#NFG fan fiction

[nerdforestgirl]

I think this is the tenth years I've written an Amy's birthday story on my birthday. Enjoy if you feel like it.

“Stay in bed,” Sheldon yelled at his wife just as she started to put her feet on the floor. She wasn't quite sure how he knew she was awake and starting to get up, but she stopped questioning exactly how he seemed to just know everything a long time ago. This was just life with Sheldon.

Amy Farrah Fowler was fairly certain that Sheldon had some kind of surprise planned for her birthday, but it was also a normal work day for her. She did need to get up and get ready for work. Plus she had to drop Leo off at daycare on the way. Still, she never minded being a little spoiled by her husband, so she slid her legs back under the covers and waited.

A few minutes later, Sheldon walked in with a tray. It had a pile of pancakes, bacon, eggs, and orange juice. Following him, in the cutest tiny chef's hat and apron was her son Leo. He was toddling behind his dad with a bowl of fruit in his hands. He stopped to eat a strawberry before he continued on and right into Sheldon's legs.

Sheldon just looked down and smiled at the boy. Leo could get away with murder in Sheldon's eyes, and touching without permission was honestly right up there in severity of crime. Still, Sheldon just placed the tray of food on Amy's lap. Then he picked up Leo so the nineteen month old could place the bowl of fruit on the tray with the other food.

“Can you say 'happy birthday, Mama?'” Sheldon asked his son. Leo didn't try, but he did smile at his mother, and to Amy that was just as good.

“Did you two wake up early to make me breakfast?” Amy asked them.

“Yeah!” Leo shouted. He didn't have a lot of words yet, but that was one he had down pat. He was such and enthusiastic and kind child that Amy could not feel any luckier every single time she interacted with her son.

“I need to get ready for work,” Sheldon told Amy. “Do you want to keep him or should I put him in front of a Bluey?” They didn't use screen time often to distract Leo, but it certainly came in handy on occasion.

“He can stay,” Amy said. Amy was debating just calling in to work and staying in bed with Leo all day, but she couldn't really justify it.

Sheldon kissed Leo on top of his head and put him on the bed next to Amy. Then he left to shower and get dressed for the day with a wish of a happy birthday to Amy.

“Thank you for making me breakfast,” Amy told her son. Then she started picking the strawberries out of the bowl of fruit. It wasn't like she didn't love strawberries. They were her favorite, but they were also Leo's. She also cut up some of the pancakes for her son. Giving to him always felt a little like giving to herself.

Leo was happy to snack on his mom's special birthday breakfast with her. He took off his chef's hat and leaned against Sheldon's pillow. Amy made a mental note to change the sheets because she was certain that the boy was getting juice and syrup on the sheets.

“Baby like strawberries?” Leo asked.

“Maybe. She just eats what I eat right now just like you did,” Amy explained as she rubbed her belly. They had only told Leo about the new baby two weeks ago, but he seemed to understand and was even excited about his little sister.

Leo handed over one of his prized strawberries for Amy to eat.

“For the baby?” Amy asked.

Leo nodded.

“Thank you,” Amy said. She was holding back tears, but mostly failing. How had she gotten such a sweet son? Part of her had always been a little afraid that her son would be too much like Sheldon. Then Amy remembered that Sheldon had made her this breakfast and brought it in for her to eat in bed because she was pregnant and it was her birthday even though he hated eating in the bedroom. Maybe Leo was like Sheldon. Like that side of him that mostly only she got to see.

Leo wiped away his mom's tears with very sticky fingers.

“Thanks, bud,” Amy said.

[thepoppunkdays]

From The Pit: ROAM @ The Dome, London

ROAM at The Dome, London – 8th December 2017

Reviewed by: Laura Yates

  Despite being fairly late to the ROAM party, after seeing this lovely group of guys from Eastbourne support New Found Glory on their “20 Years of Pop Punk” anniversary tour a few months back, I was instantly charmed by their catchy upbeat melodies and use of dual-vocals. No doubt, opening up for Pop Punk royalty such as NFG is no easy task, but these youngsters did a stellar job of reminding us older fans that this scene is still very much alive and well, whilst also showing just what this newer generation of Pop Punk is capable of. Needless to say, after three consecutive nights hearing snippets of their new album, I went away still humming Playing Fiction and picked up a ticket to their next London show.

As well as joining their Hopeless Records family on that tour in the UK, and for a short stint in North America, the ROAM guys have had a very busy year. Also supporting the likes of As It Is, Lower Than Atlantis and playing a bunch of festivals too, they are ending 2017 on a massive high – having just released their new album Great Heights & Nosedives, they’re now seeing out the year on their own headline tour of Europe and the UK.

Friday night was the first of the UK leg, and their biggest headline show to date – which had also just sold out. I normally find that bands finish up in London instead of starting here, so it was actually pretty cool to have that starting energy and excitement before weeks of touring taking its toll. This was actually my first time at The Dome in Tufnell Park, and despite there being a bit of an awkward school disco vibe when I first arrived, it was a decent sized venue and as the place filled up and support bands came on, it sounded good too. I also got a pint for under a fiver, for those who don’t get out to gigs much in London – this is incredibly rare.

Supporting were Stand Atlantic, who did a great job of opening up, having come all the way over from Sydney for the EU and UK dates. Also in tow was Liverpool’s finest, WSTR – who definitely had a strong following in the crowd.

After another beer and a good sing-along to whoever’s cracking playlist was on between the bands (ft. The Story So Far, Four Year Strong & Trophy Eyes), red balloons were then dotted across the stage – a nice nod to the new album’s cover art (or Stephen King’s IT?)

ROAM then wasted no time getting the crowd moving, opening with the incredibly catchy first single from their new album, Alive. It was clear they were both excited and rather humbled to be playing to their own, sold out crowd.

The rest of the set was a well-considered blend of new and old, with the singles Guilty Melody & Playing Fiction, weaved in with the older favourites from their debut album Backbone, including Deadweight & Hopeless Case. Highlight for me was Flatline, which is the best track on GH in my opinion. We were also treated to a short intermission to celebrate guitarist Sam’s birthday, which involved some kind of Australian tradition called a “Shoey” – Standing Atlantic’s suggestion I presume. This is exactly what you think it might be – the act of downing a pint of beer from a shoe.

Overall, a great set and it was brilliant to hear more of the new album live. The boys’ UK tour wraps up later this week, and as they’re heading straight back out to Australia to support Knuckle Puck in the new year, it looks like they have a busy 2018 ahead of them too.

If you haven’t heard it yet, Great Heights & Nosedives is available on Spotify & Apple Music via Hopeless Records.

From The Pit: ROAM @ The Dome, London was originally published on The Pop Punk Days

[nerdforestgirl]

Note: I didn’t do the whole Fluff Crawlspace thing this year, but today is still the 13th anniversary of the introduction of Amy Farrah Fowler. I don’t expect anyone to actually read this, but I still wanted to mark the occasion. Here’s one for old time’s sake if I still have any Shamy followers here.

Sheldon was sitting in his old apartment, playing video games with Leonard, Howard and Raj for their monthly video game night. He missed the place more now that he lived a few miles away in a house with Amy, but unlike Leonard and Penny who had a second bedroom for their son, Sheldon and Amy had to move as soon as they saw that second pink line on Amy's pregnancy test.

Still, he had this place. Where he lived for years with Leonard and then later also Penny. It didn't really feel like home anymore, but the comfort was still nice. Especially when things just seemed like they wouldn't stop changing. In the years since he won his Nobel, he and Amy had moved, had their son Leonard, and written a book together. It was a lot to happen in just four short years, but at least Sheldon still had his friends and his wife.

Speaking of his wife, Sheldon looked down at his watch. It was ticking close to nine.

“Oh, crud!” Sheldon said to no one in particular.

“Language, Sheldon,” Penny teased from the floor where she was playing with her son. They were working on a Duplo Lego taller than the boy.

“Sorry,” Sheldon said. He hated cursing in front of the kids. “Amy is going to kill me. The Last of Us starts in ten minutes, and the bus ride home will be nearly twice that long.”

“So? She doesn't like your nerd stuff,” Penny pointed out.

“She's really come around on many of my favorite shows. She insists on watching both The Last of Us and The Mandalorian every week,” Sheldon explained.

Howard, Raj, and Leonard all started laughing.

Sheldon looked around at his friends who all seemed to be laughing at him. He didn't understand what he said that was so funny. It was true that Amy had never been particularly into his interests, but she did enjoy both shows a great deal.

“You know what they say, if your girl watches The Last of Us and The Mandalorian, she's not your girl. She's Pedro Pascal's girl,” Leonard explained.

“No,” Sheldon argued, but it was true that those were the only shows that Amy enjoyed watching with him now. Plus she had recently suggested that they rewatch Game of Thrones. “No,” Sheldon said again in realization. Then he got up and ran down the stairs to catch a bus home. The elevator, broken for so long, still worked after being repaired. Sheldon just didn't have time to wait for it.

When Sheldon got home, Amy was creeping out of little Leonard's room. She must have just gotten the baby to sleep, so Sheldon pulled Amy away from the baby's door. He had spent enough sleepless nights with Leonard that even he would slap himself across his face for waking the boy.

“What's up?” Amy asked.

“Are you in love with Pedro Pascal?” Sheldon asked.

Amy let out a sigh and pitched the bridge of her nose. “Sheldon, I have never met Pedro Pascal,” she reminded him. She never knew where something like this came from with him.

“You didn't answer the question,” Sheldon said.

“No. I'm not in love with a man I've never met in my life. I'm in love with the crazy one standing in front of me now. You know, my husband and the father of my child,” Amy said.

Then it came back to Sheldon in a flash. The conception of said child. It was right after Sheldon came home from Comic-Con. When he was dressed as Din Djarin, the character played by Pedro Pascal. He came home that night, and Amy couldn't keep her hands off of Sheldon.

“The Mandalorian fathered my child!” Sheldon accused with a finger pointed at Amy.

“Sheldon, look at me. You fathered Leonard. He's your son. What has gotten into you?”

“The guys said that you only watch The Last of Us and The Mandalorian with me because you love Pedro Pascal,” Sheldon finally explained.

That was something that Amy could finally understand. And it wasn't exactly false. Amy had had a bit of a thing for Pedro Pascal since he was Oberyn Martell in Game of Thrones. That didn't mean she was cheating on Sheldon. As far as her husband went, it mostly meant that she wished he'd grow a mustache. She wouldn't leave Sheldon for a movie star.

