Author's Note: This chapter earns it's M rating – sort of. Or maybe I'm just being over cautious. At any rate, I hope you enjoy and if you are so inclined, please leave a review. I feed on them. Nom, nom, nom…

Just a little reminder that this is a canon-divergent story. I'm more-or-less following the aired episodes, but with my own added elements. In my world, there's a bit more going on that what we see on screen.

DISCLAIMER: Same as before.

Amy Farrah Fowler was confused - about Sheldon and about their relationship. She could not remember a time since she met the tall physicist that she didn't feel like she understood him completely. Now, she wasn't sure she understood him at all. She wondered if her five year plan would ever get back on track, given the current setbacks. Stuck in traffic on the freeway, she went over the events of the past few weeks in her mind.

She thought she could trace the disruption back to the time when Sheldon and Leonard had a tiff and Leonard moved across the hall to stay with Penny. Looking back on that time, Amy realized it was a mistake to offer to take Leonard's place as Sheldon's roommate. Neither of them were ready for a real girlfriend/boyfriend living together arrangement, but anything less than that could potentially detract from their growth as a couple. Amy was fascinated to realize that Sheldon seemed to know that, instinctively, while she herself had been heedless of the larger implications involved.

Despite the confusion of the almost roomies incident, their Valentine's Day celebration was memorable. Sheldon not only gave her an amazingly meaningful gift; he initiated a cuddling session while they watched the movie. And to top it off, he kissed her goodnight – on the lips – apparently willingly and of his own volition.

The following week, Sheldon freely suggested they augment the Relationship Agreement to include regular cuddling and kissing… and possible other activities. Sheldon wasted no time putting the amendment into action. All evidence pointed to a hypothesis that Sheldon was relishing the change, until Amy accidentally brushed her hand over some very compelling evidence, causing Sheldon to jump away from her like a startled rabbit and run into the bathroom.

Distraught, Amy spent the night crying her eyes out on Penny's couch. The more she thought about the incident, the more despondent she became. She was certain that Sheldon's foray into a more physical relationship with her did nothing to intensify his feelings for her. Instead, he seemed repulsed and revolted by everything about it – including Amy herself.

Besides one cursory text the day after the incident, Sheldon made no attempts to contact Amy. To be fair, Amy was equally uncommunicative. She wondered what might have happened to their relationship if Sheldon was not obligated to work on behalf of the university to encourage more women to pursue careers in science. During a presentation to a class of teenage girls, he reached out to both Bernadette and Amy to provide the perspective of actual women in science. While the call included no mention of their personal relationship, Amy found the courage, afterwards, to surprise Sheldon later that evening. She was prepared to beard the proverbial lion in his den, but Sheldon surprised her yet again. He confessed that his actions were all part of a collaboration with Penny designed to prepare him to initiate coitus with his girlfriend. Astonishing as that was, unfortunately, Sheldon did not stop there. He went on to explain that he was reconsidering his actions. He stopped short of suggesting a full relationship reboot, but essentially dictated a moratorium on all physical elements of the relationship. Sheldon refused to provide any time frame for the moratorium, saying only that he "needed to reassess his position and intentions vis-à-vis a physical relationship" and would inform Amy when he reached any conclusions.

Amy was torn by this. Part of her wanted to rail at him and demand who he thought he was to unilaterally change the rules. After all, it was his idea to push them forward so quickly and so suddenly. The more cautious side of Amy knew that Sheldon was likely as confused as she was and she could only hope that his backlash would be short lived. This was all so new to both of them.

After tersely agreeing to the moratorium, Amy made another mistake later that evening when she tried to playfully entice Sheldon to kiss her in her Snow White costume. He was having none of it, and his rejection of the idea was just short of rude.

In the days that followed, Amy felt herself retreating into a shell while Sheldon seemed bent on not just halting their forward progress, but sending them into reverse at full speed. He cancelled Date Nights. He complained about hand holding. He expressed ambivalence about the whole boyfriend-girlfriend thing.

Initially, Amy tried to be accepting and supportive, but it was difficult and went counter to her senses of self-esteem and fair play. On one occasion, she decided to try a different tactic and encourage Sheldon to work on behavioral issues that weren't directly related to their relationship. She still wasn't sure if her efforts actually resolved any of his closure issues. Penny told her a somewhat improbable story of Sheldon sprawled on the floor of his apartment, next to a toppled display of dominoes, professing his love for her. Penny was convinced that the tea-totaling Sheldon somehow got drunk. Amy suspected he'd simply gotten an overdose of endorphins by completing all the actions she prevented him from doing.

Amy sighed as she inched forward, sandwiched between a smelly garbage truck in front and a gigantic SUV to her rear. She strained to see ahead, wondering what was holding things up. After a week out of town at a conference, she spent most of this week working late hours trying to catch up. Her reward was waiting at the end of this freeway and she had no intention of missing it. She and Penny were meeting at Bernadette's, so the trio could start their long weekend in Las Vegas. Amy, for one, was in dire need of some carefree, boyfriend-free stress relief and she planned to make the most of it.

Seeing a gap opening up to her right, she nosed her car over and stepped on the gas to prevent anyone else sneaking into the lane. Traffic inexplicably cleared and Amy sped down the road. She signaled for her exit and glided smoothly off the freeway and into residential Pasadena. Turning onto Bernadette's street, she resolved to leave her problems with Sheldon locked away and enjoy herself. Time enough to deal with the continued fallout when she got back from a raucous and ribald weekend with her friends in the City of Sin.

