That following week leading up to the Charlotte race was hectic to say the least, for both of them, but mainly for Killian. It was the kick-off of the charity and he was meeting with press left and right, making last-minute decisions with the other directors, and the team also needed him for car testing.

He was so busy he was already out the door, answering emails from his phone and on his way into the shop before she even woke up to go to work. Coffee would be waiting for her in the pot, a note telling her where he was going to be for the day. By Wednesday, she was getting tired of it. They had barely seen each other since Monday morning. She told herself multiple times since then that it was only for this week, and then everything would go back to normal.

But she couldn't help it. She missed him. She missed breakfast and dinner with him. He was gone early, and then not back until almost ten—sometimes later, depending on when the local news was filming a segment with him. Hell, their sex life was currently non-existent.

Emma rolled her eyes at herself. "Get a grip. It's only been three days." She could see how tired he was, not getting much sleep, coming in late to only get up early again. He was basically asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

She had asked him in some of the brief time they did see each other if there was anything she could do to help. He had told her she was, that she was working with Belle and making sure the shelter and the kids were ready for race day. The shirts had come in, which looked fantastic, and they had more than enough for all the kids and volunteers. She had that all handled, and also had a great time getting to know Belle.

The woman was really smart and extremely nice. She was also great with all the kids, and was turning into an excellent volunteer coordinator. They had made the right decision in hiring her. She still wasn't so sure about another one of their choices.

She ground her teeth as she filled her travel mug with coffee and headed to her car. Lily had Killian's schedule completely booked, and for some reason she had a feeling it was on purpose. She had made a comment to him about it in passing. "Boy, she isn't giving you any room to breath is she?"

"It's necessary. We want to make sure we get as much press as possible. You know that, love."

"But killing you isn't the way to do that. Does she know how grueling this is on you?"

He yawned as he sat down on the bed next to her. "I'm sure she does. She's there for every interview."

She didn't say how much she didn't like that. "True, but you have the car tests, and then…"

Killian laid down and reached for her hand, another yawn coming from him as his eyes began to close. "Emma, it's just this week. I can handle it for a little while."

"I know. I just worry about you. I love you." She brushed the hair back from his head, but she didn't get a response at the time because he was already fast asleep.

Emma pushed the thought away. "Just a few more days," she told herself and headed into work.

Killian pulled the car into the pit and turned off the engine as Robin told him they were good. He took off his helmet and brought the netting down as another yawn came from his mouth, and walked over to his crew chief.

"I saw that," Robin told him, giving his friend a concerned look. "You need to get some sleep."

"I am getting sleep," he told him, while trying not to yawn again.

"Mate, I know you are stretched really thin right now. But you better get a good night's sleep before the race, or I'm not letting you drive."

Killian clenched his jaw; he wanted to argue, but he could see the concern, and at the same time, he heard Emma's voice in his head. "Fine. I promise I'll head to bed early on Saturday. Will that do?" With a nod from his friend, he turned back to the monitors. "Are we good here? I need to leave, I have an appointment at…"

"Yes, yes. We got what we needed. Get out of here." His driver nodded and jogged away to change, as Robin called after him, "Don't get a speeding ticket!" All he got back was a middle finger in response.

Friday was another early morning and another early exit for Killian, this time leaving for practice at the track. That also meant that the national press was starting to do interviews since reporters were beginning to come into town. Emma checked the progress from her phone to see how his practice was doing since she was at work. She sighed and gave a little frown at seeing that after the first practice, he was back in twelfth. He couldn't be happy with that, so she sent him a quick message.

ES: You'll get 'em tomorrow. Love you.

She knew she wouldn't get a response for a while and she turned to her lunch as Tink came walking in with hers. The other blonde sat down across from her and tilted her head. "You don't look happy."

"Killian didn't do well in practice. I'm sure—"

Her friend cut her off. "No, that's not it. What is wrong?"

Emma sighed; she wasn't sure how to bring up what she was thinking without sounding like a jealous crazy person. "It's nothing."

