WARNING! SPOILER ALERT!

~The Locomotive Manipulation~

Time has really flown this year. Before Amy knows it, another Valentine's Day has rolled around. And this year, she's determined to make it romantic. She's already heard of Leonard's cute Lakers tickets in a jewelry box gift, and Howard's plan to take Bernadette to a beautiful bed and breakfast. Both couples are very tactful to keep talk of plans about their days to a minimum, knowing that a reminder of the romance her life is lacking will upset her. But that can't quiet the gnawing fear eating at her heart that despite all the progress she'd thought they made, Sheldon would never be ready for a real relationship.

No matter how true it is, Amy can't stand the group's banter about their relationship. So knowing the improbability of Sheldon taking the initiative and planning anything fancier than sitting on the couch with takeout, she takes the reigns. She'll have a nice Valentine's Day if it kills her.

Amy is fully aware that the only way she will get Sheldon to do anything remotely romantic is making it appeal to him. That leaves only a few choices. Sci-fi, science, and trains. There is no way she is letting sci-fi near her Valentine's Day, and science, although an important part of both of their lives, is incredibly unromantic. That leaves trains.

It is easier than you'd think to find an authentic train restaurant near a bed and breakfast. It doesn't take much to get Bernadette agree to join them. Amy knows Sheldon won't go unless accompanied by another couple, so they won't have to interact with strangers. Bernadette can tell this is important to her, so it's worth a slight change of plans.

Amy really covers all the bases. She makes sure to cover every scenario that would make Sheldon refuse her plan. Sure, she feels slightly bad using trains as an excuse to have the Valentines Day of her dreams, but she deserves this. So without too much guilt, she convinces Sheldon to go.

She really should have counted on his absolute fascination with the train. She should've known that he would annoy the waiter with countless questions. What she couldn't have predicted was the other train enthusiast who was more than happy to answer. Of course, the one time he decided to make a friend was in the middle of their date.

Watching him and Train Guy hit it off is not what she was expected. Even in the lowest of her very low expectations, Sheldon was at least sitting at the table with her. She knows he's socially awkward, but she would've thought he at least had the decency to spend time with her and not completely ignore her in the favor of a guy who is currently choo-chooing.

Amy's heart feels like a lead pipe, heavy in her chest. Her worst fears not only confirmed, but fueled. Sheldon must not care about her. She thought the tin man was growing a heart, but she was wrong. Maybe a relationship is too much. She does love Sheldon, although she won't say it until he does, but his actions are asking her to bear a burden she doesn't know if she can carry anymore. Relationships have to be a equal, but she's the only one who's trying. Maybe all of her efforts were for nothing.

Thankfully, Bernadette gets up and sets the record straight. For a moment, it seems like she might have actually gotten through to Sheldon. Amy can see in his eyes that he truly understands that ignoring her was wrong. But it's just wishful thinking. Because just when he reclaims his spot next to her, he decides to invite his new friend to join them.

It doesn't help that Howard and Bernadette are showing a firsthand example of a beautiful relationship right next to her. Every sweet moment that they share is a reminder if what she is currently lacking. And the man that has the power to give that happiness to her is now answering questions about his train history. This is too much. This is all too much. It was supposed to be her Valentines Day. A day of impossible romance between her and Sheldon. It was her day to be the happy, and Sheldon threw it all away. He's a certifiable genius. Why isn't he smart enough to see how upset she is? How much she cares about him? As hard as it is to want to cut away the man that has been such a magnificent question mark for three whole years, she knows the time is coming. They can't stay like this forever. She obviously wants more out of this relationship than he does; she's known this since the beginning. But she hasn't seriously questioned before whether the anguish and desperation is worth it. She always pulled through, picturing the light at the end of the long, long tunnel, but she fears the blackness might stretch into eternity. There might be no reward at the end, that makes everything that she is going through worth the trouble. And if that's not there, she has to let go. No matter how painful it is.

So she throws a notch in their "perfect" day. She pulls him aside and makes the problem smaller than it really is. Because what she knows and he doesn't is that their whole relationship is riding on his response. But he takes her by surprise. He accuses her of manipulating him, and says that this weekend was more about her than it was about him. And she's shocked by how right he is. She can't accuse him of being selfish when she made Valentines Day, a joint holiday, all about her and what she wanted. So she admits she was looking for a little romance, waiting to hear his argument winning blow. But it doesn't come. Instead, a very un-Sheldon like air washes over him. He says he'll show her romance. He drinks wine angrily, looking to prove a point. He stares into her eyes, and the power she feels is enough to make her blink. The second the word kiss leaves his mouth, her heart flutters, and before she knows it, his mouth is knocking into hers.

At first it's forceful, him proving that he can give her romance. But slowly, surely, he melts into it, softening his lips and pressing into hers more gently. He lingers for what feels like eternity, his hands sliding to her waist. Amy's heart is screaming, and everyone moment of doubt washes away. He was moving forward. Slowly, sure, but he was moving. And now he's here, and he's touching her, and her entire body feels like it's on fire.

When they finally separate, she doesn't know what to say. He literally blew her away. She hears him saying something about a train car, and a banjo, and then the magic words: "Do you want to come with me?"

As they listen to a horrible nine fingered banjo player strumming away, Amy isn't aware of anything but the man next to her. This was the first time he ever initiated a kiss. The only other time, she was drunk, and it was all her. This was him. This was both of them. Baby steps are still steps, and she's confident that she wants to take the next steps of her life with Sheldon by her side. They're moving, and the tunnel is brightening already.

Author's Note: Hello Big Bang Theory fandom! This is my first story for this show! I've wanted to for a while, but this is the first time I've followed through:) Please review! They make my day! I love feedback, good of bad! I hope you enjoyed this story!