There's no combination of words I could put on the back of a postcard
No song that I could sing, but I can try for your heart

Our dreams, and they are made out of real things
Like a shoe box of photographs
With sepia-toned loving

Love is the answer, at least for most of the questions in my heart
Like why are we here? And where do we go?
And how come it's so hard?

It's not always easy and
Sometimes life can be deceiving
I'll tell you one thing, it's always better when we're together

As It Is In Heaven

Chapter 7 – "Better Together"

Armed with the finished contract and his favorite pen, Sheldon headed out, over to the house across the street.

Just as he knocked at her door, he was reminded of the dream he had before waking up in the morning.

"Forget about those other guys. You don't need them. Just go out with me."

He could feel his cheeks heat up. Why did he have to think about that right now?

It was only a dream. A preposterous one at that. Sheldon Cooper did not think about dating some strange woman.

The door was opened and Amy greeted him with a warm smile.

"Sheldon. What a pleasant surprise. Come in.", she said. "Do you want tea?"

'A pleasant surprise'? She did look genuinely happy to see him. And she didn't even ask why he was here.

Did she want him here?

His heart swelled in his chest.

But oh, he needed to focus now. This was about a contract after all.

He followed her into the kitchen and sat down, depositing the document on the table.

"No thank you.", he said as business-like as he could manage. "I am not here for chit-chat. Actually, I just need you to sign this contract and then I'll be on my way again."

He offered her the pen, but she did not accept.

"Not so fast, Sheldon. I will not sign a contract without reading it thoroughly."

"Fine.", he conceded.

He had to admit, he found that to be very reasonable. And he liked people who were reasonable.

He watched her as she studied the contract. Her eyes flying over the pages, her index finger tapping on the paper, her brows furrowed.

Pretty.

He was slowly getting used to thinking that about her.

But it was a different kind of pretty than the one his former friends meant when they talked about women. He couldn't quite explain it.

He almost wanted to say it came from the inside, but that wasn't accurate either, because her outside was pretty too.

It was unique. Real. It was... Amy. It just suited her.

Her voice interrupted his thoughts. Had he, Sheldon Cooper, really just spent several minutes thinking about how to explain her beauty?

That was it. He was definitely getting his brain scanned.

"Alright. I have a question.", she said, apparently having reached the end of the contract.

"Do you trust me to answer it, or would you like to consult a lawyer?", he offered.

Her lips turned into a smirk.

"I don't think a lawyer could help with that one. Sheldon, I am confused. I thought we had already settled everything. But there's a weird clause and I would like to know where that one came from."

Uh oh.

"And, uhm… which clause would that be?", he asked warily, although he had a feeling he knew the answer already.

Oh, if only she would have signed without reading it.

"Uhm… well…", she started and looked at the page in front of her. "I haven't signed many leases in my life, but I don't think it is common to control a tenant's – how did you put it – coital activities."

He coughed.

"What, your last lease didn't have this clause?", he asked, trying his best to sound casual. "Because I think this is only sensible."

"Sheldon.", she said sternly. "Please explain to me where this clause is coming from."

"Fine.", he huffed. "It's just… you seem to date frequently. Now I know this is none of my business, you can date as much and whoever you want. But this is still my meemaw's house and the thought of a stranger's naked, sweaty bottom soiling her couch or carpet or kitchen table… well, I am sorry, but I have to draw a line somewhere."

"Naked bottoms soiling Connie's… kitchen table?", she exclaimed, her eyes like saucers.

He wished he hadn't worded it this way. Now it was hard to get the image of Amy's naked bottom on the table they were currently sitting at out of his mind.

"Yes… that's what I said. And naked bottoms aside… it feels weird, picturing yet another stranger in her house.", he admitted.

Both explanations were technically true, but there was another truth he could not tell her. Because he did not understand it yet himself.

He did not want Amy to have coitus with a stranger. Or with anyone for that matter. Not in meemaw's house and frankly not anywhere else.

"Alright, I think I understand now, why you put that into the contract.", she nodded at him.

"Good. So, will you sign it then?"

He tried to hand her the pen again.

"I will. As soon as you strike the clause.", she answered firmly.

Well, that was unexpected.

"But… you said you understand.", he argued.

"I do.", she agreed. "And I reject it. Sheldon, it's not like I have any plans to invite a stranger into the house anytime soon. And even if I did, I can assure you, there won't be naked bottoms touching any of your meemaw's furniture. But I will not sign a contract that lets you control something that intimate about me."

He sighed deeply.

She was not making this landlord thing any easier.

"So… you expect me to just trust you?"

"Yes."

He studied her as she looked back at him defiantly.

Their eyes seemed to be fighting a silent battle. Which - to his shock - she was winning.

