"You didn't lock the front door just to finish a cup of tea," Abby pointed out, grinning a bit. Leaning in, she gave him a quick kiss. "How should I convince you?"

"I'm sure you can come up with something," John murmured, pulling her closer with an arm around her waist.

Abby let him pull her closer, kissing him again with more heat.

Not more than an hour later, Sherlock came back to find the door to the flat locked. That was unusual. They never left the door to the flat locked, because Mrs. Hudson was always there to look after things. He tested the door one more time, and then pulled out his phone.

John, why is the door locked?

John are you home?

You've locked me out, John.

Come unlock the door.

This is getting ridiculous.

John.

John.

John.

John.

John waited several more minutes to look at the texts and reply.

Go spend the night at Elena's, was the only reply he sent.

Sherlock blinked at that, baffled for a moment. Then, almost as if he wasn't doing it on purpose, he turned and went back out of the building. He found himself at Elena's door about ten minutes later, and he knocked.

Elena opened the door a few moments later, a robe wrapped hastily around herself. She blinked at the sight of Sherlock. "No offense, but what are you doing here this late?"

"Apparently, Abigail is spending the night with John," Sherlock replied. "I was locked out and sent here."

Elena grinned at that and stepped aside to let him in. "About time. For those two, not for you getting locked out. Come on in, get comfy. I can put a kettle on to boil if you want."

"If it isn't a bother," Sherlock replied as he walked in. He looked around the flat. It was nice, if not as interesting as his and John's flat, but then again, nothing was as interesting as their flat, or as comfortable.

Elena nodded and went to go put the kettle on, actually tying her robe closed so she was decently covered. When the tea was done she brought out a tray and set it on a table, letting him get comfortable wherever he wanted.

"So how long has it been since you've had pets?" Sherlock asked absently as he took off his coat and sat down. "Surely not more than a year or so, given how you still subconsciously allow for clear surfaces bear the windows and heaters."

"Closer to eight months," Elena said. "I'm waiting to see if we're going to stay here long enough to make it worth it to get another one."

"I see," Sherlock said. "Cat or dog?" He picked up his tea and took a sip, testing the temperature and the flavor.

"Last one I had was a cat, but I've been thinking about a dog. There are lots of people here out with their dogs." Elena shrugged, settling down in a chair across from him.

"Indeed," Sherlock mused. "A dog would not be a bad companion."

"I was thinking maybe something like a Lab or a Sheltie or a border collie." Elena watched his reactions, rather curious.

"Irish Setters are a good choice," Sherlock commented. He paused, as if he hadn't meant to reveal that. "It's entirely your choice, of course."

Elena smiled slowly. "I've never had an Irish setter. They're beautiful dogs, though." She added that to her mental list.

"Indeed," Sherlock replied. His attention drifted for a moment as he briefly lost himself in thought, but he blinked himself back a moment later. "As I said, your choice."

"Of course." Elena shrugged and took a sip of her tea. "I'll have to find breeders first, and consider it a while longer."

The sudden, entirely unfamiliar urge to contact Mycroft about it welled up in Sherlock, and he viciously tamped it down. He had no idea where the urge had come from, and it certainly wasn't typical, but upon examination, he realized that yes, he did want to help Elena find a dog. How strange. He drank more of his tea, contemplating this newest development.

Elena let him contemplate in silence, instead getting comfortable. Her robe slipped a bit, showing the edges of the black nightgown she was wearing, along with a bit of thigh.

Sherlock's gaze flickered to the edge of her robe, where the skin was showing, before flickering away again.

Elena didn't notice, just staying where she was. She was, after all, quite comfortable.

"Oh, if you want, you can use my bed," she offered. "If you plan to sleep, which I hope you do, because having you sitting in here all night awake will be enough to keep me up all night."

"I don't--" Sherlock started, and then quickly amended his statement, "--need the bed. I can sleep just fine on the sofa."