2
"This is it," Brennan stopped walking, looking up at the sky scraper that towered into the skyline above their heads.
"Whoa," Booth exhaled softly, not knowing what to make of the palatial lobby they had just entered. His own apartment had a simple staircase with mailboxes on the far wall. This place had a water feature for God's sake.
"Mrs Adams?" Brennan asked, gaining the attention of the middle aged woman who was standing studying a painting on the wall, "Dr. Brennan," she extended her hand in greeting, "and this is my partner, Agent Booth."
"Nice to meet you," Mrs Adams returned the salutations, handing Brennan a folder of particulars for the property. "Follow me; I'll take you up," she spoke quickly, already moving away from them, pushing the button and stepping forwards as the elevator doors slid open instantly.
Booth kept silent in the elevator, his eyebrows rising almost to his hairline as the Realtor pushed the button for the penthouse, keying in a four digit code on the keypad next to the floor numbers. This was the kind of security that he knew Bones needed; her own floor where no-one knew the code to access her space. No Epps, no creepy stalkers, no boyfriends knocking at the door.
"This is a secure facility," The Realtor spoke directly to Brennan, ignoring Booth completely as they travelled up the floors, coming to a soft halt when the P on the wall finally lit up. Stepping out before the partners, Mrs Adams led the way across a small landing, a basic white door to the left of them which Booth noted was the fire escape, and another white door directly in front of them. The door in front of them had a simple handle, but what impressed Booth the most was the locks both above and below the handle, he was just contemplating the structure of the door when he heard the words 'fingerprint'.
"Prints?" he queried, looking past his partner to the wall beside Mrs Adams.
"Fingerprint ID technology, programmed to memorise and accept up to 5 separate people's fingerprints; without a suitable scan the door will not open."
"So how do we enter?" Brennan asked, eying the door suspiciously.
"The security system will only be activated when someone purchases the apartment," Mrs Adams sniffed, as if the answer should have been obvious. "It's unlocked, go on in."
Twisting the handle before Brennan could step closer to the door; Booth scanned the room as he leant back for Brennan to enter first. The room was a decent size, much bigger than his living room, but the lack of decoration probably added to the perception. It was completely empty, the plain creamy white walls and laminate flooring emphasising the large space. The clack of Brennan's heels brought the rest of the apartment to Booth's attention as he followed the Realtor in, closing the door behind them.
Brennan had already made her way across the room, seemingly ignoring the living room as she processed the surroundings at her normal speed, leaving Booth and Mrs Adams to trail behind while she stepped through the wide archway that clearly led to a well furnished kitchen. Shiny black was obviously the theme, it was everywhere from the cabinet doors to the large double fridge-freezer that stood proudly in the centre against the far wall, even the floor boasted high shine black tiles to contrast with the simple white walls.
Booth was suitably impressed. He could almost see Brennan living in a place like this. It was simple, spacious and most of all secure.
"Would you like to see the bedrooms?" Adams didn't wait for an answer, stepping out of the kitchen back into the living room, striding across the floor to a series of doors that trailed down a wide corridor on the left hand side of the apartment. Pushing open the first door, she revealed a large room decorated once again in creamy white, with dark wooden floor, a large window on the far side boasting an amazing view of the nation's capital.
"I like it." Brennan spoke firmly, walking in and out of the room quickly, moving to the next door down, opening it to show a family bathroom, gleaming white commode, sink, double wide shower cubicle, and under a frosted window, the biggest bathtub Brennan had ever seen.
"Wow," Booth muttered; his appreciation evident in his face as he took in the size of the tub. "That alone is worth this place."
"It is impressive," Brennan agreed, a smile playing on her lips.
"Next bedroom?" Booth asked, watching his partner as she mentally calculated something in the incredible mind of hers. Seeing her nod, he followed the silent Mrs Adams down the corridor to yet another cream bedroom, smaller than the first but nevertheless, almost as large as his own bedroom in his apartment.
It was the next room that really sealed the deal in Booth's mind. He watched as Brennan strode into what was clearly an office or study. The walls were lined all down the sides with shelves right to the window where he knew her desk would fit beautifully. As he watched her spin around slowly, taking in the room and all it could possibly mean for her, Booth knew that this was the place for Bones.
Noticing that Bones was nodding her head almost imperceptibly, Booth allowed her to move past him, giving her a second to walk away before he followed, striding confidently down the corridor, looking in at yet another, much smaller bedroom before reaching the last door hot on her heels. He stood back, allowing Brennan to open the door herself as she took in the last bedroom.
It was clearly the biggest room, decorated once more in the same shade of creamy white as every other room, but what stole the partners' attention was the high window that spanned two entire walls. Starting approximately five feet from the floor and only two foot in height, the window stretched across the entire back wall as well as the wall to the right, showing stunning views of not only the city, but also the rooftop terrace that was adjacent to the room.
A door on the left wall was open, revealing the en-suite bathroom, but Brennan paid in no attention as she stood in the middle of the floor, taking in the view through the window. It wasn't a view that anyone who was short of stature could enjoy, but long, silent moments passed as the partners stood, looking across the city side by side.
"The lounge area is through here," The Realtors voice carried through the doorway, spurring Booth and Brennan into motion, following the direction of her voice to a doorway opposite what Booth knew was going to Bones' bedroom. The 'lounge area' as Mrs Adams described it was almost as impressive as the rest of the apartment put together, it was a large, open plan area, the walls and wooden floor emphasised by the glass doors that ran the length of the room, opening out onto the rooftop terrace.
Booth watched Brennan and Adams move out onto the terrace, but remained inside, imagining Bones' huge TV on the wall ahead of him, her comfy sofa dominating the room, its deep red leather would contrast nicely with the pale walls as they worked on cases or watched crappy documentaries.
"Booth?" Brennan called, bringing him quickly back to reality, "I think you'd like this," she spoke, not having to turn around to know that he had stepped up behind her. His answer was lost on the tip of his tongue as he took in the hot-tub situated under the high window of the last bedroom.
"You buy this place and I'm moving in!" Booth joked, looking around the rest of terrace; a thick glass wall surrounded the entire terrace, providing stunning views without endangering anyone who came too close to the edge. A barbeque grill was built into the far wall, just across from the lounge area and Booth could almost see the summer, grilling steaks, relaxing in the hot tub, enjoying the sunset with a few beers and his partner next to him.
"I think I'll enjoy living here." Brennan smiled, her mind made up.
"I thought it depended on many factors, 'not least of all if you like the apartment'," Booth quoted with a grin,
"I like the security, which I assume is adequate since you have refrained from criticising it, I am impressed with the location, the views from the windows are astonishing, the size of the rooms and the layout of the entire apartment suits my needs, yet I know it is much too large for me to justify living here alone, but since you have also decided to live here, I think it is a ideal choice of home."
"I- what?"