Amy Farah Fowler had never felt so nervous about doing an experiment before. Of course, never before had she done an experiment involving Dr. Sheldon Cooper of this type before. Especially one that would go against everything in their Relationship Agreement.

It was Penny who had given her the idea, if unintentionally. Of course, someone like her bestie Penny would not have come to this particular end of the train of thought that she'd started Amy on, but the origin of the idea had come from her and credit was due where it was due. Though, whether the experiment failed or succeeded, it was certainly not going into an publication, so Penny wouldn't be seeing her name in print as creditor. Hopefully her bestie could forgive her for that.

The idea had seemed simple enough. Amy had been enjoying dinner with Penny at the blonde's apartment, directly across the hall from Sheldon and his group of friends. It had been Friday night, and neither girl had had any plans with their respective partners. If Bernadette had not been under quarantine for mishandling small pox molecules while playing a prank on a new member of the laboratory, she probably would have been with them.

Dinner had been take-away linguini with butter sauce, scallops, and white wine with tiramisu for dessert. It would have been a pleasant best friends evening with Penny, but she found herself unable to concentrate on the banal, but amusing conversation they were having, namely, Penny regaling her with a tale of an old man who had tried to pick her up at the restaurant.

"And then he turned purple, sprouted eight tentacles, and sucked his dinner up like a fly."

"What?" Amy had asked.

"You're not listening to me. What's got you down?"

Amy had sighed and set her cup down. "I apologize for focusing my attention on matters other than your engaging story of, as you put it, the 'skeezy creeper' but something is bothering me."

"Yeah, what?"

"Well, it's my understanding that generally on a Friday night, those who have 'significant others' typically spend those Friday nights with them."

"Oh, yeah, well, you know, it doesn't have to be every week."

"Yes, I understand. Date night with Sheldon is only the second Thursday of the month, third if it's a month with five days. Hence, my frustration. I'm frustrated that my relationship with Sheldon has not gotten any further."

"Oh, honey, I know. Sheldon's… difficult."

"Based on your pause, I suspect you intended a different adjective."

Penny had smiled, but said, "Do you want to talk about it?

"I'm sorry, I thought we were talking about it?"

"No, no, I mean… When someone says that, they're inviting the other person to rant about what's bothering them. So… rant."

"Rant means to espouse aggravation on a subject in a fervent manner that does not necessarily present a solution to the problem being espoused upon, doesn't it?"

Penny had hesitated for a second. "Uh… yeah, I think so. So, rant. I'm all ears."

"I appreciate your offer, but I wish to find a way to expedite our relationship, and ranting does not seem to head toward that end."

"Well…" Penny had looked stumped. She picked up her wineglass and took a drink. "I don't know. Okay, if it's not too embarrassing for you, tell me how far you've gotten."

"Why would it be embarrassing? It's my understanding that in friendships, girls typically gossip about their sexual exploits with various men."

"Okay, yeah, you're right."

"We have had dinner together on numerous occasions, I have held his hand, we cuddled on the couch once when I was upset-" Even Amy had known not to bring up the reason for the upset, as doing so might cause Penny feelings of discomfort, and she had wanted to focus on the topic at hand.

"Okay, not everything you've done," Penny had said. "Have you kissed him?"

"Yes. According to him. Unfortunately, I don't remember it."

"Oh, my God, really?! You kissed?!" Penny had squealed excitedly then frowned. "Wait, why don't you remember it?"

"Apparently I kissed him while drunk after the night we took him dancing."

"Oh. Oh, I'm sorry, after all this, and you can't remember? Well, what did he say? Was he mad?"

Amy had considered carefully. "I'm not sure. He said it casually and did not ask me not to do it again. However-"

"There you go!" Penny had interrupted enthusiastically. "He liked it!"

