It was down to the last lap, and Killian was in the lead with Jefferson still right on his tail. August was more than two seconds back; Victor, Sean, Eric, and the rest almost three back, all vying for the rest of the positions. Jefferson was dive bombing the corners as much as he could to catch up to him. It was in turn seven when Jefferson bumped Killian just right in the back corner of the car, and it moved the 71 over enough for him to take the corner and move past Killian.

Emma was off her seat, cussing the other driver's name as she watched Killian try to catch up in the rest of the turns, his bumper riding Jefferson's the whole way. They came up to turn eleven, the last turn before the finish line. Killian took it sharp, making his car skid across the track. Jefferson's car then hit his, and both cars slammed hard into the wall.

Emma sucked in her breath and her hands tightened on the rail, but the cars didn't stop. They bounced off the wall, and kept going, this time with Killian in the front, and he came barrelling across the line in first, followed by Jefferson, then August. Emma let out the breath, and she turned to Robin and they high fived as they heard Killian cheering and yelling for joy in the car. Victor, Sean, and Eric followed the rest of the drivers across the line as Emma made her way down from the pit box.

She ran over to the winner's circle, watching him take the victory flag and then drive the car there as well with sparks flying from some hanging metal dragging on the track. The car had definitely seen better days but at least it had kept him safe. He pulled up and his crew started cheering, and then he was out of the car and cola was sprayed every which way. As soon as he was off the car, she ran over to him and hugged him tight, not caring that her clothes were now getting wet.

Killian hugged her tightly as his heart still pounded from the hard race and the win. He nuzzled into the top of her head, smelling her hair, just before he was pulled from the feeling by the reporter. "Killian Jones, back in the winner's circle. How important was this race to win today?"

He kept his arm around Emma, holding her close as he turned to the red-headed reporter. "This win was really important. I needed to make up for the lost points the last two races. I know this one win doesn't do it, but I'm sure with hard work, I can get back there."

Emma swallowed hard as she heard him continuing to talk to the reporter. She knew the prior two races he hadn't done well, but she hadn't really had a clue as to what that really meant overall. That was until now. Those two weeks apart and his bad finishes had him fall hard in the points, and the reason he had such bad finishes was because of her. Her brain flashed back to the discussion they had at her apartment and him asking if she had any idea how he felt when she left. At the time she really hadn't thought about it much, too concerned about what she was feeling and blaming him for what she had thought happened. But now—

"Emma?" Killian asked softly into her ear, and she blinked quickly and turned to focus up at him. His fingers pushed her hair behind her ear, and he stared down at her with a worried look. "Are you okay?"

She looked around and noticed the reporter had moved on; the crew was getting ready for pictures, and she had been stuck in her head. She shook her head to clear it. "Sorry. I'm okay."

"You were far away there for a minute, are you su—"

She moved onto her tiptoes and kissed him to quiet him down, then pulled back. "I love you."

He broke into a smile. "I love you too, Swan." His hand moved to the back of her neck and pulled her in for another kiss.

"Alright you two, you can do that later. Now it's time for pictures," Robin called over, and the rest of his team laughed.

Emma followed Killian over to take some of the group pictures, her smile big because he looked so happy. Her mind was still thinking of how she could make it up to him, though it wouldn't be that night because he had lots of interviews and they didn't fly home until late. Both exhausted, they slept on the way home.

Monday night, when she got home from work, she decided she needed to talk to him. She hadn't been able to focus all day, the weight of her thoughts still on her. Once inside, her stuff set down, her shoes off, she came up to him and wrapped her arms around him from behind as he stirred something that smelt fantastic on the stove. God she was lucky. She pressed her face into his back between his shoulder blades.

His one hand came up, and clasped her wrist over his heart. "Glad you're home," he said, and she tightened her grip. "You okay?" he asked; he could tell that something wasn't right. Actually, it hadn't been right since last night after his win, but he was hoping she would open up and tell him on her own.

"I'm sorry," she said softly into his back.

His brows crinkled; he tried to turn in her arms, but she held tighter. He needed to look at her, now knowing that something was definitely wrong. He moved the pot off the burner, and then pried her arms from him so he could turn around. His fingers found her chin, and lifted it for her to look at him. "What for, my love?"

