Chapter 4

                                    

                                          
Sherlock looked at the woman next to him with mixed emotions. Shock, curiosity, awe, embarrassment, annoyance. . .awe. "Um," Sherlock cleared his throat uncomfortably, avoiding her gaze by looking around. She was by far, the most beautiful woman he has ever seen. Way more beautiful than The Woman, and definitely more beautiful than Janine. The mystery woman wore a black dress that goes down to her ankles, the back of it trailing behind her. She wore black heels that matched it perfectly, along with a purse. She had beautiful brown hair, in a tight bun, some strips of hair curled and around her face. She had a white mask on with sequence on it, and her nails were painted white with black strips. Weird combination, but it suited her. She didn't have much make up on from what Sherlock could see. She had bright red lipstick, and dark eye shadow. What stood out the most on her face was her eyes. Her eyes were a shade of gold, something you don't see everyday. People would use contacts for these kind of eyes, but he knew they were real on this woman's face.
   Sherlock tried to speak again, this time, successful. "Um, I am sorry you heard that; just speaking to myself."
   "Yet, I heard you and I responded before someone thought you were crazy." Mystery woman said.
   "People think of me as a freak already, it isn't a surprise they would think I am crazy." Sherlock shrugged, grabbing some more wine.
   "That's horrible." Mystery woman commented, taking his offered glass of wine. "At least you have friends though. I don't have any."
   "How do you know I have friends?" Sherlock asked her, curious about her. With this woman looking flawless, he was confused as to why she would be lonely. "And you? No friends? That is hard to believe."
   "Hard to believe?" Mystery woman looked at him curiously. "How is me having no friends hard to believe? Oh - I know you have friends, you keep looking at a married couple, and a guy talking to a woman."
   "You are. . .quite beautiful." Sherlock said, looking down uncomfortably. "I expected someone as beautiful as you to have lots of friends." Sherlock then looked at her with a small smile. "Good observation by the way about my friends."
   "Why, thank you for the compliment." Mystery woman looked down with a blush, making Sherlock look at her in awe slightly. She just looked so beautiful. "But it's true. I have no friends because I only get out of the house for my job or to buy food for my step-sisters and mother."
   "Really?" Sherlock looked at her confused. "How are you here then?"
   "I snuck here." Mystery woman looked ahead with a gleam of mischief in her eyes. "I said that I was a plus one to my step-mother's invitation."
   "Why did you come here?" he asked her.
   "This may sound silly, but I was hoping that I would find a special someone to take me away from my home. I was looking for something to hope in."
   "Hmm, it is silly." Sherlock said, immediately scolding himself of being such a sociopath. But the woman didn't seem to care, instead laughed at his comment. "I'm sorry." Sherlock apologized, again shocking himself that he apologized so naturally. It's always hard for him to apologise, and to say thank you. So it was a surprise when he apologised so quickly and naturally. This made him more curious about her.
   "I don't mind," she grinned up at him. "I knew it was silly, I just had a feeling in my gut that this is something I should do."
   "You know, you remind me of something." Sherlock said, trying to remember. "I must have deleted it."
   "Deleted it?" Mystery woman looked at him curiously.
   "This is my hard drive," Sherlock explained, pointing at his head. "And it only makes sense to put things in here that are useful, really, really, useful. Ordinary people fill their heads with all kinds of rubbish and that makes it harder to get at the stuff that matters." Sherlock looked at her eyes full of interest. "Do you see?"
   "Yes, I see." she said quietly. "I see a very gifted person."
   "Excuse me?" Sherlock looked at her shocked.
   "You are very lucky to have that kind of knowledge." Mystery woman said to him, smiling gently at him. "But yet, like you said, it has its disadvantages. I can see them now. People looking at you with envy, jealousy, insulting your smartness to make them feel better. I know the feeling, like I told you earlier."
   Sherlock couldn't help but look at her amazed. Mystery woman is probably the first ever person that understands how he feels, not even Mycroft his own brother knows what it feels like to be Sherlock. "Would you like to dance?" Sherlock asked unexpectedly. "I feel the need to dance with you somehow."
   "It's okay," Mystery woman grabbed his hand, walking with him to the centre. "I have been feeling that as well."
   So they danced the waltz, standing close to each other, their chest pressed against each other, eyes gazing at each other. Everything around them vanished from them, only each other in their existence. Unaware of the spotlight on them, John, Mary and Lestrade looking at Sherlock, and the mystery woman's step-mother and sisters looking at the mystery woman in suspicion.
***
"Is that Sherlock?" Mary grinned, watching the two dance, oblivious to people watching them. The people noticed the couple, and knew there was something going on, making them give the couple some space. "That's nice of the people to form a circle around them," Mary continued, watching them. "Sherlock is definitely finding some love tonight."
   "I say," Lestrade said. "She's a keeper."
   "Wonder how Sherlock got with her?" John wondered with a small smirk.
   "Yes indeed." a voice said from behind the three. They turned around, to see Mycroft through the mask. Mycroft wasn't really trying to hide his identity. Mycroft looked at the couple intrigued, before turning to the three. "Hello again. Haven't seen each other since Sherlock came back to London from being exiled for four minutes."
   "Do you know this woman?" John asked him instead, motioning towards the mystery woman.
   "No, I don't actually." Mycroft looked down with a frown. "I tried finding her identity, with no luck. Only Sherlock and herself probably knows. Should we be expecting a happy announcement by the end of the week?"
   "Hopefully." the three of them said. They turned back to the couple, to see them smiling at each other, their faces leaning towards each other.
***
"You know," Mystery woman said, holding Sherlock's hand tighter. "I think I found that special someone."
   "Really?" Sherlock responded with a gentle smile. "Who?"
   "You." she whispered, moving closer to him.
   "Really? I seem to feel the same thing." Sherlock said. "My friend wanted me to come here not only because the Queen invited me, but because I might find someone special." Sherlock moved his face closer to hers, feeling his heart thumping fast in his chest, a strange yet good feeling. "And I think that special someone is you." Sherlock whispered. The two of them grinned at each other, before leaning in, their lips clashing together, sending them into waves of tingles, electricity flowing through them, butterflies in their stomach. They continued kissing, until they pulled apart for air. They then came back to reality, aware of the people watching them, aware that they were clapping and cheering. Sherlock noticed his three friends cheering the loudest, making him scowl at them playfully. Mystery woman turned and saw her step-mother and sisters looking at her suspiciously, making her look away nervously.
   "Let's go somewhere private." Sherlock murmured, leading her out of the room.