Photos

"Amy, I have something of importance I wish to discuss with you."

Amy threw her keys in the bowl by her door and turned back to Sheldon, who had followed her into her apartment and was making his way towards her couch. They were just getting back from a trip to the zoo.

"Very well, what is it?" she asked, making her way to the fridge to retrieve a bottle of Yoo-hoo.

"There was a missing persons report on the news last night and it made me think, we are not fully prepared in the event something like that should happen to one of us."

"I don't understand." Amy passed him his drink as she walked by and joined him on the couch, her brow furrowed. "The Relationship Agreement clearly states that if either of us goes missing, the relationship terminates automatically after 365 days, provided there are no major breakthroughs in the case. It's right there in the Kidnapping, Confinement, and Alien Abduction clause."

"You're right of course," Sheldon said after taking a drink. "But it also states that the non-missing party must do everything in their power to aid in the finding. The report last night included several recent pictures of the missing person. Currently I don't have any photos of you that I could provide to authorities or put on flyers."

Amy tried not to grin. Sheldon wanted a picture of her. Sure, it was only a safety precaution, but still. The fact that he worried about it, about her, was enough.

"I think we can remedy this situation easy enough," she told him. "Of course, I'll also need a photo of you."

"Of course."

Amy pulled out her phone to access her camera, noting Sheldon also doing the same. She fleetingly wondered if maybe she should change into a nicer cardigan before dismissing the notion. She didn't want to spook Sheldon by making a big deal out of it.

"Shall we begin?" he asked. She nodded and glanced around her apartment.

"Where do you want me?"

"Right here on the couch is fine," he said, turning his body to face her and holding up his phone, which made her turn more towards him and smile in response. "It should look natural. That will give potential rescuers the best chance of recognizing you if you are kidnapped."

"Okay."

"Assuming the kidnapper doesn't seriously maim you."

"Great." Her smile faltered. At least they could look back at this photo in the event of a maiming, she supposed. Sheldon lined up the shot and Amy sat up a little straighter, forcing the smile again. He took the picture and then made her turn a few times to get multiple angles.

"Okay, that's should be enough. My turn."

They swapped roles and went through the same motions. Then they moved on to other matters.

Later, after Sheldon had left, Amy found herself flipping through the pictures on her phone. She had pictures of her boyfriend on her phone. And he had pictures of her too. Her heart felt light. Stopping on one of the ones where she got Sheldon to smile, she zoomed in on his face. Perfect. The next time someone didn't believe her when she mentioned having a boyfriend, she'd sure show them.

Unbeknownst to Amy, a similar scene was taking place at 2311 Los Robles Avenue. Sheldon was sitting at his desk, his phone connected to his laptop. He hadn't bothered telling Amy that he already had a saved folder of photos labeled 'Pictures to Use If I Go Missing' that he could have emailed to her. It wasn't as if a few more would hurt. He created a new folder beside it, labeled it 'Pictures to Use If Amy Goes Missing,' and began the transfer. Once complete, he scrolled through the photos and pulled up one he particularly liked. Perfect. If any kidnappers tried to get away with his girlfriend, he'd sure show them.

And if one of those photos ended up as part of his screensaver in the meantime, well, nobody would have to know about that.

Author's Note:

Big thanks to everyone who reviewed/faved/followed!

You should know that I think about Sheldon's screensaver on at least a weekly basis. Where did that picture of Amy come from? When was it taken? Who took the picture? Did he take the picture? If he did, he must have given some sort of excuse for needing to take it, so what did he tell her? If he did not, then how did he get it? And how long was Amy in the mix before anyone noticed? These questions haunt me.

Anyway, I'm not even sure if I really think this is how it happened, but it was fun to write about.