"I…. thrust…. into your warm, moist shaft, burying myself deep into your body, while I continue to kiss and suck on your beautiful, full breasts. And you…?"

Amy looked down at the abandoned dice lying on top of the Dungeons and Dragons book on Sheldon's bed. Sheldon's voice held a timbre she never heard before. A sensual, erotic tone that made her feel every action he described – or at least she imagined what she felt was something akin to the real thing. Certainly she was on the brink of a feeling she only achieved before with the aid of a toothbrush or by electronic stimulation of the pleasure centers of the brain. It was beyond amazing that she could be so close just by listening to his voice.

"Amy?"

There was that voice again, whispering her name with the same mouth that was currently feathering kisses up her neck and recapturing her lips with his. She needed to respond… she wanted to respond… but she wasn't sure exactly how. She tried to remember some of the erotic literature she sometimes employed to assist her sessions with Gerard.

"I…. I…. I wrap my legs up around your shoulders, urging you to go even deeper until you find that spot and I… I… ohhhhhh! Unnnnnhhhhh!"

Amy closed her eyes and fell back against the headboard. Her breath came in rapid gasps as the tingling sensation that had been building in her groin for some time finally exploded and rippled up her body into her brain and back down to her toes.

"Amy?... Amy!... Amy are you all right?"

She felt more than saw Sheldon hesitantly lean over and reach out to gently place a hand under her head. She did crack it pretty smartly against the hard wood. Wincing at the thought of the major headache that would surely come any moment now, she imagined that the lingering endorphins were evidently keeping it at bay – at least temporarily. Another hand timidly stroked the hair off her forehead. Amy realized with surprise that her face was sheened with sweat. She wondered how fast Sheldon would jerk his hand away to avoid the touch of bodily fluid. Instead, it moved down across her cheek to check the pulse in her neck. Undoubtedly, he would be alarmed that her heart was racing. She could feel the rapid thudding in her chest. Her eyes opened to the vision of Sheldon bent over her prone form, his face mere inches from her own. But the sultry look in his eyes had been replaced by one of concern. Just as intoxicating, in its own way.

"I'm fine, Sheldon," she said, smiling to reinforce the words.

"But you were convulsing, Amy. You're still trembling. Is there a family history of seizure I should know about?"

It was all Amy could do not to laugh. "No, Sheldon, I…. I was…"

She was a biologist, for crying out loud! She should be able to tell him, in a very matter-of-fact way, just what sort of response his words invoked. But she found herself looking into his eyes, gone a deeper blue than she ever remembered, and she was tongue-tied.

"It was your voice, Sheldon – and what you were saying. My imagination just went with it and I… well…" She smiled and looked away, training her vision on the dice. Those amazing, awesome, crazy, many-sided dice!

"You…"

There was that voice again, sultry and seductive.

"Amy Farrah Fowler." Sheldon's hand was still cradling her head. He gripped tighter and turned her so that she was once again looking into his eyes. "Are you telling me that you just had an orgasm?"

"Ye…yes. Is that okay?"

Sheldon pulled suddenly back, pausing at the last minute to lay her head gently on the pillows before sitting up straight. He turned to stare intently at the table beside the bed. He looked up a moment, then turned back to face her.

"Yes, Amy. Of course it's okay. A bit unfair though, don't you think?" He grinned down at her, his hands nervously plucking at the fabric of his pants legs.

Amy realized her boyfriend was teasing her. She grinned back up at him and began to sit up. Suddenly his arm shot out and wrapped around her shoulder, helping her up. Just as suddenly, it dropped back to his lap. She decided that sauce for the goose was just as good for the gander.

"Well, if you really feel that way I could…" She hesitantly reached a hand out.

Sheldon immediately brought his hands up to protectively cover his groin.

"NO!"

Amy quickly snatched her hand back and smiled shyly. She expected this, but hoped her offer would lead Sheldon to talk to her. She wasn't disappointed. His hands relaxed and he resumed his task of picking non-existent lint off his pants leg.

"I'm sorry, Amy."

He looked up at her with those eyes that could send her over the brink again, if she let them. Amy switched her gaze to his lips. Nope – no good either. She decided to concentrate on the DNA module emblazoned on his chest. DNA brought to mind thoughts of children – the children she might yet one day have with Sheldon. She hoped. Despite knowing what they would do for that to happen, it still steadied her libido enough that she could concentrate on what Sheldon was saying.

"Amy, I'm not ready for that right now, but I am working on it. I hope… I need you to understand that."

He was looking down at his hands again. Amy thought he was so darn adorable when he was embarrassed.

"I told Penny and Leonard awhile back that… us having a physical relationship one day… well, I told them 'It's a possibility.'" He paused again and looked at her, drawing her eyes to his. "I think now I need to upgrade that statement, Amy. It's not just a possibility. I would say now, it's a probability."

"Oh, Sheldon!"

Amy's hand flew to her lips, then she tucked her hands under her thighs. She wanted to wrap him in a bear hug, but understood now that her best move was to give Sheldon his time, not crush him like a boa constrictor. He would get there…they would get there. She just needed to have a little more patience. It was all going to pay off, she could feel that now.

"You know, Amy," Sheldon continued, "everything I've described this evening – well, except for removing your armor and casting the spell that turned you from a hairy-breasted half-orc back into a beautiful woman – everything I described, I've thought of... dreamed… of doing with you."

Sheldon looked down again. Amy almost didn't hear his next words.

"Sometimes in the shower."

FF_1807614_ 11/2/2013