Thanks to everyone for your incredibly kind reviews. It really is the best part of writing this, waking up to your comments. I cherish them more than I can ever tell you!

I was asked by a reviewer, what time I usually post my updates and I thought I'd leave the answer here as well for anyone who is interested.

I usually sit down to make my final edits and update when all my children are in bed. That is usually around 8pm oder 9pm (Central European Time, GMT plus 1), sometimes a bit earlier, sometimes much later, especially when one of them is sick or had a bad day and needs a few more chapters of their bedtime story. I think the latest I've ever posted was around 11pm.

I am really flattered that people are actually waiting for me to update this story. I hope you understand that I cannot promise a more specific time to update. With three very little children (the youngest will be two next month) every day is different, but I am doing my best to post as early as possible!

As It Is In Heaven

Chapter 5 – "Happy Trails"

When Sheldon got home that night, he was relieved that both his siblings and their significant others had already left.

His mother was busy cleaning up the kitchen, so he managed to sneak into his room without anyone noticing. He put his meemaw-box – everything but the letter he had left in her old room – into his closet.

It wasn't that late, so he decided to grab a comic book and go back to the living room to read it.

He didn't know why exactly, but he was sitting close to the window, and every time a car passed by, he felt the urge to look outside.

After a while he tossed the comic book on the end table, annoyed by his inability to concentrate on reading it.

Just then, his mother appeared and sat down beside him.

"Where have you been, Shelly? I was worried about you."

He huffed.

"I am a grown man, mother. I might have agreed to stay here for the time being but that does not give you the right to know where I am every minute of every day."

"I know that.", she said softly. "I am just worried about you. I know how much meemaw meant to you. And you were so upset when you left. The fear of almost losing you is still so fresh. I just want to make sure you're okay."

"Of course, I was upset, mother.", he scoffed. "How could you not warn me about my twin sister marrying my worst nightmare?"

What did she expect, after he had been confronted by the harsh reality of having to spend time with his bully without any warning? That he'd be happy about it?

"Sheldon, you need to let go of the past.", his mother insisted. "Things have changed. You should forgive Robbie for the things that happened when you were a child. It's the Christian thing to do. Try at least."

He was about to reply when he heard another car. This one pulled into the driveway of the house across the street.

Sheldon couldn't pull his eyes from the scene in front of him.

Amy getting out of the passenger seat, a tall man following her to her door.

It looked like they were talking, exchanging pleasantries.

He had a strange feeling in his chest when Amy smiled at the man, and his stomach constricted when he leaned in and gave her a short peck on the lips.

After that, the man turned around and got back into his car, while Amy unlocked the front door, got inside and closed the door behind her, without looking back at the man even once.

He released the breath he only now realized he was holding and finally turned away from the window again.

"I see, you've finally met Amy.", his mother commented and the look she gave him seemed to imply she was really saying more than just that.

"Of course, I've met her. I had to. She's my tenant.", he brushed her off. "In fact, I am setting up a contract for her, since none of you thought of telling meemaw to do that."

"A contract. I see."

Something about her smile infuriated him.

"How could you be so reckless, mother? What if she had been a scammer trying to mooch off an unsuspecting old lady?"

"Oh, Sheldon.", she said rolling her eyes. "It only takes one conversation with Amy to figure out she is not a scammer or a mooch. She is a remarkably smart young woman with a lot of ambition. And she is a sweet person who cares a great deal about the people around her. Also, according to the principal's wife, she is the best science teacher the school has ever had."

"Yeah, I get it, she's an angel sent directly from heaven.", he said sarcastically.

"I wouldn't go that far.", his mother snorted. "She's a little too loose with the boys to be an angel of the Lord, if you know what I mean."

Sheldon couldn't prevent his jaw dropping in disbelief.

"Oh, don't act so surprised, Shelly. You saw what just happened outside. I've seen the same thing happen regularly since she moved in across the street. It's always the same. She's being picked up by a young man in a fancy car and then dropped off a few hours later. The Lord only knows what happens in between. And it's always with a different man in a different car. I thought she was just not meeting the right person, so I tried to set her up with a really nice man from church, but it was the same thing. Two dates and it was over again. It appears, she's not interested in more than a short fling."

He blinked. Well, he had not missed hearing small town gossip.

"Are you calling her a harlot, mother? Because that would be… a very Christian thing to do."

"I am not calling her any names, Sheldon.", she corrected him. "I am just saying, as wonderful as Amy is, and as much as I think you two will get along wonderfully once you get to know her, I really hope I don't have to worry about seeing you in her never-ending line of suitors."

He snorted. Well now she was just being ridiculous.

"Do I seem like a potential suitor to you, mother?"

His mother smiled at him.

