Lily finds herself often scolding her brother and friends, as they're far too loud when walking from outside to the flat downstairs. Still, she tends to laugh as she does it, as the others are usually laughing, too. All she feels is guilt, though, when she actually has to hire professionals for certain jobs, like taking up the carpet and replacing it with hardwood floors or taking out the old countertops. That stuff is always the loudest.

At present, they've put down walnut wood flooring, painted the kitchen area white — the same color they'll paint the sitting room area (because more pictures and decorations would match it), though they're going to paint the fireplace wall a different color to make it a "statement wall" — and Lily's decided on muted pink and gold for the bathroom, the sink cabinet being pink, the sink itself being white (like the the tiles on the floor and wall) and the faucet being gold to match the accents on the corner shower that needs to be installed. For the kitchen, she wants pale yellow cabinets, white marble countertops, and a kitchen island with a drop down bar to eat on. She's still picking out appliances and tile for the backsplash, though she's more focused on the living room at the moment.

She can't decide what color to paint the statement wall, for one thing, and that will likely help determine the furniture and decorations in the room. Liam and others have discussed it with her, putting in their own helpful opinions and such, but she ends up distracted from the issue anyway.

One morning, a little over three weeks after she signed the papers for 221C, she arrives there with Liam and their childhood friend Uriah to start painting the sitting room area. When she unlocks the door, she enters the stairwell and pictures it as she wants it to look when it's done, with decorative pictures and a hanging ivy plant and possibly painted the same color as the statement wall, but there's still something that feels off about it. She frowns a little as she walks down the steps, opening the white door with one hand, a paint can in the other. Liam carries another paint can, while Uriah has the tape, trays, and paint rollers.

"Before we start painting, we're going to have to tear down this leftover wallpaper," Lily says, putting the paint can on the floor next to where the island will go, where a half-full can already rests. The wallpaper she spoke of is on the wall that hides the stairs, torn around the edges, leaving a large, jagged oval of a dark, faded pattern. Lily, Liam, and Uriah begin working, Uriah on the stepladder they've left in the apartment to use when need be, but it proves difficult even with three people.

As she works, Lily can't help but think of that off-ness she feels with that stairwell, on the other side of that wall. She'd chalked it up before to the lack of nice paint and decorations, but she can't deny that it still feels off even when she pictures it as the best it can be. She stops working on the wallpaper, hands resting casually on her hips as she thinks, brows furrowed. That faded wall sits there, offering next to no dreams of pretty paint and pictures, hardly any potential for something useful or pleasing — and what it does offer is not enough to save it.

"What are you thinking, Lil?" Liam asks, having noticed her stance.

The wall is all but gone in her mind, replaced by a white railing to match the newly repainted stairs behind it. She smiles. "I think I want to take out this wall."

Uriah looks down at her. "Does that mean I can stop trying to scrape this wallpaper off?"

"Yes, Uriah, I think it does."

"Sweet."

"Now hold on," Liam says. "I know taking it out would open things up, but you might not be able to; it could be a support wall."

Lily's smile turns into her furrowed, faraway thinking expression again. "It could," she admits, before she smiles again. "Let's go ask Mrs. Hudson." She takes off up the stairs, excitement and like for the landlady overriding her nerves, forcing Liam and Uriah to follow her.

She knocks on the door to 221A before they catch up with her, though they're in time to see Mrs. Hudson greeting her with a sweet smile.

"Oh, Lily," she says. "Hello, dear. I hope everything's going alright with the renovations."

"It's going swimmingly, Mrs. Hudson," Lily replies brightly. "I was just wondering if you knew if that wall next to the stairs is a support wall or not?"

"The wall next to the stairs?"

"Yes, the one on your..." the stairs appear in Lily's mind's eye "... right when walking down the stairs."

Mrs. Hudson thinks for a moment. "You know, I'm sure I don't know. Why don't you come in? I think I have some sort of plan or blueprints or something in here." Lily thanks her and enters the apartment, but Mrs. Hudson has to beckon the boys inside. "Come on — you boys, too. I have enough biscuits for all three of you."

Uriah and Liam enter, very quickly taking the biscuits Mrs. Hudson offers them before she starts digging in the half-cluttered white laminate drawers over top the green cabinets. The sink and the dish rack take up most of the white counter space in front of the window, curtains of a muted flower pattern framing it. A radio, a little card, and a house plant are on the sill. A blue kettle is on the back of the small, white stove on the opposite wall. A dish towel is hanging on the oven handle, and the countertop on the far side of the stove is empty save a few stacked mugs, a toaster, and a little stack of papers on the edge. The refrigerator on the other side, closer to the door, is gray, and there's a few cards on top. High on the floral-papered wall to the left of the doorway is a string of even more cards.

Most significant, though, is the little girl sitting at the kitchen table in the corner directly under the string of cards and a green-rimmed clock. A fairy coloring book and crayons are in front of her, with a plate of biscuits and a half full cup of milk to the side. She's looking at the new visitors as if trying to figure out who they are, why they're here, and if she likes them.

"That's Rosie, by the way," Mrs. Hudson offers to Lily, quiet enough that Rosie wouldn't be able to hear her. "She's the child I was telling you about when you first came here. I babysit her often, when her father and Sherlock go off to work."

Lily smiles at Rosie, using her sweet, friendly smile, perfect for greeting Year Ones on the first day of school. "Hello. My name is Lily."

"I thought so," Rosie replies, with a slight lisp. The light from the window shines on her short, blonde hair. "I'm Rosie."

