His outfit was hanging up on the outside of the wardrobe, having been put there the previous night so that it would be ready for and waiting for when he needed it.

Which was now.

Sherlock had ordered a taxi to arrive at Baker Street in 20 minutes, giving him enough time to have a quick wash and get dressed. He checked that he had every item of clothing out before he went through to the bathroom, leaving the door open so he could hear the doorbell (for once).

It took him a minute to fill up the sink with boiling water and to get a clean flannel and towel out. Then he took the can of shaving foam off of the shelf above the sink and lathered his face up, making sure not to miss any bits. Once finished he checked his appearance in the mirror whilst picking up his wet razor, dunking it into the sink and shook it gently to remove excess water. He brought the razor up to his face slowly, and when it finally came into contact with his face, he swept downwards, his thin fingers taunting his skin to make sure ever hair was removed.

Even though Sherlock barely had any facial hair (he only had to shave every three days and even when he did there wasn't usually that much) it took him 5 minutes to shave due to his accuracy when it came to the task, wanting to make sure he looked perfect. He put some aftershave on, not too much but not too little, before he returned to his bedroom to get changed.

By the time he had finished changing, the cab was waiting for him and he exited Baker Street wearing a navy slim fit suit with a white handkerchief in the breast pocket, a plain white shirt with one button open, black patent lace up shoes and to finish of the outfit, he wore what looked like his normal Belstaff coat yet this one was particularly special, only for important occasions; it was a black full length double breasted naval great coat with silver buttons along both sides. He wore the coat open, showing off his stylish suit yet at the same time highlighting his wealth with the spectacular coat.

Sherlock had accounted for the taxi taking 20 minutes to arrive at the hall in which the auction was taking place, giving him only 30 minutes (he didn't want to get bored before the auction itself) to spend looking around the stalls and talking to Alex before the auction started at exactly 9 o'clock.

Earlier that day he had asked Mycroft (which he did with much distain) to look after Alex for the night, hoping that he and John would spend most of the night talking, sorting their relationship out because he was determined to win the auction. Sherlock had put his checkbook in this suit jacket pocket so he would be able to pay whatever price it would cost him to win John.

When he finally arrived at the hall, he promptly paid the cab driver, hoping out of the taxi and walked swiftly inside the warmth. It took him merely minutes to find Alex, herself and Nathan making a lot of noise trying to get people to their stall.

Knowing that this was a special day for her family (and because she was feeling a little more feminine than usual), Alex had donned a beautiful red dress that morning. It reached her knee and was strapless with a pleated skirt and cute, thin belt that had a small bow on it. The dress was tight fitting in her upper body to just the right amount it wasn't "slutty" and the skirt of the dress left more than enough to the imagination. When John saw the dress he'd immediately opened his mouth.

"Alex, you know, there's more to life than-"

Alex had interrupted what was no doubt "boys" and skillfully avoided discussion of why she was dressed up.

There, as usual, was still no make-up on her face and her hair was brushed and pushed back with a red headband. Other than people that knew her, the outfit seems usual and plain.

When they arrived at the hall, John had disappeared to dress with the other omegas in the auction while Alex and Nathan had run off to set up their stall. It was a great success, Alex thought - well, unless you counted the amount of times they got told they were a good couple because if you did, then Alex thought it was a pain in the arse.

When she spotted Sherlock, Alex waved her hand and eagerly gestured for him to come over.

Sherlock promptly walked over to his daughter's stall, giving her a brief hug on arrival, even though he still found it slightly awkward to hug someone.

"You look beautiful, Alex." He commented, looking her up and down, trying to deduce whether she was dressed up for Nathan, because her dad had told her to or because this was a special occasion. He went with the last one, knowing that she was probably overexcited with all the wishful thinking that was probably going on in her young brain; that by tonight her parents would be together again.

Alex smiled up at Sherlock and nods. "Thank you, Dadlock." She replied before gesturing to the stall. "Do you want to have a go?"

Their stall wasn't anything any-thing too flashy. It was simple but something that would draw in children and adults alike. Lollipops stood in a board with holes. You pay twenty pence to choose a lolly. Some lollies had colours on the bottom, some didn't. If the lolly had no colour, you got the lolly and that was the end of your go. If it was yellow, you got to pick another lolly. If it was green, you got to choose one of the five jars of sweets on the side.