“Sheldon, he's a handsome man. So are you. Don't you ever want to watch something because someone in it is attractive?” Amy asked as she gently rubbed her husband's arm. Then she remembered who she was talking to. The only person on the planet she had ever heard him express attraction to was her. It made her feel a little dirty thinking about that because Sheldon was a lot of things, any loyal was number one.

“Can we still watch The Last of Us? I'm actually invested in the story now,” Amy said. The characters were facing a pretty big cliffhanger, and the previous week had mostly been a flashback. Amy really needed to know how it all ended.

“Yes,” Sheldon agreed. Mostly because he wanted to keep watching. Unlike Amy, he knew what would happen next because he played the game. He still wanted to watch it play out on screen.

“Good. And he's not more handsome than you,” Amy promised, but she had her fingers crossed behind her back. She didn't quite believe it. It was still what Sheldon needed to hear.

Two months later, Amy and Sheldon needed to fly to New York for a meeting about the paperback version of their book. Originally only Sheldon was going to go, but Leonard and Penny offered to watch Leonard. They insisted that Sheldon and Amy needed a couple days away with a big comfy bed, plenty of sleep, and maybe a few other things together. And what better place than where Sheldon and Amy spent their honeymoon.

“That guy looks like Pedro Pascal,” Amy muttered to Sheldon as they waited for their plane to New York. It wasn't exactly uncommon for them to see famous people in the first class lounge the publisher paid for, but Amy only thought the man bared a passing resemblance.

After their minor fight, Sheldon had mostly not brought up Pedro Pascal or her possible attraction to him after that. He just wouldn't allow them to make love after watching anything he was in. That was fine with Amy. Fungal zombies didn't exactly put her in the mood anyway.

Sheldon looked at the guy for a moment, but didn't say anything to Amy. Instead, he got up and stomped over to the guy Amy thought looked like Pedro Pascal. Amy was alarmed, so she followed him.

“You stay away from my wife,” Sheldon said in a firm voice as they got closer.

Amy realized in horror that the man she thought looked like Pedro Pascal was Pedro Pascal. She slid behind Sheldon in complete embarrassment, but she also pulled on his arm. Anything to get out of this situation.

“Excuse me?” Pedro Pascal said. He had been minding his own business up until then, and he was sure he had never seen this man before in his life.

“You stay away from my wife,” Sheldon repeated.

“Sheldon, we really don't need a headline saying Nobel Laureate fights Pedro Pascal at LAX,” Amy reminded him. Sheldon still often forgot that he was a public figure now. It didn't matter much in their normal life, but the press would eat this up. Plus, they might both have tenure now, but that didn't mean they couldn't be fired for something completely off the deep end like fighting one of the most famous men in the country at the airport.

Sheldon looked down at Amy and nodded. After a moment, he turned back to walk to where they abandoned their bags before they could be reported as such to security. She could still talk a small amount of sense into him on occasion, and Amy said a quick prayer of thanks that today was one of those times.

“I'm really sorry, Mr. Pascal. My husband and I are actually big fans. He just knows that I have a little bit of a crush on you. I don't know what got into him,” Amy lied. She knew full well that what got into Sheldon was Sheldon.

“Is that guy really a Nobel Laureate?” Pedro Pascal asked Amy.

“Yeah. We both won the Nobel Prize in physics a few years ago,” Amy said with a small smile. She thought about asking for a selfie, but she had already taken up enough of Pedro Pascal's time. She rejoined her husband, and worked to distract him until it was time to board their flight. She prayed they weren't sitting anywhere near Pedro Pascal.

A couple nights later, Amy was snuggled up to Sheldon's side watching one of those late night TV talk shows. They only watched them when little Leonard was having trouble going down to sleep because they were on late and Sheldon refused to have a TV in their bedroom. However, there was a TV here in the hotel room for Amy to flip through channels. She stopped when she saw a familiar face on the screen.

“And it turns out both he and the wife are Nobel Laureates, I swear to God,” Pedro Pascal said to the host.

“Oh no,” Amy said. Then she saw her phone light up. The name of the caller was President Seibert.

[nerdforestgirl]

Note: A tradition continues even if I don’t really write anymore. Enjoy.

Sheldon pulled another box from the bedroom closet. He opened it, and it appeared to be another box of knickknacks from Amy's past. He pulled out the card right on top of the pile of items inside.

“I gave you this card,” he said with a smile when he showed it to her. Then he set it back into the box and started to set the box in a larger moving box. They were getting ready to move into the house they just closed on.

“No you didn't,” Amy told Sheldon as she took the card from him and showed him that there was no signature on the card. That didn't matter because she knew exactly who gave her the card. Well, sort of. Either way, it wasn't her husband.

“Yes, I did,” Sheldon argued.

“Not this one. A weird stranger gave it to me like fifteen years ago,” Amy said. She remembered the day clearly.

Amy groaned and put a pillow over her head. It didn't dull the noise of that awful alarm clock much, so she decided to just turn it off instead.

“I don't wanna go to school today,” Amy whined to no one. She was all alone in her apartment just like she was every single day of her life. She knew that no one would find her joke to herself funny, but no one else was around to care. Sure, UCLA was a school, but it was also the workplace of Amy Farrah Fowler.

Normally Amy adored her job, but it was the day that was really the problem. Amy hated her birthday, which happened to be today. She didn't hate it for the typical reasons of getting older or reflecting on regrets or mistakes, but because something bad always happened on Amy's birthday. Last year, the restaurant where she joined her parents dropped an on-fire baked Alaska on her lap. The year before that, she had been rear-ended on her way home from work. And the year before that, her grandfather died. Amy's birthdays were always bad, and she didn't want to have them anymore.

Maybe I'll just stay home, Amy thought to herself. She had a million vacation days built up that she was never going to use. She could call in and stay home in bed where nothing as dangerous as a flaming dessert could get anywhere near her.

After Amy called her office to let them know she wasn't coming in, she rolled over and went back to sleep. Her plan was to do exactly nothing all day, and sleeping in seemed like a good way to kick that off.

By nine Amy got back out of bed out of boredom more than anything. She liked to keep her bedroom free of distractions to make her sleep easier and more restful. That meant that if she wasn't sleeping there wasn't much of anything interesting to do in there. She wandered out to the kitchen and opened her fridge. Normally Amy would have a quick bowl of cereal or a granola bar, but she had time to make something good.

“Do I have the ingredients for a Dutch Baby?” Amy asked herself as she pulled food from her fridge and pantry. She thought that maybe this wouldn't be the worst birthday ever since she actually had everything. Plus a few of her favorite toppings like lemon and raspberries.

Amy set about making the batter for the pancake and melting the butter in her oven. She almost even forgot that it was her birthday as she pulled the now hot pan from the oven. As she turned to close the oven with her free hand, the contents of the Dutch oven exploded and sprayed hot, melted butter all over her face and pajamas. In her surprise, Amy dropped the Dutch oven on her left foot.

“Ow,” Amy cried before limping over to her couch to inspect her foot. It was swelling quickly and was very painful to move. She debated a trip to the urgent care to have it looked at, and she decided since she had already called off work, it was worth at least an x-ray.

Amy didn't even bother changing out of her nightgown. She just made sure all of the kitchen appliances were off before she threw her jacket on over it and went down to her car.

The urgent care wasn't terribly busy, but there was still around a handful of people in the waiting room. Amy played with her phone and even checked the dating website her mother had recommended to distract herself. She hated the site, so she closed it and opened Angry Birds instead. It was almost forty minutes later before they pulled her back to have her foot looked at. The x-ray took another hour. And in the end, Amy's foot was broken in two different places. She was given a boot and a pair of crutches and was sent on her way.

Amy's head was not at all in the present. Instead she was fantasizing about a giant fast food milkshake that she planned to pick up on her way home as she left. It was maybe a mistake because she was already unsteady on the unfamiliar boot with the crutches propping her up. Though all of that would have been fine if it weren't for the parade of nine or ten years olds who came running by her. One or two bumped into Amy's crutch and sent her and her belongings flying to the ground.

Amy took a deep breath to keep herself from crying. She could cry and scream and be as upset as she liked at home, but she was in public now; she needed to keep her composure. That was until two men practically stepped all over her as she tried to gather her things.

It's bad enough they don't want to help, but these men can't even be bothered to go around me, Amy thought. She glowered up at them. They both looked like they were dressed as children. One was in a hoodie while the other wore some t-shirt with cartoon characters on it. And they were talking about some video game.

Tears welled in Amy's eyes as she reached for her crutch. She could cry when she was safe in her home. Until then, she needed to focus on getting back on her foot with her crutches safely under her.

“Wait,” the taller man in the cartoon t-shirt said as he came to a sudden stop.

“What?” the shorter man said, startled by the sudden exclamation by his friend.

“Go help her,” he ordered the shorter man. He gestured to Amy who was now easily a dozen feet behind them.

“Oh my God! Did we just walk over you?” the shorter man with glasses asked as he ran back to help Amy up from the ground. “We didn't knock you over, did we?” he added with even more horror in his voice.

“You did walk right past me, but the ten year olds over there were the ones to actually knock me over,” Amy explained as she pointed to the group of kids who were now in front of the ice cream shop on the other side of the parking lot.

“I'm so sorry. I guess we were distracted,” he told her as he helped her up. He then picked up the rest of her stuff from the ground. She expected him to hand her her things, but instead he just asked, “Which way?”

Amy pointed to her car, and the shorter guy helped Amy carry her stuff to her car and he even helped her get in. Meanwhile his friend seemed to completely disappear. He wasn't anywhere to be seen, but at least the helpful one had stayed.

“I don't know where your friend went, but I hope you can catch up with him. Thank you so much for helping me back to my car,” Amy told him. No one had been so nice to her in what felt like years. Despite this birthday being right up there with some of the worse, it was a nice little present that this stranger had been so kind.

“He can't get very far. He doesn't drive,” the man with the glasses told her.

That was when the taller friend reappeared right behind the man with the glasses.

“Here,” he said as he shoved a bag in window of Amy's car.

“What's this?” Amy asked.

“Neosporin and bandages,” he told her stiffly. “You cut up your hand when you fell. You should clean it up as soon as you get home. These sidewalks are disgusting.”

“Thank you,” Amy said with a firm nod. “This is the nicest birthday present I have received in a long time,” she admitted earnestly. She wasn't quite sure why she told these guys that it was her birthday. She knew they didn't care, but Amy wanted to let them know that the kindness had meant extra to her that day.

“One moment,” the taller man ordered before walking back into the pharmacy where he had purchased the bandages.

“Is he okay?” Amy asked.

“I have no idea. He's always like this.”

The pair sat there in an awkward silence while they waited for him to come back out. It didn't take too long, but long enough for the strangeness to stretch it into an eternity.

