Two things happened in this chapter that I didn't intend. First of all it's the first M rated chapter and second, I introduced Liam much sooner into this story than I expected. So in other words, things happened while I was writing and I just went with it.

Disclaimer: I don't own Once Upon A Time

Chapter 4 - Cup Dreams

If talking to Emma was easy, thinking about her was even more so. She had been on Killian's mind since they met and the long boring plane rides weren't doing anything to help. The flight to London had been torture on him but his meeting had gone well and he was hopeful his transfer would be moving forward soon. Now he was headed to Ireland, excited to see his brother and niece again. Not to mention hopeful he could find the time to call Emma when he landed.

They hadn't spoken since their date on Sunday, not that they hadn't tried. Time differences and work schedules were making things difficult and it made Killian grateful that they hadn't made any commitments before he'd left. Maybe if things slowed down that could change, but for now friendship would have to do.

A ding was heard as the fasten seat belts sign was turned on and an announcement made that the flight would be landing soon. Killian peered out the window and caught a glimpse of the rocky shores of his homeland, stretching out into grassy hills and small towns.

Killian couldn't have been more relieved when his flight finally touched down. A few days at home and an escape from the flight attendant who'd been making eyes at him since London was exactly what he needed.

The drive from Dublin Airport to the horse ranch he owned with Liam was short so Killian rented a car and made it himself. A small bridge carried him over an even smaller river that ran through the property, a sign reading 'Jones Ranch' greeting him on the other side. When the trees parted the familiar brick home revealed itself.

Killian put the car in park and climbed out, not bothering to grab any of his bags. The large front door was unlocked so he made his way in, calling out for his brother. When he received no response he journeyed further into the house, past the living room and through the kitchen, right out the back door.

He found Liam in the stable brushing a large black Shire. Riley, who was sitting precariously on top of a stall gate, noticed his entrance immediately. "Uncle Killian!" She jumped down from her perch and ran towards him at break neck speed, launching herself into his arms.

"Hey, Ry," he greeted while he released her, only so she could bounce around him excitedly.

"What are you doing here? Daddy said you weren't coming home until next month."

"While I had a few days before I have to fly out and I wanted to surprise you."

"Hello, brother." Liam reached for Killian, pulling him into a tight hug, "It's good to see you."

"You as well, Liam."

They separated, Liam returning to finish brushing the large horse and Killian being drawn into one of Riley's exaggerated stories, this one about a frog she had found on the ranch last week. According to her it had been the size of a cat, but Liam's subtle head shake told him it was probably the size of any other frog.

When Liam announced he was off to shower before lunch Riley dragged Killian over to the pirate ship playground in the back yard, proclaiming him her first mate and threatening to make him walk the plank if he even thought about mutiny. Killian made a mental note to tell Liam that he was letting her watch too many pirate movies again.

By the time Liam returned nearly a half hour later, Killian had been forced to walk the plank, which was a mere two feet from the ground, twelve times, despite his insistence that he wasn't a mutineer. When he finally managed to escape Riley's pirate clutches he joined Liam by the barbecue, accepting the offered beer from his brother's hand.

"So how has she been?" Killian asked has he peeked over at his niece, still on the playground. He sat on a patio chair as Liam stood barbecuing. The smell of steak permeated the air around them. Liam paused and stole a glance at his daughter before answering.

"She's been well. I think the moved helped. And she seems to enjoy having me around more."

"And what about you?"

"It's bittersweet. I love that I get to spend more time with Riley but I wish I had been home more when her..." Liam trailed off, taking a deep breath, "I wish I had been here more when Chloe was alive. I don't know how I'm going to do this without her."

Liam's shoulders slumped as Killian stood, placing a hand on his brother's shoulder for comfort.

"You're a great dad, Liam. If anyone can do this, it's you. Riley's not the first kid you've raised by yourself, and she's a vast improvement over my arse."

Despite his attempt to joke the look in Killain's eyes spoke volume's, tears welling up at the edges. The 'thank you' almost rolled off his tongue but Liam's knowing smile and nod told him that it wasn't necessary. He knew. Killian began wondering how trying to comfort his brother had turned into his own tears, but between the two of them Liam had always been the strong one.

"Enough of this now. Why don't you tell me who's put the dopey smile on my little brother's face?" Killian huffed indignantly has he resumed his seat.

"Younger brother. And I'm not sure what you're talking about."

"You've been staring off into space with a ridiculous grin on your face since you arrived. So what's her name?" Liam's words were accompanied by a sly grin and a raised eyebrow.

"It's Emma. And it's nothing so don't give me that look."

"Do you always think so much about nothing?" Killian blushed and diverted his gaze away from his brother's.

"I met her in New York, we went out, and I haven't spoken to her since."

"But you want to."

"Very much." The grin returned to Liam's face.

"What?"

"Nothing. It's just you haven't told me about a girl since high school. I'm happy for you, Killian."