"Ok then." Sherlock replied, reaching into his pocket for some money and handed her 20 p. He walked over to the board on the table, analyzing it so he could pick the lollypop with the green end, intending to give his prize to John after the auction. He deduced where one of them was, equal distance from the top left hand corner of the board and the centre, pulling it out swiftly and smiled when it was indeed green.

Alex grinned and handed over the jar, after putting the money in the pot. She gave Sherlock the one with heart on the lid and a red ribbon wrapped around it.

"Dad likes most of the sweet in there." She told him with a knowing smile as she handed the jar over to her father.

Alex flattened her dress, not used to having a skirt on and a little conscious of where or not it was revealing anything it shouldn't. It wasn't, of course, but she couldn't help it. The last time she wore a dress was when John took her to one of his friend's weddings when she was eight.

"The auction is starting at nine. Make sure you're there five minutes before the start. Dad'll be on stage the whole time but he's one of the last to be put up for auction because his last name starts with a W." She continued as Nathan handled the children coming to play their game.

He did send her a glance, though, clearly telling her that she wasn't going to get away with not helping for long. He understood that she was excited though. He wasn't as optimistic that this date would end in her parents getting together as she was, but he didn't see any reason to be pessimistic about it.

Sherlock chuckled, aware of how he looked. All dressed up, reeking of aftershave, carrying a present which was clearly for a date. He looked smitten, which he was and had been for 15 years. It was ridiculous, an alpha male of his age glowing due to omega... but he couldn't help it. It was overwhelming.

Sherlock gave Alex and Nathan a goodbye smile before leaving them to look after the stall on their own, heading off to the main stage where the auction would be taking place. He tried to find a half decent spot where he would be able to see the stage yet wouldn't appear to eager (which he would if he stood close to the front.)

John was already up on the stage, ordering younger members of staff who clearly had no idea what they were doing. It made him proud that his omega was so strong and powerful. He had never wanted an obedient omega who would do whatever he wanted, instead he desired an omega who would stand up for themselves, look after the home yet having a stable job to show any young that it was essential to work hard yet an omega who would be caring and loving and kind. This was John in a nutshell.

John smiled at the group of Omega's on the stage. Some of them were just the young trainees that wanted to use their youth and good looks for the good of the clinic and even though they weren't good for much other than answering phones and making appointments in the clinic right now, he was proud of them for being eager to help. That's what John loved most about the Omega clinic. Every single one of them was proud of what they did and was extremely dedicated. He loved it.

John wrapped his arm around the shoulder of a female omega named Sharon. She was the second in command around the clinic, John being the main authority figure. They've been good friends so a long time and he can't help expressing his excitement for the clinic by hugging her.

She laughed and huged back before they went back to being serious and organising the others. They'd be put up for auction in alphabetical order according to their surnames and so everyone has a specific seat so it was easy to get to the stage.

Once everyone was seated in their places, John gave Sharon a thumbs up before he went to the podium where the auctioneer, a Beta that worked in the clinic, stood. The Beta stepped aside for John to give his introduction to everyone.

"Hello everyone." John spoke into the microphone. "I'm glad to see everyone enjoying themselves. For those of you that don't know, I'm John Watson, the organiser of this event. Now, it's time for our main event. The baskets with the numbers in are on their way round, please grab one if you're bidding." He pointed to those holding the baskets with the numbers on. "You'll be bidding for the chance to take one of us lovely Omega's on a date." He chuckled and gestured towards the group sitting.

John went on to introduce all fifteen of the Omegas. Many of them waved or got up to gave a playful twirl as they were introduced and laughter filled the hall. There was the occasional wolf-whistle too. John ended his speech by introducing himself once again and then went to his seat as the auctioneer called up the first Omega, a sweet twenty year old girl with big brown eyes, to the side of the podium.

Sherlock concluded after 20 minutes, that the auction was the most boring event he had ever been to. And that was saying something as he had been to his fair share of boring events. One of the most memorable was a dinner party at his parents' house when he was 15. He never realized that dinner parties went on for 5 or more hours....

If he weren't so desperate to buy a date with John, he would have left 15 minutes ago. The noise.... The bustle.... The idiotic omegas strutting the stage made his brain ache. He didn't want to watch some stick thin, plastic omega excitedly jump up and down the stage as their bids got higher and higher.

But John... god John was siting their, smiling a broad smile that made his whole being shake with anticipation. Seeing John so happy made him want to jump on the stage and claim him in front of everyone, make him that happy everyday of the rest of his life.

He would buy the shopping, cook edible meals, keep his experiments out of the fridge, make sure that the cupboards were clean, if that made John smile that smile, and made the omega love him. He just wanted him to be happy with him.