"I don't know if he enjoyed it. After that, I said I wasn't sure where to go from here and he said that it would probably be best if we reset our relationship to the point when we both agreed it worked. I was relieved by the suggestion and agreed. Would he have suggested that if he wasn't upset by the kiss?"

Penny had frowned thoughtfully and took another swallow of wine. "Maybe he was just offering you a way to get over your awkwardness. He didn't end the relationship, right? Is that the only time you kissed him? That was so long ago!"

"You remember the Relationship Agreement I signed, don't you? No physical touching is a-"

"Oh, balls! Ignore that stupid thing! Leonard does it all the time with that stupid Roommate Agreement and they're still friends." Penny had laughed and set down her empty wineglass. "You know what, there you go! That's what you need to do! Ignore it!"

"But if I do that, and he finds it grounds to break up with me…"

"Maybe he will, but do you want to stay like this? A boyfriend who'd rather spend Friday night playing videogames than with you?"

"Leonard is over there playing games and you seem okay with that fact."

"He invited me out, I just felt sorry for you-" Penny had stopped and covered her mouth with her hands. "Oh, Amy, I'm sorry! I'm drunk, I didn't mean to say that!"

"Sorry for me?" Amy had repeated, beginning to feel a bit annoyed. Pity, from her bestie?

"Look," Penny had dropped her hands. "Yes, but just because Sheldon is an asshole."

"Sheldon is not an asshole."

"Sorry. Okay, look, let's start over, okay? I'm sorry, forgive me?"

Amy had sighed. She couldn't stay mad at Penny. It was why they were still best friends despite her ditching Amy to bridesmaids shop with Bernadette, hurting her feelings greatly. There was just something about the radiant young woman from Nebraska who made it impossible to harbor hard feelings.

"You're forgiven."

"Good. Okay, back to Sheldon. Do you want to stay like this? In this… what's the big word, impasse?"

"That is the correct term for the situation. Stalemate, gridlock, and standoff are also acceptable."

"Great. Anyway, answer the question."

"No. That is why I announced my problem, as a means to engage you and find a solution."

"Right. So ignore the Relationship Agreement-"

"But what if he breaks up with me?"

Penny had sighed and rubbed her forehead, a sure sign of an impending headache. It was Amy's understanding that doing so in a situation like this indicated aggravation with the other person in the situation. Perhaps she was being difficult, like Sheldon? If so, she didn't mean to, she was just concerned that an aggressive tactic might work for someone as bold as Penny, but for her…

"That's a risk you'll have to take."

Amy had fidgeted nervously. "But I don't want to take that risk. I want to remain in a relationship with him."

"I know, Amy, but sometimes you just have to take risks. Boys are stupid, they need women to tell them what's going on, not come to the…" Penny had frowned and waved her hand. "I don't know, I'm drunk. The c-word."

"Inferring from the context of your sentence, I believe you mean conclusion?"

"Yes! Not come to the conclusion themselves. You have to tell them exactly what you want and make them do it." She had poured herself another glass of wine. Despite repeated claims to be drunk, Amy had noticed that she did not spill the wine onto the table. "Give Sheldon an ultimatum."

"That won't work with Sheldon," Amy had protested. "He'll turn me down and then break up with me."

"Oh, right, we're talking about Sheldon." Penny had rubbed her nose again. "Amy, is he really worth all this trouble?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean… Sheldon's my… friend, and I've known him, wow, almost six years, but he's… difficult. Is he worth all this stress he puts on you?"

"Of cour-"

"Wait, think about it carefully."

"Are you attempting to tell me I would be better off without him?"

"No. No, nothing like that, that's your decision. But this is Sheldon. He's rude, childish, insensitive, arrogant, inflexible, cold, and petty."

"You do seem to be leading me towards 'I'd be better off'," Amy had said testily.

"Nope. I've listed his faults. This is the part where you list his… you know, non-faults."

"The pros and cons of a relationship with Sheldon?"

"Yeah!" Penny had widened her eyes and wagged her finger. "That."

