Two more chapters. I'm warming to her.

Chapter 3 of Amelia

Week Six was almost her undoing. She had lurked behind her plastic potted rubber plant in the corridor just outside the faculty dining room and watched Sheldon eating. It was her third consecutive lunch stalking and she noted that again her boyfriend's tray was virtually untouched when he dumped the tray into the trash.

'I'm going to end this torture. It's not worth losing my boyfriend to malnutrition or worse just for the sake of molding myself into someone he might finally deem attractive enough to spontaneously touch and (hoo) kiss.'

She was so upset that she left work early and drove to the gym with the intention of resigning. Bryan saw her and walked over and stood in her path, smiling down at her. He was sweaty and (hoo) his gray t-shirt hugged his body like a sweaty second skin.

"I checked up on you, gorgeous. You're a neurobiologist at CalTech and you're doing cutting-edge research into the treatment of addiction through alternate methodologies than those that are 'popular' today. I admire a beautiful mind that sees the need to tone the body."

He'd inched closer until she had to look up at him. She could feel the heat radiating off his muscular torso and she didn't trust herself to speak. She took a half-step back, pushed her glasses back on her nose. "Brian, while I acknowledge your comments with regards to my research, I find your interest rather creepy. What is it that you want, Brian?"

"You. I want to take you out to dinner, maybe a little dancing and then – " he stared into her eyes and she felt her loins flutter with sudden desire, "and then, Dr. Amy Farrah Fowler, I want to take you to my apartment and make love to you until you can't walk the next morning."

Another step back. "HOO!" slipped out before she could clamp her hand across her mouth. Brian laughed and said, "Why you, Amy."

"I – I – " she couldn't speak and took another half-step back and then found her voice. "I'm very fluttered, I mean, flattered, by your offer but I'm seeing someone and it's serious between us. Perhaps in another place and time – "

He stepped closer until the space between them was mere millimeters. He gently placed his palms on her upper arms and gently caressed them through her shirt.

"I'm so frikkin' jealous. He's one of those beautiful mind guys, right? He probably doesn't appreciate you, or want to take care of your needs, or worship your body and want only to anticipate your every desire – "

"HOOO?" Feeling suddenly faint, she sidestepped Brian and almost sprinted to the locker room. She stripped off her office garb and pulled on her exercise clothes and walked briskly into the gym and headed for the stationary bicycles and began peddling like mad.

Her loins burned more than her thighs and more than once she suppressed the urge to press her center more firmly against the tongue of the leather seat.

"Now that's dedication, Dr. Fowler! Look at you go! Make the fat cry in agony…no pain, no – " Cindee abruptly stopped her cheerleading when Amy pointed a finger at her and growled "Don't say another word if you value your life!"

Amy parked her car and wearily climbed the steps to her apartment. She could have taken the elevator, of course, but she preferred the brisk pace she could set on normal days but not today. She shakily climbed the last set of risers and opened up the door and stepped out into the corridor and stopped dead.

Bernadette and Penny were leaning against the wall on either side of her door and when they saw her, still in her sweat soaked exercise attire, Penny broke into a huge grin while Bernadette performed the 'Special K' pinch on her waist and grimaced.

"Look at you! Amy, I'm so proud of you. You've lost weight and you look incredible, doesn't she, Bernadette?"

"Um, yeah, she sure does." Bernadette didn't have a jealous bone in her body but her jealousy cartilage was throbbing. She'd always felt comfortable around the pudgy and puffy Amy but now…

"Girls, did I miss a text or email? I wasn't aware that you – "

"Well, we missed you, sweetie, and wanted to see ya, that's all." 'And find out why you've cut Sheldon and us out of your life.'

"Thanks, that's nice of you. Come inside and sit yourselves down while I shower and slip into something a bit less soaked and smelly. Penny, there's stuff in the refrigerator to nosh on. You and Bernadette are welcome to it. I shan't be but a few moments."

Amy loved her friends, especially the curvy blonde whose pert breasts, creamy complexion and beautiful smile had frequently intruded on her daydreams of Sheldon naked, but she wished right now that she wasn't so 'caring'. Or so damned sexy.

She showered quickly and then threw on a pair of sweats and socks and went out to greet her friends and try to steer the conversation towards areas she felt comfortable discussing.