Tink huffed. "No, it's not. Tell me. I'm not leaving 'til you do."

Emma sighed again; she knew Tink meant it. "Fine. But it sounds crazy." Tink shrugged and Emma continued. "I think Lily is scheduling all this stuff on purpose."

Tink nodded. "Well...yeah. I mean, all the press is good for the charity, and it is her job."

Emma shook her head. "That's not what I mean. I think she's trying to keep him busy, and...away from me on purpose." There, she said it.

"What?"

Emma could see the shock on her friends face. "I know, I know. I sound like a jealous, crazy person." She took a large bite of her sandwich and chewed hard, trying to take out her aggression.

"Okay. Why do you feel that she is doing that?"

Emma swallowed and took a sip of her water. "I've had a bad feeling about her since I met her. I see these looks from her that I swear are anger directed at me that then vanish. I swear she is trying to spend time alone with Killian on purpose. And this week…"

"Is just compounding the issue because he's busy and away with her so much." Tink finished for her and Emma nodded. "Do you trust Killian?"

The pause in Emma's mind scared her, and Tink noticed. She shook it off. "Of course I do."

"Emma...you hesitated. Why?"

She swallowed. "I don't trust Lily...at all. But he does. He says she hasn't tried anything, but I think he's just blind to it. I trust Killian...but…" She looked down. "But I also trusted Walsh, and look what happened." She didn't want to think about her ex, and she especially didn't want to remember that day she walked in on him and...she stopped the thought. She had loved Walsh, and what happened with him almost killed her. But it was nothing compared to what she felt for Killian, and if something happened...it would completely destroy her.

"You're afraid that what happened before will happen again."

"Well, I wasn't enough for Walsh. So…" Her voice cracked and tears formed in her eyes.

She didn't have to finish the sentence for Tink to know what she meant. Her friend was out of her chair, and had her in a hug in an instant. "Emma, sweetie...Walsh was a jerk. It had nothing to do with you. Killian is a whole other ballpark...well, technically race track." That made them both laugh. She pulled back to look into Emma's eyes. "He loves you. We all see it. You have to trust him. I don't believe for one second that he would ever do anything to hurt you."

"But what if she…"

Tink shook her head. "It doesn't matter what she tries; if she does or not, it won't matter. You're the one he loves. You're the one that he lives with. You're the one he comes home to." Emma squeezed her tight as she continued. "Once all this craziness with the start of his charity is over, it will go back to normal."

Emma smiled at her friend and wiped away her tears. "You're right. Thank you."

Tink smiled and went to sit back down to eat her lunch. "I know." She winked at her friend, and they continued their lunch break.

Qualifying went a bit better, but not much, and Killian knew why. He was exhausted. He would start the race in eighth place. He had at least moved up from practice, but not far enough to his liking. He couldn't wait for all of this to be done. He knew why he had to be the one to speak for the charity, but if he had to say the same spiel one more time...he sighed. He knew he would. Hell, he had four more reporters today, just for the charity. That didn't include the normal reporters for the race itself.

He could already see Robin wanting to talk to him, reminding him about getting sleep. And he just waved him away, as he walked out of the garage. He had to go change, take a shower, and get ready for the interviews. Lily was already there and beginning to prep him on the who's, what's, and where's. All he wanted to do was see Emma, wrap her in his arms, and fall into bed together. But right now, he would even settle for just having lunch with her. He missed her, and he was starving. He raised his hand to Lily. "Do I have five minutes to eat something?"

She looked at the calendar. "I'll grab you a sandwich while you change so you can eat while we walk over."

He reminded himself that next time, he would need to put in his own appointments for lunch, and other things, before letting her or anyone make his schedule. But what was done was done, for now. He knew she had the charity's best interest at heart, and so did he, as he walked into the RV, leaving Lily behind to run and get his lunch.

