Quiet evenings weren't exactly in short supply at 221B Baker Street. Boring evenings, however, were certainly on the rare side. Whether they were going over case notes, watching crap telly, or Sherlock was experimenting in the upstairs bedroom that had now become his study, things were hardly ever "dull", and John was never bored.

Even on days when there was the absence of cases or experiments John managed to busy himself with reading the newspaper or surfing the net. He was using this one particularly calm evening to update his blog and let the world know about his engagement to Sherlock Holmes. He was sure his followers would have a field day with the information, and he figured now was as good a time as any, considering the fact that his and Sherlock's engagement party was that night.

Sherlock was plucking absentmindedly at the strings of his violin while John typed, timing each pluck with the steady click-click-click of the keyboard that John provided, the combination of sounds creating some sort of strange duet. Other than that there was silence, but the silence between them was comfortable, and neither man felt the need to fill it with small talk. John remembered his father telling him many years ago how important it was to find someone who you could spend hours with doing absolutely nothing and never be bored. John glanced over at Sherlock, saw the hint of contentment on Sherlock's otherwise expressionless face, and smiled.

Sherlock's eyes snapped to John's face and narrowed, but John just continued to smile at him. Having most likely read John's mind, Sherlock gave a small smile and nodded his head before looking out the window.

"I feel the same way." John chuckled, then went back to his typing. He finished the post several minutes later and went to the kitchen to make some tea. He felt Sherlock's eyes on him as he passed by his chair but kept walking. Sherlock could wait until after he'd had his tea.

John hadn't even picked up the kettle before the violin playing ceased and he heard movement in the sitting room, and by the time he poured the water a pair of long arms were wrapped around his waist and a pair of lips were on his neck.

"What's this?" John asked, going about his business as if his fiancé wasn't currently nibbling at his ear.

"What, a man can't show his new fiancé some affection every now and then?"

"I suppose not. Though, Sherlock Holmes isn't exactly the most affectionate man on Earth." Sherlock sighed, but didn't argue, and John leaned back into him, closing his eyes and resting his head against Sherlock's shoulder. "So, are you ready for tonight?" Sherlock's response was a noncommittal grunt, and John expected him to pull away. However, he didn't, but instead tightened his hold on John and rested his chin on John's head.

"I still don't see why we have to go."

"It's our engagement party, Sherlock. It wouldn't be very good if the guests of honour failed to show up."

"I don't see why we're even having this party in the first place."

"Because getting engaged is an event worth celebrating and our friends want to do something nice for us by having a party. We've been over this."

"And yet I still don't understand." John sighed, but there was a smile on his face when he turned around to face Sherlock.

"Sherlock, I know you may not consider his to be a big deal but everyone else does... including me, so I'd really appreciate it if you would be cordial for just one evening and not make me regret saying yes to you." Instantly Sherlock's jaw dropped and he stared at John, who laughed and shook his head. "I'm kidding. I would never regret this." He stretched up to give Sherlock kiss on the cheek and flashed him a warm smile before turning his attention back to the tea. Sherlock left the kitchen then, and several moments later the a canorous violin melody floated in from the sitting room.

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John tugged at the collar of his dress shirt and let out a heavy sigh. The night had been as pleasant as he'd expected, but that didn't mean he wasn't ready for it to be over. In the three hours since he and Sherlock had arrived at the hotel he'd shaken more hands than he could remember and accepted an innumerable number of congratulations.

John was starting to become weary of the onslaught of well-wishers, so he knew Sherlock must have been miserable. Though if he was, he hid it well. He'd remained by John's side with a smile on his face, and was pleasant to everyone he spoke to, including Mycroft, though John had seen the disdain in his eyes when his brother had approached them.

"I must say you're handling this pretty well," he mentioned to Sherlock as they were huddled together in a corner of the ballroom, observing the rest of their guests as they mingled with each other, allowing the happy couple a moment to themselves. Sherlock simply shrugged and stole a shrimp from the plate John was holding.

"I have to be. Wouldn't want you to regret agreeing to marry me." John sighed and rolled his eyes.

"Sherlock, you know I was kidding." He took a step closer to Sherlock and rested his shoulder against his arm. "I can't wait to be Dr. Holmes-Watson." Sherlock's eyes lit up as he popped the shrimp into his mouth.

"That does have a nice ring to it," he said.

"Of course you would think that."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing, just-"

"Do you think I wanted my last name first because I'm some sort of self centered-"

"Sherlock, we both wanted your name first. It sounds nice, and our names are in alphabetical order, which I knew would appeal to your methodical mind. We discussed this, did we not?" Sherlock's eyes remained glued to the floor.

"We did." John watched him for a moment, then sighed and brought his hand to rest on Sherlock's hip. Sherlock looked up at him and he smiled.

"Sherlock, the most important thing to me is that I'll get to be called your husband. My last name could be Fitzherbert-Jones for all I care. Got it?" The corner of Sherlock's lip switched, and John took that as an answer to his question. "Good. Now, let's go mingle or something." John looked around and caught his friend Ollie's eye from across the room. They waved at each other, and John could feel Sherlock stiffen beside him.

