"Oh do you know what would be fun?" Molly said.
"Hm?" Anthea glanced up from the rack of clothes they were picking through.
"A double date! You and Mycroft, and Sherlock and me."
Anthea turned with a gasp, eyes alight.
Every once in a while, Anthea would 'kidnap' Molly and they'd scurry off to Harrods and spend the day getting absolutely lost in a lovely day of retail therapy. Anthea often said they had their best ides whilst shopping, and clearly, Molly had just happened upon one.
"You mean like a night on the town?"
"Oh no, but it'd be nice, right? The four of us at a restaurant."
"Hmm. Our respective dates scowling across the dinner table at each other," Anthea replied with a sarcastic grin.
"So you'll talk to Mycroft?"
Anthea pulled out her phone. "Consider it done. Come on, let's go to the lingerie shop. If I'm going to convince Mr. Privacy to come on this double date I'm going to need reinforcements."
Molly snickered, but followed her lead, deciding a little something wouldn't hurt her argument when she presented it to Sherlock that evening as well.
That Night…
"Let me get this straight," Mycroft looked at his wife as they stepped into the shared walk-in closet. "You want for Sherlock and I, two emotionally private people, to go on a double date."
"Yes," Anthea said, hanging up her new purchases. "It'd be you and me, and Sherlock and Molly. You adore Molly, don't tell me you don't," she held up a hand just as Mycroft opened his mouth. He shut it for a moment, deciding against lying.
"I don't dislike her,"
"You adore her," Anthea repeated.
"Very well, she's a lovely person and I should dislike anyone but her to be my sister in-law, but that does not mean I want to go on an outing with my brother! Especially on something so intimate as a dinner date!"
"Why? Afraid you might have a good time?"
"It rather ruins the point of a date, which is to spend time with you,"
"Yes but you never spend time with your brother, and Molly and I rarely have evenings free."
"Wouldn't it be all the better then if we all spent our time with our respective mates and not at a dinner party?" Mycroft groused. He turned to hang up his suit jacket. "Honestly, the point of a double date, so one can argue about the wine, the bill, listen to him call me fat when we all know I'm not, or-" he turned to face Anthea again and quite lost his words. Apparently she'd been shopping today. Apparently she remembered he liked her in lace peignoirs.
Apparently Mycroft had lost all ability to reason. His stinging argument that would have kept him from the double date went flying out the window as his wife guided him through to the bedroom.
That Friday…
Molly and Anthea were happily chatting away, discussing the menu and what they'd accomplished that day. Sherlock and Mycroft sat quietly across from the other, now and then reaching for their respected wine glasses.
"So…how did she convince you?" Sherlock asked.
Mycroft shrugged. "Can't I simply want to see my brother outside of work-related business?"
There was a pause.
"Molly went shopping that day too."
Both were silent, glancing at their respected wives, then at each other. With a shrug, they lifted their glasses once more in a silent nod that they were absolutely under their wives thumbs at times, and neither minded one bit.