She didn't want to look at him. The more she thought, as the hours went by, the more she stewed in the thoughts. It didn't help that she had talked to Tink at work and also called Ruby to get her to open up about what really happened. To hear how Killian had dealt with her leaving. She felt horrible. It was obviously showing, because his fingers gently wiped away her tears.

"Emma, you're scaring me. What's wrong?"

The catch in his voice got her to look up at him. The last thing she wanted to do was make him feel bad. "Nothing." The disbelieving look on his face, told her he didn't buy that for a second. "I'm just sorry. I didn't realize, I was so...god, I was so stupid."

He had no clue what she was talking about, but something had upset her. Something she thought she had done wrong. "Just tell me what it is, and we'll fix it together."

She shook her head. "I'm totally messing this up." She tried to pull herself together; he shouldn't be trying to make her feel better, it was supposed to be the other way around. "I'm sorry I left." He looked confused for a second, and then his eyes widened as he worked out what she was saying. "I don't know how to make it up to you. I shouldn't have done that. I should have talked to you. I should have known better. I should—"

He cut her off with a kiss. He was relieved that there wasn't something else wrong. He pulled back and let his forehead rest against hers. "I'm just happy we're back together. You don't need—"

She nodded. "Yes I do. I didn't even think about what it was doing to you. I didn't even care. What kind of horrible person does that?"

His hands came up to the side of her face and brushed away more tears. "Emma, you thought I was the cause. I mean, if someone steals from you, it's not like you care how they feel about it." He did get it, but his anger about his feelings and how she had reacted were gone before he had carried her into her bedroom.

She shook her head. "It's not the same and you know it. Because of me, you drank all the time, and Robin almost had to bench you. Because I wouldn't talk to you, you didn't place well, and this point deficit is my fault."

"No, it's not. All that is on me."

"But if I had just talked to you. Listened to anyone—"

"What I did and how I reacted was my own fault, Emma. Not yours. I didn't have to drink. I could have practiced longer. I didn't have to—"

Her hands went to the side of his face. "You wouldn't have felt like that if I hadn't left."

He wanted to deny her words, but she was right. "You are not to blame for my actions, love."

She smiled at him. "That may be. But your actions were in direct relation to how I hurt you. And that is my fault. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"Emma..." He wanted to tell her she didn't need to be sorry, but at the same time he had longed to hear her acknowledge how he had felt. "Thank you." He kissed the top of her head. "But I do understand, you know." She gave him a questioning look. "If I had been in your position, I'm not sure what I would have done. Because if I had seen that...it would have killed me. But truth is, love, I forgave you before my lips met yours and I carried you to bed." He arched his eyebrow at her, and she let out a small hiccuped laugh through her tears.

"How can I make it up to you?"

He shook his head. "There is no need. Besides, I don't want you feeling like you have to do anything. I want you to do things because you want to."

"But, Killian—"

He knew she wasn't going to let this go. "Okay, love, okay. All I ask, is that if you ever, and I mean ever, think something is wrong between us, no matter what it may look like, that you talk to me about it." He felt her tense, and his hands moved to rub her shoulders. "I know your past with your ex brought a lot of your fears to the the surface and that is why you reacted the way you did. Trust me, I fully understand what past baggage can do to a person; I have plenty as well. But we are not them. Their actions do not define us, or our lives together."

She smiled up at him. "You're right."

"I usually am, if you just listen to me." He winked at her, and she lightly swatted his chest. He laughed and pulled her to him in a hug that she returned. "Are we okay now?" he asked, wanting to make sure they were once again on the same page before they moved on. She nodded into his chest. "Good, because dinner is almost finished, and Regina has some resumes for us to look over before we work on some of your unpacking."

"Okay, I'll get out the plates," she said and looked up at him, and he smiled back, kissed the tip of her nose, and went back to the stove.

She let out a breath and smiled as she went to get the plates for dinner, wondering for the umpteenth time how she had gotten so lucky.

Tuesday after work, they had a quick dinner and went through a few more resumes. But none of them caught their eyes for the position with the charity. So instead they went to unpack a little more of her stuff. "There are some boxes in the closet, if you don't mind," she told him as she started on ones in the bedroom.