He stood under the spray for probably longer than he should have, but his thoughts of the last time he and Emma shared the shower flashed through his mind. He took an extra few minutes to take care of the problem those thoughts gave him. It didn't help matters that he and Emma hadn't had a moment to have sex in almost a week. It was a good thing he was quick about it, because just as he was leaning against the shower wall, catching his breath, his seed washing down the drain, there was a loud knock on the RV door.

"Killian!? Are you almost ready? We need to be there in fifteen minutes."

"Bloody hell," he murmured to himself, and quickly dried off and got dressed. His hair was still partially wet as he exited the trailer less than five minutes later. He grabbed the sandwich, noticing the swiss cheese, which he wasn't a huge fan of, but he didn't complain as he wolfed it down. He was too hungry not to eat it.

He should have had Emma come to the track, but he had told her to stay home since he would be busy all day. But at least a quick kiss and hug would have made him feel better. Not to mention she would have made sure he got to eat, and something he actually liked. But his thoughts were immediately changed, as he and Lily had to run to get to the next reporter in time and not throw off the whole schedule.

Killian got home just after nine; he walked in to find Emma watching one of the interviews he had done just a little earlier and smiled. As his shoes hit the tile floor of the kitchen, her head spun to see him, and a smile lit up her face. She quickly paused the TV, and got off the couch to run towards him. He enveloped her in his arms, and closed his eyes, his nose in her hair, taking a deep breath, and allowing her to relax him.

"You're home," she said into his chest, and it brought a smile to his face.

"I am." He said, and pulled her tighter. "I need to make a sandwich or something…"

She looked up at him. "You didn't eat?" He shook his head no, and she huffed and walked to the fridge. "Go sit down; I got Chinese delivered. Will that work?"

"Sounds fantastic," he said as he took off his shoes and plopped on the couch, putting his feet up onto the coffee table. "I've had a protein bar and a horrible sandwich today."

Emma shook her head as she scooped out the food in the take-out containers onto a plate for him, "Killian…"

"I know. I know. You, Robin, and even Regina are after me about it. Just one more day, and it will be over." A few moments later, he heard the ding of the microwave, and then the sound of her feet padding over to him. She gave him the plate, and put a bottle of water on the table. He saw the fork instead of chopsticks and smiled. While he was really good with chopsticks, he was much too hungry to want to bother, and she knew it. "Thank you, love," he said, and leaned over and kissed her forehead before he started in on his food.

"So, what time do you need to be at the track tomorrow?"

He swallowed his bite, and groaned. "I have to be there about seven-thirty in the morning to get ready for the press. When will you and the kids get there again?"

"Actually, I'm not coming over with the kids; Tink, Archie, and Granny will be. I'll be at the shelter just after the kids have breakfast and hand out shirts for everyone. Then I'll be heading to the track with Belle, so we can setup the suite. The kids will be coming there at four, so you can get pictures with them all before you have to head back out to the track."

"What do you think of Belle?" he asked as he took another heaping forkful of food.

"She's great. And wonderful with the kids."

He nodded in agreement and swallowed, then leaned forward for the bottle of water. "I haven't been able to talk to her much, but the few meetings we have all had, she seems to hold her own, and show just how bright she is." He opened the bottle and took a long drink.

She looked at his plate and saw that it was almost empty. "More?"

He gave her a soft smile. "Yes, but I'll get it." He started to get up, and she pressed him back down.

"Sit. I can get it." She stole the plate and went back into the kitchen.

He smiled and finished the rest of the water while she heated up another plate and returned with a new bottle of water. "You're too good to me, love," he said, taking the plate and chowing down once again.

"I try, and I worry about you."

He took a minute to rub her shoulder. "I'll be fine. No need to worry about me."

They chatted while he ate, and then after the second plate, he sat it on the table, and leaned back against the couch. Now that his stomach was full, his eyes were starting to droop. Emma cuddled into his side, and his arm came around to hold her close.

She heard his yawn, and tilted her head to look up at him. "We should probably get you to bed."

"Yeah, I promised Robin I would get a good night's sleep. He threatened to not let me drive if I don't."

