Authors note: I do not own the Big Bang theory or any of its characters I am just a big fan. Also there is alot of characters in this story that are alluded to on the show but not really fleshed out. I have given them personalites as I see fit, I hope you enjoy.

Amy drives, music blasting, leaving the window down so the evening breeze can clear her thoughts. Amy has had a weird feeling all day, a twinge in her gut that she can not place. Amy attributes some of it to her lack of communication with her boyfriend today. Amy tries to give him space, but sometimes it is hard. If it were up to her she would call him every hour just to hear the sound of his voice. Amy makes it to the Los Robles and feels slightly better as she parks the car. Knowing that she will see him soon and get her date night kiss, is easing some of the tension inside of her.

Amy knocks on the door of 4B, a mere formality Sheldon is expecting her. Amy wonders if there ever will be a point in there relationship where they can enter, each others apartments freely. Tonight's date night is Sheldon's choice, no doubt he will chose to order pizza and make her watch some silly space nonsense.

"Good evening, Dr. Fowler" Sheldon says opening the door for her.

"Hello Dr. Cooper." Amy says pleased that he seems to be in a good mood. Maybe she can convince him to go out for dinner, maybe try some place new.

"Would you care for a cup of tea?" he asks as she follows him into the apartment.

"That would be lovely." Amy says making herself at home in his kitchen. Amy smiles to herself, she loves this little tradition of theirs. Sheldon puts the kettle on before she arrives, asks her if she would like some. Then sits on the stool and watches her as she makes their cups. Amy has made a game of deciphering his mood by which tea he picks.

"What will it be today? Chamomile?" Amy asks slyly.

"Hardly! not unless you want me to fall asleep at dinner." Sheldon says raising his arched eyebrows at her. Oh, Amy thinks happily, at dinner means be expects they will be leaving the apartment to eat.

"Let's do red zinger, it is zingy." Sheldon says and it is Amy's turn to raise her eyebrows.

"Feeling zingy today are we? I myself am going to go for peppermint." Amy tells him.

"Peppermint? do you have a stomach ache?" Sheldon asks concerned but before she can answer, Sheldon's phone rings and he looks down at it and smiles, Amy knows it is his mother by his expression. He sets down his tea and picks up the phone and signals to Amy that he will be a minute and walks to his room. Amy sighs she wonders if Sheldon smiles like that when she calls him. Penny says yes, that his eyes light up when he sees it is her on the phone but she has her doubt's. Then she wonders why Sheldon never talks to his mother with her in the room. Mary knows about her, or at least she knows of her, she has no idea if he has ever told her they are actually dating now.

"Oh god! No!" she hears him cry from his room and then she hears a wracking sob. Amy gets up and rushes to his room he is sitting on the bed and the expression on his face is heart breaking.

"Of course, I will take the first flight out, see you soon." He hangs up the phone and hangs his head staring at the floor.

"Sheldon what's wrong?" Amy asks and be looks up at her his eyes rimmed red and unfocused.

"Its Memaw, she died, she's dead." he chokes out and starts to cry again, not with tears but his patented dry sob. All Amy wants to do is wrap her arms around him and make him feel better. Yet she hesitates the last thing she wants is for him to accuse her of thinking if sex at a time like this or something equally ridiculous. So she sits beside him and pats his back consolingly.

"I am so sorry Sheldon, I know how much she meant to you. Is there anything I can do for you? Do you want me to pack your bag? Book your flight? Bring you tea?" Amy asks him but it seems like he has gone catatonic. Amy sits with her hands folded waiting for him to respond. After a while he looks up at her like he just noticed she was there.

"Can you go with me?" he asks and Amy is floored.

"Of course." Amy tells him and tries to contain her excitement that he would ask her to come. She waits for him to tack on that he wants Leonard to come too or that he needs her there to drive him around. Or anything that will deflate her little balloon of hope.

"I don't think I can do this alone." he says quietly and it breaks her she grabs wraps her arms around him in a tight embrace. He says nothing at let's her hug him, Amy releases him and he slowly rises. "There is so much to do, I've got to pack, book my flight, call work.

" I can help what do you want me to do?" Amy asks him.

"Can you book us a flight? The earliest one, I want to leave as soon as possible." Sheldon says dazed.

"Certainly, I will leave now, go back to my apartment and book our flights."

"You are going to leave me?" he asked panicked.

"Sheldon I have to pack, I don't have any of my things here." Amy tells him.

"Yes of course, but come right back OK."

Amy drives back to her apartment her head full her thoughts racing. Could this have been the weird feeling that she has been having all day? That is ridiculous, just as silly as believing in physics. Amy argues with herself back and forth, he needs me she thinks gleefully. Then another voice chimes in you were the first person he saw and nothing else. Had Leonard been the one with him they would be in Texas before she heard anything about it. Amy gets to her apartment and packs quickly, how long will they be gone she wonders. Amy errs on the side of caution and packs for a week. She packs a somber black dress ,stockings and shoes for the funeral. The rest she packs practical pieces that can be layered and mix and matched. Amy logs onto her computer and books the first flight they leave tonight at 9:00. Amy calls him to let him know.

