New story time! I am still in the middle of writing a part two for The Compatibility Constant, but this short little tale became a brain worm that just kept eating away until I put it on paper (er... into my computer). It has nothing to do with the Compatibility Constant universe.

It is around the Season 7 timeframe, but obviously doesn't include all elements of Season 7 (as you can tell by the Thanksgiving episode that just aired. The Thanksgiving in my story is a LOT different than the actual episode. Like... it's nowhere close. Which makes sense because I wrote it before that episode aired. haha!)

Quick pre-story note: I am planning to try to keep this story in "real-time". Meaning, I will post the updates as close to the actual time they are happening in my fictional world (ie, around Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc.). Key word: "try". We'll see what actually happens.

Enjoy!

The Festivity Infusion Process
Chapter One: The Inconsistency Rationalization

For as long as she could remember, Amy had spent all the 'major' holidays with her family.

She lived in such close proximity to so many of her relatives, that the seasonal gathering of her kin was almost impossible to avoid… not that she would have wanted to do so. Even if she didn't agree with the religious basis of the Christmas holiday itself, she did enjoy the feeling of 'togetherness' that the whole season seemed to naturally exude. Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years Eve… each holiday filled her with an elevated level of cheerfulness.

She'd never been able to pinpoint the precise source of her holiday joy, but she suspected it had something to do with the fact that she felt accepted when she was with her family. It was in their company that she had always felt the least out-of-place, even though - by all accounts - she was still the odd duck of their clan.

But for a girl who felt like a social foreigner pretty much everywhere, Amy couldn't help but feel the most loved when she was surrounded by those who loved her unconditionally.

Amy hadn't had the easiest go of things at school. She never made any close friends, and was always an outcast. Most of her classmates – and in some cases, even the teachers – looked at her as though she was an alien. She didn't blame them, though. She had always reasoned that because she was so much smarter than everyone else, she probably intimidated them.

Her family most likely felt the same way, though they never would admit it out loud. Amy received similar looks of bewilderment from her own parents and cousins on numerous occasions, but, ultimately, they always tried to make her feel like she belonged. Her family was just that… family. They loved each other, even though they were all so different from one another.

During the holiday season, Amy would spend a good portion of her days at the homes of her various relatives who lived in the greater Los Angeles area of California. The season began with Thanksgiving, which usually took place at her grandmother's house, and ended with New Years Eve, which was typically celebrated at her Cousin Joanna's rather extravagant home in Santa Monica.

However, this year would be different.

Every single one of her relatives from across the country would be converging in Pensacola, Florida for a combined family reunion and holiday celebration.

Since most of her nearby relatives were retired, they had decided to make the whole ordeal an extended vacation. They would be spending the entire winter season in the Sunshine State.

Amy, however, would not be joining them.

As much as she would love to participate in the event and visit those relatives that she didn't get to see very often, she had to work. She'd recently been asked to assist the genetics department at UCLA with a reptile genome-mapping project that was proving to be a bit more of a challenge that she had anticipated. She could do it, of course. Even though her focus was in neurobiology, the project wasn't beyond her abilities. However, she would be the first to admit that sequencing the entire genetic code of turtles was difficult and time-consuming work.

As a result, she would be spending her first holiday season away from her family since she was born.

Although she hadn't yet discussed it with him, she assumed she would instead be spending the holidays with her boyfriend. The problem with that decision, however, was that her boyfriend was Sheldon Cooper. Dr. Sheldon Cooper. The same Dr. Sheldon Cooper that hated holidays, or – for that matter – hated anything that gave people an excuse to get together in merriment.

She assumed it had to do with the fact that Sheldon was a man of routine and structure. His days were carefully plotted and planned out ahead of time. He knew exactly what he would be wearing or eating on any given day of the week… and holiday gatherings always threw a wrench into his plans.

He also simply didn't like people. Or 'fun', for that matter.

Amy sighed as she scribbled some notes from her day's lab findings into the folder sprawled out in front of her. Thanksgiving was only a few days away. She needed to see what Sheldon's plans were going to be. If he wasn't going to be participating in the holiday, she would need to make other arrangements. Perhaps with her best friend, Penny? Surely she could count on that bubbly blonde to be festive.

A chime rang out from Amy's nearby phone. She picked it up and smiled at the coincidence. It was Penny, inquiring about Amy's Thanksgiving plans.

-Hey girl! You in town for Turkey day? –

Amy quickly typed her response in the affirmative, and received another alert back from her bestie just as quickly.

- We are trying to talk Sheldon into letting us have dinner at their apartment. We could use your persuasive strategies here. He'll listen to you. ;) –

Amy grinned again. He probably would listen to her. Her friends would say it was because she was his girlfriend and – despite the fact that he had never admitted it – he loved her. However, Amy knew that wasn't the reason. Not only did she question the extent of Sheldon's affections for her, but she also knew that she was simply very good at laying out convincing arguments. She was a scientist after all. And a good one, at that.