"Well don't be too happy. I told you, right now it's nothing."

"Doesn't mean it can't be something."

Liam was right of course. It could be something. Killian hoped it would be some day but he knew it would take time and work. They live thousands of kilometers away and Emma has a son to worry about and a guarded heart. For now he would have to be satisfied with a budding friendship and the vivid memory of her kiss.

Killian forced it from his mind for the time being though. He didn't get to see what little family he had left very often and he planned on enjoying every moment of it.

/

Killian made it up to his bedroom just after ten o'clock. He desperately needed a shower and a good eight hours of sleep but he'd been waiting all day to call Emma so he flopped on his bed and slipped his phone out of his pocket. He waited with baited breath. The first call he had made to her had gone unanswered and it would have been deflating if he hadn't noticed a missed call from her just a few hours later.

This time Emma answered on the second ring, sounding just as tired as he felt.

"Hey, Killian."

"Hello, Emma."

"I'm sorry I missed you're call yesterday. Work's been crazy."

"Not to worry, lass. I know the feeling. I'm just happy to be speaking to you now."

"Me too." He could hear the smile in her voice and was struck with a small feeling of pride to have put it there. He pledged to put it there as often as he could.

"How have you been? You mentioned work."

"It's been busy lately. I've spent the last week hunting down some guy who ran from credit card fraud. I would have had him on Friday if he had bothered to show up for our date," she was mumbling something now, and he heard her wince, "I tracked him down today. The dumb ass was stupid enough to use another stolen credit card. Once the location was flagged it wasn't hard to figure out the culprit. I mean, two blocks from your former address, dude." Killian heard another wince followed by muttered cursing.

"I'm guessing things didn't go quite as smoothly once you located him."

"He tried to run. I had to tackle him into a clothing display."

The feeling of pride returned to Killian, this time accompanied by arousal. He knew the pride was unwarranted, the arousal however was not.

"Well if you ever see him again thank him for me."

"For what?" she huffed.

"Standing you up." Her laugh radiated like sunshine through the phone and his own face lit up at the sound. It was muffled from the connection but still sounded just as good to him as it had the few times he had heard it on Sunday.

"So what about you? I have to say, I'm surprised you found time to call."

"I don't have to report for camp until tomorrow, so after my flight landed I had some free time. Spent the day with my brother and niece and now I'm here."

"What time is it there?"

"Nearing half past ten."

"Well I don't want to keep you up. If you're tired you should sleep."

"Not to worry, lass. Being a little tired will be worth it."

They talked for a short while after that, mostly about Killian's prospects with Manchester City and Liverpool. Although Emma made it clear she didn't think it was her place to offer an opinion on the matter, Killian insisted that he needed a little objectivity.

On one hand Liverpool was closer to home, only just across the sea. But they wanted a long term deal that Killian wasn't sure he was ready to commit to. Manchester could barely be considered farther away and the team seemed much more flexible on the terms of the deal. Short term or long term they were prepared to work something out.

The only opinion Emma offered on the matter was that his eyes would look best in the sky blue of Manchester City. Judging by the slight intake of breath from her end of the phone, Killian deduced that she hadn't meant to share that particular thought. Regardless he chose not to comment on it, not wanting her to think she ever needed to filter her thoughts.

When Emma announced she had to make dinner Killian finally took note of the time again. Nearly quarter after eleven and he still had to shower.

After assurances that they would talk again soon, and goodbyes that lasted a little longer than necessary, Killian reluctantly hung up his phone, throwing it carelessly onto the bed beside him and standing up. It was late and he was tired but a shower was in order so he dragged himself into the adjoining bathroom and fiddled with the taps until the water was at a desirable temperature. He quickly relieved himself of his jeans and shirt and climbed in.

The warm water felt cool on his hot skin as he leaned into it, resting his hands on the shower wall and ducking his head. He tried hard not to think about blonde hair and eyes the colour of the sea when it rains but his mind failed and his body reacted. Killian tried earnestly to ignore his growing arousal, focusing instead on scrubbing the days of travel from his skin. Unconsciously his hand wondered gradually lower until he was gripping himself firmly, pumping slowly.

He knew it was wrong, thinking about a woman he had known for less then a week in such a way but Emma had captured his thoughts and he was certain she wouldn't be releasing them anytime soon. With that and a plethora of other thoughts in his head he quickened his paced. His hand slipped over himself swiftly with the help of his body wash and soon his forehead rested on his other arm against the shower wall. A breathy moan left his lips upon his release and he watched sheepishly as it was washed down the drain.

Killian rinsed the remaining soap from his body before climbing out of the shower and briefly toweling off. He managed to pull on a pair of boxer-briefs before collapsing back onto his bed. Exhaustion overtook him and he fell asleep instantaneously.