"Are you alright?" he asked, glancing up at Sherlock, who was staring at the back of Ollie's head with a venomous look in his eyes. "Sherlock?"

"I'm fine, John. Though I don't see why he needs to be here."

"Who, Ollie? Well for starters he's one of our groomsmen. You know we went to university together, and since he's moved back to London we've-"

"Yes, yes, I know all that. He's also the one whose house you stayed at when..." he trailed off and sighed, and John understood why. They rarely talked about the brief amount of time John had spent sleeping on Ollie's couch after the particularly heated argument and unexpected kiss that was the culmination of months of tension and miscommunication between them. Even after all this time the memory of it was still a bit sensitive for them, Sherlock especially. However, if John had not gone to stay at Ollie's, Sherlock wouldn't have gone there after him to get him back, and they might not have ever become a couple. However, John was a firm believer in taking the good with the bad, so he had recovered much easier than Sherlock.

John reached out and grabbed Sherlock's hand. Sherlock glanced down at him and seemed to be about to say something until he lifted his eyes and froze completely. John's brow furrowed as he attempted to follow Sherlock's line of sight, and he saw an unfamiliar face coming towards them.

The man appeared to be slightly taller than Sherlock, with kind eyes and a warm smile, and he carried himself with a sort of courtliness John had only seen in men in Victorian era movies and Mycroft Holmes. John turned to Sherlock, hoping to glean some sort of clue from his facial expression as to who this man was, but Sherlock's face was completely blank. However, his voice was uncharacteristically soft when he spoke.

"Victor..." The man's eyes lit up and his smile widened as he finally came to stand before them.

"Sherlock, it's so nice to see you!" He shook Sherlock's hand, then turned and extended his hand towards John, bowing slightly after letting go.

"The name's Victor Trevor. I knew Sherlock a long time ago. It's so nice to meet you, Doctor Watson."

"Call me John." John gave him the friendliest smile he could muster before turning to look up at Sherlock, who had the faintest hint of a smile on his lips.

"What on earth are you doing here, Victor?"

"I'm here to celebrate an old friend's engagement, of course."

"But, how- ...Mycroft."

"Bingo," Victor said, tapping his own nose and smiling. He turned to face John and looked him over briefly, as if he were appraising a work of art. "I must say you've done well for yourself, Sherlock. He's quite handsome." John shuffled his weight from one foot to the other, not entirely comfortable with being talked about as if he weren't there. He decided to leave the two of them alone to 'catch up' or whatever, and gave Sherlock's hand a slight squeeze before letting go and heading in the direction of the bar.

He stood for a moment, leaning against the bar with a drink in his hand, watching Sherlock and Victor conversing. As he watched his fiancé talk animatedly with this stranger, John couldn't keep the uneasiness from welling up inside him. He knew he had nothing to fear; Victor was obviously just a friend, but there had been something in the way Victor looked at Sherlock that set John a bit on edge. He took a sip of his drink and tried to keep his mind off of it.

"John!" He looked to his left, and caught sight of the man approaching, and smiled.

"Arthur? Hello!" He held out his hand for Arthur to take, and settled beside John on a plush bar stool. His eyes wandered back over to Sherlock, whose gaze was transfixed on them, and smiled. Sherlock attempted to smile back, but John knew it wasn't genuine. He made a mental note to ask Sherlock about it later. For now, John turned his attention back to his old army buddy and somewhat good friend. They chatted for several minutes until their conversation was drowned out by what sounded like someone tuning a piano.

John looked to where the instrument was and saw a crowd forming around it. The piano tuning stopped, and after brief moment started again, this time accompanied with the sound of a violin. John and Arthur made their way over and saw Victor at the piano, coaxing a charming melody from the instrument while Sherlock stood beside the bench, playing a violin that he seemed to have picked up from some unknown location. His eyes were closed and he swayed slightly as he played, as he always did, and as always John was enamoured with watching him.

He had to admit, the duet was a lovely song. Victor's playing complimented the tune Sherlock was playing perfectly, as if they were meant to always be played together like this. As beautiful as the performance was, John couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy in his chest watching his fiancé create something so beautiful with another man.

Sherlock's eyes opened and he stared directly at John, the corner of his lip quirking up when they made eye contact. Several guests seemed to notice, and some murmured among themselves, but most were entranced by the musical spell being cast upon them by Sherlock and Victor.

When the song stopped everyone applauded, and Sherlock gingerly placed the violin on top of the piano. He casually strolled over to John and threw an arm around his shoulders, and the crowd shifted around them to give them room.

"That was lovely," John commented. smiling up at Sherlock with adoration in his eyes.

"Thanks," came Victor's voice from behind him. John turned and looked over his shoulder at him as he came to stand beside Sherlock, who was staring down at John. He moved his arm from around John's shoulders to around John's waist and pulled him close, resting his head lightly atop his. Victor began making his way through the crowd, and John followed him with his eyes.

