Prologue: Smitten?

Bored - SH

"Well somebody looks smitten."

John looked up from his phone and blinked at Tara, his health care assistant. "Excuse me?"

Tara's lips were quirked upwards in a knowing smirk. "I saw the way you were looking at your phone just now. You're smitten. Who's the lucky girl?"

John flushed and shoved his phone in his pocket. "No one. It's nothing."

Tara raised an eyebrow. "If you say so doctor, but it doesn't look like nothing from here."

"Tara, will you just room the next patient please?" John muttered, running his hand over his face.

"Yes doctor," Tara nodded, and then she was gone.

John leaned back in his chair with a sigh. This had happened more than once. Things had been different with Sherlock since he had returned from the dead, a little over a year ago. John was so very glad that Sherlock was back, but that didn't have to mean anything. Considering all the things they had been through together, it was only natural to feel such a strong connection with Sherlock. Yup. Everything was completely normal...

Was he smitten? No. Impossible. He wasn't gay. Sherlock was married to his work. Impossible. They were just good flatmates and partners. Working partners of course. Not any other type of partner. John pressed the heels of his hands lightly against his eyes and groaned.

Maybe it was time to start dating again? It had been a while since he'd even tried to get a date. Too many of his previous girlfriends had expressed ire about John's frequent absences. On top of that, the rare occasions when they were able to get a moment alone with John would invariably be cut short by John's impossible flatmate. The truth of the matter was that, despite being more than a bit 'not good', John would drop everything at a moment's notice, and run reckless around London on some wild case with Sherlock. And why shouldn't he? It was too damn fun to pass up.

John speculated that what he really needed was a partner (of the romantic variety of course) who would accept him just the way he was. That seemed fair enough. After all, John accepted Sherlock with all his eccentricities, and they'd gotten on brilliantly for years.

Right. This was not helping. John slowly dragged his hands away from his face and shook his head in frustration. What he needed right now was a distraction, any distraction.

He'd just stood up when Tara popped her head back around the door and informed him that, "Your next patient is ready in exam room two."

John nodded and replied, "Thank you, Tara." Patients, he decided, were as good a distraction as anything else.

Okay, I know that was short but I promise it gets longer a better. Just bear with me.

This is my first fanfiction in...let's just say a while. I normally do straight romance and, while this story will most certainly have that, it also has a fair amount of drama. I welcome all kinds of feedback; I want to tell a good story. Suggestions for things you would like to see are also welcome. I can't make any promises, but you may find suggestions appearing in the story, so don't hold back. I'm really excited about this story; hopefully it's the first of many.

I offer my heartfelt thanks to my Beta Helena Chauby for her help in editing chapters, Lady of Clunn for BritPicking this story, and to my flatmate, sounding board, and own personal Sherlock, Geoff , for his help with plot development.

I hope you enjoy the story!