Sherlock came out of his Mind Palace with a grin on his face. He jumped off of the sofa and walked to his wall, which had become an evidence board. As he rearranged some photos and notes, he heard Molly walk out of the bedroom and down the hall. Her stride was a little more careful than it usually was, and Sherlock could tell by the footsteps that she was wearing heels.

"Well, I'm off," she said to his back as she walked to the door. "I won't be too late."

He knew why she didn't approach him to give him a customary embrace good-bye; she never invaded his personal space while he was working on a case unless he initiated it. Since he wasn't in his Mind Palace anymore, Sherlock turned to face Molly.

Once he saw her, his breath stole from his throat. This made sense, because Molly looked…breath-taking. She wore a dark purple cocktail dress that flattered her petite figure perfectly. Her long hair was loosely curled, side-parted and fell down her back. She wore just the right amount of make-up on her face, and her heels were low enough to be relatively comfortable.

Unfortunately, his mouth spoke before his mind. "You're going out dressed like that?" He immediately winced, hating how his tone sounded. "I didn't mean it like that, Molly, I just…you hardly ever dress like that and…you look so…"

Molly managed to give him a smile that was both saucy and shy. "I hope you mean that in a good way."

"Absolutely!" Sherlock eagerly replied, and Molly giggled. Her reaction relaxed him so much that he wasn't even embarrassed.

"Well, Helen said that she made reservations for the four of us at Chez Ciel, which is quite a posh restaurant. She's just had her second baby, and I think she's more than eager to hit the town. Bernadette sent me a magazine clipping of this dress, knowing I would love it. And Minnie will be here any second to pick me up." She gave an excited little smile. "It's quite nice to have the opportunity to both see old friends and dress up."

Sherlock smiled at her. He knew that Molly had been looking forward to this little reunion with her three closest friends from university. They'd all gone separate ways to separate lives, but once in a while, they would be able to get together, relive old times and catch up on their lives. Sherlock also knew of another reason that she was so excited to see her old friends again: she could now share with them how happy she now was with her life, both professional and romantic.

He walked to her and kissed her forehead. "Have a wonderful time. And remember that I'll be waiting up for you so that I can have the exquisite pleasure of taking that lovely dress off you."

Her cheeks flushed and she gave his bum a playful pinch. She fled the flat in a fit of giggles before he could retaliate. No matter – he would get her back later.

He watched from the window as her friend, Minnie, drove up and Molly got in the car. She waved up at him before they drove away. Happy that Molly was happy, Sherlock turned back to his evidence board with renewed determination. Best get this resolved and send the results off to Lestrade before Molly came home. No outside distractions would be acceptable after she came home…