I read your reviews and the consensus was "We want Memaw!" So here she is! I hope you enjoy her and there is more of her to come. A big thank you to my muse Vamplover669 who gave me a wonderful idea. Also a big thanks to Shamy4eva who read this and fixed it for me.
The flight from Pasadena to Houston took three hours and Amy's stomach was in knots the entire time. She had met his mother before, and she knew Mary liked her a lot. She also knew that his Memaw cared for her and that she was glad that Amy was in Sheldon's life. As far as Missy and George Jr. were concerned however she had never even spoken to them before. Amy hoped they would accept her into the fold of the family, but as they had never seemed to have quite accepted Sheldon, well you never knew.
As they leave the plane and enter the terminal, they see Mary waving along with a tall thin gray haired woman that Amy recognized as Memaw, they were friends on Facebook so she knew what she looked like. The two women rush up to them and wrap them both up in a tight embrace. Sheldon looks uncomfortable by the group hug but allows it to happen.
"Honey, it is so nice to finally meet you in the flesh, though I feel like I already know you from the phone calls and the Facebook." Memaw tells her giving Amy an extra hug. "Shelly, why have you been keeping this sweet girl away from us so long?"
"There just had not been time until now." Sheldon answers.
"That's a lot of hooey and you know it! You did not want to be embarrassed by your humble beginnings in front of your brainiac girlfriend." Mary tells him as she wraps her arm around his shoulder and they begin walking out of the airport.
"Now what is this news that you want to share with us, I thought I had an inkling but little Amy's hand looks empty." Memaw says wrapping her arm around Sheldon's. Sheldon looks over at Amy and smiles. He had told her on the plane to give him the ring back, he wanted to stage the proposal again for his mother and grandmother. Which was odd to Amy because he normally did not care for such grand gestures.
"Now hold your horses, you are the one who wanted a party so you are going to have to wait until then to find out." Sheldon tells her smiling at her indulgently.
"Now Amy, darling, Shelly was trying to explain some of your work to me and I did not quite understand. Something with starfish?" Mary asks Amy changing the subject.
"Actually I have done two studies with Starfish, one where I got a starfish addicted to cocaine and a more recent one where I electronically stimulated its pleasure centers."
"Well honey, why are you trying to get sea stars high and horny? What kind of science is that? You might as well gather em' all up and bring em' to Studio 54." Memaw asks curiously and Amy looks over at her shocked.
"Memaw, now don't be so crass! Amy is like Shelly, her ears are too sweet and sensitive to handle talk like that." Mary says swatting the older woman on the arm.
"Memaw tends to tell it like it is." Sheldon whispers to her.
"I can see that." Amy says giggling.
"Now normally we would cook ya'll a big meal but by the time we get back home it is going to be awfully late. So we thought we would grab a bite to eat out somewhere. As ya'll will be with us a few more days there will be plenty of time for home cookn'." Memaw tells them.
"That sounds fine." Amy says at the same time Sheldon says "Alright." Disappointed.
"Oh don't sound like that Shelly! I will be back over at you Mama's bright and early in the morning to cook you up a Texas sized breakfast." Memaw tells him.
"Missy and George Jr. will be over early too we can all have breakfast together like in the good old days." Mary says climbing into the car.
"Why are Missy and George Jr. Coming over so early?" Sheldon asks curiously
"Well honey cus' they miss you and they love you!" Mary says.
"And they is just as curious as everyone else to meet you lady friend in the flesh." Memaw answers honestly turning back around in her car seat to look at Amy and beam at her. "I think just about everyone was worried that you was something he whipped up in a lab dearie." Memaw tells her.
"I assure you I am quite real." Amy says laughing.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
When they finally get back to the house everyone is exhausted and they all agree to go to bed to get ready for the busy day planned for tomorrow. Mary rounds on them as they bring in their bags from the car.
"Now I don't know what your sleeping arrangements are back home." Sheldon opens his mouth to explain and Mary puts up her hands to stop him. "And I don't care, don't wanna know! However this is my house and these are my rules. Until you are married in the eyes of the lord there will be no sinning."
"Mother, after what I saw…" But Mary puts up her hand to stop him again.
"My house Shelly, my rules!"
"That's fine Mrs. Cooper, we would not be sinning anyways but I understand your point of view." Amy tells her.
"Thank you Amy, now I told you call me Mary. Mrs. Cooper was Sheldon's Daddy's mother and I don't have a mustache."
"I am sorry…. Mary."
"That's alright sugar, now let me show you to your room. You can have Missy's old room I have changed the sheets and I am sure you will feel quite comfortable." Mary says grabbing Amy's bag and leading her down the hall. Mary opens the door to a small room that is painted lavender and lime green.