"Hey, I booked us a flight we can leave tonight at 9:00 that should but us in Texas sometime after midnight if everything goes according to plan. Do you need me to book us hotel rooms or a rental car?"

"Good, I will call my mother and let her know. I do not think we will need a rental car she or someone else can pick us up at the airport. We can stay at my mothers house so a hotel room won't be necessary."

"Does she know I am coming? Should I book myself a hotel room just in case?"

"I have not told her your coming specifically yet but I do not think it will be a problem. She is always nagging me to come visit and bring you with me." Sheldon tells her and her heart skips a beat. Another little piece of the puzzle so his mother knows they are dating and she wanted her to come visit. Amy masks her excitement and tries to remain calm.

"Oh Ok , I have a few loose ends to tie up here and then I will come get you." Amy calls the university and let's leaves a message explaining that her boyfriends grandmother died and she is flying to Texas to support him. Amy feels important leaving that message, she is important to him.

Amy picks Sheldon up at his apartment and they head to the airport, he is quiet as they drive. Once at the airport Sheldon has taken on an pinched look that worries Amy.

"Are you OK?" Amy asks.

"Besides losing one of my favorite people in the world and being ripped from my routine to fly at break neck pace to Texas I am just peachy.," Sheldon snaps. Amy tries not to take it to heart he is tired, grieving, and scared, not a combination pleasant in Sheldon.

"Sorry, we will be there soon enough." Amy says simply

"I am sorry, I will feel better once we are in Texas." Sheldon says taking a deep breath.

The park the car in one of the lots, Amy pays for a week in advance. Hoping it won't be longer than that. The silently make their way through the airport and board their flight. Sheldon takes the seat by the window, and Amy sits beside him taking out a book from her purse. The flight is not that long but she doesn't expect Sheldon will be good company right now.

They exit the plane and the terminal is nearly empty except for an exceptionally large man standing in the middle with his arms crossed. The man is wearing a frayed cap with a hunting logo on it and a faded T-shirt. The mans arms are bulging out from the arms of the shirt that he has cut the sleeves off of. The man walks slowly over to them and Amy starts to feel frightened she hopes they are not about to be attacked or robbed. The man grabs Sheldon and wraps him up in a bone crushing hug, now Amy is worried Sheldon will snap in half.

"Shelly! Its been too long! It shouldn't take something like this for me to see my baby brother." he says releasing him then he grabs Amy and hugs her. The first thing she thinks is how different the two brothers are. George smells like sweat and tobacco, with a slight sour note like old whiskey. They are both tall but George makes Sheldon seem tiny. Amy can see that his eyes are red rimmed like he has either been crying a lot or drinking, Amy hopes it is the former.

"You must be Amy! Mom told us Shelly had a girlfriend but I did not believe her until now! I just lost my bet with Missy!"

"Amy as you might have gathered by now this is my older brother George Jr."

"Pleased to meet you." Amy tells him as he releases her.

They go to baggage claim to get their luggage that had been to big to check. The conveyer belt rotates slowly there is not many bags on and they spot their bags easily.

"Well come on let's get going everyone is over at moms house." George says striding away.

They follow George out of the airport and to a black pick up truck. George grabs their bags and throws them in the bed. It is a small pickup with only room for two in the front. Amy has to squeeze into sideways facing chair in behind Sheldon. They drive through downtown Houston in many ways it is similar to any other metropolitan city. Bright lights, the same stores and restaurants you find everywhere else. Amy gazes fixedly out the window trying to make out the cities features in the inky darkness, this is her first time in Texas.

As they drive George talks and Amy listens she finds out more about the Cooper clan in that forty five minute car ride than she has learned in four years with Sheldon. George talks about cousins she never knew he had, the Coopers seem to be a prodigious group. Sheldon appearing to be the only one of the group that moved outside of Texas. She learns that George is a truck driver and just happened to be on a two week rest before heading back out on the road. Appearantly Memaw had been sick for awhile, no one had told Sheldon because they all thought she had more time and they did not want him to worry. Amy got the impression that his family thought Sheldon to be extremely fragile.

As they drove the city gave way to a suburban scrawl, the kind of place families flock to raise children. They pull into a older but tidy looking development and follow its neatly planned roads to the Cooper homestead. Amy exits the truck stiffly, the ride had not been a comfortable one she wishes they had just rented a car. Amy follows the Cooper boys as the walk up the drive. Amy thinks that you could fit two of Sheldon in the shadow his burly brother casts.

The enter the house to find Mary sitting on the couch wringing her hands. She too has the red rimmed look of someone who has been crying a lot.

