Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The brutal chirp of an alarm clock wakes Amy up. She jumps out of bed with a cold sweat, her hand flying to the screeching box. Her eyes dart around the room, hands gripping the sheets, before she can realize she's in her bedroom. No nightmares here.

Once she's grounded, she's able to plant her feet on the floor. The hardwood tiles are a shock to her just warm feet. She makes her way to the kitchen, though as soon as she reaches for the stove, she hears a piercing voice behind her. “Amy Farrah Fowler, get away from there! You're going to burn yourself!”

Amy groans. Begrudgingly, she lets her hand fall away from the stove. She mumbles, “yes, Mother,” as she steps aside to let her mother take over.

“Don't take that tone with me,” she says, only half-scolding, “you don't want to end up in the closet again. Unless you do, in which case we'd have to find somewhere else to assess your behavior.” Mother glances back at her daughter, making sure she's in her place. “Now, could you hand me the eggs from the fridge?”

Amy straightens her sleepwear, taking no time to grab the ingredients for Mother. She stands close by as Mother makes breakfast. Her hands are desperate to find something to do. They constantly switch from picking at her skin to fidgeting with her night blouse. She seems not to be in her usual demeanor today.

“Mother, if I may ask…” she pauses to make sure of her permission, “is there any chance I could go out later today?”

Her mother stops, full-on dropping everything she's doing. The air is thick, and Amy isn't even sure why yet. Mother turns, facing Amy fully. Her face has a look that she hasn't seen too often. Those scrunched eyebrows, frowned lips, squinted eyes. “Why…?”

Amy chuckles, brushing the back of her head. She subconsciously grasps her hair tightly, only realizing when the pain shoots through the back of her scalp. She lets go, speaking as she tries to be discreet about untangling her fingers from her long hair. “I read online that studying in public spaces like coffee shops can make a person more focused!”

“I don't like coffee. You know how I feel about coffee.”

“No, no,” Amy's hands raise in a submissive way, “I won't have coffee. Just water. If this theory is true, can you imagine how much I could get done?”

Mother frowns still, though her eyebrows relax. “It's not that you've been slacking off at work, have you?”

“I would never. I just… I feel it would be a nice experience. I could differ whether I work better in a lonely setting or a public one. For science.”

“I see… I suppose I could allow it this once.”

Amy lets out a breath once she hears this. The permission that she's seldom permitted. “Thank you, Mother,” she offers, her smile small and tentative.

Amy decides to get all dressed up. Who wouldn't be for such a nice occasion? She put on her good dress to go to the coffee shop. The one with flowers that shows her ankles. She almost feels bare with how much skin she has showing. Her sleeves even ride up her forearms! But her black boots are her favorite thing about her outfit. It fits her so well.

She sits down at a table with her cup of water and her laptop in front of her. She sets her notebook down, ready to take in the atmosphere. The small chatter of the people in the coffee shop fills her ears. The reek of the coffee is pungent. The way people dress here is so… slutty! This is what she gets for not wearing her cardigan. Mother was right.

The experiment seems to be a failure. This is not the place for her. Quickly, she gathers her things. On her way out, she runs into a tall figure.

The look of horror on the man's face gives her an awful feeling. Not in the moment, as she can only stiffen up and make an odd combination of noises. Almost like the beginning of a question, yet she never finishes it. The lean man's startled face quickly turns into one that doesn't want business with her. That's her cue to go, rushing out. She doesn't even care to turn around and retrieve her notebook.

The notebook in front of the man stares at him. He's never been one for calling after, running after, or even picking up someone's abandoned belongings for them. Who knows where it's been? That could've been a fake scientist that ran into him. Like a geologist. And the thought just makes him feel dirtier.

He's not here for this side quest. He's here to meet a woman and inform her about the system she's been lured into and told that it would find the perfect match for her. But, seeing that the woman isn't here despite him now being a whole thirty seconds late, he picks up the book. The cover is titled with an address that he just so recognizes. It's the biology lab at CalTech, actually. Of course a biologist would have a childish color like olive green as their notebook cover.

He makes his way back to his friend's car. The friend scrunches his eyebrows, scoffing when he enters. “Come on, Sheldon, did it really go that badly?”

“Yes, she didn't show,” Sheldon responds, sounding more sad than he really is about it. He looks at the book in his lap. “Could you bring me to 1200 East California Boulevard?”

“Is that where she wants to meet you?” Sheldon rolls his eyes at the question.

“Must you ask such stupid questions, Wolowitz? I care not about this woman. Her profile showed that she has tattoos, too. I can't stand looking at tattoos.”

Howard starts up the car, taking off.

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“How could you be so… !?”

“I'm sorry, Mother.”

“I knew that place was a bad idea! Did you drink caffeine? Oh my god, that's why you've been so forgetful!”

Amy frowns, looking down at her shoes. Her black boots. They look so stupid on her feet. They don't match her dress at all. Why would she ever wear those?