“Here,” the man shoved another bag at Amy when he returned. He didn't wait for any kind of response. Instead he just started walking away.

“I hope your foot feels better, and happy birthday, I guess,” the man with the glasses said before he also left. He didn't even give Amy a chance to say thank you again.

“What was that about?” the man with the glasses asked his friend.

“I don't know. She needed help. You would have helped Penny,” the cartoon t-shirt man responded.

“Not that we helped her. Obviously we should've helped her. Though I am a little surprised that it was your idea. Normally you'd yell at me for wasting time if I stopped to help a stranger. I meant running off the pharmacy,” the guy with the glasses said.

After that the two men were too far away to hear. Amy watched as they walked into a comic book shop that was in the same parking lot. They really were like oversized children, but at least they were nice. That reminded Amy of the second bag. She opened it right then. Inside was a Snickers bar and a birthday card that he left unsigned. It was strange, but the tears that slipped down her cheeks now were happy ones. She opened the candy bar and looked at the card that seemed to be for a small child. Elmo wished her “The Best Birthday Ever.” It definitely wasn't that, but it was a little better for the kindness of the two men.

“Oh my God! You gave me this card!” Amy shouted at her husband.

“I told you,” Sheldon said.

“Why didn't you tell me that we had met before?” Amy asked.

“I had never made the connection until I saw the card. I knew the girl was pretty and sad, but I didn't even connect that it was you,” he told her.

“I was a mess that day,” Amy admitted. Maybe she had been almost unrecognizable even to her husband with the eidetic memory.

Sheldon nodded in agreement, but he had stopped for the pretty girl, not a mess. It was more likely that it had just been a couple years between that day and when he had first met Amy for real in that coffee shop, and Sheldon had no real reason to think on that day often. Sheldon could never truly believe in soulmates, but there was something between Amy and himself. He felt like they could've met her at any time of his life, and he would've been drawn to her. He actually felt better now because he had always wondered why he had insisted that Leonard help the girl.

“That card reminded me that birthdays weren't all bad. That even if something bad happens like food poisoning from your fiance, someone cares. I kept that lucky birthday card all of these years because it was a reminder that even a stranger might go out of their way to wish you a good day on your birthday. It fixed them for me,” Amy explained.

The Amy carefully put the care back inside the box for safe keeping. She didn't want Sheldon to sign it for her now. She didn't want to mess with the magic of the lucky birthday card from the then stranger, now husband who made all of her birthdays the best he possibly could.

[nerdforestgirl]

Note: I know I haven’t been writing much these days.  I realized why that is.  I had two sources of inspiration when it came to my stories.  One was The Big Bang Theory itself.  Some silly throw away line was the inspiration of so very many stories.  The second was my real life.  Well, between the show being over and the fact that I’m still staying home pretty much all the time because of the pandemic, I haven’t had a whole lot of inspiration these days.  I hope it’ll come back one day.  Until then, I will sometimes get an idea.  Like this one.  Enjoy.  I love you.  Happy Holidays!

“I was so excited about the holidays this year,” Amy said as she set down her iPad. Another day of doom scrolling her news feed was just bringing her down. Amy and Sheldon were both fully vaccinated from Covid, but too many other people out in the world were not. It seemed as though Christmas would have be a small affair again this year. Amy somehow even missed the idea of Christmas with her mother.

“I told you that we could have dinner with Leonard, Penny, and the baby,” Sheldon reminded her. The baby wasn't vaccinated, but he also didn't go out much of anywhere. Plus, Sheldon didn't care at all about Christmas. He would be fine if they never celebrated it again. That was until he saw the tears in his wife's eyes. Sheldon didn't care about many other people's feelings, but somewhere along the way, he started caring about Amy's.

Amy shrugged. It was better than the Zoom party they had last year. Sheldon still wouldn't go to a party that involved their entire friend group since Halley was in preschool in what he called “the germ factory.” No vaccine would be enough for him to feel safe about that. Amy wondered if he might've freaked out about the preschooler even if there was no pandemic. He'd have to get over it for their kids, but they weren't there yet anyway.

“I just had such high hopes for a nice Christmas with all of the friends and family we couldn't see in person last year,” Amy said with a crack in her voice. The crack did something that Sheldon didn't expect. It broke his heart on behalf of his wife. He wanted—no, needed—to make this better for her.

“We can go get the biggest, ugliest tree in the world,” Sheldon offered with a smile. He wanted to do anything to make his wife happy in this moment. He wanted her to have a very happy Christmas. Well, anything other than exposing the both of them to a virus that could hurt them both.

“Maybe,” Amy agreed sadly. Christmas was more than the things that made it. It was the people who really made it special. “I'm going to bed,” she added and then kissed Sheldon on his cheek before going back to their bedroom.

Meanwhile, Sheldon grabbed his laptop.

The next evening, Sheldon sent Amy a text with a map to Google Maps.

“What's this?” Amy asked with a bit more cheer than the night before. She had avoided doom scrolling, so she was in less of a funk.

“It's our plans for the evening,” Sheldon explained. “I obviously can't drive, so you will have to. These are the best holiday light displays in a ten mile radius according to the LA Times.” Then he handed Amy the single ugliest Christmas sweater she had ever seen. Amy thought her days of ugly sweaters were behind her, but she would make an exception for this one.

“Honey, I love it!” Amy said as she pulled it on. She wished Sheldon had one too. Then she realized that she was probably going to be driving around town looking at lights by herself. It was nice of Sheldon to make her the plan, but it was the same problem of being alone. She gave Sheldon a very weak smile because it was still quite thoughtful for him.

“You know I hate sweaters on my arms,” Sheldon reminded her as he pulled out a very soft looking Santa hat that he placed on his head instead.

“You're coming with?” Amy asked.

“Of course I am. You and I will be in car A. Leonard, Penny, and the baby will be in car B. The Wolowitzes and Raj will be in car C. We leave in fifteen minutes from downstairs,” Sheldon told her. Then he booped her on the nose before he walked toward the kitchen.

Amy didn't know how Sheldon managed to plan all of this without her knowing. Not only had he arranged for all of their friends to go out looking at holiday lights, but he also had three trays of freshly baked sugar cookies and three thermoses of hot chocolate ready to go by the time they went to meet everyone downstairs.

“Alright everyone. As head elf, I want to remind you all that this should take around an hour. There are no rest stops, so everyone should go to the bathroom in the Hofstadters' apartment before we head out. I'm looking at you, car C,” Sheldon told them all as he handed a tray of cookies to Leonard and then Bernadette for each of their cars.

“How sick is it that I've even missed him being like this?” Howard whispered to his wife. It had been too long since they had done any kind of group activity like this.

“Daddy, I have to potty,” Halley said after being reminded by her uncle Sheldon.

“Me too. I'll take her,” Raj said as he helped her out of the mini van.

“Good,” Sheldon said when he saw them headed in. “Raj always needs to go to the bathroom in the middle of things,” he added to his wife.

Once they were all set, the group headed out to look at the light displays. Some of them were fantastic while others seemed like a bit of a waste of time. Even though they weren't all in the same car, they were able to talk and joke with each other over their group call. It wasn't the same as Amy's other Christmases with her friends, but it was a good night all the same. Amy could feel her Christmas cheer meter feeling up a little with the love and light of her chosen family.

Hopefully the next year, Sheldon would feel safe enough that they could all spend it really together, but at least this wasn't the worst Christmas ever anymore.

[nerdforestgirl]

Note: Hey.  Remember when I used to write Shamy stories?  Yeah.  Me neither, but I had a random idea and I wanted to write it.  So, here’s a story for no reason.  Enjoy.

Sheldon Cooper had been waiting at the hospital for almost three hours now. He had convinced his wife, Amy Farrah Fowler, that they didn't need to rush off to the hospital just because Penny was in labor, but he should have delayed a bit longer. They had no idea how much longer this could take, but Sheldon should've suggested dinner first. He was starving. The Wolowitzes were going to come tomorrow since they had to stay with their kids and Raj was at home with the flu. Sheldon didn't even have anyone besides his wife to play with while he waited.

“Can I at least have my Switch back?” Sheldon whined at his wife. He let her have his video game twenty minutes ago when he went to the bathroom, and she refused to give it back.

“One minute. I just want to finish this,” Amy told him as she made a few more adjustments to her island in Animal Crossing.

Sheldon sighed and crossed his arms in a pout. Amy didn't notice and kept her eyes on the screen in front of her.

“This is the last time I'm doing this,” Sheldon told her.

“Doing what?” Amy asked.

“Waiting around for a baby to be born. I've done this for my sister, I've done this for Haley Wolowitz, and I'm doing this for Leonard and Penny's son. Never again,” he clarified.

“Well, you'll have to wait around for our kids,” Amy reminded him with a kind smile. Their lives had been so busy with all of the Nobel stuff, but Amy was sure that they would talk about their own children soon. They were finally married, they both had tenure, and they had a nice nest egg. It honestly seemed like the perfect time to finally bring up children again.

“Are you...?” Sheldon asked with clear panic in his voice. This hardly seemed like the time or place to drop a bomb like that on him. It had been nearly two months since they last had coitus, and he couldn't believe that she would would hide it from him so long.

“No. I'm not,” Amy answered a little sadly. Maybe he wasn't as ready as she was for children, and that broke her heart. She didn't have forever to have children.

Sheldon's shoulders dropped in what looked like relief to Amy. She just rolled her eyes and went back to her game, but Amy decided to keep hold of the Switch a little longer just to be a little petty.

“He's here,” Leonard said as he came into the waiting room where Sheldon and Amy were waiting.

Amy jumped up and ran to Leonard to give him the most aggressive hug she had ever given him.

“How are they?” Amy asked as she released Leonard. Sheldon appeared at her side and took her hand in his.

“Both are great. Penny's great. Tired obviously, but good. Noah Lee Hofstadter is great. He's with Penny if you want to come see them both,” Leonard told them. He peeked at Sheldon to see if his best friend would react to the name, but Sheldon just nodded silently. Leonard was a little heartbroken that the gesture went unnoticed, but Leonard wasn't sure that he really expected more. It was still a better middle name than Leakey. Leonard led Sheldon and Amy back to the room holding Penny and baby Noah.

“Wanna hold him?” Penny offered Amy when Leonard showed up with their best friends in the world.

“I'd love to,” Amy said as she took the impossibly small baby into her arms. She thought he was the most beautiful thing in the world.

Sheldon handed Penny the small blue bear he had purchased for Noah in the gift shop while they waited for the baby to arrive in the world. She smiled at Sheldon, but didn't say anything. Sheldon turned back and looked over Amy's shoulder at the baby.

