Phoebe was startled by the door slamming open, Martha bursting into the flat with a look of anger all over her features.

"Now see here, Sherlock! What in blazes have you done this time?!" Miss Hudson shouted before seeing an unfamiliar woman standing beside Sherlock as he sat at the table. "Oh, who are you?"

"And you must be Sherlock's landlady!" Irene presumed as she stepped towards the detective, draping herself over his shoulders with a cheeky smile. "As of today, he and I will be living together. Won't we, Sherly?"

Sherlock grimaced at the nickname, already looking uncomfortable with Irene all over him.

Phoebe laughed lightly at the look of distain on Sherlock's face, though Martha was not having it.

"Get off! Why are you suddenly behaving this way?!" Sherlock shoved Irene away from him before standing up, making his way over to his landlady. "It's not like that. It's actually quite a long story, Miss Hudson."

"Yes, he's right. But to summarize, these two gentleman are indebted to me," Irene said and Sherlock huffed.

"Phoebe was there too, you know!"

"Yes, but she's my friend and she apologized. I do hope you understand, Mrs Hudson," Irene said, giving the landlady a slight smirk.

"Oh no, it's Miss. And you, Mrs?" Martha shot back.

"Adler. Miss Adler," Irene returned the cold stare that Martha was giving her.

"Right, lovely. Might I ask a favor of you, Miss Hudson?" Sherlock asked carefully.

"What favor?!" Martha shouted as she glared at the man beside her.

"Nothing much. Do you have some clothes she might borrow," Sherlock said, sweating dripping from his temple.

"My clothes?! Why would I?!" Miss Hudson shrieked as she grabbed him by the jacket with a harsh look.

"I look a mess, like an ash covered Cinderella ever since my house burned down. I would borrow Phoebe's, but they were too short for my stature. Mrs Hudson, I hope you won't be like the cruel stepsisters in the fairytale," Irene said and Martha stiffened. "One dress is all I'll need. I plan on going out on the town with Phoebe later to buy some clothing of my own."

"I guess one dress will be fine," Martha said reluctantly before going off to get something for the 'princess' to wear.

"By the way, Irene, I wanted to show you the room you can stay in for the rest of oyur time here. I have a spare room down in my flat. It is a bit smaller than I'm sure you're used to, but I hope it will suffice," Phoebe said as she stood up.

"I'm sure it will be perfectly fine," Irene said with a bright smile.

-

Phoebe managed to convince Sherlock to join her and Irene since the blonde was trying to get him to come along.

They went to many different shops and the girls had fun trying on dresses and picking some out for each other.

"You look so cute in that dress! Ah! We need to do this again sometime!" Irene said as she looked at Phoebe in her new dress.

"I would love that. Though maybe next time we won't drag along mister mopey," Phoebe said as she looked over at Sherlock who was kicking at the ground while waiting for them to be done.

Irene giggled lightly as Phoebe made her way over to the detective, nudging his arm a bit.

"Hey, cheer up. We'll be home before you know it," Phoebe said with a smile and Sherlock sighed.

"Alright. Let's just get going if you are both done here," Sherlock replied and they all started towards there next destination.

After a bit, Sherlock sat down on a bench, setting down the boxes he had been carrying for Irene.

"Allow me a little smoke break," Sherlock requested, sounding utterly exhausted.

"Fine, if you insist. But after this we're heading straight to Picadilly Circus," Irene said as she looked down at him while he pulled out a cigarette.

"Whatever you say?" Sherlock grumbled.

"No! I'm definitely going to audition for the part!" A young girl cried out, drawing their attention.

"Oh that is rich. Do try to remember something, the owner is the viscount who happens to be my father. Get it? Commoners aren't on even footing with aristocrats, which means you'll never be a star as long as you live," another girl spoke and Phoebe glared, moving to step in.

"Phee, wait," Sherlock said as he stood as well.

"Doris is right. Best to remember your place," one of Doris's friends said with a grin.

"Should this keep devolving they're bound to come to blows. What a bother," Sherlock grumbled.

"Then we should step in. This isn't right," Phoebe said as she looked up at the detective.

"I don't care," the young ginger commoner spoke up, looking to be rather scared. "Everyone's supposed to get an equal chance to audition."

"You really think that? The reality of it is that you never had a chance to begin with, poor Kate. How sad," Doris mocked and Kate's fists trembled by her side.

"Because you're scared. You're just worried that if I do it then the lead will go to me instead," Kate said with determination.

"Be quiet," Doris grumbled as she looked down.

"That's the reason you don't want me to audition, right?" Kate accused.

"Shut your mouth!" Doris exclaimed before run towards the ginger and shoving her into the canal.

Phoebe gasped and ran towards them. Without thinking, she was about to jump in, Irene having the same idea.

"Phoebe, stop!" Sherlock grabbed her hand to stop her.

Irene leapt into the water though and Sherlock watched in disbelief.

"What? Seriously?" Sherlock mumbled before looking around, seeing a lifesaver on the docks.

He quickly ran to get the small floatation device.

"Adler!" He shouted before throwing in the bouy.

Phoebe raced down the stairs to help the two girls up once they had reached the little cement dock.

The ladies got back up onto dry gorund and Kate was trying to catch her breath while Irene looked down at her new dress.

"Oh bother. We're soaked to the skin," Irene said with a small smile.

