry noticed that he had a text message. He smiled when he saw who it was from; it was from Amy, sent at 12 am last night. He opened the text:
Hey Kripkenite, I couldn't sleep so I checked out the response on your paper. It's being talked about on the Physics Diaries Blog. Check it out! So proud of you!
Barry navigated to the blog, and saw that there was a huge discussion going on about his paper. This was awesome! There were a lot of comments, the majority of them positive. This was going to be a significant milestone in his career, he could just feel it. Amy deserved so much credit for helping him come up with this. He wanted to find some way to thank her. Perhaps a nice bottle of wine? He could surprise her and bring her some scones from Euro Pane Bakery to her lab. Perfect. He'd stop off on his way to work and buy some red wine, and some warm scones from the bakery as a thank-you. He couldn't wait to discuss the response with her.
Barry started humming while getting ready. This was turning out to be a great day.
Amy was sitting in her lab, writing her latest findings from her experiment on her computer. She was having trouble concentrating because she hadn't slept well the night before. Her issues with Sheldon were on her mind. She had barely spoken to him for over a week, and even though she went for Chinese at his apartment the other night, she really didn't say much at all. She was just so upset about what Sheldon had said, she didn't even know how to approach him on the issue. Amy sighed…she knew she was going to have to confront him about it at some point.
Knock, knock, knock "Amy?"
Knock, knock, knock "Amy?"
Knock, knock, knock "Amy?"
Amy looked up surprised that Sheldon had come to visit her at her lab. Perhaps their problems were weighing on his mind also.
"Come In" she called out.
Sheldon walked in with a serious look on his face. He tossed a paper in front of Amy, which landed with a thud in front of her. It was Kripke's Light Cone Quantization paper.
"What is this?" Sheldon said sternly.
"What do you mean what is this? That's Barry's Light Cone Quantization Paper." Amy stated. "I assume you read it? I think that it is really good."
"You mean it's Barry's paper that YOU helped him with, with your modeling idea." Sheldon stated again.
"Well, yes, I did explain the modeling idea to Barry and we exchanged some ideas, but he came up with all the findings in that paper himself. Why?"
"Why? Why? Where do you get off helping that miscreant Kripke? You know he is my professional rival, and you are helping him? Where is your loyalty?" Sheldon said indignantly.
"My loyalty? Excuse me, but I tried to tell you about this idea, not once but twice. And twice you blew me off, and wouldn't even hear me out." Amy snapped back.
"That is not the point. " Sheldon sputtered. "Whether or not I use your idea is mute. The point is, you don't go helping the one person who I am working against."
"Working against? I thought true scientists would put the advancement of science before ego. I was merely helping a fellow scientist out. You had first dibs, but you didn't want to hear it. You're just being petty."
"Petty? Petty? I'm not the one being petty. You are being petty. We all know the reason that you are helping Barry Kripke out. It's not in the interest of science. It's simply because you are mad at me. Oh, I'm Amy and I'm upset about some relationship nonsense. Should I go simply talk to Sheldon about it? No! That would make too much sense. I know what I'll do….I'll go help the one person he hates at work, just to get back at him. So, now who is being petty?" Sheldon ranted.
Amy stared at Sheldon stunned. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. That was not how it was at all.
"Barry Kripke has humiliated me multiple times in front of my colleagues. He even humiliated me on National Public Radio. Where, in that calculating brain of yours, does it make sense to help him out? As my girlfriend, you should not have even fathomed helping someone like him out. You are supposed to be on MY side. You go on about how girlfriends and boyfriends should behave all the time. Well, I don't think this is how a loving girlfriend would behave at all."
"Do you know what Sheldon? You are just being jealous. Jealous, arrogant, AND petty. This has very little to do with me, and A LOT to do with you and how you treat people." Amy said angrily.
"Oh this I'd like to hear.." Sheldon snorted. "I have no reason to be jealous. People are jealous of me."
"Yes Jealous. You, Sheldon Cooper….Jealous. You are completely jealous of Barry Kripke."
"Like I said before, I have no reason to be jealous of that subpar wannabe physicist."
"Who published multiple papers to great reviews last year? The Great Sheldon Cooper? Nope, it was Kripke. Who were you upset about last year, that his work was miles ahead of yours? Yes, it was that 'wannabe' physicist. And what did that subpar physicist do when he got stuck in his research in string theory? He talked with colleagues to get new ideas and expand his thinking. What did you do Sheldon? Did you do that? No, you just run away when things get hard. Get frustrated in String Theory…I know..I'll jump on a train and run away from my problems."
"Good Lord Amy, the train again? You can't let that little gem go. Excuse me, if I needed some time to think. I needed some time alone to get clarity on things, especially when my life was changing so suddenly. Yes, it was unplanned which is unlike me, but it was something that I needed to do. The difference is, while I may have hurt your feelings by leaving so suddenly, my intention was clearly not to hurt you, it was just to refocus. You helped Barry out, just to be vindictive and hurt me because you were upset with me. I always prided our relationship on having good communication and honesty, but clearly this is an area where you are lacking."
Amy was getting angry. She stood up and walked towards Sheldon. "You want to talk about good communication? How would you feel if your ideas were dismissed without a thought? You wouldn't even hear the idea to see if you agreed or disagreed with it. You are so arrogant, and you think you are so much smarter than everyone, that nobody elses ideas hold value. Do you know what? I am just as smart as you. And even if I wasn't, you have no right to talk to me in such a dismissive manner."