"Well then, off to bed with you," she told him and stood, offering her hand, which he took to help him up. They peeled their clothes off as they went. He got down to boxers, she into her panties, and pulling on one of his old shirts. He couldn't help smile when he saw it.

They each set their own alarm, and turned off their respective lights. She then curled up to his side, and his arm held her close as he kissed the top of her head. "Good night," he told her as he drifted off to sleep.

She smiled, snuggled closer, and gave a soft kiss to his chest. "Night, Killian."

The next afternoon, Emma was up on a chair, taping a streamer to the suite wall as Belle twisted the black and red paper together for her. The room looked really good. It had banners with the charity name and logo, along with one of the Storybrooke Shelter. There were a couple lifesize cardboard cutouts of Killian in uniform around the room as well.

The room was also ready for the staff to bring in the food for later, with the chafing dishes and tables all in place. They just had to finish the streamers and put the balloons up. There was a helium tank just waiting for them, and Emma was glad they wouldn't need to have to blow them up themselves.

She looked to the brunette. "So, how do you like working for the charity so far?" She took another piece of tape from her arm and went to secure the next loop of streamer.

Belle smiled. "It's great. It's a lot of work right now, but I knew that. It's really nice to be in on the ground floor, especially of a worthwhile cause. Killian cares so much about it; I've haven't seen a founder put so much effort in themselves before."

Emma smiled. "Yeah, it means a lot to him."

"To both of you, I'm sure." She smiled at Emma as they moved the chair to continue to place the streamer.

"It does. But I will admit, I can't wait for it to slow down a bit; he's running himself ragged."

Belle agreed. "He is, though I think we all are. Yourself included. I know I would love to sleep for a week. Will has been working through his list of contacts for donations morning, noon, and night."

That peaked Emma's ear., "Do you know Will from prior?"

The other woman blushed slightly, and Emma didn't miss it. "Oh, no. We just meet through this job. But we've been working together on the set up, and gotten to talk a little here and there. Merida usually forces us to sit down and take a fifteen minute lunch, and actually dinner lately."

"Oh, well that's good. I was worrying that Killian wasn't getting to eat."

"Actually, he and Lily haven't been there much this week." Belle said as she started to open a new pack of streamers. "They have been out at all the studios with the press."

"So...what do you think of Lily?" Emma asked and then wish she hadn't. "Sorry, nevermind."

Belle stopped and smiled at Emma, "No worries. I honestly don't have much to answer. I don't know her that well. She keeps to herself, and isn't around much. She keeps herself busy, is out at the interviews, talking to her contacts, or working. From what I have seen, she seems to know what she is doing. Knows the right people."

Emma nodded in agreement. "Seems she does."

"Though I admit, she could be a better people person." Belle looked down, but Emma could tell she was trying not to smile.

"Isn't that the truth," Emma told her and started laughing, which had Belle relax and she started to laugh as well.

Just before four, the kids were ushered into the suite. All of them were so excited to be there, and couldn't seem to wait. They rushed to the windows to get a look out at the track. A few moments later, Merida, Mulan, and Will came in, all in jeans and the charity t-shirt as well. Granny got all the kids to settle down, and not long after Killian walked into the room, followed by Lily, some press, a photographer, and most of his crew. Emma saw him first, and they shared a smile, as all the kids had their back to him.

"Hello, everyone," he said, causing the kids to turn, and then run up to him.

Emma watched as he gave high fives, hugs, pats on the back, etc, etc to all the kids. He posed for pictures with each one of them, and then they got a couple group photos. Some with just the kids, some with the kids and the shelter staff including her, and then a shot with them all and the staff from the charity and his crew.

The reporters talked to each of the charity staff, some of the kids, his crew, and then Killian individually. The crew headed out to get back to the garage as soon as each was done talking to reporters. A while later, once he was done answering questions and the reporters moved on, Killian caught sight of Emma and started to head over to her. His arm was caught by Lily, "Hey, Killian, you need to head out, and get over to introductions."