He laughed. "You just don't want to hang up your clothes."

She stuck her head in the door. "You're just so much better at it than I am," she admitted as she batted her eyelashes at him.

"It can't be that hard to be better, Swan. You don't hang up anything," he huffed and motioned to a laundry basket of clean clothes.

"I buy things that don't wrinkle," she said and shrugged her shoulders. He rolled his eyes as she walked out and started to cut the tape on one of the boxes, when moments later she heard his voice behind her.

"You've been holding out on me love."

She turned around in confusion and then she saw her black bag, and a bright pink metallic vibrator in his hand. She instantly flushed, and tried to take it and the bag from him. "I told you the boxes."

He pulled away from her, not letting her get to it. "Now, love. There is no reason to blush." He looked in the bag at the items she had in there. "Though I am curious as to why I'm just now knowing about this stash of yours."

She sighed. "Well...I haven't had reason to need it since…" she let it trail off and his eyebrow arched, and she huffed. "Since we've been together." She already knew that would make him smile, that it would make him smirk, and smirk he did.

"Oh, really?" He moved closer to her. "So, are you saying I'm better than this battery-operated machine?"

"Don't push it," she replied, and when he gave a slight pout that she knew he was doing on purpose, she couldn't help the smile. "Yes, okay. Yes. I don't need them with you." She reached for them again. "As proof, how about we just throw them away."

He pulled them out of her grasp again. "Now, now. Don't be so rash." He let his thumb run along the dial and turned on the one in his hand. "I think we could have a little fun, if you are game, love." Her eyes widened, and she swallowed hard. He noticed and also that her nipples now strained against her top. He leaned in, and trailed the device down between her breasts, over her hip, and settled the tip over the seam of her yoga pants, making her squirm. He dropped the bag to the floor, and let that arm loop around her, pulling her tight to him, while he pressed the device more firmly between her legs.

She moaned at the vibrations, and her eyes closed. His mouth kissed up her neck to her ear. "I think you like the idea, don't you?" Her eyes rolled back, and she moaned but didn't reply. He flicked off the vibrator, and her eyes popped back open. "Well?"

"Yes...god, yes."

"Then take off all your clothes and lay down on the bed for me," he said and gave a light slap to her ass. She jumped, but quickly did as she was told, and before he could even take off his shirt, she was naked and laying back on the middle of the bed. "Such a good girl." He carefully watched her, and seeing her lust-filled looks, he knew he was taking this in the direction she wanted. "Shall we continue to use pumpkin as your safe word?"

Her eyes widened, and she bit her lip and nodded quickly, both telling him yes to the question and yes to what she wanted. She wanted him to take control; the thought of him testing her limits excited her. In truth it excited him, too, made obvious by the considerable strain on the zipper of his pants. Which he quickly tried to relieve by shedding his jeans, though he deliberately left on his boxer briefs. He wanted to take his time with this. He picked up the bag and placed it on the side of the bed, and then crawled on. "When I get done with you love, you are going to be begging me to fuck you." Even though she tried to contain the sound through biting her lip, her moan still came forth, making him smirk.

"Now love, are you going to be good, and do as you are told, or should I just tie you to the bed now?" He watched her breathing increase, and her weigh her options. "Oh, tsk tsk, you took too long to answer me, love. I guess that means you can't be good." He stood back up and retreated to his closet and moments later returned with two of his silk neck ties. He went to one side of the bed, and Emma willingly gave him her wrist. "I need the other one too, love." She gave him a confused look, but did as he requested. He used one tie to bind her wrists together, then made sure that it wasn't too tight on her wrists. He then used the other tie to secure her to the middle of the headboard.

Once he was satisfied with that, he moved back to the end of the bed, and settled himself. He watched her laid out before him, her hips squirming, her breathing heavier than usual. A light flush over her pale skin, not to mention the deep green lust of her eyes. He had to push down his own desire to just take her. He had too many plans for it to end soon. He turned to the bag next to him and looked at the contents. He checked to make sure the ones that needed batteries were still operational, and decided on which ones he would use. He turned back to her, and debated if he should blindfold her. But in the end he decided against it, at least this time. This time, he wanted to see her eyes as he drove her over the edge, again and again.