Good Lord, this woman was stubborn.

"Well, I guess I have no other choice then.", he finally conceded.

After they had crossed out the clause and initialed the change, Amy was finally ready to sign the contract and the itching in his brain lessened significantly, like it was always the case when certain things were in order.

"Well, now that's settled.", Amy said then. "You might want to give me your bank information though, so the rent ends up in the right place."

Right. This was about rent. It hadn't even crossed his mind. But it reminded him of something.

"I went through meemaw's bank statement to make sure I have the right amount, but the only monthly payments she got was her pension. And then I looked through the bank statements you've given me and the account number the rent went to is not a familiar one. Do you know what's that about?"

"It's a savings account.", she answered. "Your meemaw opened it when I moved in here. I didn't know about it either, but she told me about it. When she got sick. I thought she must have left you that information too."

"She did not.", he stated.

Although, he couldn't be sure. He still hadn't read her letter.

"What exactly did meemaw say, Amy?", he inquired.

Amy sighed and stood up.

"It was just before she died. Things were taking a turn for the worse. The doctor came, said he couldn't do anything but make her comfortable. She was sleeping most of the time, but once, she woke up, desperate to tell me something."

Her voice sounded strained, as she told him that.

"She… uhm… she said, she's been saving the rent money. 'For her', she kept saying. 'For her when the day comes'. And 'Sheldon needs to make sure she gets it. But he can't tell anyone until then.'"

Sheldon frowned. "She did not say anything else?"

"I tried to get her to explain it to me. It sounded so important. But she was hardly responsive anymore at that point. So, I let it go. I… I assumed she had given you instructions. I am sorry, that's all she said to me.", she finished as she sat down again.

Oh, his head was hurting. Why did this have to be so cryptic.

'For her'? Who was 'she'?

"Amy, do you think… could this be connected to Missy? Was meemaw saving money for her?"

His heart started beating hard at the thought.

"I had the same thought.", Amy nodded hesitantly.

Good. So this wasn't all just in his head.

"My mum thinks she's happy.", he blurted out.

"I know.", Amy just said.

"But… meemaw did not?", he clarified what Amy had hinted at already the day before. "She couldn't have, if she thought Missy needed a secret stash of money for an emergency, right?"

"Sheldon… this is none of my business.", Amy said. "But… no. She did not think Missy was happy."

Sheldon nodded thoughtfully.

"I just don't get it.", he said then. "I just keep having this bad feeling about Robbie and Missy. But mom seems to think he's perfect. Am I wrong? Or is she?"

"Sheldon…", Amy whispered and for a moment it looked like she wanted to cover his hand with hers. She stopped midway, which was strangely disappointing.

"I don't think you're wrong.", she continued. "You need to understand, when Robbie came into Missy's life, she was in a really, really bad place. And Robbie… he treated her like a princess. He bought her flowers and lavish gifts. He spoiled Joshua rotten with toys and candy. He was so respectful to Missy, like a perfect gentleman. You have to remember, she was pregnant with her ex-husband's child, but Robbie acted as if he was the father. He went with her to doctor's appointments and birthing classes. Made sure she got enough rest. And then, after he proposed, he had her move into his beautiful house. It felt like a fairy tale. Like he was her knight in shining armor. Everyone was thrilled for her. I was too in the beginning."

"Then what changed your mind?", he implored.

"Well…", she shrugged. "Connie. Like you, she had a bad feeling from the beginning. She insisted, he wasn't a good man. She watched his every move like a hawk. She said, he did very bad things in the past."

"He did.", Sheldon agreed. "And my mother knew that. Why didn't she watch his every move? How could she just trust him?"

Amy gave him a sad smile.

"Well, like I said, he treated Missy like a princess. And he treated Mary like the queen. He was so polite whenever he was at her house. He brought her flowers, complimented her cooking, showed admiration for how she helped Missy with Joshua. He kept quoting the bible at every turn. If Mary had her doubts about him, they must have dissipated before the wedding."

Sheldon thought about the rude way, Robbie had made his sister leave their mother's house at the day of the funeral.

"Well, he doesn't treat Missy like a princess anymore, that's for sure.", he snorted.

"No.", Amy agreed. " But he still does in front of Mary. It's like he flips a switch whenever she's around. Connie and I... we saw a different side of him. One that's... frightening. And Mary… well, Connie tried to talk to her. I tried too, once. She did not take it well, and neither did Missy. Uhm... like I said, it's really not any of my business."

Amy did not say more, and even when Sheldon still had thousands of questions, even when he was dying to tell her about what he had witnessed a few hours ago, he felt, Amy was done talking about this.

'For her when the day comes.'?