His head dropped. "Right. Just one minute."

He started to walk forward again, and Lily called after him. "You're already going to have to run."

Killian didn't stop and reached around Emma, she leaned back against him, and he smiled. "I have to run. I'm going to be late." He squeezed her tight, and kissed the top of her head. "I'll see you later, love." Then he let go, and rushed out of the room, waving and yelling goodbye to everyone.

Emma watched him leave, glad when Lily had to stay behind. She then turned back to the kids, and answered questions. As soon as the drivers started the engines, Emma's friends came to the suite as well. The teenage boys were really happy when they saw Ruby. Emma had to muffle her laugh with her hand, but Ruby handled it well, and kept the boys talking as they gave her their utmost attention. Soon, the staff herded the kids to their seats for the race, and reminded them they had to raise their hands if they wanted to get up to use the bathroom.

At lap 102, after only a few flat tire cautions, the field was starting green flag pit stops and Kilian was up to sixth place. The shelter staff were taking the kids to the food line, row by row. There were hamburgers, hotdogs, nachos, popcorn, and cookies, among a lot of other things to eat.

Once the boys were in the food line, Ruby headed over to Emma. "Well, they all look happy."

Emma smiled at her friend. "This is a huge deal for them."

"And for Killian and you. But for some reason, I don't see that you are all that happy. What's wrong?"

Emma tried to grin at her friend. "I'm fine." Her eyes than raked over the room, but Ruby didn't miss the daggers that shot from her eyes as they landed on Lily.

"Whoah, girl. Please don't ever look at me like that."

Emma laughed lightly, "Well, don't try to steal Killian from me, and you won't have to worry."

Ruby pulled her arm, and got her to look at her, "Wait, what? Back up, what happened?"

Emma shook her head, "Nothing. Maybe? I don't know. I just…" she groaned. "I just don't trust her."

"Emma, Killian would never…"

The blonde raised her hand. "I know, I know. That's what everyone tells me. You, Tink," she motioned at her friend across the room helping the kids through the food line. "Mary Margaret, and you. I just have this...feeling."

"Okay. Tell Killian."

Emma sighed. "I did."

"And?"

"He says she hasn't tried anything. That she's not exactly a people person, but that she is doing her job."

"You don't believe him? Emma…"

She could hear the scolding in Ruby's voice. "It's not that I don't believe him. It's just that he's...so…"

"Blind? Trusting?" Emma nodded and Ruby laughed. "That's kinda your fault you know." The surprised look from the blonde had Ruby laughing harder. "He was a bit more of a cynic before you."

Emma sighed, and turned to continue watching the race, as she saw Killian move up to fifth place. "So it's all my fault?"

Ruby shook her head, and wrapped her arms around her, hugging Emma to her side. "If it's any help, he's a whole lot happier."

That made Emma really smile. "A bit."

They continued watching the race and everyone was surprised when Jefferson came in first, followed by Eric, and then Phillip got third by a hair's breadth in front of Killian. Her friends said their goodbyes and rushed out of the suite to get back to their own drivers.

A little less than a half hour after the race, they were getting all the kids ready to leave and Killian was back. His hair was still wet from a quick shower, and he said goodbye to each and every kid there, with A pat on the back to Archie and a hug for Tink and Granny as well. When he got to Emma, he hugged her tight, and she nuzzled into his neck. "That went well. The kids had a blast," she told him.

He grinned, and held her tighter and kissed the top of her head. "I'm glad. I have just a couple more interviews. Meet you at home?"

She nodded. "Yeah. Belle and I will be here a little bit longer; I'm going to help her take all the decorations down, so we can save most of them."

"Perfect. Thank you for all your help, love."

She pushed back to look up at him. "Hey, it was a pleasure. You know I like to help with all this." She was about ready to stand on her toes to kiss him, when a throat cleared behind them.

"Excuse me. Killian, you have an appointment in less than ten minutes."