"I love that name," Lily says. "It reminds me of a flower."

Rosie smiles widely. "So does yours. You're Lily. That's a flower, too." Her r's and l's are muddled as well.

Lily laughs. "Well, I suppose it is, isn't it?" She walks closer to Rosie, then stage-whispering as if telling her a secret. "You see that man right there?" She points at Liam, and Rosie looks over at him, nods, then looks back at Lily, clearly fascinated with whatever she's going to say. Lily smiles at the corner of her mouth. "His name is Liam. It's terribly boring — not a flower at all."

"Hey!" Liam protests.

Rosie laughs at this, and then points to Uriah, who's eating a second biscuit. "Who he is?"

"That's Uriah," Lily replies. "His name is much cooler."

"I've got it," Mrs. Hudson suddenly says, unfolding a piece of paper. She walks over to the table and spreads it out, avoiding Rosie's work and cookies. Uriah and Liam follow her, looking over her shoulder. Rosie stands on her chair, leaning on her arms on the tabletop.

They all look at it for a moment, finding no familiar structure to get their bearings, and then Mrs. Hudson declares what everyone is thinking. "Well, I just can't make head or tails of that."

As Liam looks closer at it, Rosie quietly asks Lily, "What that is?"

"That's a drawing of my new flat," Lily replies. "We're trying to see if I can take out a wall."

"That flat?" Rosie asks, pointing to the door, indicating 221C.

Lily smiles and nods. "Yep." She leans towards her with a smile. "I'm going to be your new neighbor."

"When you are done with the- the..." Rosie tries to remember the word, attempts to pronounce it "... wevations?"

Lily's smile widens, and she gently corrects her pronunciation. "When I'm done with the renovations, yes."

"Lock says they are too loud," she declares.

Lily grimaces, then looks to Liam. "I told you you were being too loud."

"Hey, it's not my fault that all the flooring work makes a lot of noise," Liam argues, while Mrs. Hudson returns to the drawer and pulls out a new blueprint.

"It's you're fault that you're noisy," Lily points out, and Liam's sigh and playful eye roll cause both Lily and Rosie to laugh.

"Oh, don't mind Sherlock," Mrs. Hudson replies, looking at the new blueprint. "He'll get over it." She then mutters, "He's hardly been home, anyway."

But Lily does mind him, then resolving to make sure she and anyone else there to help her are quieter, if they can be. If they take out this wall, though, there will be nothing she can do. She'll just have to tell Mrs. Hudson to warn her upstairs neighbor — this Sherlock character. It's an odd name, to be sure, but it's familiar. She can't place it just now.

"There," Uriah points. "That's the wall."

"There should be an 'S' next to it if it's structural," Mrs. Hudson says, and all of them look for a moment.

"I don't see one," Lily says hopefully.

"Neither do I," Liam adds, looking across the table at her with a small smile. "Time to take yet even more money out of your savings. You'll have to add in a railing for the stairs, too."

Lily grins. "I know."

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They consulted a professional about the wall and were told most of the wall could definitely be taken out, but the man advised keeping the portion of the wall at the very top of the stairs, right across from the front door. Lily was very happy with that, and so construction has begun. The wall is to be taken out, and Lily went ahead and scheduled a day for the railing to be put in and the stairs to be fixed; the treads are going to be the same wood as the floor, and the risers are going to be white to match the railing.

Painting the living room area has been put on hold, of course, so Lily has turned to looking at paint colors, backsplash options, appliances, furniture, and, when she happens to see them, little knickknacks and decorations.

Liam is usually the only one with her when looking for these things, as their friends have become a bit busy. Uriah had to go back to Boscombe, where he, Lily, and Liam grew up, and where he still lives and works for her father at his carpentry business. The two other friends Lily's had helping her off and on are Elliot, Liam's old roommate, and Raven, Lily's now former coworker. Elliot's wife recently found out she was pregnant, which has taken up a bit of their time, and the latter is currently on holiday with her family. Lily and Liam are going it alone, though this doesn't bother them much until they would like extra hands to carry appliances and furniture.

Lily has fought with indecision for a while, able to picture her statement wall as a slew of colors, but she finally figures it out when she sees the cutest set of light blue kitchen appliances.

"Liam, they're perfect," she declares.

He chuckles. "Lil, you haven't even looked at any details or even measurements."

"But look at how big this oven is," Lily replies, "and how cute. I'm sure we can redo the cabinet plan to fit it if it's too big."

Liam looks at the details, going through them with Lily, who gets increasingly excited the more she hears. When they talk to an employee, they find out that there's a good deal on the whole set — the fridge, dishwasher, oven, and microwave. And, the store will hold the appliances for her until they can set an installment date, considering the wall construction that's currently going on and the fact that the cabinets haven't been put in yet.

Everything seems to fall into place in Lily's mind after that. "I can get backsplash with light blue in it, which means I'm going to paint the statement wall light blue, and I can get a light blue couch with pale yellow pillows and a blue rug and a pale yellow coffee table-" She takes a breath, eyes alight with excitement, and Liam chuckles.

"Alright, alright," he says. "Now that you've got this all planned out, I suppose we have to go shopping for all this stuff?"

"Yes! We can go right now-" Lily grabs his arm, taking off in the direction she just assumes the right store is in.

Liam stops. "Wait, wait, can we get lunch first?"

"Oh, good idea; I can start looking online while we're there." She then turns in the other direction, with no idea exactly where she's going, but getting there all the same.