A/N: Things get a bit more complicated, but there's still some fluff here and sweet moments between Killian and Emma.

Thanks to Jonesfandomfanatic for beta reading for me again…

Chapter 5

After he dropped Jewel off at the dog sitter, he drove to the TV network's building in Boston. It wasn't every week he ventured down there because they set his schedule to be on location, either on the ranch or wherever the family might be. His fellow cameraman, Will Scarlet, was in charge of getting their footage transferred to the servers where the editors would pick up the clips they wanted to use in each episode. He knew that the first episodes were already being cut together and today they would have a joint viewing of those first rough drafts.

As he walked to the office, his phone notified him of a message. He looked at his phone and smiled, seeing that it was from Emma. Swiping to unlock the screen, his face fell when he saw the message: Leo fucked up. He called out your name on that pic of me wearing your cap in Florida. *wink* when I beat your ass in darts. It was followed by a heart emoji, then continued, I'm sorry, but the messages blew up with curious followers who want to know who "Killian" is. Call me when you can.

"Bloody hell." He wiped his hand over his mouth. His skin prickled with nervousness, wondering if this information had reached Regina Mills. He knew the TV network, U-TV, kept a close eye on the social media platforms so they could be up to date with how well each episode was being received. As well as anything related to the Nolan family.

"Oy Killian." It was his brother approaching him. He looked up and he could see that his brother had his serious game face on. Shit.

"What's wrong?" Killian asked, feigning ignorance.

"Mrs. Mills wants to see you before we go to the showroom to watch the new episodes," Liam said, his voice far too calm.

Killian only nodded and fell in step with his brother, his mind reeling with the potential outcomes of this meeting. The worst-case scenario would be getting fired.

"Do you know what this is about?" Liam asked.

"I might," Killian admitted, as he tried to focus on taking the next step, leading them closer to their boss's office.

Liam greeted Regina Mills' assistant, Sidney Glass, who sat at his desk outside the office. Sidney waved them through. "She's ready to speak with you, Mr. Jones." His dark beady eyes focused on Killian, so he clearly knew that this was about him.

Killian followed his brother through the door and rolled his shoulders, trying to ease the tension he felt building up between his shoulder blades.

"Ah, you're here," Regina said from her seat behind her obnoxiously large dark wood desk.

"Mrs. Mills." Both Jones brothers said as they sat down on the two plush chairs in front of the desk.

"Killian, do you know why I want a word with you this morning?" Regina folded her hands and perched her chin on her fingers.

"I might… I got a message from Emma." He swallowed and glanced at his brother, who tried to keep his face neutral.

"Anabelle Tink informed me that there's been some social chatter about Emma spending time with 'a Killian'," Regina sighed. "And now everyone wants to know who he is."

"Killian?" Liam's voice sounded puzzled.

Killian cringed. "Apparently her brother commented on the post she did months ago when we were in Florida." Killian rubbed behind his ear and looked sheepishly at his brother.

"When you played darts with her?"

"Aye."

Regina settled back in her chair. "And the comment feed blew up with questions about who this mystery guy is. You know that the social gossip lines are like a pack of wolves when they pick up little tidbits like this?" She looked at Killian with her fierce brown eyes.

"Aye," Killian gulped. "Look, we've only been talking, that's all."

"Well, I spoke with a few on the crew and they tell me you spend some of your free time out there on the ranch now." Regina lifted a curious eyebrow.

"I… we… Aye I do," he sighed. "Look, Mrs. Mills, Emma and I are… are friends…" He looked down at his clasped hands, feeling the heat rise on his neck. They were so much more than friends by now.

"Just friends?"

Killian pursed his lips and shrugged. "Everything is still new…"

"What's new?" Regina queried.

"I don't see what my relationship with Emma has got to do with all this," Killian blurted out and looked at his boss. Her brows lifted in surprise at his outburst, but he saw a small tug of her lips as if she tried not to smile.

"So you do have a relationship with Miss. Nolan?" She shifted forward in her chair and rested her elbows on the polished desk.