“Do you want to hold him?” Amy asked Sheldon, but she didn't wait for much of an answer before she carefully placed the newborn into Sheldon's arms. She kept her hands on his arms to make sure he supported the baby properly.

“He's so beautiful,” Sheldon whispered as he stared at the baby in his arms. He wondered if all new babies did look the same. This boy in his arms was perfect in every way. Leonard and Penny didn't hear Sheldon's praise, but Amy did. Sheldon's love for the baby was clear in his eyes. She had never seen anything like it.

“He is,” she agreed. “Ready to give him back?” Amy asked Sheldon after a few moments.

Sheldon finally looked away from little Noah's face to Amy's. He nodded and gave the baby back to Amy who then handed him back to Penny.

“We should let you guys get some rest. How about we come back in the morning? Unless you need us to do anything for you. Do you want dinner?” Amy offered.

“I think we're okay,” Leonard told her. He got up to give Sheldon and Amy each a hug before they left. It meant a lot to him that they were there. Sheldon gave Leonard a particularly tight hug in return. Maybe that's all he would hear back about his son's name.

Sheldon and Amy left the room and made their way back to the car.

“Can we have one, Amy?” Sheldon asked when they got outside.

“Have what? Dinner?” Amy asked.

“No. Well, yes. I am starving, but I meant a baby,” Sheldon said as he got into the passenger seat of the car.

Amy stopped walking in shock. Sheldon just waited calmly in the car for her to get in. It took Amy a moment to come back to herself. She got into the car.

“Yeah. We can have a baby,” Amy agreed. The last time that Sheldon had come right out and asked if they could have a baby, they weren't ready. They hadn't even been married yet. Now it felt right.

“Goody,” Sheldon said. “I'm thinking if it's a boy, we should name him Leonard Nimoy Cooper,” Sheldon added after a moment of thought. He happily wanted to name his son after Leonard Nimoy, but he had another reason for the name. He wanted to return the kind gesture to the man who was more of a brother to him than his actual brother. Tears pricked in his eyes as he thought of how much he couldn't wait to see his newest nephew again the next morning.

“I think there are a few steps that we need to take before we pick a name. But also, no way am I naming my son Leonard Nimoy Cooper,” Amy told him as she backed out of the parking spot. They argued about baby names until she pulled up to the fast food drive thru lane.

[nerdforestgirl]

Note: Thank you to everyone who still cares enough about Sheldon and Amy to celebrate today.  I miss them, but it helps to know I’m not the only who still cares about them.  Thanks for playing along with this stilly fluff crawlspace stuff all these years later.  I know I shared my tattoos earlier, but obviously I had to write a little something too.  Enjoy.

“All right. Our appointments are all set,” Amy told Sheldon with a big smile. This was nearly the moment she had been waiting for for the last year. She and Sheldon were finally going to get their Covid vaccines. They were finally going to be safe and be able to get back out into the world.

“I don't feel well. Perhaps you should cancel mine,” Sheldon said to his wife.

“Well, our appointments aren't until next week, so you'll be fine by then,” Amy said. She was pretty sure that it was just nerves. Even if it wasn't nerves, she had a point that the appointments weren't for several more days. He would likely be over whatever was bothering him by then. She left his appointment as it was and set back to making dinner for the two of them.

Over the next several days, Sheldon continued to complain that he wasn't feeling well. Amy took his temperature, and it was normal. Then she took him to get a Covid test even though he insisted that it wasn't that.

“Maybe we should get you in for a doctor's appointment,” Amy suggested when both of their Covid tests came back negative.

“I just don't feel well, but I don't think it needs a doctor's appointment,” Sheldon protested as he booted up his current game of Resident Evil on the PS5 Amy tracked down for his birthday.

Sheldon wasn't acting like he felt sick. He just mentioned it whenever Amy talked about how excited she was about the prospect of having her life back. When she mentioned that she looked forward to going back to brunch with the girls or working in her lab instead of the apartment, Sheldon would start in on how his stomach hurt or he had a headache. Whether or not Sheldon actually felt sick was up for debate, but Amy was fairly certain it was in his head.

“You aren't afraid of the vaccine, are you?” Amy asked. He knew the science. He knew that despite the appearance that the vaccines had been developed quickly, they were actually developed with more than a decade of science behind them. They had been thoroughly tested. And of course there weren't any microchips in them. Sheldon wasn't one of those people who believed in conspiracies. Or at least Amy didn't think he was.

“No,” Sheldon said. “Of course I'm not afraid of the vaccine.”

“Then why don't you want to get one?” Amy finally just asked him. She was tired of skirting the issue.

Sheldon opened his mouth to answer, but then he closed it. Amy had never seen him seem so unsure of himself. That sold her more on the idea of him feeling unwell more than anything, but she just stayed silent and waited for her husband to answer her.

“I liked the last year. I liked staying in with you every night. I liked the grocery delivery and the take out delivery. I liked never leaving the apartment. I liked that everyone was using hand sanitizer all the time. I liked the masks,” Sheldon confessed. This pandemic felt like it had been built for him. He was happy in it. He didn't want it over.

“Oh,” Amy said after a moment. That actually made a lot of sense. Sheldon was the only person she knew who really did seem to thrive in all of this. “At least you included me in the things you liked about the pandemic,” she added after a second.

“Of course I did. You are my favorite person in the world. If I was going to be locked in a pandemic with anyone, I'm glad it's you,” Sheldon told her. She knew that. He couldn't live without her.

“You're my favorite person too. That's why I want you safe. That's why I want you to get the vaccine,” Amy told Sheldon.

“Hmm. That's a good point,” Sheldon agreed. He hadn't thought about that element. He didn't want things to change, but he wanted Amy to be safe. The idea of his wife being safe was absolutely worth things going back to how they had been before.

“I'll hold your hand while you get it, if you want,” Amy offered. She thought of their original agreement all those years ago when a hand hold during a flu shot was one of the only forms of contact he would allow. That had all changed in the years since, but she was happy to be there in any moment of need.

“Well, that was a given. I suppose we can go get our vaccines tomorrow,” Sheldon agreed.

“And we'll still need second doses and then two weeks after that before we'll be protected,” Amy reminded him. They had plenty of movie nights alone snuggling on the couch left before they'd even be close to having their lives back. Plus more time after that to get used to being back out there. Sheldon could keep things the way they were for a while longer. As much as Amy missed some elements of her life, she certainly didn't mind the idea of some time alone with Sheldon.

[nerdforestgirl]

Sheldon wasn't sure what he should do for Valentine's Day. Usually his wife made plans, and he just showed up in a suit and played along. However this year, Amy Farrah Fowler had just given birth to their first child three weeks previously. She would probably not be in the mood or have the energy for any big plans. That would be fine with Sheldon. But Amy had gone through a fair amount of pain and suffering giving birth to their son. Sheldon decided that he should probably do something for her.

A big dinner in a restaurant was out. Sheldon didn't want to, and Amy hated being more than about five feet away from the baby at any time. Sheldon also didn't want to cook a special meal. The idea still made hims queasy since the day he gave Amy and himself food poisoning on her birthday that time. He would happily make them dinner when it was his turn to cook, but he hadn't made them a big special meal since then.

Sheldon came up with a very low key plan for the two of them. He knew that Amy deserved the world, but for tonight, she would get a nice night at home with her husband and son. Maybe next year Sheldon would pull out all the stops.

“What's that?” Amy asked when there was a knock on the door on Valentine's Day. They weren't expecting anyone to drop by unless her mother was going to bring them another horrible casserole for them to heat up instead of cooking. Amy had even forgotten about Valentine's Day. She was too busy adjusting to being a mom.

Sheldon just grinned and went to get the door. He returned with a bouquet of flowers.

“Happy Valentine's Day!” he told her as he handed over the flowers.

“Honey, thank you,” Amy said with tears in the corners of her eyes. Sheldon rarely got her flowers. She sniffed them as the door got another knocked.

Sheldon got up to get that door too. Then he returned with a pizza. It was one of those heart shaped pizzas with those heart shaped pepperonis on top. Not something Amy would have ever expected Sheldon to buy. Still, exceptionally sweet.

“Wow. How romantic,” Amy said. She said it in a teasing way, but it was up there with one of Sheldon's more romantic gestures. She was pleased that he had done so much for her.

Then there was another knock at the door. This time it was a box of chocolates and a pint of ice cream delivered.

“How many more deliveries are you expecting?” Amy asked, but she happily took the box of chocolates from Sheldon. She didn't hesitate to open it and pick a dark chocolate truffle from the box and pop it in her mouth.

Sheldon explained that his plan was for them to just stay in and watch a movie with the baby and have pizza. It sounded perfect to Amy.

“I feel bad. I didn't get you anything. I guess I thought Leonard was my Valentine this year,” Amy teased Sheldon.

“Leonard?” Sheldon asked. He looked at the door as if he could see his best friend across the hall through the door. He stood in anger. He was going to have to kill Leonard Hofstadter.

At that moment, the baby started crying. Amy went to go grab him and bring him out to the living room.

“Are you Mommy's little valentine, Leonard?” Amy cooed to the baby as she walked back out to the living room with her son in her arms.

“That Leonard is your valentine?” Sheldon said stupidly. He nearly forgot that he had two Leonard's in his life now. Perhaps they should give the baby a nickname to differentiate between the two.

Amy chuckled to herself.

“I told you it would get confusing to name the baby after your best friend.”

[nerdforestgirl]

Note: Today marks eight years since the first time I posted a fanfic on the internet.  I still can’t believe what a lovely reaction I got at the time.  People were so encouraging.  And, boy, was I encouraged.  All these years later, and I am still writing about Sheldon and Amy.  Thank you to every single person who has kept on encouraging me through so many years.

“Sheldon, I don't feel well,” Amy whispered to her husband. She could feel just the beginning a headache coming on. It wasn't bad yet, but Amy knew her body well enough to know this one would likely get much worse. She was trying to ignore it, but it was already getting worse as she sat there.

“What's the big secret?” Penny teased Amy when she noticed that she was whispering away to Sheldon.

Sheldon and Amy had joined everyone over in 4A for a big dinner like they used to have all the time, so Amy didn't want to interrupt the event with her illness. She was thinking about slipping out the door and heading back across the hall and climbing in bed alone. That was until Penny called her out. Now she decided to just explain what she already told Sheldon.

“I was just telling Sheldon that I'm getting a bit of a headache. I might head home,” Amy admitted to the group.

“Oh no. Is there anything we can do to help?” Bernadette asked. She wondered if she might have some kind of medication to help Amy feel better. Though, she only had Tylenol in her purse. All of the actually useful stuff was left at work.

