Cookies

"Please Amy"

"I don't know Sheldon. It seems weird now"

"I thought you two made up?"

"I suppose we did but it was a bit half-hearted"

"Well maybe this would help?"

Sheldon and Amy stood in his childhood kitchen surrounded by several pots and pans and piles of ingredients.

Amy held one arm with the other and looked doubtful. She was not sure about this.

"Last year you promised you would make Christmas cookies again for me" Sheldon pouted.

"Yeah, well that was before I knew that your grandmother hated me"

"She doesn't hate you" Sheldon sighed and drooped his shoulders.

"She literally admitted, in front of everyone, that she did not like me"

Sheldon frowned. He remembered that day. Meemaw had been very harsh on Amy.

It was not long before Meemaw herself was standing with them in the kitchen, donned in a frilly apron and wooden spoon in her hand.

"Shelly, you can break the eggs and Amy… you can pass me those scales"

Amy sighed to herself under her breath. Sheldon's grandmother had spent the whole of their baking session giving her menial jobs with no real purpose and being passive aggressive.

It bothered Amy. At least she was attempting to break the negative air between them, sadly Meemaw was not making the same effort. However, this was important to Sheldon so Amy decided to just keep on smiling.

Mary walked through the kitchen door and took a long, deep breath, "Mmm! Do I smell Christmas cookies?" she beamed.

"We're helping!" Sheldon grinned, whilst licking batter off a spoon.

"Well, some of us have been helping" Meemaw said bitterly under her breath, yet loud enough for everyone to hear. She shot a sour look at Amy.

Amy furrowed her eyebrows in anger. She had been trying to help but Meemaw had not let her.

The room fell silent. The oven timer bleeped signalling that the first batch of cookies were ready but no one moved to rescue them from the heat of the oven.

Sheldon and Mary watched cautiously as Amy and Meemaw shot daggers at each other.

"I don't like this" Sheldon finally broke. He ran out of the room, tears beading in the corners of his eyes.

Amy looked sheepishly at the ground. Her one aim was to not upset Sheldon but she had failed.

"I should probably go and talk to him" Meemaw began walking towards the door.

"No" Mary held her arm to stop her, "Amy should go"

Amy looked up in shock at Mary before moving her stare to Meemaw, to ask for permission.

Sheldon's grandmother simply nodded.

xxxxxx

"Sheldon?" Amy knocked on her boyfriend's childhood bedroom door.

Walking in slowly, she guessed that not much had changed. There was still figurines and collectables lining his shelves and posters hung on his walls.

Sheldon was curled up on his side, lying in bed.

Amy edged closer and sat on the edge.

Sheldon opened his teary eyes and moved his head to rest on her knee.

They sat quietly, Sheldon's tears rolled down his cheeks and left little drops in Amy's skirt.

She stroked his head and held out one of the Christmas cookies.

He took it but did not eat it.

"I just wanted you to get along" he whispered.

"I know. We will, one day. I promise" Amy whispered back.

"Besides" She shifted her position so she was lying on the bed next to him, "It's nice to have a little healthy competition"

Amy turned on her side and looked at her boyfriend. He gave her a small smile before biting half of the cookie and handing the rest to her.

"There is no competition" he murmured through crumbs, "You win"

Amy beamed in response whilst Sheldon wrapped an arm around her.

They lay there peacefully munching on cookies with heads pressed together in a tight embrace.