The first few chapters are some backstory for Sheldon and Amy and then the story takes off. Hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: TBBT characters are not mine.

As he looked in the bedroom mirror, Sheldon adjusted the hoodie under his jacket for what must have been the tenth time since getting dressed. He thought he looked beyond ridiculous and wondered how he was going to wear this atrocity all night and not burn up from the heat. "It is sunny California for goodness sake!" he mumbled under his breath.

Sheldon stood there for a while looking in the mirror. He finally decided to pick up the black frames from the dresser and put them his face. He looked at his reflection and swiftly removed the glasses. Halloween or not, he decided, he just could not go through with wearing this particular costume.

Sheldon adored dressing up for Halloween. It had always been a favorite activity of his as a child and even now as an adult. Though he had always been comfortable in his own skin (he had to be given his so-called idiosyncrasies) he enjoyed at times projecting the persona of someone else. Especially if that person or robot or superhero was someone he admired.

Someone like his favorite radioactive scientist, Madame Curie; the great Professor Hawking, his physics idol; or even a beloved character from one his favorite movies, C3PO. But this costume – ugh! Why-oh-why did Stuart decide to revive the Halloween party at the comic book store?

Sheldon had actually been excited when Stuart and Denise told the gang they had decided to have a costume Halloween party. It had been years since the last Halloween party. The comic book store had to rebuild after the horrible fire and then it took a while before it was back on its feet. Things really took off last year though and Stuart even had to hire an assistant, Denise.

Sheldon really liked Denise even though she was the reason that the theme for tonight's party was "come as part of a couple". Stuart had gone all hippy dippy in love. Personally, Sheldon was fine with a couples costume; however, just like the last Halloween party Stuart had thrown, he and Amy could not agree on what to wear.

Sheldon reflects back on the memory of he and Amy trying to decide on a couples costume years ago. He remembers even after using a Venn diagram they could not come to an acceptable conclusion. So just like they have done as a couple over and over again, they compromised. They were honest with each other about their wants and needs and then made the decision together.

Sheldon shakes his head and smiles as he remembers his naivety when Amy offered her alternatives to a couples costume and he asked her for the definition of a hickey. Boy, he thought, that really was a long time ago.

Back then, Sheldon could still keep his physical attraction to Amy at bay. Whenever his desire for her overwhelmed him, he simply stopped it. His mind was always thinking about multiple things at once and he could easily shift his full attention from one thought to another. Additionally, he had perfected the Vulcan practice of Kohlinar for just such occasions.

He does recall; however, from that night years ago, that he had to excuse himself to the bathroom upon hearing Amy's biologically correct, yet unnecessarily graphic description, of how one gets a hickey. It took him several minutes and a few splashes of cold water to his face to calm down enough for his pants to lay down normally again so he could return to the living room.

He and Amy were married now and had far surpassed the adolescent practice of giving hickeys. Although, occasionally one did still appear if they got carried away in their lovemaking sessions. As a married couple though, he and Amy were free to express their physically affection toward one another without worry. Sheldon had often worried in the past about many things surrounding physical intimacy with Amy.

When Sheldon first met Amy, he was delighted to meet someone whom with he could have a fulfilling intellectual friendship. He worried though because knew he was attracted to Amy from the moment he met her. He decided; however, it would be much easier to just deny his attraction to her than acknowledge his feelings. And it was, at least for a while.

When he knew he wanted Amy to be his girlfriend, he worried because had no idea what was involved with a boy/girl relationship of more than just the mind. He did not like entering unfamiliar territory so he decided to draft the "Relationship Agreement". The agreement would contain boundaries, restrictions and guidelines that would serve him well. And it did, at least for a while.

He worried he could not keep with all of the addendums he needed to add to the agreement as he was the one who continued to push those boundaries time and time again. He worried when he knew that he wanted to have coitus with Amy, something that definitely pushed the boundaries. He worried he might become overwhelmed and ruin everything. He worried he might lose her because he did something wrong.

For someone who prided himself on not letting emotions dictate his life, it was quite frightening to be that vulnerable and give yourself completely to someone. Sheldon was worried about the ultimate act of trust. Sheldon was also worried that he simply was not ready, not prepared, to be physically intimate with Amy. Coitus for him, when he bothered to think about it at all, was simply an act that was not a part of his "life dedicated to science" plan. He had never spent time pursuing it because if something did not fit into his future, he simply disregarded it.

What Sheldon had not understood (and how could he because no one had ever told him) was that loving someone and trusting them so implicitly that you wanted to be with them forever, made all the difference.

Looking back Sheldon recognized that he almost lost his love forever, not because he did something wrong, but because he waited too long to do something at all. He waited too long to give into that vulnerability and trust to get past the worry to show her how he felt. Sheldon thanked a deity he did not believe in daily that her incredible patience with him outweighed his fears and incredible stubbornness.

Right now; however, as Sheldon stares in the mirror, his patience had grown incredibly thin and he started to remove his jacket and hoodie. He stopped. He remembered how important things like this were to Amy. No, he thought, she is worth any amount of discomfort. It is only one night. Besides if Superman can do it, Sheldon thought, then I can do it.

Sheldon replaced the frames on his face and stared at his reflection. Just like Clark Kent, he surmised. Tonight I will be the quiet demure alter ego to my bold brave superhero, he thought, nodding with determination. With one final glance at his ruffled up hippy hair, Sheldon stepped away from the dresser and looked towards the bathroom. The bathroom door was closed with Amy still inside.