“No, no. You all should just enjoy your dinner,” Amy told them. Then she got up to leave with a chorus of “feel better” following her to the door. She was glad that she didn't have far to go.

Amy was surprised that Sheldon was also following her to the door.

“What are you doing?” Amy asked Sheldon.

“Coming home with you,” Sheldon told her.

“Stay. I'll be fine,” Amy promised Sheldon with a soft hand on his chest. She knew that she would love to have Sheldon come home with her, but she also knew she would never hear the end of how she pulled him away from a night with his friends. They planned to watch a movie together with dinner, and Sheldon hated missing a movie night.

“Are you sure?” Sheldon asked. He was sure he was obligated to take care of Amy. Something about in sickness and in health. Blah blah blah.

“I'll be fine,” Amy assured him. She kissed his cheek, waved bye to everyone else, and left to walk across the hall to her own apartment.

Amy changed into her favorite nightgown. She grabbed some aspirin and an ice pack and headed into her bedroom. She didn't even turn on the lights while she crawled into her bed and placed the ice pack on the part of her face that was already aching and tried to find some sleep.

A while later, Amy didn't think that she had fallen asleep, but she was a little out of it when she heard Sheldon coming home. She thought she must have nodded off for a couple hours if he was coming home. Until she looked at her watch. It was only eight.

“Sheldon?” Amy called. She was a little worried it was someone breaking in rather than her husband at this hour.

“Yes?” Sheldon called back from the living room. Then he appeared in the doorway. Amy couldn't see his face because he was backlit from the living room light, but she knew his silhouette well/

“Why didn't you stay?” Amy asked. She lie back on her pillow and didn't look at Sheldon anymore. The light behind him bothered her eyes and made her pain worse. It was easier to just listen to him as he moved around the room.

“They canceled the movie until next week when you are feeling better,” he explained.

“Sorry,” Amy muttered. She hadn't meant to derail their whole evening. Now she was sure she wouldn't hear the end of it.

Sheldon took off his shoes and got on the bed over the covers of his side. He obviously wasn't going to go to sleep just yet, so Amy just looked at him. He put his arm around Amy's waist and hugged her close. The comforting touch of her husband did help ease the pain already. Or maybe the aspirin was starting to kick in. Either way, Amy didn't want Sheldon to leave.

Then Amy heard a familiar little tune come from Sheldon. He was singing her Soft Kitty. In fact, he sang it to her three times before she fell asleep right there in his arms. It was really a panacea.

The next morning, Amy got a text from Penny over breakfast. She was feeling much better, but Sheldon insisted that she continue resting while he made her a big pile a pancakes.

“Hey, Amy. I hope you are feeling better. I still can't believe that Sheldon left in the middle of the movie just because you texted him to come home after all. I've never seen him leave in the middle of a movie for anything if he wasn't afraid.”

Amy stared at the phone in confusion. She hadn't text Sheldon to come home. She looked at him in his apron.

“I'm really sorry that the movie was canceled last night,” Amy said.

“Huh? The movie wasn't canceled,” Sheldon started. Then he remembered his lie. This is why he didn't tell lies. They were too hard to keep track of. “Oops,” he added with a grin.

“Thanks for coming home early,” Amy said.

“In sickness and in health,” he reminded her.

“That wasn't actually one of our vows,” Amy told him.

“No, but it's in the marriage agreement, which is much more comprehensive anyway,” Sheldon said as he brought Amy the breakfast he had been making her.

[nerdforestgirl]

“Wanna go to get breakfast and then go to the farmer's market tomorrow?” Amy asked Penny. She really wanted to do those things with Sheldon, but there was nearly a zero percent chance he would, so she didn't even bother asking him. When Sheldon didn't want to do something, there was no talking him into it, so Amy didn't even try most of the time.

“I'd like to sleep in tomorrow,” Penny deadpanned. She adored Amy, but now that she worked a 9-5 like a real grownup, she cherished her weekends in a way she hadn't when she worked at The Cheesecake Factory.

“Oh,” Amy said sadly. She decided that perhaps she would take herself on a little date the next morning. She would get herself some coffee from the shop down the street and then wander the farmer's market and get some fresh veggies and then buy herself a big breakfast burrito from the food truck that Sheldon never approved of. It would be more fun with someone else, but Amy could do it alone. She had always been surprised when Penny refused to do stuff alone. It was one of the only things that made Amy feel stronger than her friend. She never minded being out in the world all alone.

“Um. I'll go with you... if you want,” Leonard offered sheepishly. Sure. Amy didn't actually invite him, but Leonard loved hanging out with Amy. She was cool. Every time they spent time together, they always realized that they had a lot in common.

“Oh. Uh. Sure,” Amy said. She hadn't even thought about asking Leonard, but he did enjoy the farmer's market. She should have thought of him sooner.

“No,” Sheldon said.

“Why not?” Amy asked.

“This isn't some kind of crazy wife swap. She's mine,” Sheldon said as he grabbed Amy's hand possessively.

“Well, do you want to go with me?” Amy asked Sheldon. Maybe she would get her way out of this after all.

“Of course not. I hate the farmer's market,” Sheldon told her. He got his produce at the controlled environment of the grocery store like every other sane person in the world. Who wanted to shop for food out in nature like a hippie?

Amy frowned. She was married to Sheldon. He knew there would never be anyone else for her. That was literally the point of being married. Plus. Eww, Leonard. Leonard was a good friend, but Amy was absolutely not interested in him in any way other than a friend.

“So, anyway, wanna go to the farmer's market tomorrow?” Leonard said with a smile and an eyebrow raise to Amy. He was used to Sheldon being ridiculous, and now that they didn't live together anymore, he was much more likely to just ignore it.

“I said no,” Sheldon complained. “I forbade it.”

“Sure. How about seven tomorrow morning? I'll meet you here,” Amy offered. She decided to take a cue from Leonard to just ignore Sheldon.

Sheldon let out a few more weak protests, but it was clear he was being ignored. They all moved on, and Sheldon decided he would find a different way to stop them from going.

The next morning, Amy knocked on the door across the hall right at seven. She was a little surprised that she didn't wake up to a barricade in front of her door, but maybe Sheldon realized that his wife and his best friend could hang out without it being weird. She was going to applaud him for being so mature when she got him. Until she could see the shadow from his shoes under her door. Sheldon was watching her through the peephole in their door.

“Ready to go?” Leonard said when he answered. He had a couple empty tote bags hanging on his shoulder.

“Yeah,” Amy said.

They started toward the stairs, but Amy turned back and said, “Bye, honey,” before they started down.

“Bye,” she heard quietly from her door.

She chuckled as they started down.

“He's going to follow us, isn't he?” Leonard asked.

“Oh, yeah.”

Amy and Leonard stopped at the cafe down the street first to pick up a couple coffees before they got into Leonard's car to go to the farmer's market. At the market, they caught sight of Sheldon a few times in a conspicuous hat and coat despite the 85 degree Southern California morning, but he left them alone. Together, they sampled pastries and split a burrito from the truck. They had a lot of fun, and the woman at the tamale stand said that it was so sweet that a brother and sister were still such good friends as adults. All and all, it was a fantastic morning.

“No. I can beat that. My mom wouldn't let me go trick or treating because she didn't want me begging on the streets,” Amy said with a laugh.

“My mom wouldn't let me go trick or treating because she said the costumes would create an identity crisis,” Leonard countered as Amy got back into his car with their goodies from the market. Then Leonard stopped and shouted over his shoulder. “Sheldon, do you want a ride home?”

“No. I mean, who's Sheldon?” Sheldon shouted back.

“You sure?” Leonard asked, looking right at him.

“Yeah. Okay,” Sheldon agreed. He hated the Uber he took to get here in the first place. He went over and got in the car with Leonard and Amy.

“Was it worth following us?” Amy asked her husband when he got in the car.

“No. You two are so boring. Next time, you should just have the stupid affair. The farmer's market. Ugh.”

[nerdforestgirl]

Note: Hello.  It’s 2021, and I really want to spend more time writing this year than I did last.  Last year was hard on a lot of us, and I am no exception.  It won’t all be Shamy, but some of it will be.  And my first story of 2021 certainly is.

It sent another shiver of pleasure through Amy's whole body when Sheldon's teeth lightly grazed her inner thigh. He was just very skilled at knowing exactly where and how to touch her to make her feel good. It was in that moment that she had a stray thought: it's like he's done this before. She would have dwelled on that thought a moment longer, but she couldn't think of anything at all when Sheldon did another move that knocked every thought from her head. She didn't think she would even been able to remember her name after that.

“I enjoyed that more than I thought I would,” Sheldon told Amy when they were done a few hours later.

Amy was blissed out of her mind, so she happily agreed with everything Sheldon said without even really listening. This was definitely the best birthday she had ever had. She cuddled into Sheldon's side and just let him hold her until she drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

However, that stray thought that had seemingly come and gone during their night together came back a couple days later. Had Sheldon done all that before? Amy knew that she had been a virgin on her birthday and that Sheldon had never been very interested in sex, but he had never specifically told her that he had never had sex before. And he was so good. Maybe he had actually done it before.

No. He said that he didn't know what to expect either. That was a way of saying that he had never had sex. Amy tried to push her concerns down. She was obviously overthinking this. He wouldn't have implied that he was also a virgin if he wasn't. She was sure of that.

Or was she? That little thought popped up again and again in Amy's mind. She pushed it down and away each time. Who even cared if Sheldon had had sex before? He probably hadn't, but Amy wouldn't have been bothered if he had. Whatever was in his past led to Sheldon being an incredible lover, and if that was previous experience, it was to Amy's gain.

Still, it bothered Amy that she didn't know. She decided to just ask Sheldon about his past. She went over to his apartment and knocked on the door. This didn't seem like something to do over text or over the phone.

“Hello, Amy Farrah Fowler,” Sheldon said when he answered the door. He pulled her close and kissed her even though she didn't give him any forewarning that she was coming over. Ever since they got back together, he was much more likely to be happy to see her rather than chastising her if she did something like this.

“Hi. Can I ask you something?” Amy asked after she took off her jacket.

“You just did, but you may ask another,” he said.

“Have you had sex before?” Amy asked without really looking him in the eye.

“Of course I have,” Sheldon answered.

Amy was startled and her eyes finally found his. She didn't really think he had, she realized now. This didn't break her heart or anything. She really didn't mind other than the fact that she felt like maybe he lied through omission.

“You were there, silly,” Sheldon told her. “Are you feeling okay? Did you forget your birthday?”

“I meant before then. Was that your first time?” Amy asked.