"Now honey the bathroom is down the hall to your left, Shelly's room is the one right across the hall if you need something. But keep in mind my bedroom is next door to his and the walls are paper thin in this house."
"I am sure that won't be a problem, I will keep to my room." Amy assures her.
"That's good, now I will see you in the morning." Mary says walking down the hall.
Amy walks into the room and looks around, so this is what the room of the popular girls looked like she thinks. The walls are plastered with photos of Missy and various girlfriends posing together. Missy was beautiful and so were her friends, all posed happily smiling at the camera. It appears Missy had been on both the homecoming court and the Prom court, and had also been crowned the prom queen. There are dance trophies on all her shelves, and ribbons from all state cheerleading, it seems both Cooper twins were achievers in their own way Amy muses.
Amy finds one photo of particular interest and takes it down so that she can look at it closer. It is of Missy and Sheldon at what must be their cotillion and they must have been around eleven or twelve. Missy is wearing a blush pink dress, her dark hair tumbling down her shoulders and she is towering over Sheldon who is wearing a dark suit. He is clutching his sister's arm, mouth in a tight scowl and his eyes closed to the camera's flash. It reminds her so much of their prom photo it makes her giggle. Amy goes on the hunt searching for more pictures of Sheldon amongst the hordes of other ones and she finds another gem. One of the both of them at maybe age six. Missy is dressed in a teal cow-girl outfit standing next Sheldon who is dressed in a matching teal western style suit both wearing little hats. Missy is posing with her hand on her hip beaming into the camera, Sheldon has his arms crossed and is scowling at the photographer. The next one she finds is on a bulletin board under a caption labeled 'My Brother the Genius". Sheldon is at his college graduation with a faint mustache on his upper lip and at fourteen is finally taller than Missy. Missy has her arms wrapped around his neck kissing his cheek as he stares still unsmiling into the camera.
"Sheldon certainly was not a fan of smiling in pictures." Amy says to herself as she pulls out her phone and begins going through the pictures on it. Here there are several of her and Sheldon together and all with him smiling into the camera happily. His real happy face she thinks coming to her favorite one. Penny had taken that it without their knowledge. Amy has her head down laughing and Sheldon is leaned into her his hand on her knee laughing too, they are sharing one of their little personal jokes and Leonard is looking at them like they are crazy.
"Maybe I do make him happy." Amy says out loud as she changes into her nightgown and crawls under the covers. She feels his absence like a tangible thing and it makes it even harder knowing he is just across the hall. Amy has always had a hard time sleeping away from home and she tosses and turns fitfully before she finally falls asleep.
When Amy gets up in the morning she goes into the kitchen and finds that Sheldon is awake. Memaw is already back at the house and true to her word is cooking a large breakfast. A man who could only be Sheldon's brother, George Jr, is sitting at the table and it seems as though they are all having a bit of an argument.
"Memaw the chairs and tables we have are fine plenty enough for small party. I am not spending my morning trekking into a hot and dusty attic hauling furniture for you." Sheldon says annoyed.
"Well honey there is a treasure trove up in that attic if someone young and able bodied were to go up there and search for it." Memaw says and Sheldon rolls his eyes.
"I am sure the only treasures awaiting me in that attic are mouse droppings and dust. No Memaw you are not tricking me into cleaning out your attic for you." Sheldon tells her rolling his eyes.
"You know what? I think there are some things that went missing that might turn up in that attic." George Jr. tells her. "I used to have all the Master of the Universe toys and I have not seen them since 1992. George Jr. says like he is thinking hard about it. George looks a little like Sheldon so you can tell they are brothers. Only George is a much heavier and is dressed like a good old boy.
"So you are saying you are going to go into that hot uninsulated rat infested attic in the hopes you might find an old out of the box He-man action figure?." Sheldon asks him. "Unless it is mint in box it is hardly worth your troubles."
"Among other things yeah, what do you say Shelly we could go up together and help Memaw out." George says.
"Absolutely not." Sheldon remains firm and is just about to start his breakfast when Memaw snatches his plate from in front of him and he looks up at her shocked.
"Now you listen here mister we are having a party for you. And when I say I need tables and chairs hauled down I mean, I need tables and chairs hauled down! If you want to finish this breakfast I cooked you then you will agree to go my house and help your brother clean out that attic." Memaw tells him looking at him with fire in her eyes and though he looks up at her with his jaw clenched, Amy can see he knows better than to argue with her.
"Fine." He agrees. "Now can I please have my breakfast back?" Memaw sets his plate down and looks up and sees Amy and crows:
"Amy my darling, come sit a spell and I will fix you up a plate."
