A/N: No point in saying sorry now, huh? I still am, for the delay.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to The Big Bang Theory, included in this story. Characters and plot that are related to the show belongs to their rightful owners.

Chapter 3: The Endeavor Re-calibration

Sheldon stares out the window while waiting for Amy to finish changing. Among the many interesting factoids that his beloved girlfriend has mentioned, staying in the wilderness was one of the most beneficial to him. He wouldn't admit it to anyone, but he enjoyed their time at that cabin in Big Bear more than he thought he would. The cozy ambience and Amy's tantalizing playfulness when she got tipsy almost broke his resolve to only have coitus with her once a year. Luckily, she fell asleep while he was in the bathroom.

He returns to the present when he hears the bathroom door open and close. Amy was now dressed in a soft pink, floral dress with a gray cardigan over it. He didn't know it was possible, but the combination of gray and pink was bringing out a radiant glow in her. Plus, the dress she was wearing was hugging her curves, beautifully. He tries to focus his attention to something else while she puts away her used clothes, but fails miserably. He couldn't tear his eyes off her.

When she saw him staring at her, she couldn't help but look down at her dress. She looked back at Sheldon and saw the same expression on his face. She raises an eyebrow at him and he just shrugs and looks at something else.

"Is there something wrong with my dress?" she asks.

"No. It looks... you know, feminine," he answers, not wanting to reveal how he really feels about the dress.

"Feminine? It's a floral dress, Sheldon. It's supposed to be feminine." Amy retorts, making her way to the door.

Sheldon moaned once her back was turned. Berating himself internally at how foolish he sounded, stating the obvious; a floral dress, feminine. What a witty response, Cooper!

"Amy, wait!" he calls, following her out the door.

Although Amy was impressed by Sheldon's food choice for their lunch, she was upset about his reaction earlier. Technically, he didn't say that she was dressed badly, but he didn't say anything good about her look either. Would it really hurt to give me a compliment every once in a while? She asks herself.

Sheldon keeps on shooting glances at his girlfriend, trying to see her face and get some clue as to why she got all upset about him saying that her dress was floral; other than stating the obvious, he really didn't have a clue why she won't even look at him. Once they were both done with their food, she gets up and makes her way back to the hall, planning to return to their room and rest. She didn't know that Sheldon had something else, planned that afternoon. Before she could cross the threshold, Sheldon grabs her by the arm and turns her around. She smacks right into his chest and and bounces off. She almost toppled over until Sheldon locks her with his other arm, in a tight embrace.

"Ugh! Sheldon!"

He releases her, panicking with the thought that she got hurt. He moves back to give her space and examines her reaction if she was in any sort of pain.

"What do you think are you doing?" she asks, annoyed.

"I'm sorry. Did I hurt you?" he asks her with concern.

"No, but what was that all about?" she complains, straightening out her dress.

"I apologize. You were about to leave and I didn't want you to go just yet," Sheldon said, not looking at her, but at the floor.

"What? And stay here? I thought you didn't want to meet the rest of the lodgers?" Amy asks, confused.

"Well, I didn't mean stay here. I was wondering if you would like to join me outside?"

Amy looked out the window that was looking out to the back of the BNB, and then back at her quirky boyfriend. "Why? What's outside?" she asks suspiciously.

"Well, there are wooden benches, bushes, trees; some of which are bearing fruits-"

"Sheldon!" she hissed at him.

"What? You were asking me, I was simply giving you the answers I know." Sheldon said, shrugging.

"Never mind. Let's just go." And with that, she stomped her way through the hall and out the door.

The moment Amy takes in the view, she was amazed. Other than the obvious things that Sheldon mentioned earlier, there was a pond nearby. A few waterlilies were scattered around it, all of which, had flowers. She was sure that it was man-made because or how ornate the whole thing looked. A wooden bridge was situated at the far left of the pond and the pathway to it was lined with bright colored flowers. The early hours of the afternoon wasn't as hot as one would expect in California. She turned to look at Sheldon was saw that he was looking at her with a cute, albeit smug, grin on his face. She rolled her eyes at him and started walking around the garden. Sheldon just followed her around, spouting facts about various plants and flowers that they were passing by.

Amy made her way to the pathway, leading to the bridge. Sheldon just walked behind him, secretly enjoying how Amy looked radiant in this kind of setting. Nature. Who would've thought he'd enjoy such? He shook his head and adjusted his pace to catch up with Amy. The bridge had a few steps before you could start crossing it. She waited for him at the bottom, extending her hand for him to take. It was his time to roll his eyes.

"Do not ruin this for me," she warned, then laughed when his eyes grew bigger and his eyebrows shot up. She grabbed his hand and gently tugged for him to start their way up the bridge.

The bridge provided at least seven feet of elevation and allowed the couple to see the distant mountains and vineyard that's surrounding them. Amy let go of his hand and leaned forward, placing her elbows along the railings. She inhaled and exhaled the fresh air around them. Sheldon stood next to her, hands clasped behind him. He swept their surroundings with an appreciative look. This wasn't so bad. Now I don't understand why I was ever averted to nature…

He felt a pair of eyes on him and sure enough, Amy was looking up at him. He raised an eyebrow, asking without words, why she was staring at him. She just shrugged, smiled and looked ahead again. Whatever it was that's keeping Sheldon from proposing to her, it no longer mattered. She trusts him and his timing. He will do it when he thinks it's the right time. He wasn't a perfectionist for no reason. It's not as if she needs to worry anyway, at this point, she should already know how committed Sheldon is to her. Not to mention, he's been going through great lengths lately to improve his participation in their relationship. In his own way, Sheldon was doing everything to be the best boyfriend she could ask for. And this is without her, having to tell him what to do.

"Sheldon?"

"Hm?"

