"John! John!"

John sighed as he was barraged with texts and shouts from Sherlock. "I really hope he gets some tonight." He muttered.

"I require your assistance." Sherlock was in his bedroom in an undershirt and boxer briefs holding up two different pairs of socks. "Which pair?"

"Really?" John whined. "Socks Sherlock? Not your underwear too?"

"Don't be ridiculous!" Sherlock snapped, and John could see that he was very on edge. "If you cannot deduce with your funny little brain that I am-" he sighed angrily.

John let the comment slide. "That pair." He pointed, and then went to Sherlock's closet, opening the doors. "Oh my G-" they were slammed shut again. "Was that a-?"

"Its an experiment." Sherlock hissed, moving to his drawers when he heard his phone buzz. He launched himself at it grinning like a fool, but the grin slipped away from his face as he saw who it was.

"It's not your date, I take it?" John asked.

"Unless Lestrade has grown long blonde hair and a tantilizing body." Sherlock began typing when he looked at the clock. Six-oh-four. "I don't have time for this." He muttered, tossing the phone to John. "Here, it's the case we saw on the news this morning. Remember the explanation I gave you?"

John nodded.

"Good. Type it out and hit send. Now," Sherlock held up a pink shirt and a blue one. "Which one?"

Katie was fussing with her necklace when she heard the bell above the shop door jingle. "We're closed!" she called.

Whoever had entered rang the small bell that was next to the cash register.

With a sigh, Katie stopped trying to fasten the clasp on her necklace and hurried to the front as fast as her sensible heels would allow her to go.

"I said we're-" Katie stopped herself when she saw Sherlock standing there with a somewhat hurt expression.

"If you didn't wish to go out, you could have said so." He pouted.

"I'm sorry, I thought you were a woman from before." Katie grinned. "Silly woman; wants over a hundred carnations for her daughter's birthday by tomorrow morning."

"Madness." Sherlock agreed with his own grin. He held out a box for Katie to take. "Flowers didn't seem appropriate, given our current setting. But I thought you'd enjoy these."

Inside the small black box were three chocolate flowers- trilliums, to be exact. Provincial flower of Ontario- her home.

"They're gorgeous." Katie smiled, closing the box. "Too nice to eat." She led him into the sitting room behind the store. "I'll just stick these in the fridge and we can head out."

Once in the kitchen, Katie glanced at the clock. "Right on time." She called.

"I like to be punctual."

"Well, I tried to be." Katie looked herself over in the mirror in her small bedroom; her dress was navy blue with a black sash. It came to just above her stocking- clad knees and was off the shoulder- which she adored. Her hair was teased just so, and she didn't have any make up on save a swipe of blue eye shadow, mascara and a smear of pink gloss.

"You seem quite ready." Sherlock eyed her, starting at her toes and working her way up to her eyes.

Katie snorted. "Other than my dumb necklace- actually, would you mind helping me?"

She picked up the blue and silver anchor charm on the silver chain and gave it to Sherlock. Katie held up her hair while he put it on her.

"There." She smiled. "So I'm about three minutes behind schedule. Something to improve on next time."

Katie almost kicked herself. She was assuming there was going to be a next time? She had already spent most of the day working herself up to going out- convincing herself that Sherlock was not Xavier. He was better. The same mistakes would not happen.

But what if he was different and decided he didn't like her? Too many thoughts were running through Katie's brain.

With a small- and perhaps nervous?- smile Sherlock lead Katie out the door where she grabbed her pea coat and locked up and they made their way down the cobblestones. "So, where to?" she asked.

"You'll see."

Sherlock hailed a taxi and they drove off to the unknown location. There was a slightly uncomfortable silence; Katie was biting her lip and keeping her eyes on the dim road ahead of them. Sherlock, it seemed, didn't know what to say.

"You...haven't been on many dates before, have you?" she asked.

"No, usually..." Sherlock paused. "Well you see, I've always considered myself to be married to my work. But there's something...strange with you, Katie Flanagan."

Katie blushed under the intensity of his gaze. "I'm really quite boring."

"No, you're not." Sherlock leaned in. "I get bored quite easily. But not since I've met you. Since then, there's always been something on my mind.

"Ah, here we are!" The taxi stopped and Sherlock paid him before making Katie sit. "Wait a moment please."

He hopped out of the cab and jogged around to her side; opening the door and helping her out. He also removed his scarf and tied it around her head.

"Sherlock..." Katie whined with a small giggle. "Where are we?"

"Take a moment and trust me." Sherlock led her up what seemed to be many steps, through some doors and into a rather large room, judging by the echo of their steps. He removed her blindfold and after taking a moment to adjust to the light, Katie gasped.

They were inside the National Gallery!

Much later, when the sky was turning pink with the rising sun, Sherlock helped Katie out of their cab and led her to her door.

"That was honestly one of the best nights of my life." Katie smiled. They had the entire Gallery to themselves (Save a few security guards, but they just tipped their hats at Sherlock and carried on). There was a lovely dinner waiting for them, as well.

"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself." Sherlock's heart began to speed up. This was the tricky bit. Katie had obviously truly enjoyed herself, but would she want to see him again? Did he want to see her agai-? Yes. Without question.

She bit her lip ever so slightly, and then leaned up and pressed her lips against his cheek. When she pulled away he heard her giggle- most likely at the involuntary redness in his cheeks.

Sherlock took Katie's hand and smiled, pressing his own lips to her knuckles. "Goodmorning, Katie."

Was there a twinge of disapointment in her eyes? But whatever for? "'Bye Sherlock." She muttered and opened the door behind her, closing it quietly.

Sherlock was halfway home when he realized his folley. He sprinted back to the flower shop as fast as he could.

By accident, he ran headfirst into someone that was sprinting the opposite direction as he.

"Look where you're going!" he snapped, getting back on his feet.

"Well, 'Hello' to you too."

Sherlock's eyes went wide and he helped Katie to her feet. "My apologies, I didn't know you were...you..." His eyes trailed over a lost shoe that had managed to be kicked across the pavement in their fall. He picked it up and placed it onto her bare foot. "Are you alright? No broken bones?"

Katie was biting her cheek and shook her head no. Sherlock stood much closer to her than he had all evening.

"Please understand that I've never really done this before." He murmured. "Save some time in school as experiments...But this isn't. And it's really quite terrifying. My inexperience, your recent experiences..."

"I was waiting for you to ask me out again." Katie said. "Or that you'd text me...Had you said call me I don't think I'd have believed you." They both chuckled. "Then I figured, it's the twenty first century. Women can ask out men if they so choose."

"Excellent point. However Katie, I would be honored if you were to go out with me again sometime."

Katie gave his chilly hand a squeeze. "I'll text you."

Sherlock would return home to 221B Baker Street to see John- who had waited up all night- demanding to know where he'd been. Sherlock would just give him a goofy smile that his flatmate had never seen before and would say;

"With the most wonderful woman in the world!"