Emma closed her eyes and gritted her teeth at the sound of Lily's voice. KIllian leaned in, and whispered in her ear, "Just a few more hours." He then placed a kiss on her cheek and left with the other woman.

Emma sighed to herself, shook her head, and turned to Belle, who gave her a reassuring smile as the two began to clean up.

Due to late-night news segments, Killian didn't make it home until after midnight. He found Emma, asleep in their bed, one of his T-shirts on. He shed his clothes, down to his boxers, and quietly got into bed in the darkened room, trying not to wake her. She had work the next morning, and luckily for him, he was actually going to be able to sleep in. He was looking forward to it after the week he had, but God, did he miss her.

He moved under the covers and slid across the bed to her side. Slowly, he curled up behind her, and gently placed his arm around her and a soft kiss to her neck, and nuzzled his nose into her hair. "Love you," he told her sleeping form as quietly as possible, before he drifted off into his own dreamland.

Emma woke up just before her alarm, with her head on Killian's chest, and she gave a smile. She had no clue when he came in, but her body must have known since she had gravitated towards him in sleep. Part of her wished he would have woke her up, but now she needed to get ready for work, and she didn't want to wake him. She placed a soft kiss to his cheek, turned off her alarm and headed to the bathroom to get ready for work.

Hours later, Killian woke up to find the other half of the bed cold, and his eyes squinted to see the time. It was almost ten o'clock. "Bloody hell," he sat up, and stretched. "Guess I really was tired."

He found his way into the kitchen, smiled at the still-warm pot of coffee that Emma left him, and poured himself a cup, then took a look at his phone. He had two missed calls and three texts from Lily. He groaned and looked at the texts.

LP: The realtor is wondering when we want to see the locations they picked. Call me.

LP: I talked with the realtor. Good prices, but might go quick. Call me.

LP: Still time to see a couple tonight. Will that work?

He ran a hand over his face; he forgot all about looking for the charity headquarters and getting out of the Mills racing location. He sent a quick message to her.

KJ: I can be ready and there in an hour.

He didn't even have to wait a minute for a response, as he took another sip of coffee.

LP: He'll meet us 4 Mill's Racing. Has 3 places lined up to look at.

Well, it gave him a little more time to wind down, but he knew it would cut into his night as well. He debated. On one hand it would mean another late night; On the other hand, it would get it done sooner, and wasn't something looming over his head. So he texted back his answer.

KJ: Ok. I'll be there.

He tugged at his hair, and sent a text to Emma.

KJ: Realtor meeting 4 to see 3 buildings.

He thought about asking her to see if she wanted to go, but thought better of it. He didn't want to make her leave work early.

KJ: Late dinner? I'll pick up something.

He finished his coffee, and put the mug in the dishwasher, as his phone beeped.

ES: Don't worry. I'll stop and get pizza. Good Luck.

He smiled, made himself something to eat for brunch, and then headed over to the living room to catch up on some TV he missed that Emma was able to watch while he was busy. That way they would be able to watch the next one together. Then at three, he got ready and headed out.

The first building they went to see was close to the shop and absolutely gorgeous; however, the rent was not. It was one thing if they were a for-profit business, trying to impress clients; it was another matter altogether for a charity. He flat-out told the realtor no, and double checked the parameters that Lily had given the other dark-haired man, who insisted they call him Arthur.

He recalled the price points, which he knew this was outside of, but it fit the location and space requirements, and wouldn't need any remodeling. So he wanted to show them anyway.

Killian wanted to roll his eyes. "This isn't the Property Brothers; I already know we will need to do some work. So how about you just show me the ones that we will have to remodel that are in our budget."

The man looked a little miffed by the comment, but agreed and drove them to the next property on the list. It was still close to the shop; however, it was in horrible condition. He wasn't even sure if it would pass fire codes. The amount of work to get it up to par would be drastic, and the owner was not willing to make any concessions. With another decisive no, they headed to the last one that night.