When John stood up, second to last, he grinned at cheered from the crowd and laughed when Sharon, who was last, whistled loudly and clapped.

He stood up and gave a wave at the crowd, not exactly up for all the twirling and blowing kisses that the younger Omega's did. It was amusing to watch but that just wasn't him.

The auctioneer began to speak. "Let's start at--"

"Fifteen pounds!" A voice yelled from the crowd and John's eyes quickly found the owner of the voice, eyes widening at the sight of his cheating smirk... his ex.

Anger rose in John as he watched the bastard stand there and smirk at him as he waved his number in the air. John didn't let it show though and just smiled, mentally praying for someone else to bid.

Sherlock was just about to bid when that idiot shouted out his meager bid, shaking his pathetic number for all to see. If that arrogant bastard won John, Sherlock was sure that he would eat his own arm. That man didn't deserve to look at John, let alone go on a date with him. John was a prize steak where as his ex was a flower, they weren't in the same league. The fact that the man had only bid 15 pounds showed that he didn't want John that badly otherwise he would bid a lot higher to deter all other competitors away.

"20 pounds." Sherlock called out, not as loud as pathetic arse over there but still with a hint of smugness, trying to shut up that pitiful moron. He only went 5 pounds higher, wanting to start off low before working up higher and when he said higher he meant higher.

John's eyes widened again when he heared Sherlock. He didn't need to see Sherlock to know it was him. He'd recognise that deep baritone anywhere.

His eyes scanned the crowd and he smiled at little at Sherlock, relieved that he'd bid. He had to admit he was rather touched by the fact that Sherlock wanted to bid. Sure, with most people, he'd view it as some idiot Alpha showing off but Sherlock knew about his dedication to making the world better specifically for Omega.

"Twenty five!" John's ex yelled.

Sherlock didn't hesitate to go up another five and soon felt like he's watching a tennis match, eyes going back and forth between the two men as they bid five pounds each time.

When they reach forty, they've both turned a bit aggressive with their bidding and when the call of forty five didn't come, John gave a small sigh of relief. Sherlock had won the bid. He didn't have to go on a date with that lying, cheating bas-

"One hundred pound!" The roar of the words cut John's thoughts off and he stared in shock as the crowd gasped.

The immediate thought that went through Sherlock's head was: that bastard. His blood was practically on fire due to all the raging hormones in the room and his head was spinning from them all. He wanted to just pounce on that idiot; make him realize what a mistake it was going against Sherlock Holmes in a fight. And this was an epic fight.

It barely took Sherlock a second to call out "200 hundred pounds" hoping that would shut his fucking mouth up, and if it didn't, he would tape it shut. With the strongest fucking bondage tape he could find.

John grinned for two reasons at that. Mainly the way Sherlock didn't even hesitate to save him from that arsehole but also because of the amount of money that would be going towards the clinic. Sherlock had certainly earned himself a kiss on the cheek, at least.

John's heart was racing as he looked at Sherlock with a smile. He suddenly felt like a right idiot. How did he ever think that Sherlock wouldn't be dedicated to him and their family? It's pretty clear that the Alpha was willing to fight for John and Alex too.

I'm an idiot, John thought with a smirk. He was too busy grinning and trying to calm his racing heart that he didn't even notice that a bid hadn't followed Sherlock's. It was when the auctioneers hammer came down and announced the winning bid of two hundred pounds that John realised.

He has a date with Sherlock Holmes.

John felt like running off the stage and kissing Sherlock. Instead, though, he calmly waved to the crowd and exited off the stage by the stairs. He couldn't let the excitement make him do something like that. Well, he could... He shouldn't, though, John told himself firmly.

From the outside Sherlock looked calm and relaxed as the auctioneer's hammer comes down yet inside, his heart was racing a hundred miles an hour and his hands were damp with sweat due to all the adrenaline that was pumping through his body. He was unable to contain the smug smile that spread across his lips, so content with life in that moment that he wished he could bottle the feeling.

He had won a date with John.

He could prove to him that he was a worthy alpha of his affections. That he would love and protect him. And Alex. Forever.

He lifted up his number, showing it to the auctioneer before proceeding to the front of the stage where he filled in a check and handed it to the auctioneer with a slight spring in his step.

After Sherlock handed over the check, John approached him with a smile. Now he was face to face with Sherlock, he could feel himself blushing.

