Chapter 10

Penny, Leonard, Sheldon, Howard, Bernadette and Raj all sat down at their table at the Cheesecake Factory. There was one empty chair – the one for Amy. Penny glanced around the table and then at Amy's empty chair. Something was up, she could feel it in her gut.

Penny looked at her phone with concern. "You guys, don't you think it's weird that Amy asked us all to meet here?"

"I didn't really think too much of it actually. I mean we haven't gotten together in a group to go out for dinner in ages, I was pleasantly surprised." Bernadette replied.

Penny gazed at the sea foam green walls of the restaurant and sighed. "I wish she would have picked a different restaurant. This place is bringing back bad memories of waitressing."

Sheldon looked up from his menu. "Did forgetting everybody's orders give you bad memories also? I thought it was just me."

Penny gave Sheldon a dirty look. "Anyways…I don't have a good feeling about this dinner. The last text I got from Amy was pretty angry, and then the next one I get from her was inviting us all out for dinner. Something isn't adding up."

"I agree. Something seems a bit off." Leonard said.

Bernadette frowned and looked at Penny. "Why did Amy send you an angry text? Did you two get into a fight?"

Penny looked pointedly at Sheldon. "This is all Sheldon's fault. Amy found out about that rumour that her and Sheldon were boinking like bunnies was going around the Caltech campus. So she's understandably pissed at Sheldon, and all of us by association because we knew and didn't tell her."

"Excuse me, but I didn't spread that rumour around campus. Kripke did. But Amy was right, I should have stopped the rumour right then. I'm hoping that if I apologize to her, she will know that I am truly sorry. I just wish I knew who told Kripke all of our personal information" Sheldon said.

Howard started coughing uncontrollably, choking on his drink. Bernadette rubbed his back "Howie, are you ok?" she said concerned.

Howard looked nervously at Raj. "Yeah…yeah…I think my drink just went down the wrong pipe." He pulled out his phone and texted Raj.

Don't you dare say anything.

His phone immediately buzzed back.

What do you take me for? An Idiot?

"Oh Good! She's here!" Sheldon exclaimed as he hopped up from his seat. He rushed over to the entrance of the restaurant where Amy had entered.

"Amy! I am so happy to see you. When you said you didn't want to hear from me until you contacted me, I was worried that this may go on indefinitely, and you know how I am about things being open ended. I wanted to tell you how much I missed you, and how I've thought a lot about the things you told me –"

"Sheldon" Amy interrupted.

"Yes?" he said earnestly.

"I'm actually not ready to talk. I just called everyone for dinner to clear the air. Everyone seems ok with speaking so freely about our personal business, and I'm not ok with it. Maybe I should have never opened up so much with them, because it really came back to bite me." Amy said coldly.

"But Amy, are you sure you want to get into all of this with them –"

"Let's just go sit down." Amy replied.

The group was sitting around the table laughing and talking. Penny looked up at Amy nervously, as she pulled out her chair from across from her and sat down. Sheldon while previously looking elated when Amy had walked in, now had a look of nervousness on his face. He pulled out his chair beside Amy, and quietly sat down, never taking his eyes off of her.

"Hi Ames" Penny said softly.

Amy looked up with her with a hurt look on her face. "Hey" she said softly. Amy picked up her menu, but gazed around the table. Raj was laughing with Bernadette. Howard was stealing glances at Amy, and then looking back at the conversation between Bernie and Raj. Penny and Leonard were sitting quietly at the table. She could feel Sheldon's eye's staring at her from her peripheral vision.

Amy set down her menu and cleared her throat. The group all stopped talking and looked up at her. Amy began. "Well there is no point in beating around the bush. I called you all out here for dinner tonight for a specific purpose. I became painfully aware of a rumour that was going around Caltech for the last number of months about Sheldon and I's crazy sex life. While I'm sure you all found the rumour quite humorous, I do not. I do not like my personal business being broadcast out to the world. I thought as my close friends AND boyfriend would know that about me, and would extend me the courtesy of letting me know. But not one of you could be bothered to tell me."

"Amy, this is all my fault. You are right, I should have put a stop to the rumour as soon as Kripke suggested it, keeping our private business private. I'm really sorry for not thinking about how this affected you. It was selfish of me, and I am truly sorry for hurting you." Sheldon looked at her earnestly.

Amy was taken aback. Sheldon hated…HATED admitting he was wrong, and apologizing was a whole ball of wax entirely. But he had just apologized, in front of all of their friends. Was this a grand gesture for show or was he truly being sincere? Was Sheldon just he trying to make things go back to his preferred homeostatic state or had he truly listened to what she was trying to tell him the other day?

"Sheldon –" Amy started.

"Amy, I'm really sorry about how things played out" Penny interrupted. "I was just in a bit of a difficult position. I mean Sheldon told me what happened, it was obvious that he didn't want you to know. You are both my friends, I really didn't know what to do. I felt like if I told you, I was betraying Sheldon's confidence. And if I didn't tell you, I wasn't being a good friend to you. In the end, I thought this rumour would blow over quickly, and it wasn't really hurting anyone per say, so I decided to keep quiet. I did feel bad though…" Penny trailed off.

