Chapter Nine

                                    

                                          

The following weekend, Regina and Emma set aside some time to rearrange the house that they needed to start viewing as their own. So, Regina called her mother to take Lennox for the day and even the night, that way they could focus and finish the task. 
                          
The first thing to go was the furniture and even though Regina and Emma spent majority of the time arguing about whose furniture they would use to decorate the home, they eventually compromised. Regina used her furniture for the living room and Emma used hers for the family room. It drove Regina absolutely mad knowing that the furniture didn't match, but she was working on her controlling ways, so she relented. 
                          
There were a few knickknacks that they both agreed were sentimental and assumed Lennox would want when she is older. So, they wrapped those up, boxed them and Emma placed them safely in the crawlspace, along with some pictures as well that they removed from the walls. They both agreed the home needed to feel like it was theirs, not Kathryn and August's anymore. Of course, they left a few pictures scattered around the home, but they mostly dressed the walls with candid moments of Lennox. They also removed the giant family portrait hanging in the living room and replaced it with the picture that professional photographer took of them with Lennox at her first birthday, after they had sang to her. They also thoroughly enjoyed the picture taken after, where they were both scowling at the man for presuming they were a couple, so Emma made a small canvas and that one is hanging on the wall trailing up the staircase.
                          
During all of this, Emma had managed to sneak out into the driveway. She walked her motorcycle into the garage and with a heavy heart, she covered her pride and joy with a heavy blanket. Regina was right, she couldn't risk her life on something so reckless, she couldn't do that to Lennox. Not again. 
                          
As the evening starts to wind down and the sun is slowly falling from the sky, most likely just as exhausted and heavy as Regina and Emma feel, they have one task left that both are dreading and have been blatantly ignoring all day. 
                          
"I mean, we could always just keep this door locked and pretend it doesn't exist," Emma suggests with that adorable crooked grin that always persuades Regina's eyes to roll to maintain the facade of her annoyance toward the blonde. 
                          
"It's been six weeks, we need to face this," Regina sternly insists, but Emma has a sneaky suspicion that the brunette is trying to psych herself up for the moment, more than an attempt to motivate Emma. 
                          
Regina inhales sharply, squares her shoulders, and shoves the door open. Emma's imagination runs wild in that split second, as if their ghosts will be just waiting for them on the other side. She somewhat expects a thick layer of dust like an abandoned attic, maybe the musky stench to go along with it. 
                          
However, that's not what is waiting for them on the other side of the door. 
                          
The orange glow from the tired sun is streaming through the room, illuminating the walls and portraying a type of comfort and warmth. She sighs in relief. Despite being ignored for six weeks, there is still an aroma wafting through the air, like clean laundry as it tumbles in the dryer and swims through the vents of the house. 
                          
"Not so scary," she murmurs under her breath because they have yet to cross the threshold. 
                          
Regina scoffs, finding her courage and sweeping right into the room without another thought. Emma follows in her footsteps, dragging two boxes behind to be filled and stored away for Lennox once again. 
                          
"I think it would be ideal if you decipher between August's things that you want to keep for Lennox or toss away," Regina delegates as she yanks on a dresser drawer and scowls. 
                          
"I-" she clams up, not having the courage to tell Regina that she isn't sure she can go through his things on her own without completely breaking down, but she snaps her mouth shut and trudges toward his side of the bed.