Title: Five Significant Dates Which Sherlock Always Remembered and One He Never Did
Fandom: Sherlock (BBC)
Rating: G
Length: 836
Summary: Five dates within one year which Sherlock always remembered

Sherlock Holmes was not known for remembering dates.  Mycroft would remind him of the important family ones and Anthea would contact him a few days before Mycroft’s birthday, which Sherlock would ignore.  However, there were certain dates Sherlock Holmes would never forget.

The first was March 15^th (also known as the Ides of March).  It had seemed entirely appropriate to Sherlock that this was the day Victor Trevor, the man who had been his lover for a while at university, should choose to get married.  Sherlock hadn’t gone to the wedding, it had been held in Hong Kong, which was where Victor was living, and Sherlock had no interest in attending anyway.  He had known Victor was bisexual, but it still felt like a blow from his closest friend when it happened.  Sherlock told no-one.

The next was April 29^th.  Victor had brought his wife and their two daughters to London for a month after an absence of eight years.  He and Sherlock had met up a number of times for coffee and Sherlock had been surprised at how easily they had slipped back into their old familiarity, but had not allowed himself to place much store on it; he didn’t want to feel the same sense of loss he had the last time Victor had left.  It was towards the end of the Trevors’ holiday when Sherlock had received Victor’s text.  It said Maria in accident, taken to Charing Cross Hospital. Can you come? Knowing Victor wouldn’t have contacted him unless it was an emergency, Sherlock hailed a taxi to Fulham.  He arrived in time to comfort the bereaved husband.

July 6^th wasn’t as earth-shattering as the two earlier dates, but again it was one which wedged itself in Sherlock’s head.  Victor had spent the weeks following his wife’s death dealing with a multitude of arrangements.  He had decided not to return to Hong Kong and in the circumstances his company had been happy for him to transfer back to London.  Sherlock continued to see Victor on a fairly regular basis and found himself in the unlikely position of being the one to remind Victor of the need to eat.  To that end he had suggested Victor bring the girls round to 221B for a takeaway one Saturday.  With Mrs Hudson’s assistance John’s old room had been adapted so the two little girls could sleep in it whilst Victor and Sherlock played a few games of chess.  By the time they had drunk nearly two bottles of wine Sherlock had persuaded Victor to stay over and use his bed, whilst he slept on the sofa.

September 1^st was an easy date to remember.  It marked the day when Victor and the girls formally moved in to live with Sherlock.  Contrary to everyone’s expectations Sherlock and the girls had got on well from the beginning.  Although they missed their mother, in truth they had had very little contact with her.  During the week she had worked long hours, leaving their apartment before the girls woke and returning after they had gone to bed, delegating their care to various nannies.  At weekends she had social engagements which took up the majority of her time and the girls were lucky if they saw her for more than a couple of hours.  So, when Sherlock listened to them and shared interests with them they were delighted.  Sherlock also learnt Maria had had a similar attitude towards her husband and the couple had been drifting apart.  However, unlike his wife, Victor had spent as much time as possible at the weekends with his daughters and was delighted with the way Sherlock had welcomed all three of them into his life.

The final date Sherlock was unable to forget was November 4^th.  This was Evie’s birthday.  No-one was likely to forget Victor’s elder daughter’s birthday; she had been reminding everyone for weeks when it was.  Indeed as she grew up, she would continue to remind everyone when her birthday was, so that not even Sherlock could forget.  Sherlock had been determined Evie’s birthday should be the best birthday ever.  The girl had been captivated by their trip to the London Aquarium.  Sherlock had discovered it was possible to be a marine biologist for the day and was unimpressed when he was told Evie was not old enough.  He had therefore visited Mycroft and refused to leave his office until his brother had arranged a special day for her.  Evie had been thrilled with her birthday present.

The following summer Victor had surprised everyone when he’d taken them out for a meal in a restaurant and then got down on one knee to propose to Sherlock.  Sherlock had looked at Victor as if he had made a totally illogical statement and then smiled and accepted.  The girls’ cheering had drawn the attention of the rest of the diners who hadn’t actually seen the proposal.  The wedding took place a couple of months later.  Sherlock could never remember the exact date.  Victor understood.