Looking

Stephen sat in the front of the car as Thorpe drove. Rory sat in the back. Thorpe had picked them up at the flat just a few moments before and was now driving them to the new place he had found for them.

As they drove, he assured them again that if they agreed to take it, they would be able to move in immediately and that the government would be buying it. He also assured them that it came partly furnished. The living room had a table and sofa, the kitchen had a fridge, freezer, cooker and washing machine alongside cupboards, the dining area attached to the kitchen had a dining table and some chairs and the master bedroom had a king sized bed, a wardrobe, a set of drawers and bedside tables. Stephen and Rory had looked at each other when they heard that, delighted that furniture had come with it. Sure, they'd have to buy some things themselves, but the basics were there.

Rory stared out of the window and watched London flash by. Thorpe said that this new place was just a 10 minute drive across the river so they couldn't be far away now. A smile crept into her face as she thought about the home that she'd hopefully soon be building with Stephen and when she turned back to look out of the front, she saw him watching her in the mirror, a smile on his own face.

As they crossed the river, Rory began to recognise the streets they were driving through. This had been the way to Goodwin's Court, where Stephen and Callum had lived during the Ripper case. They had gotten it at a step discount because it was haunted. They had taken care of that and had made it a lovely place to live. So lovely, in fact, that the owner started charging £3000 a month and it was goodbye Goodwin's Court and hello Waterloo flat. Rory began to reminisce about how nice that place had been when they started to drive through the streets not far from it. She looked at Stephen in the mirror and he threw her a confused look. When they pulled up outside of Goodwin's Court and Thorpe exited the car, he turned to face Rory in the back. He had the hint of a smile on his face. "You don't think...?"

Rory laughed. "I hope so. This was a lovely place."

Their eyes widened in wonder and Stephen left the car and opened the back door. He held out his hand for Rory like he had done the first time she came here. She wasn't sure if he remembered that or if he was offering her his hand because he always did. Whatever the reason, it was a nice touch. When they were out the car, they saw Thorpe standing at the archway that led into the Court and signalled them to follow as he walked down it. They looked at each other and Stephen broke into a laugh. He took her hand excitedly and they started to run after Thorpe.

Thorpe had stopped at the building just two doors down from the one they had lived in previously. "As I understand it," he said. "That was the building you were in before you moved to Waterloo. This one is yours. It has the same entrance method; a numeric keypad. The current passcode is 2271 but that can be changed if you wish." He typed in the number and the door opened. "The entire building is being bought so both the downstairs and the upstairs areas are yours. The downstairs area is normally for businesses while the upstairs is for living in. A humble suggestion, but perhaps you could use the downstairs area for squad work. That way, the stuff relating to the squad and the work you do could move from Waterloo to here and the team could work here through the day. That way, it won't be so cramped for them in Waterloo as they won't be living where they work and you'd still have your separate living quarters upstairs for yourselves so, technically, you wouldn't be living where you work either." Stephen and Rory looked at each other and smiled. Stephen spoke. "That sounds like a brilliant idea."

Thorpe smiled. "Wonderful. The downstairs door is just here and has a separate key to the upstairs door. These keys will be given to you should you accept the property." He gestured to the stairs. "Shall we?" They nodded eagerly and they all climbed to the living quarters upstairs. The door was unlocked for them so they entered. It had much the same layout as the other building. There was a large living room through one door and, through another, a dining area. A spacious kitchen was built onto the dining area and another small set of stairs led to bedrooms. The master bedroom was furnished but the second bedroom wasn't. Thorpe cleared his throat as they looked around. "I made sure to get a two bedroomed place for you. A bedroom for yourselves, of course, and a spare in case any little Denes join the family." He smiled at them as Rory giggled. Then she let go of Stephens hand, walked over to Thorpe and hugged him. He chuckled a little before reciprocating. She whispered to him. "Thank you. For everything."

"You're welcome. So," he said pulling away from her and smiling. "What do you think? Do you want it? Say the word and the whole property is yours today."

They looked at each other but they both already knew what the answer was. They said it together. "Yes."

Thorpe smiled widely. "Excellent, well here you go then." He handed them two sets of keys, one for downstairs and one for up. "I'll wait downstairs for you both."

"Thank you," they both said as Thorpe left them. Rory wandered around the master bedroom before going into the corridor and looking into the other room. Stephen came up to her and rubbed her back. "So, here we are. Our own home, together, in Goodwin's Court. It's actually perfect."

She murmured her agreement and he heard her voice wobble. He turned her around to face him. Her eyes were glistening. His voice filled with concern. "Sweetheart, what's wrong?"

She laughed gently. "Nothing's wrong. I'm crying because I'm happy." She sniffed as she leant against the doorway of the spare room. "I choked at dinner. I was trying the hot pot. It looked nice. It was. But I choked on it. That was it. Such a little thing." She laughed again. "And now I have all of this. It's crazy and insane and mad and wonderful and..." Tears slipped down her checks. "Perfect."

Stephen chuckled as he pulled her into a hug. "Thank god for hot pot."

She laughed into his chest as he held her close. "Just wait until we tell the others where we live." Rory said. "They're going to be so jealous."

"Yep. But they'll be here a lot. Especially if we turn downstairs into an office."

He felt her nod against him. "Yeah, that was a really good idea. Not only did we get a home today, but the Shades got an actual place to work."

Stephen kissed the top of her head. "It's been a good day."