The blue velvet box in his bedside drawer called to Sheldon, but he couldn't answer. Not yet. He knew they needed to make this relationship right first.

Sheldon opened his eyes and looked at Amy. He knew his opportunity to make her understand was at hand. It would take laying open his very soul to her. Sheldon drew in a deep breath. It's now or never, Cooper, he thought.

"Amy, I meant every word you heard me tell Penny. It took me until tonight to determine what exactly happened a month ago, and realize that you felt I was putting you behind other things in my life. I won't promise that I'll always be successful understanding emotions – I know that I will fail more than I want to admit." Sheldon took Amy's hand and held it to his chest, her palm over his heart. She could feel its steady beat. "But I can promise what you are now and will always be: first, in my thoughts, in my heart, and in my soul," Sheldon vowed.

A tear ran down Sheldon's cheek. Amy tried to pull her hand back to wipe away the tear, but Sheldon held her hand firm to his chest.

Amy's heart began to believe again. Just maybe…

"You came over tonight to be completely honest with me. I shall be as honest with you. I want everything you want, and more. I want to share all the joy and the sorrow that life has to offer… with you. I want to make you happy in as many ways – no, more ways – than you make me. I need you in my life, because it is empty without you. A month apart from you made me realize that I am the lucky one in this relationship. You are my only one.

But a month apart also taught me that we have a lot to work on to make this relationship thrive. I need your help to teach me when I don't understand how I've upset you. I need you to trust that I love you, even when I disappoint you."

Then he continued, wistfully: "So, no, I'm not ready to propose tonight, either." Soon, though… he thought to himself.

Back in his bedroom, the ring's siren call fell silent.

Sheldon released his grip on her hand and his voice dropped lower. Amy leaned in closer to hear. "Amy, I know you often wonder if I am capable of physical desire for you." Amy's face softened, and he reached up to caress her cheek with his thumb and the palm his hand. "I am capable, and I do desire you. I didn't want it at first, five years ago; I don't think you did either. But things have changed. For us both.

You are beautiful – physically, yes, but more importantly in how you care about others. How you care about me. In spite of me leaving on that train last year, you kept your faith in me and in us, and I will spend my lifetime trying to understand it. To me, there will never be anyone as beautiful as you are."

It was Sheldon's turn to summon courage, but he did not waiver from holding her gaze. "Amy, I need you to know: it's not about coitus anymore. Maybe it never was. An act any consenting adults of similar mindset can perform? That's not you and it's not me. It's certainly not 'us.' When this does happen for us, it won't be some scientific experiment, or just to find out what all the fuss is about. When you and I make love for the first time…"

Sheldon paused when Amy drew in a sharp breath as she raised her hands to her face. Shock registered in her eyes. Sheldon smiled, gently. It wasn't often he surprised her like that, and he treasured it. Sheldon reached for her hands, pulling them away from her face, holding tight.

"When we do, I want it to be special. We both need to be ready. Will you trust me enough to wait, just a little while longer?"

Amy leaned in closer, and Sheldon felt her warm breath's answer on his lips: "Yes."

This time, Sheldon was unable to think of anything else when Amy kissed him. This time, neither of them held back, as mouths opened, breaths passed in between, and tongues met in the dance as old as time. Sheldon let go of Amy's hands and reached up into her hair. Amy felt his tender but firm grip holding her head just so, guiding her mouth to best meet his. Amy wrapped her arms tightly around his neck. Sheldon felt her lose balance, her body falling slightly and landing on his chest. Outside, the storm gave its last as a brilliant display of lightning lit up the night's sky, and thunder rolled across the valley. But Sheldon and Amy neither saw nor heard any of this, only the sounds of years of unfulfilled emotion finally being expressed.

When time came to breathe fresh air once more, both faces were flushed. Neither gave up their hold on the other. Foreheads touched, smiles were warm, and hearts were finally sure. Sheldon breathed in deeply, unwilling to break the silence. For Amy, though, there was one small detail left to dispatch…

"Sheldon, are you agreeable if I want to end this break?" Amy asked with a teasing smile. Sheldon released his grip on her when threw his head back as he laughed, then kissed her once again in answer. He drew Amy into his arms and held her tight. This time, there was no uncertainty. Sheldon wanted to hold her forever.

"I love you," he murmured into her ear.

Amy pushed back from his chest a little to be able to look into his eyes. She smiled, finally accepting in her heart and soul what was always the truth. "I know," Amy replied earnestly, and snuggled back into his arms. "I love you, too."

They were still, each wrapped in the other's expressed love, when Sheldon spotted a clock. It was nearly 2:00 a.m., and suddenly he became concerned. He didn't want Amy to try to drive home at this late hour, especially after all that had happened that night. Sheldon knew they both wanted to work on strengthening their relationship, but things between them still seemed too fragile for any steps forward. The only thing to do was to be the gentleman his mother and Meemaw brought him up to be.

"Amy, it's 2 o'clock. You can't drive home at this hour - it's still storming. You can stay in my room; I'll just grab a pair of pajamas and a blanket and pillow and take the couch."

Before Amy got a word in, Sheldon was headed back to his bedroom. He was in the top drawer of his dresser, reaching for his Friday night pajamas, when Sheldon heard quiet steps come up from behind him. A warm, delicate hand covered his own, interlacing her fingers with his.

"You don't have to sleep on the couch," Amy said softly. Sheldon turned to look at her. "Stay with me. It doesn't have to be more than that tonight. I just want to wake up in the morning in your arms."

Minutes later, pajamas were shared, teeth were brushed, and lights were out. The storm outside was passing to the east. A few flashes of lightning flickered in the distance as two souls lay in bed, facing one another. No words were exchanged, except those said with the eyes and heard by the heart.

And when the sun rose later that morning against the clear blue sky, the two slept peacefully on: he with her tucked tightly inside the crook of his arm, and she with her arm wrapped across his chest.

A/N: For those who check calendars, I have taken a small piece of "artistic license." June 25th this year falls on a Thursday. But if Sheldon can believe in an infinite number of universes, in this one, it can be a Friday… I wouldn't want Sheldon and Amy to have to get up and go to work immediately after this, either.

In all fairness, I borrowed from a favorite music group for some of Sheldon's "honesty speech." The song is My Only One by Bad Company. So, I was a teen in the 1980s and I remain a sucker for a power ballad. The song has been stuck in my head (and in my car's disc drive) since I first saw the season 8 finale. The first verse and chorus are as follows:

I… I miss you
I… just can't resist you
I need you like the sun needs the day
Oh, please… won't you come back again?
Line by line… so many pages I write
I can't find the words to tell you how I feel tonight
Without you, my heart would fade away
I need you like the sun needs the day…

'Cause you are my only one
With all that we've been through
Each step that I take… it leads me back to you
I am the lucky one… right here in this place
The light in your face… is brighter than the sun
Oh, baby, you are… my only one.

I have spent the last two days debating the end of this story. Originally, I had planned this as a one-shot, but then it became three chapters when my mentor/guru asked me to consider the possible outcomes after Amy says they need to talk at the end of what is now chapter one. Now, she's got me thinking about outcomes after Sheldon and Amy wake up together the next day after reconciling. I have thought about a follow-up story, but am between that or making it an extension of this one instead.

So, while I'm coding this "Complete," more accurately might be "To Be Continued." The summer is the busiest season at my office, but I hope to come back to The Second Thought Realization or its follow-up soon.

I hope you have enjoyed this story so far. Thank you for reading and for your feedback.