"I… we haven't really labeled anything, yet." Killian avoided looking at his boss, and he only dared a quick glance at his brother, who looked like he was about to burst out laughing while keeping his face poised and neutral.

"Since the family has not complained about you hanging out with their daughter, I can't tell you not to spend time with Miss. Nolan." She lifted her hand when Killian was about to speak. "But I advise the two of you to keep vigilant on where you show your faces and what you do if you ever go out in public."

"Aye, I understand that." Killian anxiously swallowed, not really liking how his budding relationship with Emma was suddenly such an interest of his boss. But he knew the situation was slightly more complicated since her family was so famous and well-loved throughout the country. A scandal, like there had been with Walsh, wasn't something the network wanted a repeat of.

Killian shifted in his seat, hoping that this was the end of the conversation, but Regina looked down at a piece of paper on her desk. She took a deep breath and said, "On a whole different matter," she tapped the paper, "It has come to my attention that the editors have found some shots of you speaking with Emma. They must have been captured by accident."

"How?" Killian felt his skin prickle with anxiety.

"Will Scarlet forgot to turn off his camera on a few occasions. One shot, I believe, was your first day on set, where it is partly captured how Emma helped brush mud off your back." Regina looked at Killian and asked, "Remember that?"

"Aye?" Killian gulped down.

"And there's another one where Emma's with you along with that dog you adopted. The way the footage is angled, it can in both instances, be interpreted as the two of you already having close relations."

"What? How?" Killian blurted out, his fingers clenching at his side, his nails scraping over the denim of his jeans. His heart hammered in his chest, knowing that such footage was out there. "But they are safe on the servers…?"

"There was a minor breach in the servers' firewall a few weeks ago. It was nothing big and the security team closed it all up within a few hours," Regina explained. She then added, "Nothing went missing. The actual footage or the two clips of you speaking with Miss. Nolan is all still there."

Killian slumped back in his seat as his mind reeled with how horrible it would be if any of that footage came out in the public. The gossip mill would go bonkers with these images.

"So all is safe?" Liam interrupted, looking at Killian with worry. The ever over-protecting older brother was never far away.

"We believe so, but I've had my tech department make sure that nothing like this can happen again," Regina assured, then rose from her seat. "Now gentlemen, let's go down to the theater and view the initial drafts of the first three episodes."

Killian rose too, but his mind was still mulling over the possibilities of those shots being leaked to the social media platforms. He had a feeling that it wouldn't end well.

Mutely Killian followed his brother and boss to the viewing room.

As they stepped inside the dark theater room with five rows of deep plush seats and a large screen on the wall, Liam clapped his shoulder, "Ease up little brother, it won't blow up." He leaned closer and whispered, "For what's worth, I'm happy that you seem to have found some happiness in the company of the lovely Miss Nolan." He continued walking ahead of Killian.

Killian blinked in surprise, forgetting to jibe back with his usual, "it's younger brother, you git," whenever he was called little brother.

A FEW DAYS LATER

Emma smiled when she spotted Killian's truck pull up in front of her house. It had been a crazy couple of days. Killian had told her how his boss had picked up on the social media chatter that had happened after her brother's less-than-stellar comment. She was still pissed at her brother, but he'd apologized and things had calmed down between them.

Killian jumped from his truck and waved at her when he saw her sitting on the steps which led up to her family's front door.

Emma knew that the large pet crate at the back of his truck would be empty today because Jewel would be at the dogsitter he'd found. The pup was still too young to have trailed along on a horseback ride. The family's own two Australian Shepherds often came along whenever they took a trip on horseback.

"Hi, Emma." Killian had walked towards her, his hands rubbing over his jean-clad legs.

She smiled when he seemed to have heeded her advice to find some loose fitted jeans.

"Hi," Emma breathed out her eyes sweeping over him. "You look ready to go on a horse."

"Aye." He rubbed behind his ear. "I found these worn out jeans in the back of my closet."