"Careful Amy, this food comes at a price apparently you have to sing for your supper around here now." Sheldon gripes.
"Amy is a guest, she don't have to sing for her supper. It is only lazy city slickers, who won't help old women out when they are asked politely who do." Memaw says brandishing a spoon at him and Amy sits down next to him.
"Thank you that would be lovely I am quite hungry."
"Now you eat meat right honey? You ain't one of them hippy dippy Californians who goes on about food having a face and such." Memaw asks as she piles bacon and sausage on the plate next to a biscuit and some eggs.
"Oh no, I eat meat." Amy confirms and Memaw smiles as she plops the plate down in front of her. It is overflowing with food and Amy is certain she will not be able to eat half of it. Amy prods what looks like a pile of white porridge with her spoon.
"That's grits." Sheldon hisses at her "Its ground alkali-treated corn known as hominy, cooked and then has butter added. It is a Southern breakfast staple, along with biscuits and gravy."
Amy takes a bite and finds that she likes them a lot, they remind her of savory Cream of Wheat laden with pepper and butter. Amy finds that she is either hungrier than she thought or Memaw's cooking is just that good, because before she knows it most of her plate is clean.
"Good girl, I like to see a woman with an appetite!" Memaw says patting her on the back.
"When Shelly said he was bringing his girlfriend from California I feared the worst. I thought you would be one of the crunchy granola types who only ate the dew of the may flower."
"Memaw there are plenty of people in California who eat meat, in fact I do not personally know one vegetarian." Sheldon sighs clearly embarrassed by his grandmother.
"Well honey from watching the TV you get the idea that California is just a lawless land full of sinners and heathens." Memaw says sagely.
"Dang what are you watching Memaw? Let me guess something about the 49ers and the gold rush?" George Jr. laughs.
"Nah, Memaw was alive for the gold rush, she ran a saloon during that time." Missy says walking in. Missy must have just arrived because her purse is still on her shoulder. She walks in the kitchen and immediately pours herself a cup of coffee. Amy tries not to laugh, but the way they are teasing Memaw is funny.
"You tease an old woman! I was a'watching them real housewives and they is a group of sinners and heathens if I ever saw em'" Memaw says waving her spoon at them and then turning back towards the stove.
After breakfast they Sheldon and Amy pile into Mary's car while Missy and George Jr ride together in Missy's truck and drive the short distance to Memaw's house. Her house is slightly larger than Mary's a big split level with a neatly trimmed yard.
"Now we are going to have your little party here, there is so much more room at Memaw's house. She has got a nice little room on the lower level that opens right out into the patio so people can be inside or outside whichever they please." Mary tells them as they exit the car.
"I thought this was just going to be a small get together with just the family? Why do we need so much space, how many people are coming to this exactly?" Sheldon asks suspiciously.
"Well, there is us, Missy, baby Ayden, her husband Ryan, George jr., Uncle Stumpy and his crew, the cousins, a few members from my church, a few members from Memaw's…" Sheldon interrupts her.
"You told me this was an intimate gathering, with just the family." Sheldon gasps.
"It is sugar! It is just the family and about fifty friends of the family." Mary tells him walking into the house.
"Fifty!" he shouts chasing her inside and Amy jogs along to keep up. "Mother I would hardly call fifty an intimate gathering, fifty is a crowd, no fifty is beyond a crowd fifty is a mob!" he says agitated.
"Now honey, I don't know what this news is that you are fixing to share with us this evening. I reckon whatever it is has something to do with the fact that you flew out to Texas with the woman you have been seeing for going on five years. People round these parts watched you grow up, and they thought you were mighty peculiar. Now this is our chance to show a few of them people that you are not as peculiar as they originally thought."
"Mother, I do not feel the need to prove anything to anyone." He says angrily
"Shelly, you know it would make your Memaw happy to throw you this party. She only has so many years and parties left in her." Mary tells him sadly
Sheldon rolls his eyes as Memaw enters the living room.
"Now Mary, don't go killing me off just yet." She says handing Sheldon a pair of work gloves. "That being said, I already ordered the pig and we are having this party come hell or high water. Now get your butt up in that attic and start bringing me down them tables and chairs." She states with an air of finality that no one would dare dispute.
Sheldon grabs the gloves from her and he and George trek up the stairs to start bringing down the furniture Memaw requested.
"Ordered the pig?" Amy asks curiously
"We are having a barbecue in your honor, sweetie." Missy tells her. "Now come on outside with me and help me to hang these twinkle lights while Mama and Memaw work in the kitchen." Missy picks up a cardboard box and walks outside.