"Consider that my engagement present to you," Sherlock said, bringing John's attention back to himself. He leaned in an placed a kiss on John's cheek, much to the delight of their guests. John smiled at him, then turned to address the crowd.

"Well, on that note I think we can call it a night. Thank you everyone for coming, and we hope to see you all at the actual wedding in three months time."

The crowd applauded for some reason unbeknownst to John, then dispersed. He and Sherlock hung back a bit to see everyone off, and John pretended not to notice Sherlock's tight lipped smile when Ollie gave him a hug.

When everyone had left, John took Sherlock's hand in his and they began to leave the ballroom. Victor greeted them when they came out into the main entrance to the hotel.

"John, Sherlock! Hello again!" He approached the two of them, smiling a wide grin and holding his hands out. If he was expecting a hug, he didn't get one; Sherlock had actually tightened his hold on John's hand the closer Victor got to them, and only offered a smile in return of Victor's zealous greeting.

"Hello again Victor." John marveled at how his voice sounded. Sherlock's voice was taut and subdued, and his eyes flashed with annoyance. Victor ignored Sherlock's obvious discomfort and continued to smile at him.

"I just wanted to apologize again for turning up out of the blue, uninvited, but the last time I saw Mycroft he mentioned your engagement-"

"So you've been in close contact with Mycroft?" Victor's face froze and his smile dropped only slightly, but it soon was back in place and he chuckled, placing a heavy hand on Sherlock's shoulder.

"Not really, no. I just happened to run into him outside the Diogenes Club."

"You're a member?" John asked. Victor nodded his head, finally looking at him for the first time since he'd walked over.

"Why yes." Sherlock groaned, and John covered his smile with his fist. Victor eyed the two of them warily for a moment before removing his hand from Sherlock's shoulder. John tried and failed not to dwell on how Victor's fingertips trailed down Sherlock's arm when he pulled his hand back. The uncomfortable look on Sherlock's face was enough consolation for him to keep a straight face as he stared up at Victor.

"Right, well, there's no need for you to apologize, Vic," Sherlock said through clenched teeth. "Feel free to come to the wedding, if you'd like. I'm sure Mycroft can give you all the details." Sherlock gave a curt nod, then walked away, pulling John along with him. John fought the urge to overthink how Sherlock had put a slight emphasis on the word wedding, wondering if that had meant anything.

"Are you alright?" Sherlock didn't answer for a moment, instead holding up his free hand to signal a cab. Only after they'd climbed into the vehicle did he respond to John's question.

"I'm fine." John eyed him cautiously, and was about to inquire further, but then Sherlock leaned over and rested his head on John's shoulder and sighed, and John decided to drop it..

Later that night, however, as John and Sherlock lay in bed together, bodies entertwined and buried beneath the duvet, John couldn't keep the nagging uncertainty from crowding his mind with jealous thoughts. He had to know who this Victor character was, simply for his sanity's sake.

"Sherlock-"

"Who was that man you were talking to?" John ignored the fact that Sherlock had so rudely interrupted him and perused through his memories of that night for a face that might have been unfamiliar to Sherlock, and could only come up with one: his old army buddy Arthur Townsend.

"At the bar? His name's Arthur. We were in Afghanistan together." Sherlock remained silent, and for a moment all that could be heard was the occasional car passing by the flat on the road below the window. "Why?"

"...No reason."

"Alright." Silence surrounded them in the darkened room, and John decided to try again and ease his dubiety. "So, who's Victor Trevor then? Seemed to be a friend of Mycroft's..." As soon as the words left John's lips Sherlock sighed.

"Mycroft? Friend? Honestly John. He's actually an old university friend of mine."

"Oh?" John asked, sounding more surprised than he would've liked. John could practically hear the frown in Sherlock's voice as he spoke.

"Yes, John, I said friend. What, did you somehow believe I was unable to make a single friend in the time before I met you?"

"No, of course not. I just... you've never mentioned him so I figured..."

"We lost contact many years ago. Tonight was the first time I've seen him in over ten years."

"Oh." So that would explain his reaction earlier. "Well, he seemed pretty chuffed to see you, didn't he?"

"I suppose so. Though I can't imagine why." John decided not to pry, and moved closer to Sherlock, resting his forehead against his collarbone and closing his eyes.

"I'm sure you can deduce why. Goodnight Sherlock." Sherlock sucked in a breath, as if to speak, but after several seconds slowly exhaled, and placed a kiss on the top of John's head. Moments later John felt Sherlock wrapping his arms tighter around him and place a gentle kiss at the base of his neck.

"Goodnight."

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Whoop, chapter 2! Just a note saying that yeah, the one update a week seems like the best option so yeah. That's the update schedule. :)

Also, the song that Victor and Sherlock played can be found in the media section, if the link works.

Alright, that's all. Thanks for reading! Sorry for any mistakes. Hope you liked the second part!