"Okay. Sheldon is smart, very smart, clean, uh, that sexy eidetic memory, and… is that enough pros?" Amy had been worried. "It doesn't amount to more bullet points than your list of cons."

Penny had smiled fondly at her. "Amy, if I were listing all of Sheldon's cons, listing the pros of all of the rest of the world together couldn't outweigh it. All right, let me help. Let's see… pros about Sheldon… pros about Sheldon…" Her eyes had wandered around the room. "Okay, how about this. You think Sheldon's memory is sexy. Okay, not my thing, but whatever. What about him? Do you think he's sexy?"

"Yes. He is very tall," Amy had smiled dreamily as she pictured her boyfriend. "He has broad shoulders and such alluring blue eyes, and can execute a perfect angle of incidence for-"

"Amy, I don't know what is."

"Well, it's-"

"Focus on Sheldon. He's good at math or whatever and somehow that's sexy. Okay, so, he's smart, and…clean, and you think he's sexy."

"Do you think he's sexy?"

Penny had been in the middle of taking a sip of wine. Now she nearly dropped the glass before it reached her lips. "WHAT?!"

"Compliments between girlfriends on their respective mates tends to be a common topic in gossip," Amy had said, puzzled by Penny's outburst. "For instance, Leonard. He's not as tall or smart as Sheldon, but he's very 'cute' I think is the best term. And he has a nice smile and laugh." Amy had thought it best to list more pros than cons for Leonard, lest she accidentally make Penny reconsider her relationship with him. It had just started up again. "He's also very friendly and certainly excellent at his chosen profession of experimental physics, otherwise the university would have fired him years ago."

Penny had given her one of those dumbfounded looks she gave when she wasn't sure what Amy had said. Although in this case, Amy wasn't sure why. She had been perfectly blunt in her explanation. Perhaps it was the wine that was making Penny confused. Maybe Sheldon DID have a point about the consumption of alcohol being a bad thing.

"I understand that you are not currently in a physical relationship with him, or any man, however, I understand that he is your last chosen mate, therefore, I chose him as the basis for my end of the gossip. If you find another mate, I will be sure to find a compliment for him. Now, aren't you supposed to compliment Sheldon?"

"You want me to say Sheldon is sexy?"

"I don't want you to say it if it's not true. Of course, if you don't think it's true, then I'll have to wonder at the personal basis for your criteria for physical attractiveness and concede to the adage 'to each their own'."

Penny had shook her head like she was trying to wrap her mind around what Amy had said. Yes, maybe Amy really should rethink her social drinking. "All right… well… Sheldon's not… ugly." Penny had looked thoughtful. "Honest answer, he's kind of cute, okay, really cute. You're right, he does have nice eyes. But Sheldon doesn't at all do it for me and we're talking about *you* and him. Why include me?"

"Compliments between girlfriends-"

"Right, right, sorry. Let's move on, okay? Sheldon is smart, clean, and sexy." Penny had coughed, but Amy had not seen a reason behind it but before she could inquire after Penny's health, Penny had continued on. "Anything else?"

Amy had thought for a minute, then looked up at Penny worriedly. Penny had smiled and patted her arm.

"Look, you don't have to have more pros than cons, okay? But if it'll make you feel better… let's see, Sheldon can be sweet in his own way. Like this one Christmas, he got me, like, fifteen different bath sets because he wanted to match the value of my gift to his. When he found out I got him Leonard Nimoy's signature on a napkin, he was so moved he even gave me a hug." Penny had smiled smugly. "I don't have to buy any more lotion or shower gel for, like, another twenty years. Oh, and I guess you can say his social awkwardness and naiveté is kind of endearing."

"No, it's not! That's the exact reason I'm sitting here with you trying to figure out how to move our relationship along!"

"Okay, okay. I was just giving you pros! I've done it, now answer the question. IS Sheldon worth all this trouble, yes or no?"