"No, you're right, Shelly. I might have had to worry about a lot of things when it comes to you. But luckily, I never had to worry about that. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to bed. It has been a long and taxing day. You should try to rest too."

He nodded absentmindedly and kept staring out the window even after his mother left.

It was hard to imagine the woman he had met today as the lascivious floozy his mother had just warned him about.

And he kept wondering why it was that he felt relieved by that man not following Amy into her home.

But of course, this had to be because he didn't want some stranger having coitus in his meemaw's house.

That was it. It had nothing to do with Amy. He just didn't want any gross bodily fluids on his meemaw's furniture.

Maybe he should put something about that in the contract.

'All coital activities are restricted to the guest room' or something like that.

Or better yet.

'The tenant is to refrain from bringing her gentleman callers inside. All indecent behavior is to be conducted far away from the premises.'

He nodded firmly. Well, that sounded reasonable. He would definitely put a clause like that into the contract.

That night, for the first time, he did not dream of the feeling he had before he had his heart attack. The panic. The agony. The helplessness.

Instead, he saw green eyes looking at him with compassion and understanding. And then there was a confusing dream about guys lining up to woo the woman across the street while he was trying to fight them off. "She's not for you.", he kept shouting at these strangers. "Not for you!"

When he woke up, he tried to make sense of it, but his only conclusion was that he really was slowly starting to lose his mind. He had only met her a day ago. How could he be dreaming of her in such a way?

So, he decided to take the doctor's advice and went for a long walk.

It was a lovely, sunny day, just like the day before. And even though, he still felt sad and confused about the things that led him back to Texas in the first place, a very small part of him felt a little less hopeless.

His feet carried him to a familiar location, but he only realized that once he stood in front of the grave.

"Oh, meemaw.", he sighed deeply.

The day before had been so eventful, it seemed crazy that it was only twenty-four hours since he had stood by and watched as his grandmother was buried here.

He closed his eyes. Something about being here made him feel calm. His mind cleared a little.

"What were you thinking, meemaw?", he whispered. "Taking in a strange woman, treating her like family. Did you like her? Did you approve of her dating all those guys? Well, knowing you, you probably did. You must have found it funny, the way it infuriated mum, didn't you?"

He smiled cheekily but then turned serious again.

"But why did you leave your house to me? Why did you insist on Amy staying there? You are not making my life easier, meemaw. You know I do not like meeting new people, but your actions forced me to. Or… did you want us to meet? But then why did you never tell me about her?"

He sighed.

"I do not like this, meemaw. I hate that you are gone. I hate what is happening around here. Missy and Robbie. A stranger living in your house. Being back here and forced to rest. And I don't know what to make of this. Being a landlord. Renting out your house. I don't want to profit from your death. You should have known that."

Tears started trickling down his face.

He rolled his eyes, when he heard a song starting to play in his mind, just like in the strange dream he had when meemaw died.

Dum da di da, dum da di da

First the strange dream about Amy, and now this? Maybe he should be checked for a brain tumor, with the tricks his mind kept playing on him.

Dum da di da, dum da di da

But then he realized, this time, the song wasn't in his head.

He walked the few steps to the church and carefully opened the door, the sound of the music getting louder.

Happy trails to you,

Until we meet again,

Happy trails to you,

Keep smiling on till then

Who cares about the clouds if we're together

Just sing a song and think 'bout sunny weather

Happy trails to you

Until we meet again.

He had never heard this song before, but he thought, it was a strange song to hear in a church.

And then he saw the same people in the front that had sang the day before.

He recognized a few of them.

Missy of course. And Amy. Standing next to each other.

Billy Sparks behind them.

Olivia, the pastor's wife, who his mother had introduced him to the day before.

Next to her, an elderly woman he had once seen when he had accompanied his meemaw to the senior center. Ruth was her name and she had been leading dance classes for elders. He remembered his meemaw liking her very much.

A few more people that were around that same age.

And some younger. Some of them looked familiar. He remembered them from High School. Of course, he hadn't talked to them much.

He wanted to leave right away, but instead, he sat down in the back pew. It was a public place after all, he thought, so no one would mind him sitting there and listening for a while.

Also, the doctor had told him to rest, and this was as good a place to sit down as anywhere else.

When the song was over, there was some sort of commotion in the front and Sheldon lifted his head to see what was going on.

Miss Fenley, his former music teacher was suddenly surrounded by all the members of the choir and Amy handed her a bouquet of fresh flowers.

She said a few words he couldn't quite understand, but both women were smiling.

And then, everyone clapped and cheered as Ms. Fenley accepted the flowers and a few of the members came forward to kiss her cheek or shake her hand.

What a weird way to end a choir practice.

