Author's Note: So this was written a LONG time ago. Way, way back in December for an Advent Calendar challenge I had done on tumblr which was composed of 25 one shots, posted everyday from December 1st through Christmas. Out of all the one shots I wrote for that challenge, this one stood out and was my favorite. It's super cheesy and corny, but I was feel very sappy the day I wrote this!

I hope you guys enjoy it, even if it's no where near Christmas time!

'I can do this,' Sheldon chanted to himself, 'I can do this.' He chanted as he fiddled with the small black box in his pants pocket.

He had thought about it— many times— for nearly two years. Of marriage, of an eternal, legal bond with Amy. It wasn't something he was opposed to— not at all. But he was still fearful of it. For one, Amy had broken his heart just minutes before he was originally going to propose. The break-up left him fearful of the possibility of her saying no. His heart break, while healed, had scars. On occasion, he would ask Amy if she was happy, or if he needed improvement. There were days when if they had a fight, he would be anxious.

He simply wanted her happiness. He wanted to dedicate his life to ensuring her well-being.

Tonight, on Christmas Eve, he had decided that it was time. Only a week ago, he had given her the a framed MRI scan of his brain, his physical, scientific proof of his undying love. Now… He was ready. At least… he thought he was. Frankly, he couldn't think of a better day to do it. Amy loved Christmas, and honestly, if they weren't going to be busy on Christmas Day, he would do it then. Tonight was perfect.

He loved Amy. Amy loved him. She'd say yes… he knew it. There was no reason why she wouldn't accept his proposal… as far as he knew, anyway. He was confident, though, so he pushed any doubts aside. When planning this proposal, he knew he had to go over the top. Looking back, a proposal over Skype would have ended in disaster. He needed to be smart because— unlike Leonard— he only wanted to do this once.

Yesterday, he had let Penny and Bernadette in on his plan… which may have been a bad idea. Their job was to have Amy out of the apartment until 6:00PM— dinner time. He didn't care where they took her, he just needed her out until then. He had already showered, dressed and groomed himself. This time, he had decided to forego the hair gel and the deer musk. His talc was the only thing that perfumed his skin. If past experience taught him anything, is that Amy loved him for him. Which he was beyond grateful for.

The apartment was aglow in a romantic warm glow from the Christmas tree and several candles. He had learned Amy loved this light to be the main ambiance in December.

For dinner, he had prepared Amy's favorite. His famous pan-seared steak— a recipe he had learned from his father with a few modifications and Amy would ask for it almost weakly. It was just two minutes until 6:00PM when he set the plate of foil-covered steaks on the table. He removed the oven mitts and went back to the kitchen and set the mitts down to open the wine. He poured the Moscato (Amy's favorite) in their glasses and— with both glasses in his hands— he went to the living room and waited for Amy to appear.

When the clock struck 6, he felt his chest tightening. Any second now, Amy would walk through that door, and he would hand her wine and after they had eaten… he would get down on one knee, right in front of that Christmas tree and… He heard footsteps and his thoughts immediately stopped.

He took a deep breath and smiled to prepare for his hopeful-fiancee but… Wait… He heard Penny's voice… and Bernadette's. And was that Amy? Wincing?!

The door swung open and he saw what he had feared. Amy had arrived on time, however, she was being supported by her two friends. One foot lifted off the grounded and Sheldon immediately set the wine glasses down and went to her, "Amy!"

"Ow ow ow ow," with the help of Penny and Bernadette, he hopped over to the couch and once she was sat down, she reached out to hold her injured ankle, "I'm fine. I'm fine!"

"You most certainly are not!" Sheldon scolded. He sat at the other end of the couch and loosened her shoe before carefully pulling it off of her left foot, "What on Earth did you do?" He asked as he carefully examined her foot.

"It was our fault," Bernadette began, "we went shoe shopping and—"

"And we kinda…" Penny continued and flailed her hands about, "talked Amy into wearing these really cute stilettos—"

"And she was walking in them just fine until—"

"She fell," Penny frowned and slouched, "and twisted her ankle… We just wanted to help."

He ignored them and only focused on Amy. While he wasn't a medical doctor, experience made him learn the difference between a sprain and a broken bone. He carefully pressed his thumb on the top of her foot, "Does that hurt?"

"No," Amy licked her lips and exhaled nervously.

"How about that?" His hand went to her ankle and squeezes, causing Amy to yelp and flinch away from his touch, "that answered my question…"

"We're really sorry," Bernadette muttered and Sheldon looked up from his task and gave them both a soft, sympathetic expression even though he wasn't best pleased with them talking Amy into such dangerous footwear.

"It's fine," Sheldon said before releasing her foot and standing to walk to the kitchen, "It's just a sprain." In the kitchen, he grabbed a ziplock back and began to fill it with the ice he had used to chill the wine. He then wrapped the bag in a kitchen towel and returned to Amy. He sat down, pulled her foot into his lap and gently laid the ice on it.

"That's good," Penny gave a sympathetic smile before leaning over and kisses Amy on the top of her head, "we're sorry Ames."

"It's fine," Amy turned her head and smiled before the two women said their goodbyes and left, leaving Sheldon and Amy by themselves.

As Sheldon tended to her. One hand holding the bags of ice in place while the other gentle raked up and down her calf, he had nearly forgotten about his plan until Amy looked around the apartment and noticed the table set-up behind the couch.