Amy continued on. "Furthermore, if you want complete honesty, yes I am upset about our relationship, but that was NOT why I helped Kripke. I wasn't helping him to be vindictive or to specifically hurt you. Not everything is about you! Frankly, I found it refreshing to discuss my ideas without being dismissed or belittled. He was eager to hear what I had to say, he was genuinely interested. He took a genuine interest in my research and my ideas." Amy said flatly.
"Nothing about Kripke is genuine." Sheldon grumbled. "His sudden interest in you probably has more to do with me than you." He knew that Kripke was probably just nosing around Amy because of what he had told him about their sex life, and not because he wanted to find out about Amy's research.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Amy questioned.
"Nothing, it doesn't matter. We are getting way off topic here. You said you were upset about our relationship, but I thought we agreed to keep going on our present trajectory. What has got your feathers in a flap again then?" Sheldon asked.
"I heard something the other day that really upset me." Amy said quietly.
"What did you hear?" Sheldon asked, worried about what Kripke could have told her.
"Well after our date night the other week, I was upset with how we left things, so I went to come find you to talk to you about it. You were in the cafeteria with the guys. I overheard your conversation."
"I can't imagine anything we said could be upsetting to you. But what exactly did you hear?"
"You guys were talking about how when starting a new romantic relationship, you lose two of your current friends. Raj said that you didn't lose any friends when you started dating me, and then you said that you wouldn't define us as 'romantic partners'" Amy sniffed.
"Really Amy? That is what got you so upset?" Sheldon said as he shook his head
"YES! What do you mean, is that what got me upset? My boyfriend of four years, doesn't even consider me a romantic partner? Yes, I find that extremely upsetting! If you don't see me that way, then why the relationship agreement? Why did you ask me to be your girlfriend? We could have remained friends, but you were the one that asked me. Did you really want to have a relationship, or was it merely about preventing me from starting one of my own with someone else. I thought you wanted to be in this relationship because you had feelings for me, not because you were merely feeling possessive."
Sheldon glared at her. He couldn't believe that she thought he was only in the relationship as a possessive move. "You changed so much. I miss the Amy I met four years ago. The one that was sure of herself, and knew what and what she did not want. We had a relationship of the mind, I enjoyed spending time with you. This is why I wanted to be in a relationship with you. But now I look at you and wonder where that woman went? Off drunk with Penny and Bernadette, trying be and act like them, obsessed with coitus , trying to turn me into a guy from one of your stupid romance novels."
"Yes I've changed! People change, that doesn't make it bad. I have friends for the first time in my life, and I love it. I have a boyfriend for the first time in my life. Yes, I want to kiss and touch you. I would hope that you would find that flattering. I also want to be kissed and touched. And that is not a crazy statement! I want to feel like a real woman who is desirable. People in relationships are romantic partners. If you don't see me that way, then I need to question why we are in a relationship at all." Amy cried.
"This conversation is just going in circles. Everything just comes back down to coitus with you. I told you how I felt when we played Dungeon and Dragons. You know I have real feelings for you." Sheldon sighed. "Listen, I think we are both a little heated right now. I propose we stop this conversation here, and speak to each other in a couple days when we both have collected our thoughts."
Sheldon looked down at Amy. She was wiping the tears that were flowing down her face.
"Fine." Amy said quietly.
"Good." Sheldon replied. He grabbed his wallet and keys from her table and exited the lab. Amy watched the door close, and then she burst into tears.
Barry was walking down the hallway in the Biology building looking for Amy's lab. He was trying to juggle the bottle of red wine, scones, and a stack of comments he had printed off about his paper. He was a little lost, as the halls of the biology building were unfamiliar to him. There it was, room 175. He walked up to the door but he could hear Amy and Sheldon's voices speaking loudly in a very heated manner. He leaned towards the door and listened and heard Amy's shaky voice.
Yes, I want to kiss and touch you. I would hope that you would find that flattering. I also want to be kissed and touched. And that is not a crazy statement! I want to feel like a real woman who is desirable. People in relationships are romantic partners. If you don't see me that way, then I need to question why we are in a relationship at all.
Barry could hear Amy crying. What the hell was going on in there? He then heard Sheldon's voice.
This conversation is just going in circles. Everything just comes back down to coitus with you. I told you how I felt when we played Dungeon and Dragons. You know I have real feelings for you. Listen, I think we are both a little heated right now. I propose we stop this conversation here, and speak to each other in a couple days when we both have collected our thoughts.
Barry ducked around the corner to avoid Sheldon seeing him. He saw him burst out of the office and walk towards the exit.
Barry was completely puzzled by what he just heard. Amy wants to kiss and touch Sheldon? She wants him to do the same to her? Not romantic partners? But what about all the crazy sex they were having all the time. He said he was giving it to her on a nightly basis. Sheldon did say that everything comes down to coitus with her? But why was she questioning if he has feelings for her? This was so strange. Something wasn't adding up…. He couldn't ask Cooper or Amy, but he was going to get to the bottom of this, one way or another.
A/N: I got myself upset writing this chapter. Sigh…. I did my best to keep the fight a bit balanced between them. Up next….Kripke investigates…but will he find out the truth? Thank-you to all that have reviewed, I really appreciate it and love reading your thoughts!