He licked his lips at the thought. "You look so beautiful, so delicious," he said and moved his hands up the inside of her legs to her knees, and then spread them wide. A wolfish grin came over him at seeing her core glistening with arousal. She was already wet and ready for him. His hands moved up, caressing her inner thighs, ghosting close to her core but not quite touching.

She wiggled her hips, but he pulled back. "Ah, ah, ah!" He told her and wagged a finger at her. "Stay still." He reached into the bag, and pulled out a small silver pocket vibrator and turned it on to a low setting, and then crawled over her body, making sure he didn't touch her. He leaned in and kissed her hard, his tongue delving inside her mouth, tasting, devouring, only then to quickly pull back, and watch as she tried to follow. "I said, stay still. Last warning, my love."

He grinned at the whimper she gave in response as she settled back on the bed. He then moved the vibrating device up to the side of her face, and slowly dragged it down her neck, and then between her breasts. His hand diverted to the left, and slowly circled her left nipple, the already hard bud turning even harder, while Emma moaned at the sensation. "Do you like that?" She nodded yes. He pulled it away, "I said, do you like that?" His voice raised at the commanded question.

"Yesss," she breathed, moaning once again when the vibration returned. He then moved it over to her right bud, as he leaned down and took the left into his mouth. She groaned, and he could tell she was desperately trying not to wither against him, as he sucked hard. He grinned around the peak, and let his teeth nip, and then pull at it. He then moved the device to the other hand as his mouth switched sides, to do the same to the right as the left, as his left hand held the vibrations to her tortured peak.

Though she wasn't moving like he had commanded, she was moaning and sighing out his name and God's as he continued. With a hitch to her breath, he pulled back and licked his lips. "Were you about to cum just from me violating your perfect breasts?" With the glassy look to her dilated eyes and her heavy breathing, he knew the answer. He gave her a warning look when she didn't answer.

"Yes, yes...almost."

"Mmm, I'll have to remember that." He sat back on his haunches, and trailed the vibrator down her sternum, then around her belly button, causing her to giggle. But her laugh trailed off quickly as he traced her pubic bone, and lightly trailed down her inner right thigh. She huffed in frustration at him avoiding where she really wanted it be. "Patience is rewarded, love," he said, and then slowly brought it up her inner left thigh, and teased over her outer lips.

"Please…" she breathed out.

His hands moved out and pressed her legs open wider, parting her lips, and opening her sex completely to his view. He moved the tip of the device lightly to her opening, going, around and around, allowing the vibrations to move over her. Her breath stuttered, as he allowed just to tip to go inside of her, circling around her opening. He leaned in close, and could see her legs tense from the corner of his eye.

He removed the vibrator and delved in with his mouth, his tongue tasting and lapping up her arousal. "Mmm, so delectable and all mine." He dove back in and thrust his tongue inside of her. Her hips started to move and his arm came up to rest over hip, to help her stay immobile, as his other hand moved the vibrator up to circle her clit.

"Yes, god yes," she whimpered as he continued to move the device and his tongue in a constant rhythm. Then his thumb turned the vibration up to max, and she screamed, "Fuck!" Her legs started to quake, and he picked up the pace, moving his tongue deeper, and the the vibrator pressed a little harder, and with a scream her whole body tensed, and her core clenched around his tongue.

He flicked off the vibrator and eased up on the pressure, allowing her to come down from her high before he pulled back. As he sat back, he smiled at the full blush now over her skin. "Did you like that, love?"

She nodded, but then remembered the rules and quickly answered, "Yes, I did."

"Good, because that's just the start," he told her, and dug through the bag to find the next item he wanted. "You know, you have quite a selection in here. Am I the first to see these?"

"Yes. Yes you are," she said with a blush.

He reached out and caressed her ankle. "I'm honored, Emma. Truly." And he was—the knowledge that she trusted him so much meant more than he could express. But hopefully showing her would. He pulled out what he was looking for: a small, pale blue egg with a cord to the device's controls.

He took the egg part and slowly pressed it to her opening. With a small press of his fingers it sunk inside of her, she sucked in a breath and then let out a long moan when her turned the setting to a slow pulse. He crawled back over her, and leaned down to kiss her again. His tongue was back in her mouth, letting her taste herself on his lips. As he continued to kiss her, his fingers adjusted the remote to a faster beat, and she gasped against him.

