Epilogue: From This Day Until Our Last Day

"Dad?" Sam asks as he opens the door of his parent's office to find his father sitting at his desk writing furiously in his notebook. "What are you working on?"

"Mr. President," Sheldon greets, beaming with pride at his son's title while signaling for Sam to come in. "I was just finishing the last chapter of my memoir. Is she gone?"

"Yeah," Sam confirms as he hands over a business card. "Can I read it?" He wonders. "I'm sure I know most of the stories, but unlike you, Amelia and I weren't blessed with an eidetic memory. You don't know how many times Amelia and I bitched that we got your height, Mom's nose, and neither of your brains," Sam confesses, getting a breathy laugh from his dad. "Are you okay?"

"I'm... trying to process it. We were together for 67 years, married for 62. I just... I can't believe she's gone," Sheldon whispers as Sam comes over and gives him a long hug. "Her last words to me were, "I've loved you from the day we met until my last day."

"That's beautiful, Dad. That's what's engraved in her 25th-anniversary ring, right?" Sam confirms.

"Yeah. It was from a book series..."

"Game of Thrones. I read that when I spent the summer at Nana's when I was 14. I had just started masturbating regularly and had dog-eared the hell out of all of the sex scenes. Nana found the book and lectured me for hours about 'that filth."

"Your mother and I got more than an earful as well," Sheldon recalls with a fond smile.

"Dad?" Amelia questions as she enters the room. "Aunt Penny and Uncle Leonard are here. Are you alright? Can I get you anything?"

"I want to go too," Sheldon whispers as tears stream down his cheeks. "I don't know how to live without her."

"None of us do. Mom was the glue that kept this circus together," Sam replies, digging his nails into his palm to keep from crying.

"She went exactly how she wanted, Dad. In your arms. Happy and at peace. Come have some tea and a cinnamon roll," Amelia urges.

"Sheldon, I am so so sorry," Penny offers as she comes into the room and gives him a long hug. "I just spoke with Raj. He sends his love and is going to fly over from India once arrangements are made."

In the last few years, they've lost Howard, Bernadette, and Stuart and with each passing, they lost a beloved member of their family. Amy told him that you can choose your family, but you can't choose your relations. Penny has been and always will be like a sister to him and he knows that she and Leonard will drop everything to help him in his time of need, as he would for them.

"Thank you, Penny," Sheldon softly murmurs. "Let's go enjoy the last good batch of cinnamon rolls we'll ever have."

As Sheldon leaves the room, Sam gestures at the door for Amelia to shut it so they can talk. Going to the desk, Sam grabs Sheldon's notebook and immediately flips to the last page to read what their father's final words to his beloved wife were.

June 19, 2077

My Dearest Amy,

Do you remember on our wedding night, how we didn't want to go to sleep and have the day end, so we stayed up all night talking and kissing and watched our first sunrise together as a married couple? That day was perfect.

Today is the worst day of my life. I'm watching the first sunrise without you on this Earth. You went peacefully in your sleep, and in my arms, just like you always wanted. On our 50th anniversary, you asked me if I had any regrets, anything I would wish for or do over. I told you then that I had none, and while that was true at the time, today I do have something I would wish for. I wish for one more day with you. I wish that I could kiss you one last time, hear you laugh one last time, make love to you, one last time.

Oh, I can hear you laughing at the last one. My old heart and your hips couldn't handle it, but what a way to go. I still remember our first time in New York City, how nervous I was, and how you made everything okay. You always made it okay, Amy. I'll never be okay again.

Before we became parents, I believed that I needed a Nobel prize in order for my life to mean anything, for me to have a sense of purpose, but sweetheart, I was wrong. I never won that elusive Nobel, but it didn't matter. I had a much greater prize; you, Amelia and Samuel. Marrying you is the greatest achievement of my life. You were my sweetheart, my spot, and my everything and I know I was yours.

I do still love you, all of you, just the way you are.

I do still realize that love is not regulated or controlled by a contract or agreement, it is unpredictable and chaotic

I would still dive head first into the chaos with you

I believe I am the man I knew I could be and you deserved

I did see us as a team

and I tried to work together as a team

I did support your passions and dreams

I was your shoulder to cry on, and the person with whom you shared your fears, pain, and frustrations, as well as life's joys, satisfying simple pleasures, and elation.

You were always there for me, and I hope that I was always there for you

I tried to fight your battles for you when you couldn't fight them yourself

I did care

I did worry

I held on to you for as long as I could

I lost you today

I understand how lost I'm going to be without you, and it scares me.

Neither of us were perfect

And we both made mistakes

But we stuck it out to the very end, and never abandoned each other

You were worth it

We had good times, and hard times, just like any marriage

But you were my everything

and I know I was yours

I cherish every single morning when I woke up with you by my side and every single night that you fell asleep in my arms

I did my best to take care of you

I do love you more than life itself, more than my spot, more than science, more than anything and everything else except for our children and grandchildren

I still need you in my life

We grew old together

We were in this until death did us part

I was there when you took your last breath

But I wish it had been mine too

I still do, Amy.

Forever.

Laying in the bed he shared with his wife of 60 years, three days later on the morning of Amy's funeral, Sheldon closes his eyes for the final time. With a flash of white light, he leaves this world behind.

Amelia, in her professional medical opinion, knows that her father died of natural causes, however, as a daughter, she will always believe that Sheldon died of a broken heart.

"Do you think they're together?" Amelia asks her husband, Joel.

"Definitely," he replies, wrapping his arm around her shoulders

Sheldon enters a long white corridor playing snippets of video from his 95 years of life. He stops to watch his wedding day when he slipped Amy's ring on her finger. Moving further down, he sees Amelia's graduation from medical school, tears of joy streaming down his cheeks as he proudly watches on. The next videos are of Amelia marrying Joel Walowitz and of Samuel marrying his college sweetheart, and of Samuel's inauguration as president. He sees the birth of all 5 of his grandchildren and his 11

He sees the birth of all 5 of his grandchildren and his 11 great-grandchildren. He wants to keep watching the videos. He doesn't want to leave. Suddenly they shut down and the floor starts moving beneath his feet towards a golden door at the end of the corridor. Sheldon stops and wonders if he should knock on it, when it suddenly opens and standing before him is his wife, just as she appeared on their wedding day.

"Forever, Sheldon," she whispers as she takes his hand. "Come meet our son."

As our journey comes to a close, I would like to take the opportunity to thank each and every one of you for reading. I've had readers in 52 different countries all over the world, from Mexico, Brazil, South Africa, Iran, Slovenia, Israel, and Malaysia just to name a few. It absolutely blows my mind. Tonight is the taping of the season 10 finale. It also marks two years that I published the first chapter of this story. I can't believe this has been a two-year journey, but it feels that it's time for me to wrap it up.

The Big Bang Theory transcends all barriers- race, religion, gender... the list goes on and on. It's about uniting us in the ability to laugh. It's been a pleasure to get to play with these characters for a little while. Thank you for reading.