"I thought a barbecue was just hamburgers and hot dogs on the grill." Amy asks Missy but Missy shakes her head.
"That is what Yankees call a barbecue, here in Texas a barbecue is smoked and pulled pork covered in a sauce. Memaw don't order that for just anybody, this is a real special occasion." Missy tells her as she starts untangling the lights and finds the end of a strand. Missy is so tall she does not even have to stretch to reach the top of the awning where they are hanging the lights. Amy's petite stature means that she is not much use other than to hold the tail end of the strand for her. "So what is this news that Shelly is going to share with us?" Missy asks.
"I am sure that Sheldon wants to be the one to tell you." Amy demurs then she tries to change the subject. "So I hear you had a baby, where is the little guy?"
"I dropped Ayden off at daycare, with so much to do it will be easier without having him under foot the whole time. My husband Ryan will pick him up and bring him to me around five. Don't try and change the subject though, come on, you can tell me I won't tell anyone." Missy begs but then they hear a commotion outside the patio doors and Sheldon and George struggle through, each carrying two card tables.
"Why are these so heavy?" Sheldon huffs hauling them onto the lawn and tossing them down. He is covered in sweat and dirt.
"Oh come on baby bro, it ain't that bad." George says putting his tables down. "Let's go get the chairs and then we are done." Then they turn around and go back into the house.
"You got some kind of effect on my brother." Missy muses.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, the old Sheldon would not be hauling no tables and chairs for any party. As much of a fuss he put up, he does want this party because if he didn't there would be no party, no matter how much Memaw and Mama guilted him into it. Sheldon has really matured and I think we have you to thank for that." Missy says smiling at her.
"I suppose he has…" But then Sheldon and George come through the doors again this time each holding two chairs under each arm.
"Uh, Sheldon..."
"What George?" Sheldon says breathlessly
"You got a giant ass spider on your shirt." George says.
"Ha ha ha very amusing." Sheldon says rolling his eyes at him as he drags the chairs.
"Sheldon honey, he is serious!" Missy yells and Amy sees a giant black spider crawling across his shoulder. Sheldon sees it too and screams then proceeds to peel his shirts off and then his under shirt and throw them on the ground and stomp on them.
Hearing the commotion on the patio, Memaw comes out and surveys the scene in front of her. Ignoring Sheldon's state of undress she issues her instructions "Well you got about half of it two more trips and it will all be down."
"No way, I am not going back up there, I need to go back to mom's house anyway. My shirt is ruined now." Memaw looks at him standing shirtless in front of her and shakes her head.
"Nope, you are not fooling me, you are finishing this job, shirt or no shirt."
"There is no amount of cajoling that will get me to go back up in that attic now." He says serious as death and Memaw stares him down.
"Fine, George you fetch the rest of the chairs and Sheldon you stay here and set it all up. When it is all set up then you are free to go."
"Alright." Sheldon concedes and he stalks off to set up the tables and chairs.
"You say I have power over him." Amy whispers to Missy and Missy giggles.
"Only person in the world who has ever been able to make him do something he don't want to do is Memaw. Even then she was fighting an uphill battle most of the time. Her and Shelly just always had a special connection, Shelly is her favorite even though she would never admit to it, she spoiled him something awful. Shelly always had Memaw wrapped around his little finger." Missy says continuing to hang up the lights.
"Yeah, he has that effect on people." Amy says with a dreamy quality to her voice. As Missy tugs on the strand of lights she sees that Amy has abandoned her duties and is staring after her brother. Amy is looking open mouthed at Sheldon like he is the most gorgeous creature she has ever seen. Missy looks doubtfully over at him too, watching with disinterest as he bends down and snaps the legs of the tables up. Missy does have to admit that he has come a long way from the scrawny bug-eyed beanpole she grew up with. Though she still does not understand what it is that is making Amy practically drool.
"Oh girl, you have got it so bad don't you." Missy tells her. Amy snaps her head round and turns bright red. It was just so interesting to see Sheldon doing manual labor, and shirtless. It was like seeing her Cooper come to life, the way his skin glistened in the sunlight, how the muscles in his back moved in smooth precision as he bent down and how his arm bulged as he wrestled with the tables. The heat in her stomach was almost unbearable taking in the sight and of course now she was embarrassed beyond belief that Missy had caught her ogling him like he was a teen heart throb.
"I do, he is just so beautiful, don't you think?" Amy admits still staring after him.
"I think that is the first time I have ever heard anyone outside of Mama and Memaw ever call him beautiful. Most would say he had a face only a mother would love." Missy jokes. "You know what, I believe I am almost done here why don't you go on and get Shelly a drink and bring it to him."