"They look nice." Emma rose from her seat and walked to him, and with a small smile, she placed her hands on his shirt covered chest. She bit her lips, contemplating if he would be okay with her kissing him. His eyes shifted to her lips, and she made a choice and moved up and placed a small kiss to the side of his mouth. "Thanks for coming."

"Anytime." He placed a hand over hers and smiled. "This was a great idea for a first proper date."

"Hmm." She twisted her hand around under his and linked their fingers together. "Come on. Let's go get the horses ready."

Killian followed her to the stable, and as they walked past Savy's stall, her tall horse whinnied in greeting.

"Hello girl." Emma patted Savy's soft muzzle. "Sorry, I won't be riding you today." Savy snorted in reply and she chuckled. "Don't worry, you'll get out on the field later so you can stretch your legs a bit." She gave her horse another pat before pulling Killian further down the row of stalls.

"Will my horse be as big as Savy?" Killian asked with worry in his voice.

"No, we have a few American Quarterbacks we use for trail riding. The hills on our land are rugged at places, so they are far better at navigating the trails through the forest," Emma explained with a smile. She leaned closer. "Don't worry, Thor is a nice horse."

"Thor?" He blinked. "I'm not sure a horse named after the God of Thunder is someone easy going."

"Don't worry, he is one of our nicest horses," Emma said, laughing. "It was my brother that named the new Quarterbacks that we bought a few years back. He has a fondness for anything Marvel."

"So what is the rest called?" Killian chuckled.

"I'll be riding Freya and we have others called Bruce Banner, Tony Stark, and the meanest of them is called Odin. Mom is usually the one who rides him because she's far superior on a temperamental horse than any of us."

Killian laughed with her as she was naming the horses.

It was nice seeing him being relaxed like this. Emma just hoped that he would keep being relaxed once he was on the horse. She stopped in front of Thor's stall and the slightly shorter horse stuck his head out, greeting them with a snort.

Killian reached out his hand and smoothed his palm down Thor's forehead. "Nice horse," he whispered, then he glanced at Emma with a sheepish smile. "I hope I don't make a fool of myself."

"Don't worry, I'll still l…" Emma cleared her throat when she realized she'd been about to utter the word love. She blinked, then gave him a soothing smile. "I won't laugh, I promise." She lifted herself up and placed a small kiss on his cheek. "I'll just find the halter and saddles."

Killian offered to help and within the next half hour, they got the horses ready for their ride. Killian followed Emma's advice to brush down Thor so he could get used to being around the horse.

Thor really was the gentlest of them all and Emma could see that Killian relaxed more and more around the animal. Before they left the stable, she found a spare helmet for Killian and gave it to him. "Just to be safe."

Killian nodded, took the helmet, and placed it on his head. He watched as Emma found her own and secured it on her head. Killian had eased into handling Thor with assurity, and he led the horse outside, heading for the small training pen where Emma would teach him the basics before they headed out on the trails.

Emma was surprised how fast Killian caught on with the instructions she gave him, and she could see that his confidence grew by the minute. She had him ride Thor around the pen for half an hour before she was sure he could handle the horse on the trail. Their trip was going to be on the easier paths through the forest, but it was nice to see that he kept his focus on controlling Thor.

When Mary Margaret heard Emma was going to show Killian how to ride and perhaps go on a small trek into the forest, she had readily offered to pack them a lunch to bring with them, knowing they'd need sustenance to keep them going. After handing the saddlebags to her daughter with a smile, her eyes shifted to Killian, who by now had Thor trotting around the pen. "He seems to have caught on quickly," she commented.

"Hmm, he sure has," Emma mused, and watched Killian adjust his posture when Thor made a small misstep. He impressed her when he quickly had the horse in control again.

"Have fun Sweetie." Her mother patted her shoulder and winked.

Emma rolled her eyes and muttered, "Thanks, Mom." She loved her parents, but sometimes her mother was a bit too meddlesome in what happened in her life. She waved to her mother and focused on Killian again.

"Ready to hit the trail?" Emma asked, walking over to open the gate so Killian could maneuver Thor out of the pen.