John opened his mouth to thank the other but no words came out and so instead he stepped forward and pressed a kiss to Sherlock's cheek. Unlike in the tent, though, John doesn't run away afterwards. He smiled thankfully at Sherlock, staying stood close to him as he does, not quite ready to back away from Sherlock.

"Your scent is really strong at the moment. It drowns out the aftershave." John spoke before he thought.

Sherlock didn't know what to do, frozen on the spot, not wanting to do anything to deter John from him. He was still suffering from a bit of a hormone rush after the auction, causing him to be a bit slow when it came to processing John's words. He wasn't entirely sure what the kiss was for but he knew that it was probably because he saved John from that awful man.

"I just got angry. He was trying to get me riled by emitting his hormones which caused me to emit mine in response. He shouldn't have got me annoyed but he just... did." Sherlock looked down, slightly embarrassed by his behavior. It probably didn't look good, him getting angry over another Alpha trying to bid for John.

John chuckled gently and took a small step back from Sherlock to give him space. In Sherlock's current state, it may not be wise for John, an unbonded Omega, to be so close.

"Don't worry about it, Sherlock. As soon as I saw he'd bid, I was praying anyone would bid against him. I'm glad you got annoyed and won. You gave lots of money to the clinic and you saved me from that bastard." John smiled at him.

Sherlock chuckled. John's facial expression alone made him realize how relieved John was that he didn't have to go on a date with his ex. His inner Alpha preened with the praise as he had showed his omega that he had money to provide for his family and was even able to help others in need.

"You might want to explain to me later what my money will do to help the lives of omegas because 200 pounds... well that's a lot of money." Sherlock smiled smugly once again, reinforcing the fact that he had a lot of money into John's head.

"Yeah, yeah, you're a big rich Alpha, Sherlock." John rolled his eyes with a playful smile. "I think your brain is still waterlogged with hormones. Do you need a moment?" He asked, not wanting Sherlock to suddenly become like every other Alpha in the world that flashes their money to tries and attract Omegas.

John knew Sherlock could provide for them. He didn't need to prove anything and John didn't want him to continue because he knew that it would just end with him getting pissed with Sherlock for thinking that he's an Omega that can be seduced by money and power.

"I'm fine. It will help once I get outside. Getting some fresh air should clear my mind." Sherlock replied, already beginning to walk towards the door. However he stopped in front of Alex's stall.

"Mycroft should be here in about an hour. Do you have everything you need or do you need us to pick anything up before we go?" Sherlock asked as he hugged Alex, smiling widely as he realized that he might just have his family back.

Alex shook her head. "Nope. I've got everything I need, thanks. Just.. Go have fun." She smiled and lightly pushed Sherlock towards John.

John raised an eyebrow. Did they plan this? He couldn't bring himself to be angry, though, he was so pleased with escaping the clutches of his ex.

"Where are you taking me?" John asked when they finally left Alex to finish up with her and Nathan's stall.

"I thought I would take you back to where it all started." Sherlock smiled as he thought about the fond memories he had of the old days. When they would run around chasing criminals together and afterwards have a takeaway or go out for dinner if they had just solved a big case.

Every case was special because they all held fond memories of the time that he spent with John and in the dark days after John left, he only had these memories to remember the man he loved. But now, now they were together once more and he wanted to take him back because it was a place of good luck.

Where they had shared their first kiss which led to their first argument as a couple (Sherlock refused to eat any food), where they had been shot at, held hands and even had sex, well phone sex.

Angelo's.

John didn't have to ask to know where Sherlock meant. There was only one place that he could mean and John would be lying if he said his heart didn't flutter when he remembered all the good times they shared there. He'd never once gone to Angelo's after leaving and not just out of fear of seeing Sherlock but because he didn't want to overwrite the memories that they had there.

Now, it was different. They were going there on a date and John gained a skip in his step as he walked alongside Sherlock.

"Angelo's..." He murmured to himself, grinning down at the floor at the thought of it.

He didn't know why but right then it felt like all the heartache and arguments and tension between them that lead to this point had just disappeared. He didn't feel awkward or angry about anything and he didn't sense any of those emotions from Sherlock either.

It felt oddly like... Like a fresh start. A clean slate. John grinned at the thought and looked up at Sherlock.

Sherlock looked into John's eyes and knew that this would work, that they would be able to get on the right track again and start anew. He could see how this will be a new beginning for their family, however small.

They continue to walk down the road for a while and when Sherlock saw his chance, he hailed a cab that would take them the rest of the way to Angelo's.