"Why did you think of going back here?" she asks.

He looked down at her, then up the sky. "Nothing, really. I just wanted to go somewhere while spending my time off, work."

"Why not Disney or some convention? Wouldn't you have enjoyed that, more?" she inquired, straightening and turning around to lean against the wood railings instead.

"While that may be true, I know you wouldn't enjoy a comic convention and Disney was getting kind of old in my book. We just went there before summer started. I didn't want to go back, so soon," he answers mirroring her position.

Amy was confused. "What does my inclination toward comic conventions, have to do with you spending your vacation time?"

He frowned at her and stared with an expression that made her feel like the answer is obvious. It clearly wasn't. "What?" she asks.

He sighed and reached for her hand. He wove their fingers together and raised their joined hands, studying how they seem to fit perfectly. This only confused Amy more. This is the first time he willingly wove their fingers together. Normally, they would hold hands but not like this. And why was he examining their hands?

"I've never told you before, but that year that I chose to spend my vacation days with you in your lab…" he started, and Amy looked at her to see why he stopped talking.

"Yes?" she urges, squeezing his hand.

"Well after that, if you noticed, the succeeding years that followed, I have been using my time off with you…"

"I guess I never really thought about that, Sheldon." She leaned her head on his shoulder.

"Well... I just feel like, whatever kind of uncomfortable situation I'm thrown in, as long as I get to face it with you, it becomes more... bearable."

Had they not been talking about his distaste of spending his paid time off and something more life changing, she would've been over the moon because of his revelation. Nonetheless, it still made her heart flutter. She looked up at him and smiled. When he met her gaze, he gave a shy smile. She didn't know why, but he looked really charming to care.

They stayed liked that for a while. Just looking out into the vast mountain view of Napa Valley, talking about anything and everything. They could've stayed there for the rest of the day, but the weather did not want to cooperate. The sky turned dark and Sheldon asked her to get inside the inn before the rain starts and soaks them. Sure enough, just as they were getting inside their room, the downpour started.

"It's a good thing the only activity left in our itinerary for tonight is to have dinner at six," Sheldon says, crossing the room to where Amy was.

Amy looked out the window, observing how the trees and bushes were moving because of the wind, while Sheldon sat on the bed.

"What other things do you have in that itinerary of yours?" she asks, closing the drapes and taking a book out, from her luggage.

"Well, our scheduled meals, a trip to a vineyard, boarding a train, going to the Napa Valley Museum. Oh, and for our last day, we're going to see the Napa Valley Model Railroad Historical Society display!" he adds excitedly.

Amy did not feel very enthusiastic about the train display visit, but she didn't let him see any sign of it. The rest of the weekend seems nice and she wouldn't want to disappoint Sheldon by not sharing his excitement about trains. So she smiled at him before taking a seat in one of the pristine chairs next to the windows.

The pitter-patter of the rain on the window had a calming effect on Sheldon. With the travel time spent in a car and the good meal they had for lunch, Sheldon was slowly dozing off. Amy turned her attention to her boyfriend and saw that his eyes were already closed when she didn't get a response after asking a question. She stared at him softly. He looked peaceful in his sleep, so she allowed him to just take a nap. Eventually she moved to the bed next to him. She continued reading even after the rain had stopped.

When Amy looked at the time, she saw that it was almost time for dinner. They had twenty minutes to get ready. She was considering letting Sheldon sleep in, but thought that he'd be upset if they miss dinner just because of an unscheduled nap. Before waking him up, she looked at his features closely, like a person, admiring a painting. She lightly brushed a few strands of his hair away from his forehead.

Sheldon was a light sleeper - most days - and can easily be awoken by the slightest movements around him. When he felt something on his forehead, he slowly opened his eyes and blinked a few times. Amy, who was startled by Sheldon waking up, jumped a little and almost fell off the bed. Sheldon was quick to grab her by the arm and pulled her close to him. The sudden rush stunned them, both. A minute passed before they even became aware of their position. Amy was locked in Sheldon's arms and her face was buried in his chest. She could hear his accelerated heartbeat while his nostrils were filled with the smell of her shampoo. She liked the sound of his heart and he liked the scent that has become so familiar to him, it had become his favorite.

"Are you okay?" he asks her, putting distance between them.

She looked up at him and met his gaze. There was about two inches space between their faces. But that was enough to feel the heat emanating from his skin. Plus those his eyes... Those pools of blue can drown any woman in a blink.. she thought. "Yes, I'm fine. Thank you for pulling me back."

The intensity of his gaze was too much for her so she looked away and sat up. Sheldon didn't budge at all but looked up to find that she was... blushing.

"Don't mention it," he says, getting up and sitting closer to her.

Amy was fascinated by this move. He was looking intently at her like he was studying her. She couldn't help but get a little nervous.

"Is there something on my face?" she asks, bringing up a hand to touch her face.

Sheldon just shook his head and moved his sight to her lips, then back to her eyes.

"Amy, I..." he begins, swallowing a lump in his throat that was not there a moment ago.

Amy watched his Adam's apple bob up and down. Then without warning, his lips were on hers. Amy was caught off-guard, but she quickly regained her senses and shut her eyes. It was a slow kiss at first, but it continued to gain momentum until they found a steady, familiar rhythm. Sheldon placed one hand on her hip and the other hand supported her back. Amy placed her arms around his shoulders. This went on for a few minutes, and then it was over and Sheldon was getting off the bed.

As sudden as their impromptu make-out session has started, it ended without a warning.

Sheldon turned around to look at her and nodded. "Alright. Dinner is in five minutes. I need to use the bathroom, first." he tells her and went left the room without waiting for her acknowledgement.

Amy's eyes remained glued to where Sheldon was standing one second ago.

"What on earth was that about?"