"Aye, I think me and Thor will be alright by now." He reached down and patted Thor's neck and when the horse boobed its head up and down in reply, Killian laughed. "I take that as a 'yes'."

Emma laughed and headed for her own horse. She mounted Freya, then waited for Killian to catch up. When he was next to her, she nudged her horse to move forward. The two horses both whinnied as they began walking. Their ears peaked up in interest at whatever new adventure they would venture out on. This was life as Emma loved it, on a horse with the beautiful landscape around them, and the freedom to ride wherever she wanted.

She glanced at Killian a few times and smiled when she saw him biting the side of his mouth in concentration. "You alright there?"

"Hmm, we're doing great here." He shifted in the saddle and adjusted his hold on the reins. He really seemed to understand the basics of controlling the horse, but she could still see that he was nervous.

"Let's take a short trip and go to the clearing where Jewel ran off to," Emma suggested. She saw him nod in reply as he focused on getting Thor to follow Emma and Freya.

They rode through the forest while talking about various things. She was keen to know how Jewel was behaving now and she smiled as he regaled her with a few of the antics the pup had been up to. They also spoke a bit about the whole social media debacle and how his boss had given him a small reprimand about how he needed to be more careful where he was seen with Emma. This was part of the reason they had opted to make their first date to be on horseback on her family's land. Out here, they wouldn't be seen by anyone, because their property was large and secluded. If any wayward hikers came by it was a rare occurrence.

As they entered the clearing, Emma looked up at the crown of the large oak tree, its blazing fall colored leaves still holding onto the branches. But she knew that after a few more storms the trees around here would lose their leaves.

Emma led Freya to the large oak tree and gracefully slipped from the saddle before turning to watch Killian swing his leg over to clamber down from Thor.

With a less-than-stellar jump, he got both feet on the ground again and turned to look at her with a pained look.

She laughed, asking, "What's wrong?"

"I might feel this in my backside a bit too much tomorrow." He shifted on his legs, bending and twisting his back a little back and forth as if testing how his body fared.

"Yeah, you've been using some muscle groups that you don't normally use." Emma laughed and secured Freya's rein to a low branch. She walked over and soothed, "Don't worry, it will pass. Just remember to stretch when we get back or it will be much worse."

Killian grimaced at her words. "Bloody hell." He unbuckled his helmet and dumped it near the trunk of the tree. Thor nudged his back, and Killian grinned. "Easy there, buddy. Let me suffer in peace." He took the reins and moved to secure them near Freya.

Emma lifted the saddlebags from behind Freya's saddle and asked with a laugh, "Do you think you can sit down on the ground?"

Killian winced, but smiled. "I think so."

Emma pulled out a blanket from one side of the bags and handed it to Killian, who took it and found a spot nearby where they could sit and eat. Once the blanket was spread over the already fallen leaves, Emma unpacked their lunch. She settled down on it before looking up at Killian and asked, "Join me?"

"Aye." Killian maneuvered himself down next to her with a groan. "It might be some time before you convince me to get on a horse again." He slumped down on his back and rubbed his face with his hands. His hair was sticking up in a wild array, mussed up by the helmet he'd worn. Emma wanted to run her fingers through the dark strands, just to feel if his hair was as soft as it looked. Suddenly, she realized he was looking at her with a puzzled look.

"What?"

"You seemed far away there, love?" He grinned when she looked away and busied herself with their food. Her mother had gone a bit overboard with various salads and sandwiches.

"Hmm," Emma cleared her throat. "Ready to eat?" She glanced at him, his eyes were still glued to her in curiosity. The air was crisp and clear, but she suddenly felt her face heat up at his scrutiny.

"I might need help to get up." Killian chuckled when she offered him a hand, but with their joint efforts, they managed to get him sitting up. "Thanks."

Killian's face was suddenly so very close to hers. Emma dropped her eyes to his lips and surged forward and kissed him.

Killian grunted in surprise, but then he hummed in appreciation and wrapped his hand around the back of her head to hold her close and deepen the kiss. Once they pulled apart they were both panting, breathless at the intensity of their kiss.