This one was not near the shop; it was almost a half hour away, and in the wrong direction for his home or even the shelter. He complained at the location before they even got there. But Arthur wanted him to see the place anyway.

The place was nice; it would only need a little bit of work. The rent was also very reasonable. "If you could get something like this, in the area we want, then it would be perfect. But the location is completely impractical."

"Well," the man started, "I can see that for you it might be. But how often will you actually be there?"

"He has a point," Lily started. "I mean, do you see yourself, after all the initial setup, coming in that often?"

Killian blinked twice. "Yes. I will want to be here, for numerous reasons. As will my crew, Emma, and even Regina."

"Well, the owner of this building has other buildings. Closer to Mills Racing. Let me see what I can find with them and negotiate. Also, now that I have a better eye for what you are looking for, I'll make sure to stay in the price range and area. However, I can't guarantee how much work might be needed."

"Just as long as it's not a complete tear down."

"I actually know someone in construction that can come with us to give an estimate on remodeling costs. Would you like me to have him come with us next time?"

"Percival?" Lily asked Arthur, and on his nod she turned to Killian. "I've worked with him prior. He does really good work."

Killian took a deep breath. "Okay. Let's have him with us then."

"Perfect. I'll get with him, and see what time he has available, and I'll reach out to…" He looked between them and Lily chimed in.

"Me, and I'll see what fits best in our calendars."

They walked back to Arthur's car and got in so he could drive them back to the shop, where they had left their own. Killian looked at the time, and groaned to himself; it was almost nine, and with the long drive back, it would be close to ten before he was home. He shot off a quick text to Emma.

KJ: Sorry. About an hour or so before I get home. Tonight was a bust.

He tuned back into what the other two were talking about. "Let's try to get this done as soon as possible."

"Agreed," Lily responded from the back seat, as a ding on his phone sounded. He looked at the text from Emma.

ES: Sorry to hear that. Pizza in fridge. I'll probably be asleep. Work was crazy.

He frowned to himself. Another night not seeing each other. This needed to stop.

KJ: Sleep well, love. Good night if I don't see you in time.

By the time he got home it was after ten, he checked to see if Emma was still awake or not before he even headed into the kitchen. The bedside light was still on, as was the TV, but Emma was fast asleep. He turned off the TV, pulled the covers over her, pushed the hair off her face and behind her ear, and then kissed her forehead. "Night, Emma. Love you." He said softly, and then turned off the light as he went into the kitchen to grab his late dinner.

Tuesday was almost a repeat of Monday. Turned out that Percival wouldn't be able to be there until after five due to another job he was working on. Killian had tried to just go see it without him, during the day, but Lily had told him the experience could save them a lot more money in the long run.

Killian was to the point of just throwing money at it himself; he missed his girlfriend for crying out loud. He could tell that Emma was growing impatient as well, though she was doing her damndest to be supportive. He couldn't take much more.

Tuesday had been a bit more productive than Monday. All the places were in the desired location, and all of them were within the range of approved rent. But there were various issues with each place. Either the layouts would need to be completely redone for what they needed, or the places were in extreme disrepair, either of which would cost a lot more money than they really wanted to remodel.

Percival did seem to know what he was talking about. However, he took a long time to look at each place, so much so, Killian almost thought it was on purpose. But again, it was no such luck. By the time he got home, he was a mess from all the dirt—and even cobwebs from some of the places—that he insisted he needed to take a shower before he came close to Emma, She had managed to stay awake, even though he got in at almost eleven, but she was fast asleep by the time he got out of the shower.

On Wednesday, Emma decided to take matters into her own hands and called Belle.

"Good morning. Lost boys and Girls Foundation. This is Belle; how can I help you?"

Emma smiled at the woman's chipper voicer. "Hey, Belle it's Emma. Why do they have you answering phones?"

"Just for now, until we get some others, the four of us take turns."

"Four of you?" Emma's brows shot up, but there were five.

"Yeah, Lily isn't around enough to…" She cut herself off. "Anyway, what can I help you with?"

"I have a favor to ask."