/

The flight to Brazil was long and boring and the teams stop over in New York was far too short for him to sneak off and see Emma, not to mention she was surely working. Killian however did take a chance at calling her, knowing it would likely be his only chance to do so for quite some time. To his everlasting delight she answered.

"Hey, Killian."

"Hello, love."

"Aren't you supposed to be on a plane right now? How are you calling me?"

"We had a stop over in New York. I'm at JFK."

"Oh. Well um, I'm working right now so..." Emma trailed off.

"No, no, that's not why I called."

"Then why did you call?"

"Well if all goes well I'm gonna be busy for the next month or so and I don't know how much we're going to be able to talk. I just thought I'd take this last opportunity to make sure you wouldn't forget me while I'm away." Outwardly his words sounded like a joke but inside Killian was entirely serious. Emma laughed on the other line, easing some of Killian's tension.

"I can't imagine I'll be forgetting you anytime soon, Jones."

"I'm glad to hear it, Swan." He emphasized her last name. It was the first time he'd called her by it but he liked the way it rolled of his tongue.

From the corner of his eye Killian spotted rapid movement, looking over he was greeted with one of the teams assistant coaches signaling for him to hang up the phone and pointing at the large digital clock above the flight board. The rest of the team had already gathered their things and were now making their way toward the gate.

"I'm sorry, Swan. It appears my flight is boarding. I'm afraid this is were we part ways." She scoffed at his flamboyant words but didn't comment.

"Well have a safe flight. And call me if you get the chance."

"Of course, love. Goodbye."

"Bye." Killian pulled the phone away from his ear, reluctantly reaching with his thumb to end the call when he heard Emma's voice travel through the speaker again, "And Killian?" He pressed the phone back to his ear embarrassingly fast.

"Yes?"

"Good luck," she said earnestly. A grin split his face.

"Thank you, Emma."

By the time Killian slipped his phone back into his pocket and collected his carry on most of the team had already made it on board and he was being frantically waved forward, as if he were in danger of missing the flight.

When Killian settled into his seat he allowed the enthusiasm of his surrounding teammates to wash over him as well. He was nervous but mostly excited. This was his second World Cup and his first as captain. The pressure was on. Four years ago Ireland hadn't made it out of the group stage but they had vastly improved since then and the expectations were much higher. Killian couldn't afford distractions, even pretty blonde ones.

/

Emma doesn't know how it happened, it fact she wasn't even aware that she had these channels, but she does so here she is. This is the third one of his games that she's watched over the last ten days and according to the broadcaster the last of the group stage, what ever that means.

The first time it had been an accident. Sitting in her living room, browsing through some files and channel surfing, she had happened upon it. She had wrestled with the idea of finding something else, but the camera chose that moment to pan in on Killian and soon she was enthralled, not by the sport itself, but by Killian in his natural habitat. He played with a confidence she had never seen in him before, which spoke volumes about his abilities. It was almost as if he were an extension of the field, weaving through defenders and scoring with such grace it was enough to make anyone believe that the man was made to play soccer. Emma believed it.

She also tried to pretend her favourite part of the game wasn't the end, when the players on each team traded shirts. It was a phenomenon she didn't understand, but definitely appreciated, especially each time Killian striped his off and handed it to the player on the opposing team who also wore a yellow arm band. Emma had figured out pretty quickly that that was the sign of the captain and since then a small wave of pride had filled her every time she spotted Killian's. The pride, along with most if her other thoughts, dissipated with his shirt each time though. The photo Ruby had shown her was nothing compared to live action, a light sheen of sweat covering the muscles that tightened with every movement and disheveled hair that he made look just as good as it had on the night she met him.

He was a very distracting specimen. So much so that it took a moment for Emma to notice Henry enter the room. He sat beside her on the couch and stared curiously at the TV.

"Why are you watching soccer?" Emma contemplated lying. Telling him that she had just hadn't bothered to change it, but Henry's a smart, he'd know if she were lying. Plus there's no harm in telling him about a friend.

"A friend of mine is playing." Henry's eyes it up excitedly. Like most kids on this side of the world Henry wasn't much of a soccer fan, leaning more towards baseball, but he knew enough to know what it meant to play on TV.

"Really?"

"Yeah," Emma answered with a smile, pointing out Killian on the screen, "His name is Killian." Henry looked thoughtful for a moment.

"I don't know him," he sounded puzzled, rightly so. Emma didn't have many friends, really just Ruby and Elsa, and Henry knew both of them quite well. They were practically family at this point. "Do I get to meet him?" Henry looked at her expectantly. Emma wasn't sure what the answer to that question was. Right now Killian was just a friend, but he had potential and she knew if it ever became more she would have to tread carefully around Henry. She hadn't had a serious boyfriend since Henry was born and had never had to worry about when the right time to introduce them would be. For now she just figured the best answer would be the simplest.

"Maybe some day, kid."

Emma wondered silently if Henry and Killian would like each other.