Once Mother's rant about how dangerous places can be ended, Amy's allowed to move on with her life. Well, not at coffee shops, but back to normal. Without her book.

She can’t blame her mother. Downtown California isn't the safest place. It was inevitable that she'd be robbed by a threatening man. Nevertheless, she still has to work. She has lots to study for. She's so close to a scientific breakthrough, she can practically taste it! And those monkeys aren't going to monitor themselves.

The moment Amy gets back to work, she really does. She gets back to work. Her colleagues are in the corner whispering when she comes in. She smiles. They're so thoughtful. Dr. Fowler starts her usual tasks: getting her lab coat, clipboard, and notebook.

Her notebook?

Turning to her peers, she notices they've stopped whispering. “Hey,” she starts, “Did anyone drop anything off for me recently?”

Her co-workers pay no mind. Though one does answer passively, “Someone dropped off a notebook.”

She nods, looking back down at it. She flips through the pages. It's definitely hers.

Weird.

Chapter Text

Amy kisses her mother and father goodbye, stepping out of the car. “Are you sure you'll be okay?” Mother asks, “Maybe I should come walk you up to your dressing room. Just to make sure it's safe.”

“I'll be okay, Mother. You'll see me as soon as I get up on the podium.” Amy waves goodbye, stepping off to the side door of the building. Amy had been reached out to earlier this month, being asked to represent the biology branch at CalTech for a, “Science & Society panel.” Honored, of course she could only accept. This is finally her chance to put herself out there. Not to mention the hefty check she was promised.

However, as she steps up to the door, her chest tightens. She starts to sweat. Looking back at her mother's car, which hasn't left yet, she waves again, this time nervously. Almost like she'd read her mind, Amy's mother gets out of the car to walk her inside.

“Thank you, Mom…” Amy takes her hand, holding on tightly. “Is Dad coming?”

“He's fine in the car. I cracked the window.”

“Mom!?”

“Relax!” She scoffs, “You're acting like I'm going to be inside forever. I won't take long.”

Reluctantly, Amy keeps on going. The place doesn't give the best first impression. Everything is concrete and the elevator they take rattles like it'll fall any minute. But once Amy gets to her dressing room, her impression shifts to a better one. She has her own personal room aside from the women's area, per her mother's request.

After sending her mother off rather quickly, she gets some time to settle in and kick off her sleek boots. Usually she wouldn't, considering how dirty some places are, but she deserves this. Besides, she's got to work on how this panel will go! She can't be slipping up while on stage. She did theater while in school, so this'll be easy.

“Ms. Fowler,” A head pops around the corner, making her jump. She hastily fits her boots back on. “We want the scientists out on stage in five.”

That was quick.

She ties up her shoes real snug before getting out to meet the other panelists. As she walks down the corridors to the stage, she's accompanied by someone who looks like they know what they're doing. They have a headset and microphone and an overall look of professionalism. She just follows them, hoping to get to where she needs to be.

There's a long table on the stage, along with plenty of seats and microphones in front of each. She recognizes a familiar face almost immediately: Dr. Rostenkowski. Both of them being in biology, it's bound that they've worked together a few select times.

Amy nods her way when walking past her to her own seat. She's never been the one to strike up conversation, but if she were, she would've. Amy sits down at her respective end of the table. Leaning down, she can see some other nameplates. The one next to her is Dr. Koothrappali, a name she's never met. None of the names really catch her eye.

Once the panel starts, she's able to take some time to take in the crowd along with her peers on stage. She speaks when she's addressed, perfectly answering her mother's rehearsed questions. She only slips up once when she says ‘was’ instead of ‘were’, but nobody except Dr. Cooper noticed.

When she takes a look to see the man who corrected her, she freezes up. All the way at the other end of the table is the man she met at that coffee shop. The one that mugged her. Her lip quivers as she tries to get a word out, but she can't before Mr. Wolowitz makes a quip. And then Dr. Rostenkowski. And Dr. Hofstadter. Then a woman in the audience..?

Soon enough, she realizes that this is not something she's educated in. Women wanting penises or what-not. She herself has definitely felt penis envy before—for the convenience of it, of course—but if she were to voice that, the audience would look at her again. She's had enough time being the main attraction for one night.

Eventually, after the fake-blonde-haired woman leaves with someone Amy doesn't recall seeing her with before and most of the members make asses of themselves, the panel is over. Walking out of the building, she sees Dr. Cooper and Dr. Hofstadter arguing while packing into their car. A faint twitch of something shows up on her face, but she can't do anything about it. Her mother is already showering her with compliments about how well she did while ushering her into the car.

The car ride is anything but silent, but she can't pay attention to the words being said. It's hard to listen when there's that sneaking suspicion in her that something isn't right.

Chapter Text

The man in front of Amy is anything but interesting. He speaks monotonous, his expression never shifting. Her head falls into her hands as her date goes on about God knows what. She stopped listening a while ago.

