Chapter Fifty

Epilogue: The New Beginning Experiment

By 5 p.m. the Friday after Erik and Amy's wedding, Sheldon finally finished unpacking. He'd taken great care putting his things in their new places and double checking with Rosemary when she arrived home from work. She'd returned to the museum Monday and spent a couple of hours in the afternoon at the community college working on curriculum for her three-week intensive course in comparative religion after the weekend. Thus, Sheldon remained home alone most of the day, exploring his new habitat, making the place his. No…theirs.

He spent a couple of hours each day walking around the neighborhood, then venturing out driving a bit further into the greater area. He discovered the elementary school down the street, noticing the basketball court where he and Rosemary could play. He registered as a member of her gym. He planned the most efficient route to his new job, sitting in his car in the parking lot staring at the entrance to the building, wondering what Monday morning would bring. He already spoke to Grant on the phone and would meet him at 9 a.m. sharp. Sheldon also found the local comic shop, introducing himself to the proprietor, surprisingly an older woman who loved superheroes and dedicated her retirement years to comic books. He also read about the local history and politics, discovering the senator Rosemary disdained, learning the names of the movers and shakers of Tacoma.

Every night he made Rosemary dinner, pulling from recipes he'd collected over the years from Bernadette, Mrs. Wolowitz, Raj, his mother, Meemaw. Tonight would be Amy's beef stew, and the smell of the simmering broth now filled the entire townhouse. But Sheldon knew it wouldn't be ready for another two hours, giving Rosemary time to enjoy a latte when she got home.

Sheldon lay on his and Rosemary's bed, sighing heavily, happy his work was complete. Leaning over to put his face on her pillow, he breathed in her scent and felt relieved and at home. Suddenly, he heard the garage door open. Rosemary was home!

Bounding down the stairs, he entered the kitchen the same time as her, wrapping her in his arms without a word and taking over her mouth. Dropping her bag, she put both her hands on either side of his face and sighed into him.

"Hey baby," she said pulling away.

"I'm all moved in, kitten," he said, turning to the expresso machine. "Vanilla latte?"

"Sheldon, you're spoiling me," laughed Rosemary, putting her bag on one of the kitchen chairs. "What am I going to do when you go to work next week? Are you sure you don't just want to be my stay-at-home man? My own personal love slave?"

Sheldon chuckled. He did enjoy domestic responsibilities and pleasing Rosemary, but he looked forward to his new work adventure on Monday. After a Rosemary-filled weekend of course.

As Sheldon made her coffee and prepared some tea for himself, Rosemary stretched and moved to the living room, sitting at the piano.

"Oohhh, I've been waiting to get my fingers on you all day," she said to the instrument, then turned to Sheldon. "And you too…but later."

Sheldon smiled, setting her coffee down on the coaster on the small end table near the piano, moving to sit in his spot with his cup of tea.

"Requests?" she asked him.

"You played Brahms when we first met," recalled Sheldon. "I woke up to you playing in the next room. It was the most beautiful music I'd ever heard."

Rosemary turned to smile at him, her brown eyes shining. "Alright, Brahms it is."

She pulled out a music book and began to play, stopping from time to time to sip her latte. Sheldon sat and listened, watching his lovely Rosemary, drinking his earl grey, and feeling certain he'd found true happiness along with his true love.

Nearly 13,000 miles away, Erik and Amy emerged from the Libreville airport into the warm, humid air. The flight long, the couple exhausted, Amy suddenly felt a renewed excitement at finally arriving after waiting for so many months. They'd traveled with Louis and Anne since they all lived in the L.A. area. Greeted by a large SUV, the group piled in and began the two day drive to Loango National Park.

The closer they got, the more Amy began to feel she was living in a dream. The landscape so different from back home. Her husband – husband! – by her side, taking pictures of her, their friends, the surrounding area, the local people when they stopped for a rest. Louis had his film camera out, and even interviewed Amy as they sat together in the backseat, already working on the documentary. Anne studied Erik's hand, assuring him she could remove the stitches, but there would still be a scar.

After sleeping soundly at a modest inn several hours out from the forest, the group finally arrived at the research site, the rest of the team already there, Jill and Stan having arrived three weeks before to work on habituation with the local chimp troop. After unpacking in their tent, which appeared far more spacious than Amy imagined, Erik grabbed her hand and took her to one of the three Jeeps the team was going to use.