The girls' attack was as subtle as a fart in a confessional.

"Amy, you're ruining your relationship with Sheldon with this 'no seeing me' crap you're pulling. He keeps asking me if I know what he did wrong to make you 'need space'. Listen, 'needing space' is girl-code for not wanting to continue on in a relationship. Even someone as socially inept as Sheldon has figured it out. Why - "

"Stop right there, bestie. I have deep emotional feelings for Sheldon. I may not always display them but I do have them. I – okay, but you both have to promise not to say a word to any of the males in Sheldon's group before I continue, otherwise, it's been nice seeing you both but go home."

Bernadette's eyes got huge. Amy Farrah Fowler had just threatened them with expulsion, something eerily akin to Sheldon's 'banishment'. She immediately agreed.

"Okay, Amy. Pinkie swear. Not a word to Howie or anyone else."

Penny just nodded, unsure just what 'pinkie swear' was but nodded in agreement.

"Both of you, wait here. I'll be back in a few minutes."

While Amy was gone, the two girls began throwing out ideas about what was going on.

"I think Amy's cheating on Sheldon, Bernie. She's my best girl friend but…what else can it be?"

"Maybe she's into a secret government project and she just wants to keep Sheldon safe from any inference of espionage."

"Bernadette – you've been reading Howard's mother's conspiracy magazines again. No. I believe that Amy Farrah Fowler has found herself…oh, no…not another man…another woman?"

Amy busied herself arranging her surprise for her two girl friends. First, she put in her extended wear contacts. She'd discovered that putting on eye makeup while wearing glasses was difficult and cumbersome. She hated cleaning the mascara from the lenses.

Next, she carefully applied her eye makeup. She'd attended optional night classes and was a very good student. She chose 'evening smoke' for her eye shadow because it made her eyes look sultry and mysterious. Eyeliner and mascara completed her eyes.

Standing back, she couldn't help but smile at how large and luminous her eyes looked. She carefully applied her lip liner and then a light gloss.

Her 'face' was complete.

She opened her bedroom door and asked her friends to turn around and not peek until she told them to. She checked herself out in the full length mirror and then smiled.

"Amelia Fowler – it's Showtime!"

She had butterflies in her stomach that morphed into ravens and then condors. These were her friends and she valued their opinions and was terrified they'd laugh at her efforts.

"Okay, turn around."

Penny gaped and then covered her mouth with her hands and squealed her girly squeal while Bernadette stared, her full lips spreading into a delighted grin.

Penny rushed to Amy and wrapped her arms around her shorter best friend and whispered, "You look so hot" and then let her hands drop to Amy's butt and squeezed them.

"Buns of Steel! Oh, Ames…" Penny could not contain her excitement and lurched forward for another girly hug but Amy held up a hand and said, "Ladies…I am Amelia Foster to you. The new me. Bernadette, you're quiet…don't you approve?"

"Oh, I definitely like the new Amy – I mean Amelia. But how?" I mean, God, you look so slim and svelte and those boots…that skirt…and I love that sweater and how it hugs your - "

Amy wore a white v-neck sweater with long sleeves that clearly showed that she was braless (and excited) and a thigh-hugging black skirt that ended a few inches above the knee and her black leather boots with 4-inch heels. She'd practiced walking in them every evening since she bought them. She wasn't about to break her leg tripping over herself when she next saw Sheldon.

"Bestie, this is why I've cut myself off from Sheldon. I wanted to change from the caterpillar he likes a lot to a butterfly I hope he'll love. It's been hard work and I wanted to quit and run to him so many times but…I think it was worth it. Only two more weeks and then…"

"Amy, do you think Sheldon can make the change to calling you 'Amelia'? You know how he is about changes – and this is definitely a change. Wow!" said Penny.

"Amelia is the new me. As long as Sheldon calls me 'mine' I don't care what name he uses."

The friends talked until Bernadette caught Penny's eye and the glanced pointedly at her watch. Giving Amy hugs and more compliments, both girls left feeling much better about things.

"Jesus, Bernie, she really looked good, didn't she? I wouldn't have recognized her if I passed her in the street. And those boots…I have to find out where she got them!"

"I want to know what gym she joined. That personal trainer definitely worked a miracle. My God, Penny, she was braless and they looked so…"

"Perky?" Penny laughed because she'd had the same thought.