"My son, a true hero!" Killian's mother, Eloise, gushed over dinner.

Killian had finished retelling the events of their day at the pool, earning a few eye rolls from his brother and bright smiles from her mum.

"You should have seen how red his face turned when the lass hugged him. Looked like a freshly painted phone box back home."

Liam chuckled as he walked his plate to the sink. "Killy, are you smitten?" Eloise asked her son quietly.

"I was just doing the right thing! Doesn't mean I like the girl!" Killian defended and left the table too, "Her smile was very pretty though." He mused and went into the living room to see what his brother was up to.

OoOoO

A group of six sat on a blanket munching on food as the sun was starting to set over the community pool. Elsa was happy, the sun was finally low enough that she didn't have to keep applying sun screen to her very fair skin. She watched her younger cousin, Emma, and Emma's new best friends, Killian and David trying to have a Gold Fish catching contest (all they were really doing was making a mess on the blanket). Her younger sister, Anna, was trying to mimic them and making the biggest mess of all. And then there was Liam, Killian's older brother who had his nose buried in a book all afternoon.

A whistle blew that the break was over and everyone was allowed back into the water. Anna, David, Emma and Killian all headed towards the oasis while Liam continued in his book, "So, what's so great about this book of yours?" Elsa finally gave into her curiosity and Liam was happy to recall every detail of the chapters he'd read so far.

"I can't believe school starts up again tomorrow." Emma whined as they packed up their things getting ready to leave only a half an hour later.

"Killian and I will be starting two new schools in a year, weird to think about, huh?" David mentioned as he tossed a few towels into an oversized bag.

"Still getting over the fact I now have to stay in school until I'm 18." Killian grumbled, "In Ireland we are usually finished we were are 16. Liam wasn't happy about that when we moved, he just had 3 more years!"

OoOoO

Everyone waited for David's Dad to pick him up before starting their walks home. Killian, David and Emma agreed to meet in front of the school at 7a tomorrow morning so she could show the boys were their lockers and classrooms would be, "Are you scared?" Emma asked trailing behind everyone else with Killian at her side.

"Me? Not a bit! I like a new adventure!" He waggled his eyebrows a little bit.

That was one thing Emma knew she liked about Killian, he was a very animated person, sort of the opposite of her. He would wave his arms when explaining things, wiggle those eyebrows to be silly and scratch the back of his ear when he was nervous or embarrassed. It wasn't that she didn't show emotion, she did, it just took her a while unlike Killian who could just jump right in.

"I was scared when I first started school here." Emma admitted looking down at her flip-flops.

"You know, you've never told me much about yourself for as much time as we've spent together this summer."

"Not much to tell. I was adopted when I was a baby but my parents died when I was 5, I don't like to talk about that. My aunt Ingrid, my adoptive mothers sister, took me in after that. Elsa and Anna might be my cousins but they are more like sisters now. Elsa helped me a bunch when I first came here. It was the middle of the school year and I didn't know anyone. She made sure I got to all my classes and even asked to have a different lunch time so she could sit with me but the in between times, those were hard until I finally made some friends."

"I never knew you were adopted. You all get along so well, like a true family."

"Most people don't know that about me. I look so much like Elsa that more people think her and I are related than her and Anna! And we get along so well because we are a real family. I never knew my birth parents; I don't even have a picture or know their names so my adopted parents were the only family I ever had. I was just lucky that Ingrid offered to raise me and didn't let me fall back into the foster system."

"I don't know how anyone could turn you away, Swan." Killian smiled and flung his arm around her shoulders pulling her into a sideways hug.

Emma closed her eyes, wrapping her arm that wasn't carrying the folded up blanket around his back and let him lead her along for a bit. She liked having a friend; she never really had a one before, at least not like this.

Her parents had passed away before she could make any at her old school and at her new school she had some friends she'd sit with at lunch but hardly saw them outside of school unless they had a day off or a group project. Emma used to consider Elsa and Anna friends when they were younger and just cousins but now that they were her 'sisters', they were family before anything else. So, she never felt like she had a true friend, someone she could talk to about anything, who was actually interested in her life but now she had two! Since the day she fell off the diving board she'd had friends in Killian and David, maybe even best friends (she wouldn't dare pick one over the other)! They'd spent several times a week together at the pool, park, each other's houses; they'd even gone on a trip to the zoo with Killian's family. Emma considered this summer to be the best one of her life, "Thank you for being my friend, Killian." She hugged onto his arm, resting her head on his shoulder.

"Thank you for letting me be your friend." He hugged back, smiling down at the top of her blonde head.

OoOoO

Elsa turned her head around from spying on Emma and Killian, "I think my little cousin might have a tiny crush on your brother." Elsa giggled.

"Killian's always been a charmer. It's those blue eyes of his. Our mum always joked he'd be a heart breaker when he grows up but I'm not too sure, think he's too nice and caring for all that."

"He'd get it honestly if he is." Elsa blushed a little bit.

"You're too kind, Elsa."

"SWING ME!" Anna came crashing between the two grabbing both their hands and jumping in mid air.

They kept up the game for another few blocks until they had to branch off, giving quick hugs goodbye and promises to see one and other the following day.

OoOoO

AN: Going to do a little time jump in the next chapter so keep that in mind :) If you'd like to let me know how you're feeling about this story please, leave me a review or message. I live off feedback! I think I am going to have a few fun chapters before adding some drama to the mix. Thank you to those who favorited, followed and just read the story :)

-NL