"Okay, if you don't mind." Amy says.
"Not at all, you go on now." So Amy goes in through the patio door and goes to the kitchen where Mary and Memaw are cooking up a storm. It smells yummy and Amy can only imagine what they are whipping up. They are both standing at the kitchen window looking outside.
"Would you look at that?" Mary says.
"Looks like our Shelly finally put on that weight we have been nagging him about since he was knee high to a grasshopper." Memaw says.
"Amazing what the love of a good woman will do." Mary muses.
"I have never seen our Shelly looking so healthy and happy, it is enough to put a tear in your eye." Memaw says patting Mary on the back. "So what do you think his news is?"
"Oh I think that is clear for anyone to see." Mary says "Our baby boy has finally grown up, and I do believe that he has asked that young woman to marry him."
"You think that she is going to be able to handle him. I know she is head over heels for him but does she know how difficult he can be? Do really think that she will be able to honor her vows to him and love him through the thick and the thin normal of married life, not to mention his particular ups and his downs?"
"If there is anyone in the world who can, it is that girl. You know about six years ago, I got off the phone with Shelly and he had been griping the whole time about his roommate Leonard and his girlfriend Penny. He was going on and on about how he thought love was a ridiculous construct, how all it did was make his roommate crazy. That he was glad he had no inclinations of the sort and he would be able to live out his life without the entanglements of human attachment. Well after I ended that phone call I got on my knees and prayed that the lord would open that boy's heart to love. Not a year later he starts going on about meeting this girl, course he just said that she was just a friend, but I knew better. The minute I heard him mention the name Amy Farrah Fowler I knew god had answered my prayers.
"That girl is the answer to a lot of our prayers." Memaw concurs.
"Amen." Mary concludes,
Amy sneaks to the fridge as quietly as she can, grabs out a water bottle and tiptoes out of the kitchen undetected. Her heart is swelling, knowing that she had the stamp of approval from the two most important women in his life. Amy is grinning ear to ear when she meets Sheldon out on the lawn and hands him the water bottle. He looks at her oddly before taking the bottle from her.
"Looks like you are having a better day than am." He comments drily.
"I wasn't attacked by the itsy bitsy spider if that's what you mean." Amy tells him laughing.
"That was no itsy bitsy spider that was as big as Shelob!"
"Shelob?"
"The spider in The Lord of the Rings that attacked Frodo and Samwise Gamgee." Sheldon clarifies.
"Maybe not Shelob, but I do think it would have given Aragog a run for his money."
"Too be fair I think both those spiders are comparable in size, giant and terrifying."Sheldon says shuddering at the thought.
"I know, but I was trying to impress you with my knowledge of giant spiders from fictional worlds." Amy tells him and he gazes down at her fondly. His face, that had been in a serious scowl since arriving at the house and being forced into manual labor, now softens into a smile.
"You impress me every day." He says and his voice is low and sexy, and Amy feels her mouth go dry. The heat in her belly building to unmanageable levels as his gaze fixes on her, his piercing blue eyes boring into hers.
"You're the impressive one in this relationship." She tells him as he takes a drink from the bottle and the moisture lingers on his lips. She has to resist the urge to lick it off, to run her hands down every inch of his body. But Mary and Memaw may still be watching him from the kitchen and Missy is still outside hanging the lights.
"It seems we have reached an impasse." He says and suddenly he grabs her by the waist and pulls her close to him. His mouth covers hers kissing her deeply and the world falls away. Amy forgets that they are in his grandmother's backyard, that they may have an audience, in that moment it is just them. Amy puts her hands on his slick chest, his heart his beating so hard she can feel it under her hands.
"Woo hoo! Boy howdy! That was some kiss baby bro!" George hollers, the spell is broken and Sheldon releases her. George saunters over and sets the chairs down on the ground.
"Missy! Did you see your twin over here, kissing this gal like there was no tomorrow?"
"George, stop teasing him! It ain't like he didn't have to see you with your tongue down some girl's throat when we was growing up."
"I ain't teasing! Hell I am impressed! Shelly you gotta do that again when the party starts, hush up a few people."
"I think what I have in store will do more than hush a few tongues." Sheldon says cryptically. Walking away he picks up his shirts from the ground and enters the house.
"Little girl, whatever you have done to my brother keep on doing it!" George tells Amy clapping her on the back and going in the house after Sheldon.
Still lots more Texas sized fun to have! Amy still has to meet all those cousins, and drunk uncles.
I was able to update so quickly with the power of your reviews they fuel my fire!