"It wasn't hurting anyone? What about me? My professional reputation is very important to me. I want to be thought of for my work as published neurobiologist. Not as some sex deviant girlfriend of one Dr. Sheldon Lee Cooper!" Amy ranted.

Raj laughed as he sipped his grasshopper. "Don't worry, even with that rumour flying around, I don't think anyone thinks of you that way."

Amy turned to Raj, her eyes blazing. Howard looked nervously at Raj. "Raaaaj" he hissed cautiously.

"I think of you that –" Sheldon started.

"Excuse me Raj. You always seem to have a lot to say don't you. A little TOO much. I know it was you and Howard that told Barry about our relationship agreement. That we are both virgins" Amy sputtered.

"What? Why on God's green earth would you tell Kripke that?" Sheldon shot out at Raj and Howard. Bernie was glaring at Howard.

"It wasn't our fault. It was Kripke's. He got us drunk and pumped us for information." Howard protested. Sheldon glowered at the thought of Kripke trying to get more information about them for his own benefit. Kripke's comment about making Amy purr was burned in his brain.

"Oh is that all it takes. A few drinks, and you spill everyone's private business? How would you feel if I did that?" Amy grabbed her glass of wine and took a sip. "Oooh I had some wine. Did you know that Raj was secretly hoping that Bernie would turn down Howard's marriage proposal so he could move in on Bernie and betray his very own best friend? That he wrote poems about Bernadette playing his "clarinet". I guess that's not totally out of character for you…you did hook up with Penny and betray Leonard's friendship!"

Penny's eyes widened as she saw the situation start to explode. "Oh fuuuuu –" She put her head between her hands to stop seeing the inevitable meltdown that was going to take place.

"What?" Howard glared over at Raj.

"What the hell is this all about Raj?" Bernie asked at the same time, cracking her knuckles.

"Hey it wasn't just me that spilled the beans. Howard did too!" Raj protested.

"Actually, you were the one who told Kripke that they were virgins, not me." Howard retorted. "What the hell is this about you liking Ber-"

"I didn't see you keeping quiet when you were joking with me about their "hot" relationship" Raj diverted.

Amy slammed her hand against the table. "See! This is exactly what I mean. You guys have no problems my relationship being your little joke. I'm sick of being the joke. I hate it. HATE IT! How do you think it makes me feel to hear this? Do you think I don't have any feelings at all? Raj you saying that nobody could possibly think of me that way. It just rolls of your tongue so effortlessly. That you two can so easily laugh at my "pathetic" relationship. I thought you guys were my friends. I can see it clearly now though. " Amy stared at the group. " Not one of you had my back. You all had Sheldon's back. I thought we were all friends, but you are Sheldon's friends, and I am just his pathetic unattractive girlfriend" Amy said angrily.

"Whoah…Amy. That is not true at all." Penny interjected.

"Maybe this is all my fault. I should have never opened up to you guys. The story is always the same….I think I make friends, but they are just using me as a stupid JOKE. Amy always loses. I'm so happy that you think that thought of me being sexual is unfathomable. It's great that you all think that Sheldon and I's relationship is worthy of your mockery."

Penny, Leonard, Bernadette, Howard and Raj all began speaking loudly at once.

"Raj how could you –"

"Your Clarinet? What the Hell?"

"Don't you dare talk about hooking up with Penny again –"

"How could you do that to my Howie?"

"I didn't sleep with Raj!"

"Everybody please stop arguing" Sheldon yelled. He turned towards Amy. "Don't worry about what these idiots say, half the time they are spewing nonsense. We are the ones in this relationship, not them. And I can say with conviction, that I don't think our relationship is a joke. As for you being thought of sexually….well ummm..that is something I want to talk to you about in private. Now."

"Private? Oh didn't you know….private doesn't exist in this group. Do they want to hear us negotiate more intimacy into our relationship? Up our kissing time minutes? Amend when and where we can hold hands? Let's give them more fodder for their ridicule." Amy turned to Raj. "I'll have you know that not everybody thinks of me as some sort of sexless being. Even though that is the popular opinion amongst my friends and boyfriend." Amy sputtered.

"Oh we don't think of you as sexless…that would be Sheldon" Raj replied

"Not helping!" Leonard muttered shaking his head.

"There are men out there that see me as a desirable woman." Amy whispered. Sheldon's ears turned red, as he looked at Amy concerned.

"Amy" he whispered pulling her aside. "We need to talk now. I've been remiss on telling you how I really feel. Your desirability is -"

"I don't want to be here anymore" Amy said wiping a tear from her eye. "This was a bad idea. I wanted to confront you all for not having my back, but I just feel worse than I did before. I need to get away from everybody."

"Amy please don't go. Not until we have a chance to talk." Sheldon said urgently.

"No…no…not tonight. I just can't do it. I'm emotionally spent." Amy said sadly. She grabbed her purse and walked out of the restaurant. The group looked at each other silently. Sheldon looked at the entrance of the restaurant sadly. He hadn't gotten the chance to tell Amy how he really felt about her. He just hoped that it wasn't too late.

A/N: So sorry about posting this chapter so late! Life has definitely gotten in the way…I moved houses, things have been total chaos! Big big things are coming next chapter. Please stay tuned. No long wait for the next chapter…it's already written! Thanks! I appreciate your reviews!