"Okay, shoot."

"Can you find out what time and what buildings they are going to be seeing tonight? I really miss Killian, and even if it's just going through commercial buildings, I'd at least like to be together."

"Aww, of course. Let me see what I can find out. I'll give you a call back."

"Perfect! Thank you, Belle." Emma smiled as she said her goodbyes and got off the phone.

It was about an hour later when Belle called her back. "Hello, Belle."

"Hi. So, I had to look at her calendar and make a few calls, but I got the details. Are you ready for them?"

Emma grabbed a pen and her notebook, "Ready." Belle gave her the time they were meeting at Mills Racing, which of course was at 4:30 before Emma got off from work. But, she got the addresses of the three places they were going to look at, she could probably make it to second one before they left. "Thank you so much; you are fantastic."

"No problem, Emma. Hope that helps. Let me know if you need anything else." The women said their goodbyes, and Emma got back to work with a smile on her face.

The first location was another bust, for so many reasons, Killian didn't even want to think about it. As they drove up to the second location, he had to admit he was cautiously optimistic. The place was on the edge of where they wanted it to be, but close enough not to complain, especially with the price. The outside looked in good condition as well; now he just had to see the inside.

It was a two-story building, and their suite would occupy both floors. The bottom floor would be perfect for the volunteers, and the upper floors for operations. The second floor was floor-to-ceiling glass windows and looked really nice. Lily grabbed his arm as they entered to pull him into the large area that could be used for a call center; he had to agree that it looked good. The place looked to be already partially remodeled.

It was her hand on his arm, that lingered today more than usual, that had caught his attention. When she had done it at the prior place, she had tripped and he caught her, and steadied her. Another time she had walked into a large cobweb, and screamed, and fell into his side. He had pushed the thought away that it was just her being scared.

But now that they were are the new place, her touching wasn't because she was afraid. His thoughts went to what Emma had told him weeks ago, and he started to pay closer attention. If he could get her alone for a second he could request that she stop, but he didn't want to call her on it in front of the other two men. He tried to tell himself that it was just that they had been around each other a lot and she felt comfortable. He would just need to remind her that he was her boss, and very much unavailable.

His thoughts drifted away as he got to the second floor; it was amazing. The windows gave a pretty nice view. He turned to Arthur. "It looks like someone was in the middle of remodeling it, why did they stop?"

The man smiled. "The rest of the funding they had fell through, and they couldn't finish the contract. The owners are looking for someone to fill the space quickly, and that's part of the reason the cost is so good."

"I see," he commented as he looked at the offices that were on that level. He turned to Percival. "How much to get everything operational?"

The man looked around. "Let me go over it a bit and I'll let you know. But from my first observation, I would say very minimal, mostly cosmetic."

"If you'll excuse us, I'll go with him." Arthur waved at the space. "Feel free to look around."

Killian sighed, it was actually the perfect time to say something to Lily. He just wasn't sure how to start.

"Oh, look at this." She said and grabbed his hand and pulled him into the corner office. "This would be perfect for you." She said and then dropped his hand and walked towards the window looking outside.

He sighed, and walked towards it, head down as he tried to figure out how to phase what he wanted to say. "Lily, I think we need to talk." He said finally looking at her.

She turned from looking out the window, and smiled up at him. "I agree. I feel the same," she said and launched herself at him. Her lips were on his in an instant.

Emma halted in her tracks as she looked up at the big glass windows and her heart dropped to her stomach. Her hand reached out for the bug to steady herself as she saw Killian and Lily together, her arms around his neck, kissing.

She closed her eyes, not wanting to see anymore. She opened her car door, sat down, and did what she does best: run.

Point Standings:

Car - Driver - Points - *=leading

#71 - Killian Jones - 492*
#8 - Phillip Haven - 481
#36 - Victor Whale - 480
#53 - Sean Herman - 478
#65 - Eric Sirena - 480
#92 - August Booth - 475
#12 - Tarrant Jefferson - 410