"Yes."

"Good."

"But I still don't know how to move this along without running the risk of a breakup. I don't think forcing Sheldon into a sexual encounter will-"

"Whoa, whoa, that's not what I meant. I meant tell him you want to take it to the next level and put your foot down, not rape him."

"Oh, good, I was beginning to be a little uncomfortable."

Penny had stared at her with that dumbfounded look again. Was the wine really affecting her that badly? Based on her weight and the amount of food she had consumed, the adverse affects shouldn't be hitting her this hard.

"In any case, an ultimatum will make him breakup with me, I'm sure of it."

Penny had sighed and taken another sip of wine. Amy had wanted to tell her to stop, concerned that the wine was somehow more potent than it's labeled alcohol content insisted, but she was too slow.

"Yeah, guys are pretty stupid about ultimatums. It's like it's a slight against their manhood or something, they always deliberately make the wrong choice. How about kiss him and see how he reacts?"

"I've done that."

"And you don't remember it."

"No, but a kiss is a kiss, I want something more."

Penny had blown out her air through pursed lips. "Cannot believe I'm having this conversation about Sheldon Cooper. Too bad you can't just trick him."

It was like the proverbial light bulb had flashed over Amy's had. "That's perfect!" she had exclaimed.

"What?" Now Amy had been genuinely concerned about the alcohol content in the wine bottle, but she had been unable to concentrate on that now that Penny had given her such a great idea. "Wait, where are you going?"

Amy had bounded up, too excited to stay. She had plans to make. "Sorry, bestie, thank you for dinner and dessert, but I have to flesh out this idea." She had grabbed her coat and opened the door. "Oh, and please stop drinking that wine, I'm worried that it's much stronger than it's label claims, you seem unable to follow what I'm saying despite my careful consideration to phrase myself to your intellectual level. Goodbye!" After all, she had had to make sure she took care of Penny's health, otherwise what sort of best friend was she?

And now here she was about to follow through on her plan. She had carefully considered all means to trick Sheldon into furthering their relationship. Today was the day because it was their designated date night and she didn't have to worry about one of Sheldon's friends interrupting them. She had invited Sheldon over to her place.

Penny had called her Saturday after undoubtedly sleeping off the effects of her over-potent wine, but despite Amy's concern over its alcoholic content, she had been able to remember the events of their Friday evening. She had insisted that Amy was making a mistake, and that she hadn't intended to make Amy believe tricking Sheldon was the way to go.

"How is that any different from raping him?" she had said.

"Oh, I understand the moral implications of what I said," Amy had insisted. "I will not be tricking him, I'll be seducing him. He just won't know that that's what I'm doing."

"Oh," Penny had said, though she sounded a bit uncertain. "How are you going to do that?"

"It's best I don't reveal my plan. Sorry, bestie, but secrets best remain secrets if they're kept to the owner."

"Uh… sure, whatever. As long as you're not doing anything illegal."

"Of course not. I can't really continue a relationship with Sheldon if I'm in prison and he's my accuser. I'll let you know how it goes."

"Okay… Well, good luck."

She would need the good luck. She was so nervous after being so confident in her plan that she almost called it off. But she steeled herself by reminding herself that it was up to her to move the relationship forward. If there was another con to add to Sheldon's list, it was his stubbornness. Also his frustrating lack of sexual curiosity. He claimed everything was already known about such matters, ergo he had nothing to be curious about, but she intended to prove him wrong.

Knock knock knock. "Amy." Knock knock knock. "Amy." Knock knock knock. "Amy."

Amy smiled. Sometimes Sheldon's obsessive-compulsive need for that knocking pattern could be annoying, but she also found it charming. It was, simply put, totally Sheldon.

Amy crossed to the door and opened it. "Hello, Sheldon."

"Good evening, Amy," Sheldon said with a smile. "I have big plans for our date night."

"Actually, I already came up with something."