“Of course it was my first time. With whom would I have had coitus?” Sheldon asked. He shivered a little out of disgust. Sex with Amy had been fun, but he wanted to throw up at the thought of doing it with someone else. Amy was the only person on the planet to whom he had been attracted, and even that took years to accomplish.

“I don't know. I just can't stop thinking about how good you were. I got worried that maybe you had all of this experience that I didn't. And you never explicitly told me that you had never had sex,” Amy admitted.

“You were good too,” Sheldon told her. They had just had very good sexual chemistry and knew each other well. He never assumed that she had more experience than he knew about.

“But you did that thing with your tongue. I thought I was going to pass out because it felt so good. How did you know to do that?” Amy asked.

“Oh. Um. I did do some research. You know me. I can't do anything by halves,” he said with a blush coloring his cheeks. The books, videos, and a few pointers from Penny had really helped, but they were a bit embarrassing as well. He didn't want to go around bragging that he had looked at them.

“Oh,” Amy said. That made sense. Of course Sheldon wouldn't just show up without knowing what he needed to do. He was always proud to be the most knowledgable man in the room. This shouldn't be any different.

“Is that all you needed to know?” Sheldon asked after they stood together in silence for another beat.

“Yeah. It was silly of me to worry about it in the first place,” Amy said as she grabbed her jacket.

“It wasn't silly. I can understand your worry even if it was unfounded,” he told her honestly. He could imagine being concerned about the same thing. And he liked that she came right over here and asked him outright instead of playing games. They could ask each other anything. “The guys will be back with the pizza any minute. Would you like to stay for dinner? We are going to play vintage video games after,” he offered.

“No. I'm okay,” Amy said. She turned for the door, but turned back. “Thanks for not laughing at my question.” She felt stupid for making assumptions that weren't founded in reality. She gave him a quick kiss goodbye and opened the door to leave.

“No problem. And, Amy?”

“Yeah?”

“I have a lot more moves up my sleeve for next time,” Sheldon told her with a wink.

“Good to know.”

Amy closed the door and giggled a little to herself. She absolutely believed him on that.

[nerdforestgirl]

Note:  I know I haven’t written anything Shamy for a minute, but It’s @franymol‘s birthday.  So, you know, I had to write a little something.  Happy birthday!

Like everyone else, Sheldon and Amy were spending a lot more time alone together this year. Luckily, they still enjoyed each other quite a bit. They heard horror stories about couples getting divorced from the sheer amount of time they had to be alone together. However, Sheldon and Amy were already used to living and working together. Other than the occasional trip to chat with Leonard or Penny in person out in the fresh air of the roof, they spent most of their time alone together. If Sheldon had the option, he would keep it that way forever. His wife was his favorite person in the world. If he had to be stuck with one person for the rest of his life, it would be her. No question.

The problem was what they were doing alone together. It seemed that enough time alone in an apartment with one's wife was enough to convince even Dr. Sheldon Cooper that coitus was something fun one could do while stuck at home day after day. Well, that wasn't even really a problem other than the pregnancy test Amy held in her hand.

“Oops,” she said to herself as she looked at the positive result, but she was grinning from ear to ear. She and Sheldon had spoken about starting a family, but Sheldon wanted to wait until there wasn't a global pandemic. Amy had gone right into the bathroom when she got home to go through Sheldon's decontamination protocols after she got back from grocery shopping. But she wanted to do this first. She had picked up a test after she was a couple weeks later. She opened the door to tell her husband the news.

“Amy Farrah Fowler, I did not hear that shower running. You are not about to come out into my apartment without showering,” Sheldon told her. “And you are still wearing your clothes,” he added when he saw her.

“Sheldon,” Amy started.

“No. We have protocols for a reason,” Sheldon cut her off. He went over while wearing his mask and gloves. He closed the door in Amy's face and sprayed Lysol on the closed door. Amy knew what she needed to do while he put away the groceries from her weekly trip.

Amy pounded on the door while Sheldon held it shut from the outside.

“Sheldon, let me out of here,” Amy yelled through the door.

“After you shower and put your clothes in a bag. You know the rules, Amy. We've been doing this for months already,” Sheldon told her. He didn't know what had gotten into her. She had never failed to properly decontaminate before.

“I need to tell you something,” Amy said. She knew that Sheldon was rigid about his protocols when one of them got home from an outing, but he was being ridiculous. She pushed the test under the door. “Just look at that,” she added.

There was silence from the other side of the door. Amy listened close for a thud in case Sheldon fainted, but there was nothing. Of course, they both agreed that they should wait until things were safer, but they both wanted children. He couldn't possibly be mad at her, could he? Amy was just about to check the door again when it flew open.

“You're pregnant?” Sheldon asked.

“I am,” Amy said.

Sheldon rushed forward and wrapped his arms around Amy. For as terrible as this year had been, this was nearly enough to make it the best year ever. He kissed Amy.

“I still haven't showered,” Amy reminded him.

“Then I will join you,” Sheldon said. He was contaminated now since he had hugged her. He reached into the shower and turned it on so that the water could heat up. Then he started stripping and putting his own clothes in the contamination bag for laundry.

Amy stared at him in surprise.

“Come on,” he said as he offered his hand to Amy.

“You've never wanted to have shower sex,” Amy reminded him.

“And I don't now. It was dangerous before. Now it's not just the two of us at risk,” he told her. Then he waited while she stripped out of her clothes. “Though, perhaps we can move things to the bed once we're out of here,” he added when he looked at Amy without her clothes.

[nerdforestgirl]

Note: I couldn't shake this idea since the pilot of Call Me Kat mentioned that Kat was a math professor. I'm sorry. It is very stupid. Thank you for reading.

Kat couldn't imagine being more miserable in Las Vegas. Well, maybe she would be if she lost a bunch of money on top of being at this stupid conference. Luckily, other than the single dollar she lost in the slot machine just to say she did, she didn't spend any money in the casinos. Still, Kat was starting to hate her job more and more by the day. Even a conference two thousand miles from home wasn't worth it. Well, other than the Cirque du Soleil tickets U of L had given her on top of paying for her hotel room. That had been pretty fun.

“Amy? Amy? How are you? Where's Sheldon? Is he here too?” A tall British man said in the direction of Kat. He smoothed his hair like he was trying to impress her. Kat looked behind herself, but no one was there. Still, Kat had no idea who Amy was, so she ignored the tall British man.

“Amy, how are you?” the man said again. This time, he was talking directly to Kat. She wondered if she could just walk away, but that seemed rude. Kat didn't handle her social anxiety well, so she felt stuck.

“Um. I'm not Amy,” Kat said awkwardly.

The man bent down and inspected her closer. He seemed to realize that she wasn't, in fact, Amy. He gave her an awkward smile, but didn't walk away.

“You're not?” he asked after a beat.

“Pretty sure,” Kat said. Then she pointed to the name tag on her chest that said Dr. Katherine Silver.

“Oh, goodness. I was wondering what Dr. Amy Farrah Fowler would be doing at a conference for maths teachers in Las Vegas,” the tall man said to her.

That name sounded awfully familiar, but Kat didn't know an Amy. Where had she heard that name before? Then it came to her.

“You thought I was a Nobel Laureate in physics?” Kat asked in surprise. She had been mistaken for a few people in her day, but this was a first.

“You do look an awful lot like her,” the tall man told her.

Kat tried to remember what Dr. Fowler looked like, but she couldn't. Kat was surprised she had even placed the name, to be honest. She was going to make a point to look her up later.

The man saved her the effort and pulled out his phone and showed Kat a photo of himself an a woman that didn't really look a thing like Kat. She had long straight hair and glasses and dressed a bit like an old lady. Kat thought the sweater was cute and wondered where she might be able to get one like it.

“It's the nose,” Kat finally said after she studied the photo for a moment.

“No. You could be her twin,” the man insisted. “I'm Dave Gibbs, by the way,” he finally said when he realized that he had never properly introduced himself. He stuck his hand out to shake Kat's. She returned the handshake.

“I'm Kat. It's nice to meet you,” Kat said, but she wasn't sure it was. Dave was still just standing there in front of her. “So you know a Nobel Laureate? That's cool,” Kat added. He must not know her well if he thought Kat looked like her, but at least he had met her long enough to get a photo.

“She and I dated when she was broken up with Sheldon for a short time. I like to think I had a bit to do with their getting back together,” Dave bragged.

Kat wondered if she was supposed to know who Sheldon was too, but she had no idea who Dave was talking about. This guy was so weird, and that was saying something coming from Kat. Kat wanted to get out of here and back to her room. Just two more days of this conference until she could go home to her job that she hated almost as much as being here.

[nerdforestgirl]

Note: This might be the last year that I do this, but for now I have a tradition to continue.

Amy's birthday was coming up, and it was always among her favorite days of the year. Sheldon always made a fuss. Her friends too. It felt good to be celebrated for just existing. Sure, Amy was a Nobel winning scientist, but to her husband and friends, she was so much more than that. To them, she was Amy Farrah Fowler. That was the long and short of it. She was her, and that was all she needed to be to them.

Amy had never been one of those birthday week or month people. The single day or maybe an extra weekend day if that fit everyone's schedule better was all she needed, but it felt good to be unabashedly loved by her friends. Especially when she grew up with so many birthdays where all she did was spend the day with her parents. If she even got that. Her 15th birthday had involved spending the whole day completely forgotten about and stuck in the rain.

“I was thinking that this year for my birthday, I'd love it if we all dressed up and went out to dinner. My and Sheldon's treat of course. I love an excuse to dress up, and Sheldon looks hot in a suit,” Amy told Bernadette while they sat in Bernadette's kitchen one afternoon.

“Aren't you a little old for all of this?” Bernadette snapped. It was a hassle to fit both Amy's birthday in on the same day as Halley's. Halley was a little kid, so obviously her birthday could be a big deal. Amy was in her 40s. She was an adult, and Bernadette didn't really have time to hear about Amy's plan to have everyone out for a nice dinner.

“Uh. Yeah. I guess I am,” Amy said. She didn't think she was, but she was taken aback by both Bernadette's tone and words. “I just forgot that Sheldon wanted a ride to the train store. I'll see you later,” Amy added before a couple tears could start making their way down her face. Then she got up and left Bernadette's house.

Amy cried for the whole drive home. If she was going to cry, she usually tried to do it in her car. No one liked it when she cried, so she tried to spare anyone she could. When it wouldn't stop, Amy stopped at a coffee shop and picked up a hot beverage in the drive thru. The sugar from the hot chocolate and the warmth would help calm her down.