"Thank you very much," Kate said softly as she looked. "But your dress?"

"Don't worry about it. Saving your life is much more important," Irene started. "But listen, the theater is not as easy a world as you may like to believe. I have seen far too many parts go to people solely due to their connections or family standing."

"Wait, I know you! You're the Irene Adler!" Kate recognized and the other girls gasped in shock. "Miss Adle, listen. I want to become a primadonna just like you are!"

"In that case, listen to me Kate, and remember, you must prove you are the right choice by letting your own talent shine through," Irene said as she held her dress up, a bright smile crossing her features. "And if your skills are strong enough, then someone elses connections won't matter and you'll win the day."

"Right!" Kate bowed her head while the other girls looked down in shame.

Sherlock hummed and Phoebe shrieked as she saw him strip down to his undergarments.

"Before you catch cold," Sherlock said as he held out his clothes for Irene.

"Oh, Sherly, you're all but naked now," Irene said with a light giggle.

"Nevermind me. Put these on," Sherlock insisted. "And don't call me that."

"I'm sure there's a loo around her somewhere. And I'll wash your clothes for you at home," Phoebe said, trying not to look at Sherlock, but it was hard not to.

-

They arrived home late and both girls had fallen asleep so Sherlock woke them up.

He grabbed all of Irene's things and a few of Phoebe's things, maxing out what he could carry.

Phoebe yawned as she stepped out of the carriage, following Sherlock inside.

"Don't stand around. Come inside," Sherlock said to Irene as she stood on the sidewalk.

Phoebe began to walk into her flat and Sherlock followed to put the ladies' things in Phoebe's flat.

"You weren't really gonna jump in, were you?" Sherlock spoke up. "You can't even swim."

"Well, was. I wasn't really thinking about it. I just wanted to help that girl. And I've gotten a bit better at swimming. I'm just not that good at it," Phoebe defended as she turned to look at him.

"Tomorrow I'm going to need your help. I want you to keep an eye on Adler while I'm out with John. I trust you to not let her send that photograph," Sherlock said as he walked closer to her.

Her cheeks turned a bit rosy as she kept her eyes trained on his face. "Okay, yeah, anything."

"Thank you," Sherlock replied with a smile. He stepped towards her and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead.

Phoebe wrapped her arms around him and sighed softly. "I want to help you, so if you ever need anything, you know where to find me."

"And I really appreciate that." Sherlock gently moved a piece of hair behind her ear after it had been pulled loose from her braids. He gently held her cheek, looking at the scar on her forehead. His eyes trailed down to the freckles that dusted her button nose. They followed down to her cupids bow and to her pink lips.

Phoebe wanted to ask what he was staring at, wondering what was on her face, but Sherlock gently pressed his lips to hers.

She immediately returned the kiss, resting her hands on his chest before the front door closed.

Phoebe quickly pulled back and looked down as she cleared her throat, leaving Sherlock's hold.

"You should go put some clothes on. I'm gonna settle in for the night," Phoebe said quietly, looking to the side.

"Right," he said before leaving the flat to go upstairs, passing Irene who was going into 221C.

Irene walked into the room she was now staying in to get changed. When she came back out in a new nightgown, she sat on the couch while Phoebe brewed some chamomile tea.

"So, I'm curious, how long have you know Sherlock. You two seem close," Irene said as Phoebe poured a cup for the two of them.

"Oh, we were five years old when we first met. His older brother was also my tutor. We weren't really friends, but we were still pretty close," Phoebe said, sitting in her chair with a smile.

"No wonder he seems so attached to you," Irene teased, sipping her tea with a little grin.

"I guess. But he's not really that attached. We're just good friends," Phoebe defended as a light blush crossed her face.

Irene gave a suspicious nod as she hummed. "Sure. I'll believe that when pigs fly."

"It's the truth," Phoebe said quickly.

"But you wish it wasn't," Irene accused, setting her cup in it's saucer that she was holding.

"Well, that's two different things entirely. Just because I wish it wasn't true doesn't mean it isn't," Phoebe admitted as she looked down. "I know that Sherlock is my friend and hopefully always will be, and that is fine enough for me. I'm gonna take what I can get. I'm just grateful that he calls me his friend now."

"Doesn't mean you should stop trying," Irene said to which Phoebe sighed.

"I know, but it'll just hurt more in the end because I know that he isn't going to want to settle down with me. He's just not the type," Phoebe replied before she finished her tea.

"Never say never. Maybe you could change his mind. You have a way with him that surprises me. He listens to you. The only reason we were able to drag him along earlier was because you asked him to come. He had no interest when I asked."

"I guess, but for now, I don't want things to change. I like the dynamic we have and I'm perfectly fine with staying friends with Sherlock, regardless of how much I would love to be with him," Phoebe said, smiling as she tilted her head up. "I mean, he's absolutely amazing. Sure, he can be really stubborn and rude at times, but I've never met anyone else like him."

Irene giggled as she put down her now empty cup and saucer. "I'm routing for you. I see how happy you both are in each others company. Honestly, I don't think I've ever seen you so happy. Your smile is so much brighter than last I saw you."

Phoebe was about to reply when she heard a faint melody coming from upstairs. She stopped and turned her head to listen. They both sat in silence for a moment.

"He does make me happier."