"Oh. Well, certainly it can't be as interesting as seeing a conference on string theory at the convention center. I'm quite sure we'll find their proposals on the subject a hoot."

"As fun as that does sound, I actually want to do something scientific ourselves."

Looking intrigued, Sheldon walked into the apartment as she gestured for him to enter. He looked around, spying the suit and EEG and EKG machines by the couch. His puzzled expression was adorable. Amy found herself getting over her nervousness by the intoxicating aroma of his talc powder. He really was sexy. Even if he did break up with her, this night would be a memory she wouldn't regret making. At least she hoped so.

"What's that for?" Sheldon asked.

"The experiment is in neurobiology," Amy explained. "Therefore, an EEG is needed to measure your brainwave pattern and the EKG to measure your circulatory system."

"Oh. Well, neurobiology is not as fascinating as theoretical physics, but it does have its place in the world, I suppose." Amy did her best to ignore the barb to her profession. Sheldon was just arrogant, as Penny had said. "What do you need my help with?"

"I'm running an experiment on the way the brain processes dopamine in the face of discomforting situations."

Sheldon frowned. "You're going to give me something I'll enjoy and upset me at the same time?"

"Yes."

"Why do you need my help? This is a simple thing that any grad student desperate for-"

"I want you to help me because this is our date night and you're the only one I want to run this experiment on." She decided to play to Sheldon's ego. The fact that he had a hard time grasping the concepts of sarcasm and manipulation came in handy at times like this. "I need a superior brain free of outside influences to make sure the results are as exact as I want. I won't find a more superior brain than yours."

"That is true," Sheldon agreed without the slightest hint of humility. "All right. What do I need to do?"

"Put on that suit. It forms to your physique and allows me to attach the sensors to your chest to monitor your physiological reactions without you having to undress in front of me."

"Ah, excellent, you've thought of everything."

Amy rolled her eyes as Sheldon picked up the suit and walked into her bathroom and shut the door. She wouldn't have had to 'think of everything' if Sheldon was a little more primal. Of course, then he wouldn't be the Homo Novus he claimed to be. He prided himself on being anything but primal. Amy was going to show him that a little primitiveness could be fun.

Sheldon came back out of the bathroom and Amy couldn't help a tiny "hoo" from escaping. The suit really DID form to his physique. She couldn't take her eyes off his broad shoulders and slim hips. Pity he had to be so insistent on covering up all the time.

"Amy, don't you think this is a little revealing?" Sheldon complained, evidently not hearing her exclamation. "I understand the point was so that I wouldn't have to undress in front of you. This doesn't leave much to the imagination."

All the better in her opinion. But she didn't mention that. "Sheldon, you said you were going to help me. I know what I'm doing. Now, promise me you're not going to dig your heels in with every little thing. This is MY field of expertise and my experiment." She hesitated, then added. "Promise me, on your honor as a Texas gentleman, that you'll do whatever I say in the context of this experiment that you agreed to help me with."

Sheldon looked puzzled again. He seemed to have forgotten his discomfort with the tight suit. "I promise," he said. "But is it necessary to elicit such a strong promise-"

"All right, the experiment has started and I have your promise. Come here and sit down so I can put the sensors on."

Sheldon obediently came and sat on the couch. Amy had laid out the instruments on the left side of the coffee table, knowing that Sheldon gravitated toward the left of couches wherever they were, and that he had claimed that cushion of her couch as his spot in her apartment. She spent the next couple of minutes carefully attaching the sensors to his temples, chest, and back, making no big deal out of touching him even though his close proximity and his continuously alluring personal scent were driving her crazy.

"Okay, stand up."

Sheldon looked puzzled yet again. "What does that have to do with it?"

"Sheldon…"

"All right, you're the neurobiological expert. I'm just your superior brain you're manipulating." He stood, and Amy kept her eyes determinedly on his face.