At first, Amy didn't know why she was crying. Her birthday wasn't all that important to her. Neither was the idea of a dinner with her friends. They did that stuff all the time. Sure, she wanted to go out to a restaurant instead of just eating at Leonard and Penny's, but it wasn't all that different. Then it hit Amy. She wanted to matter. She wanted to matter to her six best friends enough that they would take the time to have dinner with her. She wanted to be worth three hours of their time. And suddenly she didn't think she was was worth even that to them.

“I've won a Nobel. I have my own Wikipedia page. I matter,” Amy muttered to herself as she sipped her hot chocolate. It didn't make her feel any better. Sure, asymmetry was groundbreaking. People were already expanding on her work in so many ways. But if the people closest to her didn't have time for her, what did all that matter?

Amy kept crying alone in her car until she got a text from Sheldon.

“My phone says you are here, but you are not home or at Leonard and Penny's. Did I forget about the finals of our hide and seek competition? I thought they were next week.”

“I'm in my car. I'll be up in a minute,” Amy wrote back.

After a few minutes, Amy knew she really needed to get upstairs before Sheldon got too worried about her. Still she didn't. She stayed in her car and finished her hot chocolate.

Amy jumped when there were suddenly three knocks on her car window followed by her name. Amy rolled down the window and looked at her husband.

“Why are you still in your car? And why are you crying?” Sheldon asked Amy. Then he opened the door and climbed in next to her.

“Could you do me a favor and tell me that you love me?” Amy asked Sheldon.

“I love you,” Sheldon said without any hesitation. He didn't even ask why Amy would ask for such a thing. She knew he loved her, and it wasn't like he neglected to tell her that on a regular basis. He usually told her at least once a day, but often more than that.

“And I'm not a burden?” Amy tried.

“You are not a burden,” Sheldon repeated. He was the annoying burden out the of the two of them. They both knew that too. Of course she was annoying sometimes, but so was everyone. “Why do I need to say it?”

“Bernadette said that she didn't have time to celebrate my birthday this year. She said that I was too old to still care about my birthday,” Amy explained.

Sheldon knew that Amy hadn't had fun birthdays growing up. He didn't mind celebrating with her. She was his favorite person, so even if she wasn't making up for lost time, he loved celebrating her existence. He was beyond thrilled that she existed. Just like when he loved celebrating the day she became his wife.

“Fine. Bernadette can't come. Wolowitz either. Just because he's annoying. We'll still have your birthday dinner. Now, come inside. It's getting dark out here,” Sheldon told Amy. There would soon be shifty people and loose dogs about.

“But I'm crying,” Amy explained.

“You may cry inside. It's silly to just sit out here in the car just to cry,” Sheldon told her.

“You don't like it when I cry,” Amy told him.

“Of course I don't like it when you cry. I don't like it when you are hurt either. Well, except when you slipped on the last step last week and fell on your butt. That was hilarious,” Sheldon reminded her. He chuckled at the memory because it really was one of the funniest things he had seen all week and no permanent damage was done. “It doesn't mean you are not allowed to cry.”

“When did you get so smart?” Amy asked as she opened the door to go upstairs with Sheldon. She felt better already. Sheldon wasn't usually great at emotions, but he completely validated her emotions. It wasn't something he was usually great at.

“I've always been smart,” Sheldon said.

The pair went up to their apartment. Amy decided to climb into a nice hot bath and relax for a while. Sheldon was going to just order them a pizza because Amy didn't feel like cooking even though she normally did.

Then when Sheldon was alone, he found Amy's photo album. From there he took pictures of several of the photos in them before sending them to Bernadette.

“Did you know that Amy didn't have a birthday that included a single friend until after she met us?” Sheldon asked Bernadette in a message along with the photos of Amy all alone on her childhood birthdays.

“Was she upset that I said she shouldn't make such a big deal out of her birthdays? I knew I was being a jerk. I should apologize,” Bernadette wrote back immediately. She had had a feeling that Amy was upset when she left. Bernadette didn't think she was wrong exactly, but she could see that she had hurt Amy's feelings. Sometimes Bernie forgot how sensitive Amy could be under the surface.

“She was crying when she got home. She was worried that no one loved her and that she's a burden,” Sheldon wrote back. He wouldn't have known that if she hadn't outright said it, but he did know. He thought he would pass it along since he always could use the help on knowing how people felt.

“I will call and apologize right now,” Bernadette promised.

“She is in the bath and I do not allow electronics so close to the bathtub. I will text you when she is available again,” Sheldon explained.

Amy got out of the bath when the pizza came, and she started to serve herself a couple slices when her phone rang. It was Bernadette. She wasn't sure she wanted to answer it, but Sheldon looked at her expectedly. Amy grabbed the call.

“Hello?” Amy said.

“Hi. You left abruptly. Did you get to the train store?” Bernadette asked, playing dumb.

“Yeah. Sheldon got the new train car he needed,” Amy lied. She mouthed “sorry” to Sheldon because she knew it bothered him to be involved in a lie even if it didn't remotely matter.

“Good. Um. I wanted to say that I'm sorry about earlier. I have been stressed out at work and about Halley's birthday party, but I want you to know that I am happy you are my friend. I really want to go to dinner with you for your birthday. Getting dressed up sounds really nice,” Bernadette told Amy.

“Oh. It's not a big deal,” Amy lied again.

“It is to me. I like having you in my life, Amy. I love you and I want to celebrate you. I'm sorry that I made it sound like it didn't matter when you were over earlier. Howard and I will both be there,” Bernadette explained.

“Thank you, Bernadette,” Amy said earnestly. She was nearly crying again, but this time because she felt loved by her friend.

“What was that about?” Sheldon asked as if he had no idea what had just transpired.

“Bernadette apologized to me for saying I was too old to care about my birthday,” Amy told him. Then she finally took a big bite of the pizza in front of her.

“Good. Though, we can still leave Wolowitz off the guest list if you would like,” Sheldon joked.

“No. I want everyone to be there. They all love me and I them,” Amy told him.

[nerdforestgirl]

Hey.  I know it’s been a while since I’ve posted a story or anything useful, really. But @milyrita asked me for a story of Sheldon getting a makeover a few months ago.  It took me far too long, but I finally finished it.  I hope you enjoy.  Stay safe.  <3

Sheldon looked at himself in the mirror. It was his 40th birthday, and he frowned. Not that it was his birthday or that he was another year older. His life was great. He was married to Amy who was pregnant with their first child. He had a Nobel and tenure at CalTech. The reason he frowned that his clothes made him look like a 40 year old toddler. He was going to be a father in the matter of months, and he looked less like an adult than when he was nine. At least back in those days he wore a button up on occasion. He sighed, but went to find Amy and whatever he had planned for his big day.

It turned out that the big surprise was just dinner with his friends, which was more or less perfect for Sheldon. It was their regular Chinese food with cake at the end. Apparently pregnant Amy didn't have much energy to plan anything more. It made Sheldon wish he had knocked up his wife during all of the previous birthdays he had with her.

Still, Sheldon couldn't help but think about his appearance. Then he looked over at Penny who seemed to know things about fashion. Or at least she was always looking at magazines about it. He decided to pull her to the side.

“What's up?” Penny asked.

“Do you think you could take me shopping this weekend? I would like to have a few outfits that make me look like an adult,” Sheldon admitted quietly.

“Really? I've been waiting for this moment for over a decade,” Penny said with a clap of her hands. She happily agreed to take Sheldon shopping. He regretted asking immediately, but he still wanted to appear to be an adult. He would try this. Even if it was just one day.

Penny knocked on Sheldon's door on Saturday morning so they could head out to the mall. Penny asked Sheldon about what kind of clothes he was looking for, but he just shrugged and said something about wanting to look like an adult. He didn't really have any ideas beyond that. It was why he had brought Penny in on this with him.

“Let's try a few things,” Penny suggested as she handed him a black button up shirt. Sheldon saw a plaid one in a similar style so he added it to the things to try on.

“That will make you look like a dad,” Penny said.

“Perfect. That is exactly the look I am attempting to achieve,” Sheldon said with a smile.

Penny didn't mean it as a compliment, but she let him try it on anyway. She hadn't known that was his motivation, but she still wanted him to look like a stylish dad. The man was a Nobel Prize winner, not just some guy mowing the lawn and barbecuing on Sundays. Either way, no cargo shorts would be allowed.

“How's this?” Sheldon asked as he walked out in a pink fitted shirt and jeans. He didn't actually mind these ones. The shirt showed off his figure better than his normal baggy clothes. Penny forgot that Sheldon had been working out with Leonard a few times a week until she saw that he had put on a little bit of muscle.

“I think you should be ready for Amy to jump on you when you get home,” Penny teased.

“You think she will hate it so much that she will attack me?” Sheldon asked. He was disappointed. This was the first outfit that he actually liked so far.

“No. She will find you unbearably sexy and will want to have coitus,” Penny explained.

“Oh,” Sheldon said. Then Penny caught a little grin on his face. She was going to insist that he get his outfit for sure. They spent a couple more hours trying out new looks.

“I told Leonard I would be home in time for dinner with him and the baby. Let's get these, and then I'm taking you to get a proper haircut. If you want to look like an adult, we're getting your haircut too,” Penny said when they had a decent pile of new clothes picked out. He was going to wear the pink shirt and the jeans out of the store.

“I don't need a haircut,” Sheldon insisted.

“Sweetie, you do. Let's go,” Penny told him.

Sheldon pouted and continued to insist that he was fine with his hair the way it was. He liked this hairstyle. He had had this hairstyle since he was old enough to choose it for himself. Then he realized that this whole point of this exercise was to make him look like an adult instead of a nine year old. His hair would grow back if he didn't like it. And perhaps he could get used to a new hairstyle. It took very little time for him to fall in love with Amy's shorter hair after all. Adjusting to change was what becoming a father was all about. He might as well start now while he had a couple months to go.

The new hairstyle wasn't vastly different. Just a little shorter in the back and on top. Plus a bit of product to give it some volume. Not nearly as different as Amy's new cut had been all those months ago, but also not the style of a nine year old boy either.

“You look great, Sheldon. I call this a job well done,” Penny proclaimed when she saw the whole look put together. She thought that maybe Sheldon could use some glasses to complete the nerd chic thing going on, but he didn't need them. Maybe in a few years all the screen time would catch up to him.

“Do you think Amy will like it?” Sheldon asked. She was the only person other than himself whose opinion mattered at all in this matter.

“I wasn't kidding earlier. I think you are going to have a late night tonight,” Penny said.

“A late night? Oh. The coitus because I am attractive. Right,” Sheldon said with a nod. It had only been a week for him, which wasn't very much time, but he knew this was a risk when he went shopping.

“Let's go show her,” Penny suggested.