Sheldon took it as his cue to sneak out unseen, but as he opened the door, he noticed Amy watching him.

Their eyes met for just a second and she nodded at him and smiled softly. Before he could stop himself, he nodded back, his cheeks turning pink as he remembered his strange dream.

He berated himself. Why did he come into the church? This was not his usual behavior. He was sure, Amy must have thought he was there for her.

Which he was not.

He felt exhausted when he started to walk back.

Next to the new fears and anxieties his heart attack had brought on, this constant tired feeling was another unnerving result.

Would he ever feel normal again?

As soon as he was home again, he went to his room to lie down. He accepted the healthy snack his mother brought him at lunchtime – a huge, mixed salad with chicken stripes and a piece of dark chocolate which, apparently, was supposed to be a treat – but other than that, he spent the day napping.

But his eyes shot open, when there was a knock at the door to his room, followed by his mother's voice.

"Hey, Shelly. Amy's here to see you. Apparently, she was waiting for you to show up at her place with a contract?"

Oh, shoot. He hadn't even started to work on that yet.

"Tell her, I'll be right out."

It was awkward, stumbling out of his bedroom and he was sure he looked disheveled, after napping almost the whole afternoon.

"I… I'm sorry. Had I known you were sleeping I would have told your mother I'd come by tomorrow.", Amy stammered as she took in his appearance.

"It's fine.", he mumbled, slightly embarrassed.

"So, do you want to sit down here and go through the…"

"I don't have it ready yet.", he interrupted her. "I know I said I'd have it today, but…"

"Oh. That's fine. I understand.", she said quickly.

He took a deep breath.

"No. It's not fine. I insisted on that contract, and I should have worked on it today. It's just. I've been so tired recently. And I…"

"You suffered a heart attack.", she nodded. "I almost forgot over everything else that happened. But of course, you're tired. You should be resting whenever you feel like it."

He drew in a breath.

Why did she always have to be so nice and understanding. It made him confess things to her. Things he did not want anyone to know. Especially not her.

"The doctors said the same thing.", he admitted. "It's just… I don't like this. Constantly feeling tired. It's like I'm useless. And I will work on the contract. Tonight. I promise."

"Don't pressure yourself because of me."

She said it in such a soft tone, it made him say the next words before he could stop himself.

"The doctors also said I should be doing light exercise. I'm about to take a walk. Would you like to go with me? I mean… we could talk about the details of the contract."

For a second he thought she looked surprised, but she quickly agreed, and they were out of the door soon after that.

It was a lame excuse, having to talk about the contract. They had already settled everything about it. He knew that and he was sure she knew it as well.

"So, how are you coping?", she asked after a few minutes of walking in silence.

"Coping?", he asked her back "You mean with meemaw's death?"

"Well, that too. But I actually meant with your heart attack. That must have been frightening."

He bit his lip.

No one had asked him that before. They all told him to eat healthy and listen to the doctors. They asked if he was getting better physically. If he was taking care of himself. But no one had talked about what effect it had on his mental health.

Truth be told, he did not feel good.

"I was never really afraid of dying.", he admitted before he could stop himself. "I hardly ever thought about it. But ever since that heart attack, it just feels so real. I almost died. And I felt so helpless. There was nothing I could do. I wasn't able to control it. And I… I haven't reached all my goals. If I had died… everything would have been…"

"Unfinished.", she nodded in understanding. "It's scary, isn't it? The thought of life continuing without you? Not getting to do the things you want to do? Doesn't it put everything into a whole different perspective?"

He looked at her surprised.

"Yes. Yes, exactly. But how…"

She gave him a weak smile.

"I know a thing or two about death scares."

He was waiting for her to continue, but she didn't seem to want to share more.

He hadn't wanted to share it with her either. Why was it so hard to keep thinking of her as the enemy? Where did it come from, this urge to tell her things?

"I heard you sing today.", he mentioned casually. "At the church."

"Right.", she nodded. "I saw you there. Did you like what you heard?"

He chuckled. "Fishing for compliments, are we?"

She giggled softly. He couldn't help but think, it sounded lovely.

"We'll probably have to stop, you know.", she said with a hint of sadness in her voice. "Our conductor, Erica, she's leaving, and so far, we haven't found anyone else to lead us. I offered to do the administrative side of it. Find songs to sing, make copies, design flyers for our gigs. Stuff like that. But I cannot write musical notes and do arrangements. I cannot lead rehearsals. None of us can."

"Oh.", he said. "That's…. a pity."

"It is.", she nodded. "That choir. It is so important to us. Not just for the music, but for the community. We are there for each other. We help each other. Like a family."

For a second his sister's face appeared in his mind. She had looked much happier there, singing beside Amy, than she had at his mother's place after the funeral.