"Were you planning a dinner for us?" Amy asked and Sheldon's cheeks began to heat up. So much for her perfect proposal…

"I was," Sheldon answered, "Are you hungry at all? I made steak…"

"I know," Amy smiled despite the pain she was in, "I could smell it from the second floor… I just wish I was hungry."

Sheldon frowned. He didn't take offense to her comment, he wouldn't be hungry either if he had fallen and hurt himself, "I'll put them in the fridge for later." The hand on her calf gently squeezed the muscle there, "How's your ankle."

"Sore, but the ice is helping." She turned her attention to the two wine glasses on the table and looked back to Sheldon with a coy smile, "I would like some wine though..."

"On an empty stomach?" Sheldon's frown deepened, "Are you sure?"

"I'll be fine, Sheldon," Amy assured before wincing as the muscles in her ankle involuntarily twitched, "I need something to take the edge off."

Sheldon sighed, but obeyed her request, "Very well." He reached over to grab one of the glasses (carefully, as to not cause her discomfort) and handed it to her. She took a small sip and smiled delightedly.

"Thank you," she took another sip and as she continued to look around the apartment, she began to notice more of what Sheldon had done. There were two wine glasses; that immediately struck her as odd. Sheldon never, ever drank at dinner. He rarely drank at all unless he had a social obligation. Next, she noticed the candles and again… Sheldon hated candles. He also wouldn't turn on the lights of the tree on his own accord, "Sheldon?"

"Yes?" He looked up from her ankle towards her.

"Were you planning something?" Amy questioned as she twirled the wine glass between her fingers and carefully observed Sheldon's facial expressions. He was never a good liar and his face would always give something away.

"I just felt like having a nice date night with you," Sheldon excused but Amy caught the subtle twitch of his nose, "we haven't had a proper date night in a while."

He had a point, but even on date night, Sheldon would always pick milk or tea over any wine. Amy's eyes narrowed and she brought the glass back to her lips to take another small sip. He was hiding something… she could tell.

"Sheldon," Amy began, "what are you hiding?"

"Nothing," Sheldon quickly looked away and his nose twitched again. Amy's eyes them began to trail down his body to look for any more signs of deception. His fingers lay completely still but… her eye caught something. A lump in his pants pocket. Usually she wouldn't think anything of it, but everything that Penny and Bernadette were hinting at all day suddenly began to make sense…

"Sheldon…" Amy coaxed. She leaned over to set the glass down and she waited until Sheldon looked at her. Even in the dim light, she could see the redness in his cheeks, "Tell me."

Sheldon took a deep breath and sat there silently, debating with himself. 'Do it!', 'Don't do it!', 'Lie!', 'Don't lie!'

"Fine…" Gently and as slow as possible, he moved her injured foot off of his lap and stood. Amy watched as he began to pace in small circles before reaching into his pocket to withdraw that small box. When Amy imagined her proposal, she always imagined something extravagant and romantic and— judging by the candle-lit apartment— Sheldon was apparently expecting that as well.

"Oh…" Amy cupped her hand over her mouth and began to shake.

"This really wasn't how I expected it to go," Sheldon pouted as he studied the ring box in his hands. Even from a few feet away, she could see that his hand was shaking, "but I… I can't wait any longer."

He stepped close to her and sank to his knees, "Amy Farrah Fowler… I love you."

"I love you too," the tears that built up in her eyes began to fall and she sniffled, "I love you so much, Sheldon."

He opened the box and… Goodness, she felt as though she was about to faint. It was a marquis-cut solitaire diamond and while Amy wasn't that knowledgeable on ring styles, she knew it was old. With shaky fingers, Sheldon pulled the ring out and held it up to her, "Amy. This ring has been given to me by my mother, who had gotten it from my Meemaw, who had it passed down by her mother and so on… It's over 150 years old, two of those years it's been in my safe waiting for the right time. I know this isn't how I pictured it— in fact, I wanted to do this in front of the tree," he pointed to the tree and smiled bashfully, "but…"

He paused and licked his lips as he stated, "Life isn't what you expect. Things happen. Sometimes for better or worse. For too long, I thought our relationship was an obligation and I had realized almost too that you are more essential to me than anything. Even science couldn't compare to your significance. If I had to choose between you and knowledge, I'd choose you. Because I'd want to learn with you by my side, learning with me. If I had the option to travel to a time where I never met you and were rich and famous, or to a time where I was poor but had you in my life since day one… I'd choose you. If I had to choose between a Nobel Prize and you. It would always be you. No matter the circumstances."

Tears began to well up in Sheldon's eyes, "I almost lost you, and I was too stubborn and I'll be darned if I ever come that close to losing you again. If life went how I expected it, I would still be a bachelor, following the same routine, living in the same apartment and frankly, I now see that my life was boring with you. You keep me on my toes, you make me smile when it wasn't your intention. You open my eyes to new things and possibilities."

"Before you, marriage was inconceivable. As were children. Now with you... I desire a family, I crave marriage and intimacy. I imagine our children— not to have my intelligence— but to have your heart, your patience, your wit... I want them to be more like you than like me. Amy," his tears fell then and he quickly moved to wipe them away, "Amy Farrah Fowler. Will you do me the honor of becoming my companion? The Marie Curie to my Pierre? My wife for—"

"Sheldon," Amy laughed between her tears and gently pulled the ring from his grasp before leaning in and kissing him deeply. She poured her heart into that kiss and with their lips still pressed together, she muttered between her sobs, "Yes."

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