How would he know which day that would be?

"Oh, meemaw.", he whispered.

"I'm sorry I can't help you more.", Amy mumbled.

He shook his head.

"That's okay. You actually helped a lot already."

Maybe he would have to read meemaw's letter after all. But he did not feel ready.

"So, uhm… will you give me a new account number then, to send the money to?", Amy asked then.

He pondered it.

"No. No, let's keep it that way. At least until I get to the bottom of this. I will try to get access to this account and then maybe I will understand exactly what she meant. Meemaw must have had her reasons."

Amy looked at him strangely. But then she nodded in agreement.

"Would you like to have some tea with me now?", she offered.

It was strange how fast this had gotten familiar, spending time with Amy. Only three days ago, he didn't even know her. And now she was the person he was talking to the most.

"I'd like that very much, thank you."

It only took minutes for her to bring him the same mug he had used two days ago.

Just like last time, the tea was perfect, and he sighed deeply as he took a sip.

It was crazy. He had been furious with her when he had arrived in Medford. And now… it seemed he couldn't even find a single thing about her to be angry about. And oh, had he tried to find something.

"Thank you for the tea.", he said. "And for the pictures. You're being so nice to me, after the way I treated you.", he added sheepishly.

She gave him a warm smile.

"It's okay, Sheldon. The past days were hard on you. And on your family. And on me. Let's just start over."

He sighed relieved and took another sip.

"Yes, it was hard.", he admitted. "But unlike me, you did not lash out. I guess I am just not good at this. Dealing with feelings and emotions. It is really not my strong suit."

It wasn't easy to admit this. But then again, to her, it kind of was.

"It's not my strong suit either.", she said sincerely. "To be honest, when you came here and then suddenly you were my new landlord and it seemed you just didn't like me at all, I freaked out. I had no idea how to deal with the situation."

He studied her face as she talked.

In his opinion she had dealt with the situation quite well.

But why would she care if he liked her? He shook his head. Only a few people in his life had cared about how he felt about them. Most people were indifferent at best. But then again, with most people, so was he.

He shrugged. "Well… it's not that I did not like you. My life… it had been so difficult lately. I don't think I even had the capacity to like anyone. I was angry at the world. I was devastated because of meemaw's death. I still am. I hated the idea of someone being close to her when I couldn't. The question whether I liked you or anyone else for that matter, that did not even come up."

She took a deep breath.

"I guess I get that.", she admitted.

He was about to lift his mug to his lips again, as she asked her next question.

"And now? Have you figured out if you like me?"

He coughed hard.

It seemed like a very loaded question. And somehow there was a strange tension between them all of a sudden.

How could he answer that truthfully? And what was even the truth?

"Well…", he started. "Let's look at it logically. What are the parameters? How do you measure it? How do you know you like someone?"

Amy chuckled. "Parameters? That sounds interesting. Well, I'd say, for once, if you like someone, you enjoy spending time with that person."

There was a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach. Now that he thought about it, spending time with her wasn't unpleasant at all. After years of being lonely, it actually felt great, having someone to talk to.

"That would be a valid parameter.", he agreed. "And maybe you even try to find reasons to spend more time with her."

Like spending a lot of time going over a contract that could just be sent over via E-Mail.

"You worry about his well-being.", she added.

Something had changed. It did not feel like just trying to find parameters anymore. The proximity to her was almost too much now, so he got up and walked over to the window before speaking his next words.

"And you trust her and confide in her. It is easy to tell her the things that are on your mind. Things you wouldn't normally tell people."

She stood up and followed him.

"You are happy when he knocks at your door unexpectedly.", she said and smiled at him softly. "And you like having him over."

"And you want her to be happy.", he closed his eyes for a second, pondering his next words carefully. But well, he guessed he had already decided that matter. "You want her to be happy so much, you do things you don't usually do. Maybe you would even help her manage a church choir."

He wasn't even able to finish that last sentence before she threw her arms around his shoulders and hugged him tightly.

He rolled his eyes as he patted her back.

"Amy.", he said sternly. "Don't do that. Just because I like you does not mean you can just hug me whenever you want. Since we're friends now, I should tell you, I do not like it when people just hug me."

She pulled away from him instantly, and for a split second he missed the contact. Somehow, this had been the least unpleasant hug he had ever experienced.

"I am really happy to have you as my friend.", she admitted. "And I will respect the 'no hugging'-rule. But oh, Sheldon, do you mean it? You're helping us with the choir?"

She was beaming at him, and her eyes were sparkling with tears.

Beautiful.

And just like that, she had given him back a part of himself. One that he had lost along the way.

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

He cleared his throat.

"Now don't get all emotional. Yes, I am going to help. For a while."