"I never thought Missy would want to join a church choir.", he said. "So, there must be something special about this one."

"Oh, Missy.", Amy shook her head slightly. "Connie encouraged her to join. After she got married and quit her job. She thought it was important for Missy to get out of her house once in a while. She also convinced Mary to babysit the kids twice a week to make that possible."

This was new information. It sounded like meemaw had been worried about Missy.

"Amy? Can I ask you something?", he asked hesitantly.

"Sure.", she shrugged, as they kept walking side by side.

He did not know, if it was a good idea, asking a stranger. But he was running out of people to talk to about this.

"It's just… I haven't been here in a while. Missy… is she happy? Does her husband… does Robbie… is he a good man? Good for her I mean?"

Amy stopped in her tracks for a second and gave him an indecipherable look.

"You do not like Robbie very much, do you?"

"No.", he admitted. "I had some… unpleasant encounters with him in the past."

She nodded in understanding.

"Well…", she seemed to ponder her answer carefully. "Connie had reservations too. And it's really not my place to make any judgements. But I think it is good you're here… as Missy's brother, I mean."

Brother. He remembered that – when he was a child – he was sometimes lectured that this was indeed an important role to fulfill.

Sheldon Cooper. Physicist. Genius. One of a kind. Landlord. Brother.

It wasn't really an answer to his question though. Or maybe it was. He wasn't so sure.

He really wanted to know more about meemaw's reservations. But he couldn't really blame her for not telling him everything.

They had only met a day ago after all. And it wasn't as if they were friends. Right?

"So, uhm… Miss Fenley… Erica… she's going away?", he asked, not really knowing what else to say, but he felt it was time to change the subject again.

"Yeah.", she confirmed. "She's been hired as a conductor for this really fancy choir in San Francisco. It is kind of a lifelong dream for her. So, I am happy for her, even if it means… well…"

"That doesn't seem right.", he snorted. "Why would they hire her? I mean, I only heard the choir twice, but it is pretty obvious she's not that good at her job."

Amy stared at him in disbelief.

"How can you say that?"

"Well…", he took a deep breath. "For starters, Billy Sparks. Let's ignore the fact he does not ever hit the right notes or that he can't remember the lyrics. He should definitely not be singing bass. His voice isn't made for those deep tones. He's clearly a tenor. And don't get me started on the arrangements of the songs I heard. Almost all the solos go to the soprano register with the rest just humming chords. That's boring, not only for the choir but also for the audience. She should be mixing that up a little. And I don't know how much blame goes to her for that, but the harmony was off all the time. Yesterday, I counted at least seven times when the whole alto register sounded off by at least half a note during only one song."

He had kept walking while he was telling her this and noticed only when he was finished that she was no longer beside him.

When he turned around, he saw her staring at him her mouth wide open.

"You know your way around music.", she stated surprised.

"Well… I like knowing things. And… I have perfect pitch.", he shrugged. But he couldn't stop himself from grinning smugly.

Somehow, he enjoyed this. Her being in awe of him. She had no idea how many talents he had. Maybe someday he would let her try his sourdough bread. If she would prove to be worthy of it.

Yes, he really enjoyed this.

Until he heard her next words that made him frown at her.

"That's perfect. You have to take over the choir!", she exclaimed.

He snickered in derision.

"Absolutely not."

"But… Sheldon, please. Just the musical part. I will still do all the administrative stuff. You don't even have to do much. Just maybe adjust the arrangements and listen in on rehearsals. Please. Please!"

He chewed on his bottom lip.

It was hard, saying no to her when she looked at him like that. And the doctor had said, he should be pursuing a relaxing hobby. But still…

Managing a church choir? No. That was not something that sounded like him.

"I can't, Amy.", he said, much softer than he had intended to. "I am not the right person for that job. I go to church once a year because my mother makes me. I have no experience with conducting. You need to find someone else."

She looked at him pleadingly.

"Can't you think about it at least? Maybe try to do it for a little while, until we find someone else? It's just… we've asked everyone. It's unimaginable, seeing the choir fall apart like that."

He huffed. Why couldn't she just let it go.

"I'll think about it."

He wouldn't. Not really. He just said it so she would leave him alone.

But later that night, when he was lying in his bed, he couldn't help but think about the things she had said.

How important the choir had been to his meemaw. And how important it still was to his sister.

It's good you're here. As Missy's brother.

It would be a way to spend time with his sister apart from the rest of their family. He could keep tabs on her and figure out why he had this strange feeling about her.

But a choir? A church choir?

It was bizarre.

But then, on top of it all, he couldn't shake those big, green eyes looking at him so hopefully.

Maybe he really should be giving it some thought.

Oh, darn it.