He smirked and kissed down her neck, leaving hot, opened-mouth kisses to her skin, sucking and licking at her flesh as the vibrations deep inside her worked her back up. He moved back down to her breasts and took the right peak between his lips, sucking and nippling once again, his eyes on hers as her lashes began to flutter. "Come for me like this, Emma. With those vibrations running through your core, and me sucking on your nipples."

He changed sides and lapped at her nipple before sucking hard again. Her wrists strained at the binds, and she battled with herself to keep still. But she couldn't stop the involuntary twitches of her body. His free hand found her other nipple, and pinched, and he sucked hard again on the other. With that, her body shuddered under his and her eyes fluttered closed as she gasped and moaned in pleasure. He turned the device inside of her back down and came back up to kiss her cheeks, forehead, and then mouth, softly.

"So damn beautiful when you cum for me." He trailed soft kisses back down her body, leaving gentle ones to her tortured breasts, and then down her stomach. He then settled his body on the bed, allowing him to press his hard length against the bed, to get some relief as his hands moved her legs over his shoulders, as his mouth descended back to her core.

"Killian…" she whimpered as his tongue darted inside of her, then moved up to flick at her clit a couple times, and then back down to circle her opening, only to repeat the process again and again. He once again sped up the vibrations of the egg nestled inside of her, and she started to keen to the sensory overload.

"Oh God, Killian...please…" she started begging.

He looked up over her body from between her legs, seeing her quick breaths. He stopped for a moment, "If you wish me to stop, you know the word." Granted, she had yet to ever use it with him. He dove back in, redoubling his efforts, and focusing on her now very sensitive clit. It didn't take long and her body tensed, her toes curled, and she held her breath, mouth wide in a silent scream as another, harder orgasm ripped through her. "So beautiful," he told her as he gently kissed her core, and turned off the egg.

He moved her legs back to the bed, and sat back up. He wiped his mouth with the back of his arm, as she tried to catch her breath. His hand stroked her thigh gently as he slowly pulled the egg by the cord out of her. He smiled at it being covered in her essence, and the flood of arousal that came from her after he removed it. "You really liked that one. You came so hard for me, like a good girl."

He sat the egg aside, and dug through her bag for one more item. While he would love to continue this all night, he also was painfully hard, and was pretty sure this next toy would break his own restraint. He pulled out the largest dildo she had in the bag, though he had to admit to himself he was quite glad that it was still smaller than he was. He picked it up and it caught her eye. He could see her swallow hard when she saw it. "I know how much you loved to be filled, Swan. But this will have to do for now." He ran the silicone, life-like phallus against her drenched core, rubbing it against her clit. She whimpered at the feeling and he licked his lips at the sight.

Then with a dip to her opening, he pressed the head inside of her, and her head fell back, and her hips jerked. He knew he should punish her for the movement but he was too enthralled watching the fake cock slide into her inch by inch. His free hand found it's way to his boxers, and pressed against his own, and moaned at the pleasure that ran through him at his touch and the sight before him.

Once it was fully inside of her, he slowly pulled it back out and then thrust it back inside, and her hips bucked back against it. "Yes...fuck yes. More!" She was completely worked up and wanton in front of him as he continued to fuck her with the dildo. "Oh, yes. Harder," she gasped as her hands pulled at the restraints and her hips thrust against the intrusion. "Please...more."

"More what, love?" he asked, his eyes trained on her core taking the fake cock over and over, his heart beating in his ears, his breathing almost as fast as hers.

"You...I need you. Not that...you. I...ahhh." She pressed against it, as her body worked it's way up higher.

He couldn't take it anymore, and pulled the dildo from her and dropped it on the bed. Quickly he pulled off his boxer briefs, and with both hands turned her over. The way he tied her to the bed allowed her to move onto her knees, with her hands in front of her and ass in the air. He didn't even pause, and thrust fully inside her.

"Yes!" she screamed as he bottomed out.

"Is that…" He pulled out, and then thrust hard back inside of her, "what you wanted?" He leaned over her and grabbed her shoulders from under her, as he retreated and then slammed back inside of her. "Did you need to be filled?"