She squealed and even if he usually never could read people, he felt that she had a hard time keeping herself from hugging him again.

So, he sighed deeply and pulled her into his arms. Just for a second. And just because this seemed to be a social convention.

He smiled when she snaked her arms around his back and squeezed him tight.

This was not bad. It was not bad at all. Maybe, after all, he was a person who enjoyed hugging his friends once in a while.

Still, he gently pulled away from her after a few seconds and motioned for her to sit down again as he did the same.

"As you said yesterday, I expect you to do all the administrative work. I will go over the arrangements and divide the vocal parts . I will come to your next choir practice and see what else is needed. However…", he emphasized the next part. "I will not become a member of the choir."

"That's alright.", she nodded. "What about the music. Do you want to have a say in what we are going to sing?"

He hadn't even thought about that yet.

"I do have theoretical knowledge about music and due to my eidetic memory, I know many songs. But truth be told, I am not that interested in picking out songs to sing."

"You have an eidetic memory?", she shouted in a high-pitched voice.

"Yes.", he said simply.

"I… I'm sorry. I just never met anyone with a… Really? An eidetic memory. That is so exciting. I wish I could see an image of your brain… Anyway. I… uhm… where were we?"

He couldn't help but smile at her outburst.

"Picking out music.", he reminded her.

"Right. Uhm, so there is no particular kind of music you like? Or don't like?"

"Well. I am not a fan of traditional church music. But since this is a church choir, I guess this kind of music is not avoidable. Other than that, no. I don't have a preference. Unless the choir agrees to try Tibetan throat singing."

"I'm sorry, what?", Amy asked and stared at him. "I've never heard of that before."

Sheldon put his right hand at his throat and relaxed it. Then he did his best to give Amy a taste of the practice he had perfected many years ago.

And then he thought that maybe, he really would try to teach the choir how to do that.

Because based on her facial expression, her eyes as wide as her mouth, she must have been deeply impressed.

Once he was finished, she cleared her throat audibly.

"Well… uhm… that was… something.", she stuttered.

"You're welcome.", he smiled at her. "So?"

"Uhm… while this was a wonderfully, ah, unique performance… I am not sure this is suitable for the choir. It is quite… uhm…"

"Challenging?", he helped her out. It was true, it had taken him years to really learn this.

"Yes. Challenging. Thank you. But… let's keep it in mind, and in the meantime, I will put together a program. The church gives us pretty much free reign. We will have to sing a few traditional church songs, but we are allowed to sing any song we want, as long as the lyrics are chaste enough to sing during a service. Also, we do have gigs that have nothing to do with the church, so it won't all be religious anyway."

In that moment, they heard a honk from outside.

"Oh, dammit.", Amy sighed.

"Another date?", he guessed with a weird feeling in his stomach. Almost like a cramp.

"I could cancel.", she offered.

He was about to tell her yes, please. Yes. Cancel that stupid date.

Forget about those other guys.

But on what grounds? They had settled the contract. They had finished their tea. The choir-thing was settled too.

Telling her to cancel her date without having a real reason… what were the implications of that?

"No. I should go home anyway.", he shrugged, although it hurt to say it.

"Alright.", she answered and for a second, he thought she sounded disappointed.

But then, she shook her head and smiled at him again.

"Well, I forgot to get ready. So, help me out. Do I look okay? Would you take me out the way I look right now?"

Sheldon blinked rapidly, the strange dream from this morning again on his mind.

Well, that was an even more loaded question than the one before.

He had no other choice but to take a good look at her again. She had asked him for his honest opinion after all.

"I… uhm… I guess. You… you look… presentable.", he stuttered, his cheeks heating up.

Amy got up and checked herself in the mirror.

"I guess it will have to do.", she shrugged, before she took her purse.

"Wait.", Sheldon shouted before she could run out the door. "I was just leaving, so I'll go with you."

He had no idea why, but he wanted to see this guy that was picking up Amy. More importantly, he wanted the guy to see him, coming out of the house. The house he owned.

"Alright.", Amy conceded after a pause. "And don't worry. His naked bottom will be nowhere near Connie's furniture."

Was she serious? Or was she joking?

Well, she was grinning at him as she said it, so maybe.

As he said good-bye to Amy before she climbed into the passenger seat, he noticed, it was a different car this time.

And a different man. So, he guessed the last one was history. So, no serious boyfriend. Nothing to worry about.

Although he wouldn't have worried anyway. Absolutely not.

But later that night, he dreamed of her again.

"Would you take me out, Sheldon?", she asked him sultry. "Do you find me pretty? Would you take me out on a date? I promise, you're the only one who gets to see my naked bottom."

Oh no. He probably was in trouble now.