Sheldon opened the door to his apartment with all of his shopping bags in hand. Penny followed close behind because she wanted to see Amy's reaction to Sheldon's new style. She stepped forward when she saw Amy look up from her book and immediately started crying.

“What's wrong?” Sheldon asked as he rushed to Amy. She cried more now that she was pregnant, but he hadn't become accustomed to it. It still upset him to see her cry.

“Well, have fun, kids,” Penny said and let herself out of the apartment. Something was going wrong, and she wanted as far away from it as possible.

“What did you do?” Amy asked her husband. She barely noticed that Penny was there or had left. Sheldon looked completely different. And Amy hated all of it. She walked closer and he smelled of cologne instead of his normal baby powder. It was like he was a whole different person. She wanted her Sheldon. Not this imposter.

“I wanted to look like an adult,” Sheldon said. He had prepared for a very different reaction than his wife crying. He was startled because normally even if Amy hated something like this, she usually had the tact to say it politely.

“Why on earth did you think I would want that? I want my husband. I want him back,” Amy shouted.

Sheldon nodded and ran into their bedroom. He put back on a baggy pair of khakis and a t-shirt. There wasn't much he could do about his hair, but he brushed it back down to his usual style. He also felt deflated. He hadn't done this for Amy, but he didn't think she would hate it the way she did. He slunk back out to the living room for Amy to inspect.

“Why did you change? You never change anything you don't have to. Are you cheating on me?” Amy asked through tears as she inspected the other clothes Sheldon purchased. All of it was expensive high quality clothes. Not a t-shirt in sight.

“Of course I'm not cheating on you. I barely have coitus with you, and I love you more than anyone else on the planet,” Sheldon said. He was defensive because he never would have dreamed that Amy would even suggest something like that.

“So, you didn't change everything because I'm fat, and you want to be with someone else?” Amy asked.

“You aren't fat, and I'd never want to be with someone else. I bought these things because I don't want to take our son to daycare and have the other parents think I am a very large escaped toddler. I am going to be a father, and I want to look the part,” Sheldon explained.

Amy sniffled and wiped her nose with the sleeve of her sweater. Sheldon made a mental note to have it cleaned immediately. Not everything about him had changed.

“You did look very handsome. It scared me because I don't feel like I match such a handsome man right now,” Amy admitted. It took her some time to actually understand why she was so upset. It took until wild accusations started flying out of her mouth to connect the dots. Now that she had, she felt a little ashamed.

“You are very beautiful, but you are also very pregnant. Your body will not stay this way,” Sheldon reminded her as he walked closer to gently hug her.

“You're right. I overreacted.”

“So, I can keep the clothes and the haircut?” Sheldon asked.

“Of course,” Amy said with a smile.

“But you don't want to jump on me?” Sheldon asked.

Amy looked confused for a moment, but then understood what he meant with the phrase slightly off. “I always want to jump on you. Would you like to show me the rest of the things you bought? We can see which one makes me strip you out of it,” Amy teased. She didn't think they would actually have sex. It had been only a week since the last time. However, if Sheldon was bringing it up, maybe it was on the table.

“I think the suit would really have you going, but it's being tailored. Let me show you the cashmere sweater,” Sheldon said with a renewed smile. He was glad that Amy was coming around. Now they could be the most fashionable couple around.

[nerdforestgirl]

Note:  Ten years since Sheldon and Amy met for the first time?  How time flies when you’re having fun.  I am so thankful for this fandom and for the fact that so many of you are still here even now that Big Bang Theory has been off the air for over a year.  I hope you have a great and fluffy day!  Here is my story for this year’s Fluff Crawlspace.  It’s another Disneyland story because your girl misses the heck out of it.

Sheldon looked over at his wife where she stood in the kitchen making them dinner, and he felt like he never saw her anymore. Sure, they were basically in the same room at that moment, but they didn't spend nearly as much time together now that Amy was back in her lab instead of by his side while they worked on Super Asymmetry. He missed her. He walked over and wrapped his arms around her waist.

“Hey. I love that you are being affectionate, but I need to finish dinner. Can we cuddle later?” Amy asked. She needed to move freely and their tiny kitchenette was far too small to fit both of them easily.

Sheldon felt a little dejected. It felt odd. In order to feel any kind of disappointment or rejection, he would have to admit that he wanted the love and affection to begin with. He just wanted some of Amy's attention and time. They were both just too busy these days. He didn't love it. He wanted one day of just spending time with his wife. He pulled out his phone to text Amy's new assistant, Ezra. The budget opened enough for Amy to hire the young man after the Nobel win. Sheldon had only spoken to him a couple times, but he had his number all the same.

“Hello. This is Dr. Sheldon Cooper. I am Dr. Fowler's husband. Is there a day next week that she is free or could have her schedule rearranged for a surprise day off?” Sheldon asked Ezra. After what happened when Sheldon had Amy's lab assignment taken away to help with their work, he wanted to make sure he wouldn't get in trouble for messing up her work by just taking her out of work for a day.

“She only has one meeting on Wednesday that could be moved to Friday. Should I block off the rest of Wednesday for you, Dr. Cooper?” Ezra wrote back quickly.

“Yes. I will be taking Dr. Fowler out for the whole day. Keep this our secret.”

“Thank you,” Sheldon added after a moment when he remembered that he should be polite. He sighed when he received a smiley face emoji back, but he decided to not follow down that path. It wasn't worth his time.

Sheldon then bought Amy and himself two tickets to Disneyland for Wednesday. They hadn't been in a long time, and it seemed like just the kind of day that they could just enjoy each other's company and some fun.

On Wednesday morning, Sheldon shook Amy awake. He normally let her wake naturally, but they still needed to get to Orange County in morning rush hour.

“What?” Amy asked groggily.

Sheldon put a pair of Mickey Mouse ears on his wife and grinned at her.

“We're going to Disneyland! Come on. Get up,” he said.

“I can't. I have work today. I have a meeting,” Amy said as she rolled back over to try to steal a few more minutes of sleep.

“I had Ezra reschedule it. You are completely free today.”

“Sheldon, you can't just have my assistant reschedule my whole day because you want to go to Disneyland. You have work today too,” Amy said with a sigh. He always just thought about himself.

“But I miss you,” Sheldon admitted. He didn't mean to be that honest with her, but it was probably the best argument he could have made. Amy softened and nodded her head. If her schedule was already cleared, she could take one day off from work. It wouldn't kill her to spend one day at a theme park with Sheldon, and she had to admit that they hadn't been spending enough time together lately.

Amy got dressed in a Disney dress she bought on a whim with Bernadette and the kids. Halley and Michael were surprisingly convincing when they urged her on to buy the dress with Mickey Mouse on it. It wasn't appropriate for work, but it was appropriate for a day of ditching work. Then she put the ears that Sheldon gave her back on top of her head. She was ready to go.

Sheldon looked like Sheldon, but he also had on a blue Mickey Mouse shirt that Amy had never seen before. He looked completely adorable even if he didn't look a thing like a 40 year old Nobel Laureate. It didn't matter. That wasn't the role he was playing today anyway. Today he was playing cute husband ditching work with his cute wife.

“What was the first appearance Mickey Mouse?” Sheldon asked his wife as they played a Disney themed trivia game he made up during the drive to Anaheim. It was a long drive, so of course they had to play some games to pass the time.

“Steamboat Willie,” Amy said confidently. This was a pretty easy question.

“No. It was a silent short called Plane Crazy.  Steamboat Willie was the first short with sound and was distributed first, but Plane Crazy premiered in May of 1928 and was rereleased the next year with sound,” Sheldon told her. It was rare that he knew something she didn't, and unlike if it were anyone else, Sheldon wasn't a jerk when he told Amy this factoid. He just filled her in and asked another question about Beauty and the Beast. Luckily, this time she knew that The Beast was just The Beast in the film and had no other name.

They arrived at the park, and Amy was so glad she let Sheldon talk her into this. He took her hand with the biggest smile on his face. She realized that she missed him just as much as he missed her. They would need to find an excuse to work together again soon.

“What's first?” Amy asked.

“Let's try to get Rise fo the Resistance,” Sheldon said. He hadn't had a chance to ride the newest Star Wars themed ride yet, but he had also heard it was nearly impossible to get a seat on the ride with its soft opening. Still, they would try. They each pulled out their phones to try to get in the virtual line for the ride.

It turned out Amy was Sheldon's lucky charm because they had two seats on the ride that afternoon. In the meantime, there were lots of rides they could go on first.

“Space Mountain?” Sheldon suggested next. It was always a good one to do first because he had an empty stomach instead of one full of too many snacks.

Amy grinned and took Sheldon's hand while they walked to the ride. She was able to tell him about her new project at work while they walked and stood in line. Sheldon listened and asked questions about her work. She knew that he believed that she should quit neuroscience to work with him full time, but her heart and training weren't in physics. Not really.

At they made their way across the park to The Haunted Mansion, Sheldon thought about telling Amy about his own work. Then he decided to tell her about what his Meemaw was up to these days instead. Not everything was about work. Especially on a day when they were ditching it in order to recharge and spend a day together.

“Meemaw won a poker tournament? That's seriously impressive for a 92 year old woman,” Amy said. In the years since they first met, Amy's relationship with Sheldon's grandmother had improved considerably. Amy even kind of liked her now.

“Yes. So now my mother is escorting her to Las Vegas for a weekend for the finals of this tournament. Mom is hoping to cleanse Sin City of all its sin while she is there,” Sheldon told Amy.

“If anyone can do it, it's your mother,” Amy agreed.

Both Sheldon and Amy had their favorite rides, snacks and shows, and they took turns picking things to do. With maybe too much focus on Sheldon's preferences. However, the park wasn't too busy, so they made efficient uses of FastPasses and were able to ride nearly every ride they wanted. While they waited in lines they were able to just talk in a way that they both often felt too busy to do these days.

“I am so glad that you suggested this,” Amy said as she leaned into Sheldon's side while they waited for the fireworks at the end of the night. It was the last thing they were going to do before the drive back to Pasadena.

Sheldon put his arm around Amy and pulled her closer to him. It wasn't like Sheldon had felt like his marriage was in trouble before today, but this day filled some reserve in him that he didn't realize was close to empty. Sheldon just loved Amy so much. He needed her in his life in a way that he had never really needed anyone.

“Me too. We need to do things like this more often, but perhaps scheduled in a way as to not miss work,” he told her. Then he felt the urge to do something with his wife that he had never done before. He leaned down and placed a sweet, gentle kiss on her forehead.

Amy sighed happily and looked up just as the fireworks show began. A perfect end to a perfect day.