Although, now that she thought about it, her track record wasn't stellar when it came to convincing Sheldon to participate in events like this. Sure, she could talk him into behaving a certain way or handling his problems in a particular fashion, but these type of gatherings were a different animal entirely.

She'd attempted to coax him into escorting her to numerous family functions and holiday get-togethers in the past, but he'd always come up with some sort of excuse to get out of them. Last Christmas, he'd claimed that he would need to spend the day alphabetizing his comic books and implementing a 'dewey decimal system' type of organizational scheme in order to find his comics more efficiently. She'd believed him. It sounded like something he would do, after all. Although, come to think of it, she'd never seen the evidence that any such system had actually been established.

This year will be different, she thought. We may finally have the chance to spend Thanksgiving together, and I won't let him get out of it so easily. He can clean his action figures another day.

She rapidly typed a response to Penny.

- Sure! I'll come by after work and see what I can do. ;) –

Amy dropped her phone into the pocket of her lab coat and quickly gathered her paperwork together to put away in the filing cabinet.

It was time to see just how persuasive she could be!

"But, Sheldon! It's Thanksgiving!"

Penny's vociferous pleas to Amy's boyfriend could be heard from about halfway down the stairwell outside Leonard and Sheldon's apartment. As Amy approached the door, she leaned in closer to listen and prepare herself for what she would be stepping into in a few moments.

"It's, like, an American tradition!" Penny cried. "Giving thanks for everything we have, you know?"

"Giving thanks to whom, may I ask? I don't need to thank anyone for my accomplishments or accolades. I earned them all myself," Sheldon argued.

"Thanks to ... God... I ... suppose?" The hitch in Penny's voice suggested she realized that her statement would be a lost cause as soon as the words left her mouth.

Amy shook her head. She could almost feel Sheldon's eye-roll through the door.

Despite the fact that they had known him longer than she had, her friends certainly didn't know how to speak Sheldon's language. They were getting nowhere, and fast. They definitely needed her help.

She finally rapped her hand against the door of apartment 4A. It quickly snapped open to reveal a bespectacled man, whose face was dripping with exhaustion. That look had become a permanent one for Leonard, as his roommate left him in a perpetual state of frustration. Sheldon sucked a lot of energy out of him. Though, to be fair, Sheldon wasn't doing it on purpose - he was just being himself.

The problem was that 'being himself', was synonymous with 'being difficult'.

"Hey, Amy," Leonard sighed. "Maybe you can talk some sense into your boyfriend."

Amy heard a loud "Hrmph!" in the living room and looked over to see Sheldon sitting in his spot with his arms crossed, clearly having made up his mind about the whole Thanksgiving issue.

"I'm not going to give in to your demands, Leonard," he said firmly. "Thanksgiving does not fall on 'anything can happen Thursday' this year… so we will not be changing our plans."

Leonard rolled his eyes and opened the door a bit more for Amy to enter the apartment.

"Hey Ames." Penny nodded her head in Amy's direction as she tied her long, blonde hair up into a ponytail and leaned on the arm of Leonard's chair.

Amy's eyes lit up when she saw her friend. Penny always had this cheerful glow about her that was just contagious… even when she was mad. The anger just seemed to radiate through her and make her glow even brighter.

How does she do it?

"Hey bestie!" Amy waved at Penny, then wasted no time at all. She immediately shuffled to the couch and settled in beside her boyfriend. "Hello Sheldon."

He eyed her suspiciously, but quickly uncrossed his arms and turned to her on the couch.

"Amy, can you believe what they are trying to make me do?" He motioned to Penny and Leonard, who had just plopped back into his chair. "They want to have Thanksgiving dinner here. In my apartment. Can you believe that?"

"It's my apartment, too, Sheldon," Leonard argued.

"Yes, but I win all ties."

"Its two against one! Penny and I against you."

"Penny doesn't get a vote. She doesn't live here," he said, before turning his attention back to his girlfriend. "Amy... tell them I'm right."

"That's not fair! How come Amy gets a say in this, but Penny doesn't?"

"Because Amy is my girlfriend," Sheldon pointed out. "As the senior member of the communal living arrangement that we have established, I can decide - "

"Sheldon, I agree with Leonard," Amy interrupted. It pained her to disagree with him so abruptly, but it had to be done. She was a woman on a mission.

Her boyfriend turned to gape at her so quickly that she was afraid he may have gotten whiplash. His face soon returned to its previous haughty state, and he crossed his arms, shifting away from her in his spot.

"Well... you don't get a vote anyway. You don't live here."

Leonard groaned and collapsed over his legs in the chair, his arms dangling to the floor like a chimp. "Penny," he mumbled with his face smushed against his knees. "Lets just go over to your apartment. I've had enough of Sheldon for one afternoon."

A look of realization poured over Sheldon's eyes. "Say…. that's an idea! Why don't you have Thanksgiving dinner at Penny's apartment?'

"My apartment is too small, Sheldon," Penny explained. "We're planning to have Howard, Bernadette, Raj and Stuart over. They won't all fit in my tiny living room."