"Oh boys! I am glad that you are here! Sheldon I hope your flight was OK I would have gone to pick you up myself but there is so much to be done here. Georgie said he did not mind and Missy has the baby!"

"Its fine mother, it is nice to see George again." Sheldon says accepting a hug from his mother.

"Amy! Honey! I am glad you came along with him! You know I have been pestering him to come for a visit and bring you along with him for some time." Mary says hugging her.

"It is nice to meet you again Mrs. Cooper I am just sorry it has to be under these circumstances."

"Me too honey, me too." Mary looks like she might cry again " Well I guess ya'll are tired after your flight. There will be plenty of time for talking in the morning. You two can take Sheldon's old room." Sheldon stands looking at her agape.

"But mother wouldn't you feel more comfortable if Amy slept in Missy or George's old room?"

"Well Missy is in her room, and George's old room doesn't have a bed anymore. Besides, you are a grown man and you have been with this young lady for some time. I may be a tad traditional at times but I am not clueless." Mary says with a knowing nod. Oh she is clueless Amy thinks, but not in the way she thinks.

"I could sleep on the couch, I don't mind, I don't want to make anyone feel uncomfortable." She puts an edge on the word hoping his mother will pick up on the slight verbal cue.

"Nonsense!" Mary says.

"Yes, Amy you do not want to sleep on that couch." Sheldon shares a look with his mother and his mother stares him down. Amy knows they are communicating something between them but she has no idea what.

"Amy come on I will show you to my old room." Amy follows him down the hall and her heart is in her throat. It must have two beds in there she thinks perhaps bunk beds. Sheldon opens the door for her and Amy walks in just one twin bed, interesting. Amy looks around it is fascinating being in his old room, she has never been in a boys room at his mothers house before. The room is tidy like his room at the apartment, with posters of various science icons and super hero's on the walls. Amy walks cautiously around taking everything thing in, she wishes she had Sheldon's memory she does not want to forget anything. Sheldon starts unpacking is suitcase putting his things away in chest of drawers.

"I will take the top two drawers and you can have the bottom two. My underwear and my T-shirts will have to share but I can live with that." After he is done unpacking he makes his way over to the bed. Amy's heart is thudding so hard she is afraid that he will hear it. Amy imagines what sharing that twin bed will feel like. Having his long lanky body pressed up against hers his arm wrapped around her shoulder. Then he bends down and pulls out a trundle from underneath his bed. The bed has ninja turtle sheets that have probably been on since the bed was purchased.

"Oh you have a trundle bed that is convenient." Amy remarks trying to mask any disappointment in her voice.

"Yes, what I asked for was a bunk bed with a slide, my mother thought I might risk injury ,on a bed such as that. Also she had the mistaken impression that I wanted a bunk bed so I could have a guest over. So Mother thought a trundle bed was the perfect compromise. Needless to say I was disappointed in my lack of bunk bed and she was disappointed in my lack of guests."Sheldon sighs.

" I guess I am the first guest to sleep there." Amy says.

"No not the first, once when I came home for the summer my sister had a male friend staying with her and he slept in the trundle. Thankfully he would disappear in the middle of the night and not return until morning. You are however the first guest I invited and the only girl other than my mother and sister to set foot in my room." Amy smiles at him.

"Well I guess we should get to sleep, I am sure there will be lots to do in the morning." Amy tells him

"The bathroom is down the hall on the left if you would like to wash up and change in there. I will let you go first then I will go." Amy gathers her things and goes down the hall. She takes a hot shower scalding all the indecent thoughts from her brain. She is here to support her boyfriend who is in pain not scheme of ways to jump his bones. Amy stares at herself in the mirror as she brushes her teeth. Her cheeks look a tad to pink, her eyes look tired of course it is almost two in the morning now. Amy wraps her robe tightly around herself and pads back down the hall into his room. Sheldon is not in there anymore she wonders where he went. Amy gets into trundle bed, the sheets smell fresh and she notices that they have been changed from ninja turtles to a pink floral. There is also a fluffy pink blanket folded neatly at the foot of the bed that was not there before. Amy smiles into her pillowcase picturing Sheldon carefully picking out and changing the linens. Amy starts drifting off when she hears Sheldon enter the room again. He climbs into his bed silently, Amy chances a look at him and sees that he is laying face up on the bed staring at the glow in the dark stars pasted there.

"Amy?" he asks into the darkness.

"Yes?"

"Thank you for coming with me."

"Of course, I am here to support you that is my job as your girlfriend." Amy sees him slowly and deliberately move his hand from on his chest to dangle off the side of his bed near Amy. With an unspoken understanding Amy knows what he wants and grabs his hand in hers and gives it a gentle squeeze. Amy moves to remove her hand but Sheldon holds on fast and eventually Amy drifts off still gripping his hand.