Her annual (and mandatory) date is not going well. Monotonous and boring is usually the type she'd keep in touch with, but she's never pursued a romantic relationship with, well, anyone.

It's not like she hasn't tried. There have been guys who tickled her fancy. Ones that stir her loins and make her regret letting her mother make her swear to abstinence. She'd carry an STD for some of the men she's met… However, this man would be the last one on Earth that she'd touch. In fact, a lot of men she's been on dates with fall into that category.

The man droning on is named Richard. Or was it Rick? Roy? She can’t remember. Not like she cares all too much. He'd chosen to go to The Cheesecake Factory for their date. She gets the joy of watching a full grown man down half of a cheesecake and make her split the bill evenly. The average American male is yet to please her.

Amy snaps out of her trance when she's asked about herself. “Oh,” She sits up, brushing off the front of her dress. “I guess I like Little House on the Prairie…? I grew up watching it.”

The man scoffs. “That kid's show? Wasn't that forever ago? How old are you, anyway?”

“Don't you think that's a little rude?”

He shakes his head. “Don't you think a woman should answer a question when asked?”

“I think we're done here.” Amy stands from her seat, taking her debit card from the bill. “Thank you greatly for this lovely date.”

The man stands too, confused. “Wait, when do you think-”

“I'm busy that day.” Just as she's been trained by dramatic TV shows she'd watched through the blinds of The Sin Closet. As stunning as she can look, at least in her mind, she heads toward the door. Her black boots click on the tiled floor. With her eyes closed and her head in the clouds, she doesn't notice that the door is being held open for her. When she reaches for the door that isn't there, she loses her balance, falling flat onto the floor at the entrance of the restaurant.

Amy scrambles to her feet, meeting face-to-face—or more like face-to-chest—with a slim, probably more interesting than her date, man. With her face practically buried in this man's torso, she yelps, pushing him away. Looking up, she notices the familiar face. The one that makes her freeze up and ask questions and fear for her life all at once.

The face looks at her with that same disgust he had before. The same kind in the coffee shop. Amy stutters, tripping over her words. Her face turns red. Purple, even. She feels like she's suffocating. It's all fuzzy.

Before she knows it, she's not in The Cheesecake Factory anymore. She's in the back of an unmoving car. The first thing she notices upon waking up is that it's now dark out. Then, she notices that this is not her car.

Sitting up, she finds next that she's lost her boots. They're on the seat next to her, the toes scuffed. A sad sight to see.

The murmuring around her doesn't register until her panic sets in again. This isn't her car. She shouldn't be so calm. She's going to be kidnapped! Her heart races in her chest, her breathing shortening.

She looks forward. That cruel mugger is in the passenger seat. He's not paying attention to her. He's staring out the windshield, mumbling about something to do with schedules and being late. Her focus shifts to the doors. Then the man. Then the doors.

In an attempt to escape, she grasps onto her boots with one hand and the door handle with the other. She's ready to ram the door down if she must. The door is unlocked, her judgment wrong once again as she tumbles out of the car. Not having passed out this time, she takes the chance to sprint to her car. There's a smaller man now far behind her, shouting at her. But she can't hear him, and frankly, she would rather not stick around to see what would happen.

Sheldon watches this whole event, his face one of confusion. He turns to Leonard, “She left.”

“You think!?” Leonard gasps for breath as he stops running after the woman.

“Do you think she didn't recognize us?”

Leonard doesn't answer. His main focus is to find the inhaler he keeps in his car.

Sheldon points, “Driver's side door pocket. Toward the back.” As Leonard takes his inhaler, Sheldon speaks again. “Maybe she doesn't like you.”

A moment of counting passes. “Why wouldn't she like me? Nobody likes you. That was probably it.”

“Nonsense. People adore me.”

A scoff. “You suck, Sheldon.”

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Amy's experiences with this man have been anything but pleasant. He's infiltrated her mind. All she can think about is this guy! Dr. Sheldon Cooper, that absolute awful man. Why, she ought to show him how she feels about him!

But then comes the more and more pressing issue: How does she feel about him?

It can't be a pleasant feeling. No, that's absurd. It's a worsening feeling. As if everywhere she looks, he's there. She should be horrified. It's gotten to the point where he's in her dreams, for crying out loud!

She's got a plan. One that will put an end to this, she's sure. From the panel, she's figured out that he, too, works at CalTech. Even better, she knows he's a physicist. Boy, if she confronts him during work hours, he'd be sorry!

On her way to work, she can only hype herself up. Even when she's strutting down the hallway toward the physics department, she can barely contain herself. Her mother will be so proud!

However, as soon as she walks into Dr. Cooper's office, she freezes.

Sheldon looks up at her, just as startled as she is. “Hello? What's your business being here?”

She can’t speak! What's wrong with her!? After what seems like forever, she chokes out, “Could I interest you in a beverage sometime?”