"As you know, dopamine is the brain's 'feel-good' drug and can be triggered by any number of factors. It serves to act as a relaxant and anyone can become addicted to it, which is the real basis for addictions to the things that give us that feel-good sensation."

"Yes, I know," Sheldon said, sounding like he was struggling not to be irritated by her explaining things he already knew.

"Yes, but I want to know whether that addiction can surpass even the discomfort of an uncomfortable situation."

"What are you going to do to me?" Sheldon asked, sounding now a little nervous.

Amy tried not to react to the inadvertent perverseness of the question. He had said it innocently. Instead she said, "Remember, you promised me you'd let me do my experiment. I'm not going to hurt you."

Sheldon didn't look soothed. "I did promise," he said with reluctance. Then he brightened. "Is this like the experiment involving whether a hamster can learn to soldier through a painful electrical stimulation to receive a treat?"

"Not exactly."

"Good, because I don't like painful electrical stimulation. Although I do like treats, especially cookies."

This was it. Amy stepped forward, cupped his face between her hands, and pulled him down for a kiss. He stiffened and gasped, so Amy kept the kiss short. However, when she broke contact with his lips, she kept her hands on his cheeks. He was staring at her with wide eyes, looking shocked.

"Amy! What-"

She kept hold of his face even though he tried to straighten up. "Remember, you gave me your promise as a Texas gentleman."

"Yes, but-"

"Doesn't this make you uncomfortable?"

"Well, yes, but-"

Trying not to be hurt by that, knowing that he was uncomfortable with ALL forms of physical contact and with everyone, not just herself, she smiled. "Good, then I have the basis for the discomforting situation."

"Amy-"

"You promised," she said firmly, before dragging him into another kiss. He kept his hands at his sides, though he moved them aimlessly as if he was trying to push her away and couldn't bring himself to touch her. She ignored that, certain that all she had to do to get past Sheldon's discomfort was to get him used to it, like Bernadette had done with the blue jay. He had grown quickly accustomed to and even fond of the creature after being forced to experience it. She had kissed him before, even if she couldn't remember it, and he hadn't broken up with her over it. Of course, they hadn't been labeled directly boyfriend and girlfriend then.

She finally came up for air. She had kept the kiss close-mouthed so as to not push him too far too fast, but she had still put everything into it. When she pulled back this time, she was unbelievably gratified to see Sheldon slowly open his eyes. She wanted squeal with delight. He had closed his eyes! He had closed his eyes while she kissed him!

"Are you done with the experiment?" he asked weakly.

"No."

As she had told Penny, a kiss was a kiss and she wanted more. Ignoring the panicked look on his face, she moved her hands from his cheeks to his shoulders. She rubbed lightly and he straightened up like his spine had been replaced with a steel rod. Given the difference of their heights, that moved her hands down to his biceps. She gripped more tightly so as to keep him from moving away from her. His panicked expression grew as he felt her trap him.

"You've had two kisses," he said quickly. "A reliable basis for founding a hypothesis."

She glared at him. "Sheldon Cooper, you know very well two instances of anything does not establish a pattern."

He looked frightened that he couldn't come up with an argument for that. It was true, and he knew it. Of course, she wasn't interested in any scientific hypothesis. That had just been the trick. Instead, she risked him moving away and moved her hands to his chest. He jerked back as expected, his lower back striking the arm of the couch. Amy glared and stepped forward to grab his biceps again, pulling him forcefully back to her.

"You promised," she reminded him.

"I didn't know to what I was making a promise when I made it!" he yelled.

"Irrelevant. A promise does not negate just because you're unhappy with what you promised to. Didn't your mother raise you to keep your promises?"

Finally there was a little anger with Sheldon's alarm. "You're manipulating facts toward your own goal."

"A fact is still a fact," she replied, her heart pounding. She had to remain firm. That was the way to deal with Sheldon Cooper, firmness. Don't let him squirm out of something he didn't like. "Did you promise or not?"