How could she already feel so much for this amazingly sweet man? Somehow he had scaled her usually well reinforced walls around her heart. But right now she was more than pleased to have him be part of her life. "I think I love you," Emma blurted out, holding her breath as she tried to gauge how he would react to this.

"I love you too," Killian whispered, eyes wide with wonder, either from his own admission or her declaration of love.

"Good." Emma smiled, her heart hammering in her chest as she took in the moment. She knew she wanted so much more with Killian. This was a first step to whatever life would bring them. Emma hoped it would be a long life together. Maybe even forever.

"Aye, that is more than good. It's amazing, outstanding, spectacular." He grinned when she placed her hand over his mouth.

"Shut up and kiss me again."

"As you wish."

This kiss was slower and languid. Both seemed content to just explore the closeness they felt right now. Emma pressed herself closer to him, and her entire focus was on the man holding her close.

Suddenly one horse gave out a sharp snorting sound, which from experience they make when they want to warn her of a potential threat.

Emma pulled away from Killian and turned her gaze to the horses. She saw them both stamping at the ground, trying to sidestep away from something. And giving out another irritated snort. "What the hell?" She scanned the surrounding area, but all seemed quiet.

"What's wrong, Swan?"

Her lips tucked into a smile upon hearing him call her Swan, it had become his sweet pet name for her in the past few weeks. She tried to explain. "I don't know. It's possibly nothing."

"Something spooked the horses?"

"Yeah, it might have just been an animal. This forest is filled with deer and other wildlife." She shrugged. "I'm sure it's nothing." Emma looked at the food she'd placed out before they got distracted. "Why don't we eat some of this food my mother made for us?"

"Sounds like a plan," Killian said, and reached for a sandwich.

They ate for a little while in silence, but soon the talk headed for what might happen in the future and what they wanted to do once the show wrapped up the season. Both knew that they would have to be careful where they went in public, unless they just threw caution to the wind and gave the social media gossip channels what they wanted.

But Emma sensed Killian wasn't too keen on having their new relationship out in the open just yet.

"I understand." Emma smoothed her hand over his chest. "I want to have you to myself for a little while." She gave him a small kiss and smiled. "So what are you doing from now until we film again in March?"

"I've a few smaller things, mostly freelance, that I'm picking up and helping with." Killian smiled.

Emma could see the proud glint in his eyes as he spoke about his work. She nodded her head, encouraging him to tell her a bit more about his work.

When he asked what she would do, Emma smiled. "I'll keep training for the Nationals that are at the end of November. Then it's all family time in December but I still keep practicing with Savy. hopefully I'll also get to spend some time with my boyfriend?" She held his gaze as she let him understand her words.

He blinked a few times. "Boyfriend?"

"You." She poked his chest. "Who else would it be?"

"Oh, aye, we've just never… you know, labeled it."

"You don't want…"

He placed his finger over her lips. "I want to, more than you know, I just never believed someone as amazing and bloody beautiful as you would ever…" he looked down and sighed. "I'm an emotional mess, and I've had my share of heartache in the past."

"Look, I know. You don't have to explain. I love you, Killian," she whispered and moved closer to him and he let his hand drop to her shoulder so she could kiss him again. Once they parted, she asked, "So will my boyfriend spend time with me during Christmas?"

"Aye, I would love that."

"Awesome." She smiled. "You could join my family for New Year?"

Killian blinked in surprise. "Your family?" He gulped. "Would they be okay with this?"

"Look. My Mom made all this food for our first date. Do you really think they would be opposed to me dating you if they offer to make us lunch?" Emma swept her hand over the remains of their lunch. They could easily have fed a few more people with the amount her mother had given them.

"But New Year?"

"We're not doing anything huge or spectacular, just having some fun family time. My brother sometimes has a few of his friends over too. I usually invite my friend Ruby, perhaps even her new boyfriend." She waggled her eyebrows and laughed when Killian blinked in surprise. "Graham never mentioned this to you, did he?"