He leaned back into the couch. "That's not my problem."

Penny gave Amy a pleading look, and Amy twisted around to face her boyfriend, her knees almost touching his.

"Sheldon…" she began. "You have no choice here. You really must participate in Thanksgiving dinner."

He gave her a smug smirk. "Honestly, Amy. I always have a choice. And I am choosing not to participate."

"Well, your routine's already ruined anyway, so I don't see why it matters."

"What do you mean?"

"You would ordinarily be having pizza on Thursday, right? But you can't do that. I already checked and your usual restaurant will be closed for the holiday. So, are you going to make your own pizza? Or will you be going somewhere else?"

He stared at her. She could tell his mind was racing. He hadn't thought of that.

"I… um…"

"And you already told me that you always watch the parade on Thanksgiving."

"Yes… every year."

"Well, doesn't watching the parade change your regular Thursday schedule? Especially considering that this isn't 'Anything Can Happen Thursday'?"

"Well… I suppose… but..."

"You would normally be at work on a weekday, but the university will be closed."

"Yes… but…"

"So, really, your entire calendar is already a mess." She held up her hand and started counting all the changes on her fingers. "You won't be at the university, you won't be able to have pizza… and instead of solving the mysteries of the universe, you will be at home mindlessly watching the parade." She paused to let him absorb what she was saying. "So, really, the only thing that Penny and Leonard want to do is make sure you eat something. Unless, of course, you'd rather fend for yourself?"

He looked over at Leonard and Penny, then back to Amy.

"Well… yes. I suppose you're right…"

"Then it's settled!" Amy clapped her hands together and smiled at Penny and Leonard. "You two can make Thanksgiving dinner while Sheldon watches the parade!"

Sheldon jumped up quickly, his eyes wide. "Now wait just one minute! Leonard doesn't cook. Not well, anyway. And, Penny, Leonard has relayed to me horror stories about your cooking…"

Penny glared at Leonard. "Hey!"

"Sheldon!" Leonard yelled. "Those weren't horror stories. They were just… stories." He turned to Penny with a cheesy grin. "I just tell him about all the delicious food you make for me, honeybun."

"Shut up, Leonard." Penny walked away from her boyfriend and moved to sit next to Amy on the couch.

"I like your cooking, bestie," Amy said as Penny settled in beside her.

"Oh, Ames..." Penny patted her friends' knee gently. "You've never had my cooking."

"I bet it's amazing, though."

"Anyway," Sheldon continued. "I'm saying that, of the group, I am clearly the best chef."

"You?" Penny and Leonard asked simultaneously.

"Yes, me. In fact, I've made many of the components of a Turkey dinner in the past. My MeeMaw taught me, so I learned from the best."

"What's your point, Sheldon?"

"My point is that if anyone is going to be making Thanksgiving dinner in our apartment, then it's going to be me. If I'm not going to be eating pizza, then I'm certainly not going to be forced to eat dried out turkey and burned pumpkin pie."

"So… you want to make Thanksgiving dinner?" Penny asked.

"I don't want to, Penny," Sheldon said. "I have to."

Penny's jaw was on the floor.

"Now, if you'll excuse me," Sheldon continued. "I need to go make a shopping list. Amy, clear your schedule. You're taking me to the grocery story later." He left the group and wandered down the hallway without looking back. Amy finally heard his door close, and turned with a grin to her best friend.

"How…? " Penny's stunned words dissolved off her tongue and she just sputtered in disbelief.

"Wow, Amy," Leonard conceded. "Ten minutes ago he wasn't even going to let us have dinner here. Now, he's making it for us. You're good."

"Well, I do what I can," Amy winked.

"I'm telling you, you've got him wrapped around your finger," Penny wiggled her little finger in Amy's direction, and Amy's cheeks flushed pink.

"Oh... I wouldn't say that."

If she had Sheldon wrapped around her finger, they would be doing a lot more than sharing the occasional hug between them. If he were wrapped around her finger, he wouldn't roll his eyes when she wanted to hold his hand. He wouldn't tense every time she kissed him. No… Sheldon Cooper was not wrapped around her finger. She was wrapped around his. So much so, that she was an expert in everything about him. And one of the advantages of being an expert in Sheldon Cooper is that she knew how exactly to talk to him.

Regardless, one thing was clear: Amy would finally be spending her first major holiday with her boyfriend.

She couldn't wait.

Notes: Please review! If you read my last story, you know I love me some reviews. I also very much enjoy constructive criticism! Don't be shy, please!

There may be a few more errors. I'm really trying to avoid them, but because I'm in a bit more of a time crunch they may creep in there. As I mentioned up top - I am trying to keep this as close to 'real' time as I can in order to keep it on track with the actual holidays. So, the Thanksgiving one will be posted close to Thanksgiving, the Christmas and New Years ones will be close to the end of December (of course there will be chapters in between, too).

I suppose if you are reading this in the future (into 2014 or beyond), then the fact that they will be posted in 'real time' is irrelevant. So… ignore this note, futurlings.

:o)