"Yes!" Sheldon admitted with reluctance.

"Then shut up," Amy said. She moved her hands back to his chest. He shuddered and twitched, but didn't pull away again. "I am going to attempt to release dopamine levels in your brain through something that makes you uncomfortable. If I succeed, it will further my hypothesis."

Of course the experiment was a sham, but now that she was doing it, the scientist part of her realized that this would be relevant to her research on addiction. May she could include it without mentioning names.

Sheldon stiffened so much she wondered if his muscles were going to snap. He was looking upward above her head, mentally not there. Amy scowled, but didn't stop what she was doing. Let him try to meditate out of this. She dared him.

Amy slid her hands down to his belly, struggling with her own nervousness. She was determined. She was going to do this. It was high time she did.

Sheldon gasped and twitched away from her. Expecting it, she dragged him back. And as she did, she grabbed his hips instead of returning to his stomach. His face was now pale and there was a bit of perspiration on his forehead. She looked up at him and smiled. His hands were clenched into fists at his sides.

Amy stepped closer to him, until they were pressed together. He made a low noise of dismay and she imagined she could feel his heart pounding in his chest. He was breathing a little erratically. Well, the discomforting part of her experiment had certainly been achieved.

Amy wound one arm around Sheldon's waist and kept the other on his hip, rubbing lightly with her fingers. She refrained from touching his posterior. He'd probably faint.

"What exactly are you going to do?" he whispered anxiously. "Attempt to release-"

"HOW?!" he shouted.

"You promised not to drag your heels with every step, and that includes delaying questions. So be quiet and let me continue."

Sheldon closed his eyes. She stood on tiptoe and kissed him again. He turned his head away. Amy settled back on her feet, hurt, but said nothing. Instead, she kept her right arm around his waist to keep him from pulling away from her again and moved her left hand once more over his stomach. He made a whining noise, but she ignored him, instead fascinated with the sensation. Sheldon wasn't exactly an Adonis, but his belly was deliciously flat. She could feel the slight indentation of his belly button and mentally noted that he was an innie. She swirled her thumb around the indentation and Sheldon shuddered.

Amy dropped her eyes lower. Her cheeks heated up as she noted the visible bulge of his genitals outlined by the tight suit. Vascular throbbing accompanied by dry mouth and she knew she was getting aroused.

He wasn't.

Amy was frustrated. What was it going to take to get a sexual reaction out of Dr. Sheldon Cooper?

Sheldon let out a yelp loud enough to probably be heard from the street below the apartment building as she cupped him. He jerked so hard he nearly pulled her off her feet. She tightened her arm around his waist and looked up to see him looking at her with eyes so huge they rivaled those the tarsier of Asia. She smiled up at him.

"Amy!" he shrieked.

She didn't respond. Instead, she rubbed him gently, while inside mentally cataloging the feel. She had seen pictures of male genitalia in science books as well as that of the primates of her research lab, but nothing had prepared her for the feel of him. She could feel a yielding, round object that she knew had to be his scrotum and testicles, as well as the narrower cylinder of his penis.

"Amy, stop," he pleaded.

Amy fortified herself. Of course he was going to try to get out of this. She realized that she was crossing into the illegal territory Penny had been afraid of, but she couldn't stop now. She had to force Sheldon a little. He didn't give her any choice.

"No. You made me a promise and I'm not done yet," she grated. "Are you going to break your promise to me, Sheldon Cooper?"

To her relief and delight and even a little confusion, he didn't answer. Did a promise really mean that much to him?

Or was some small, but growing, part of him wanting this?

She wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. And speaking of growing things, she nearly jumped for joy as she felt a little stirring beneath her rubbing hand. She kept her eyes on Sheldon's face. He was still pale and perspiring, but she noted the faintest dusting of pink on his high cheekbones. Penny was right, he was really cute.