"Okay, you have to see this, babe," he said.

Driving down the park roads, they came finally to the beach, Amy catching her first glimpse of the equatorial Atlantic Ocean.

Erik led Amy out to the beach. "I hope they're here," he said.

"Who?"

Erik's bright hazel eyes lit up in delight, causing Amy to automatically smile. "Them," he said, pointing out at the beach.

A small group of hippopotami played in the surf. The waves washing over the large animals, they walked around on the sand, nuzzled one another, played. After several moments, Amy realized she was just staring open-mouthed at them. She turned to Erik who smiled at the creatures.

"The legendary surfing hippos of Loango," he said, not taking his eyes of them. "Aren't they amazing? But never go near. Hippos are the most dangerous animals on the continent." He suddenly turned and grabbed her hand. "Oh Amy, I'm so glad you're here with me, sharing this adventure. I never knew when we met that day you'd be mine, and we'd be standing on the beach watching this." He turned back to the surf. "I just…I love you…and I'm so excited to share my life with you."

Amy watched the hippos silently, a tear falling down her cheek. Just a year ago she'd broke up with Sheldon and began dating Erik. Eight months ago they moved in together and everything just seemed so natural. Six months ago he'd proposed, in the sweetest way possible. And just a week ago they'd been married, forever binding their souls to one another. At that moment, Amy's heart felt like it would burst with love and happiness.

"I love you, Erik," she whispered.

Amy and Erik found a piece of drift wood to sit on as they watched the hippos. She removed her cardigan, which was already becoming wet from her sweat, and placed it beside her, Erik draping his arm over her shoulders. They stayed like that for almost an hour, mostly silent, just watching. Falling in love. Traveling the world. Researching chimpanzees in their natural habitat. Driving a Mustang along the California coast. Making love in a beautiful place to a wonderful man. Pursuing tenure at work. Finally, Amy found her way, and she really had entered a whole new world.

The couple watched the surf until the sun set and then returned to their campsite for their new beginning.

The End

I would like to dedicate The New Beginning Experiment to my wonderful husband who served as my editor and sounding board for this entire story, who encouraged me to follow my heart with my plot and original characters. I'm so grateful for his support in this new hobby as well as all my other endeavors.

Special thanks to all the site members and guests who followed, favorited, and recommended this story. I also appreciate all the reviews offering kind words of support. I enjoyed this whole fan fiction process immensely, and I look forward to interacting with many of you again.

And now a preview of The True Love Stratagem:

Life for Dr. Sheldon Cooper has never been better. His dark matter theory is taking the world by storm, his new employers give him space and support to pursue his research, and he comes home every evening to his lovely historian girlfriend Rosemary Fox. Despite the often difficult situations accompanying a new job, including challenging co-workers and missing his friends, Sheldon is on top of the world and emerging as a leader in the physics game. Even navigating the new romantic landscape of living with a woman, interacting with two families, establishing a routine with a very busy lover, and meeting Rosemary's former flames seem tasks Sheldon takes on with an ease…well, somewhat.

But the more things change, the more things stay the same. Suddenly, Rosemary takes on a huge project, plunging both her and Sheldon into the shark tank. Our favorite theoretical physicist is thrust into one difficult social situation after another, making him question his choice to move away from Pasadena. Will he buckle under the pressure or will he rise to be the man Rosemary needs?

The True Love Stratagem will feature all The Big Bang Theory characters as well as many of the original characters from The New Beginning Experiment (some in a larger capacity than others). Also expect comedy, romance, adventure, and travel to places near and far. Oh, and a jealous Sheldon. Look for an M rating because I can't help myself, and thus neither can Sheldon and Rosemary (plus, Sheldon hasn't seen Rosemary as Wonder Woman yet. Hmmmm…).

And for all you Amy and Erik fans…

I plan to go back to them too, although they will play a small role in the Sheldon/Rosemary story (they are in Gabon, after all). I'm currently beginning writing a special Christmas tale with the couple, so stay tuned for more this December! Something sweet just in time for the holidays.

Thank you all so much for reading! Hope to see you in the next story.