"Nope, I might work alongside the bloke, but he's tight lipped with his private affairs." Killian shrugged, then grinned. "But they seemed to get along comfortably in Florida."

"Yeah, things have moved quickly for them… or so I hear from Ruby." Emma smiled. "I don't know if he'll be here for New Year, but either way, I would love to have you be there."

"I'd like that too." Killian put his arm around her and nuzzled her neck. "I'm all in favor of spending time with you." His lips ghosted over the shell of her ear, making her shiver. "Are ye cold, love?" He chuckled when she only grunted in response, then he continued to trail his mouth over her neck and over her chin before he captured her lips in a warm kiss that made her toes curl.

Emma pushed him back, so he slumped on his back and she followed him with her mouth and angled her body to align with his, not quite laying on top of him. But god did she want to, however she didn't want to push too much. They both needed to adjust to the new side of their relationship. Right now, she just enjoyed kissing her boyfriend without getting caught by her family.

Once they pulled apart, she nuzzled closer and rested her head on his shoulder, enjoying the closeness and companionship they shared in this quiet moment.

Emma didn't want it to end, but she vaguely heard the two horses got more and more restless. Sighing, she lifted her head and looked down at Killian. "I guess we should head back?"

"Hmm, we might." He trailed his fingers over her forehead and smoothed a wayward lock of hair behind her ear.

The touch of his fingers on her cool skin had her body grow hot under her clothes. Such a small touch could send her mind reeling with desire. Emma blinked and finally pushed away from him so they could get up.

Killian helped pack up their leftovers and joked about being able to feed an army with all that they hadn't eaten.

Emma pushed his shoulder and laughed. "My mother can be a bit of an overachiever with helping sometimes." She closed the saddlebag and rose to her feet. She turned to him. "Can you get up on your own?" She chuckled when he groaned and sent her a side-eyed glower, but his lips tugged up in a smile.

"Good thing I won't be working before Monday," he grumbled as he got upright on his feet on his own. Killian stretched his back and rolled his shoulders, then he picked up the blanket and rolled it up so she could tug it into the bag.

She walked to Freya and secured the bags to the saddle, and when she turned back around, she saw Killian walk to the tree trunk with a pocket knife in his hand.

He glanced towards her and smiled. "Just a little reminder of today."

She walked to him and watched him carve out a heart in the oak's bark tree. He seemed quite skilled with the knife and soon a perfect heart was showing. "Nice."

"Hmm, I'm still missing something." He grinned cheekily, and she laughed alongside him. He was so sweet and she could see that his ears had turned slightly pinker.

When Killian stepped back, Emma moved closer and saw he'd carved their initials in the heart with a small + between the letters.

"Too corny?" he asked.

"I love it," Emma said and smoothed her hand over the heart and the letters. She felt him move up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"I'm glad." He kissed her cheek and stepped back to pick up his riding helmet.

Emma took a few more seconds to look at the heart. This might be the sweetest thing any guy had ever done for her. Her heart swelled with even more love for Killian. When Thor snorted in greeting and Freya stamped her hooves impatiently, she finally turned her attention to her own horse and got ready to ride home with Killian.

The ride back was shorter because Emma found a small shortcut that would bring them home a little faster. She could see Killian wincing in pain as he sat in the saddle. The poor guy would be sore tomorrow, but he seemed to enjoy being on a horse, so she hoped they could repeat this in the spring. She would cram the next few weeks with more training for the Nationals, which were starting in a few weeks. Then she had Christmas and New Year to look forward to. She couldn't wait to spend more time with Killian. Whatever would happen in the future, they would face it together. They had admitted their love for one another and she didn't really care what the world thought about that.

The large oak tree stood sentinel in the clearing as a dark figure approached its trunk. A lens focused on the newly carved heart. A click sounded followed by a muttered, "Oh a heart, how sweet! The world will know soon enough how their darling Emma Nolan is frolicking around with a mere cameraman… oh, the scandal. We can show the world." The voice dripped with sarcasm as the figure slipped into the forest, in the opposite direction of where the two riders had headed.