Amy concentrated on gently fondling him. He was shivering against her, his breathing still erratic, but now she wondered if she was imagining a little change in the quality of his distress. Either way, she had to keep herself from reacting as she felt him hardening beneath her ministrations. Unsure if the deepening blush on his cheeks was arousal or embarrassment-probably both-Amy didn't pause. As the suit he was wearing was more or less a wetsuit, she couldn't put her hand down his pants, but she had a feeling that wouldn't be necessary. What she was doing now was definitely getting a sexual reaction.

Sheldon was staring back at her as if hypnotized. His big blue eyes were still bigger… and not so blue. To her glee, they were now bordering on black. The blush on his cheeks was now deep red, and his chest was rising and falling rapidly.

Abruptly Sheldon closed his eyes. Realizing he was trying to retreat into meditation, Amy squeezed him lightly. He yelped, but didn't open his eyes. It didn't matter, as long as his attention was on what she was doing to him.

He was fully erect now. She memorized the feel of him. She hadn't realized it would be so hard, and she could feel his pulse in the rigid flesh. His testicles seemed to have tightened and moved closer to his body. Amy gritted her teeth against another 'hoo.' But she couldn't stop herself from wondering what it would look like. He felt so firm in her hand, and she marveled at the size. What would he feel like inside her?

Sheldon slowly tilted his head back and moaned. A tingle rippled through Amy, centering on her own genitals, as the sound echoed in her ears. She had never felt so sexually aroused in her life. She wanted to rip that suit off his body and straddle him, but instead, fascinated with his reactions, she kept up what she was doing. At the moment, she was more interested in his body than hers.

She could see the tendons straining in his neck. She could see the jut of his chin. When she glanced down, she could see that his still-clenched fists were white-knuckled.

Amy sped up her rubbing, pressing just a little harder into him. Her efforts were rewarded with another moan. He was shaking, his breathing so fast. The bulge throbbed against her hand, and somehow got even harder. Despite her lack of experience in this area, she realized she had brought him to the brink of an orgasm. She briefly wondered if he'd ever had one. The idea of him masturbating sent another tingle to her nether region.

It was also a power trip to have done this to him, get this reaction out of him. Now she knew precisely why romantic partners did activities like oral sex that gave them no physical enjoyment in of itself. Making a partner moan was satisfying on its own.

Amy kept up her ministrations, even though her arm was getting tired. Seeing the jut of Sheldon's jaw, the corded tendons in his neck standing in relief, was exhilarating. Hearing him pant was enthralling. And he was panting now, his breaths coming in loud exhalations from his open mouth. She watched as his chest heaved and nearly fainted herself when his hips moved against her rubbing hand.

"Oh, God!" Sheldon gasped.

Amy watched in open-mouthed amazement as his back arched and she felt the suit under her hand grow warm and sticky. He shuddered spastically against her and then abruptly collapsed. Amy was so surprised that she couldn't stop his fall and he thudded to the carpet. His eyes were open again, half-lidded and so amazingly dark. His face was bright red and his short bangs stuck to his forehead with sweat. She went to help him up, and he held out a hand to stop her, his expression dazed, but angry.

"Don't touch me."

Horrified, Amy stopped in her tracks. "Sheldon-"

"Get out."

"Sheldon, please."

"GET OUT!" he shouted, so loud that her ears rang.

He was ordering her out of her own living room, but she was frightened by the expression on his face. She backed up, then darted into her room and shut the door. She stood there, with bated breath, heart pounding, listening to the silence on the other side of the door. Then came a rustling, heavy footsteps, more rustling, more footsteps, and then the front door slammed hard enough to make the window behind her rattle.

Amy slowly opened her door. On the floor were the sensors and the suit. From her angle she could see enough of the bathroom counter to see that Sheldon's clothes were gone.

So was Sheldon.

Amy turned back into her room, then flung herself on her bed and burst into tears.

She'd ruined everything.