"Yes...yes. You...feel so good."

"Minx," he growled into her ear and then nuzzled at her neck as he started a brutal pace fucking into her, both of them too far gone for anything else. "All mine." He sucked at her neck as his hips snapped hard and deep.

"Yes...yours," she muttered as her hips rocked back into him. His one hand released her shoulder to move between her legs, his two fingers pressing hard swipes against her clit. "Fuck!" she screamed. "Oh, god!" Then her inner muscles squeezed him tight, stealing his breath as her body shuddered.

He was able to thrust a few more times before his body succumbed to hers, and he fell over the edge with her, pressing deep as he released his pleasure inside of her. They both fell to their sides, and he pulled her back close to his front, pressing his face into her hair at the back of her head as they tried to calm their hearts and their breathing.

Once his mind cleared, he reached over, untied her hands, and pulled her closer. "Are you okay?" She nodded and pulled his hand to hers and pressed them over her heart, between her breasts. "Aren't you glad you didn't throw them away?" he asked. Emma nodded her head and started to laugh. She was, she really was.

Wednesday night, they were flying down to Daytona due to the Saturday night race instead of Sunday. She had to work from the RV while he practiced and for qualifying, since both were during her work hours. But she made sure to keep the race on the TV so she could watch and make sure everything was alright, and so she would know how he did.

She frowned while she took a moment to watch him during qualifying—he was pushing himself and the car much harder than he had before, she could see it in his hands and arms with how they gripped the wheel. He was desperately trying to gain the point deficit back that he had lost. Luckily, it worked out okay and he was once again on the poll, but the guilt stuck with her and brought her into a funk for the the rest of the time she was working.

That night, the gang all went out to eat, once again at their favorite restaurant; she was all smiles at remembering how it was the first time they were there as she started to look at the menu. Back when she was just getting to know everyone and how racing even worked. But Killian could tell that through her happiness, there was something still a little off.

He wrapped his arm around her."Is everything alright?"

She nodded quickly—a little too quickly. "It's great. Just remembering the first time I was here, and how much has changed."

He nodded. "Yeah, a lot has. But that's not it, what is it?" He asked quietly while the others continued their discussions.

"You were really aggressive out in qualifying today."

"I always am, love," he deflected.

She could tell. "You know what I mean." He sighed, and she didn't let him chime in. "It's my fault that—"

"Emma, we talked about this." He picked up her hand and kissed the back of it. "It wasn't your fault. It's over, behind us. And all is forgiven." His thumb caressed the back of her hand. "Do I have to make up the points? Yes. Will I be more aggressive to do it? Yes. It's not something you need to worry about."

He eyes widened. "Yes I do!" She whisper yelled at him. She could see a look from Ruby, who then quickly turned back to the talk with the others, and continued the other conversation. "I don't want to see you get hurt." Her brain conjured the images of him being pulled out of his car, months back.

His hand rubbed her back. "Emma. I may be aggressive but I'm not reckless. Trust me." She nodded, and took a deep breath. "Relax, and just have fun with our friends. There is no need for guilt, or worry. Okay, love?" She nodded again and tried to let it go. She gave him a smile, and one more nod that he reciprocated, and then he leaned in and kissed her forehead before they turned back to the conversation at hand when the waitress came over to get their drink orders.

They went around the table, ordering drinks, but when Ariel ordered iced tea, Ruby halted. "You ain't joining on the drinks? We always have drinks."

Ariel's eyes widened, and she looked to Eric, who just couldn't keep the smile off his face while he responded to his wife. "We might as well tell them, 'cause you know Ruby won't let it go."

The redhead nodded in agreement, and turned back to the group. With a smile on her face, one that reminded Emma of Mary Margret so much in that moment, she knew what her friend was going to say a moment before she did. "Well, I can't drink because I'm pregnant."

Cheers rang up through the group and Ashley leaned over to hug her as Ruby and Emma got up to give her a hug. The men all gave their congrats to Eric, as the waitress just stood there with a smile on her face, not knowing what to do. Once they sat back down, they quickly finished their drink order for the poor girl, who then ran off to fill it.

Now it was Ruby's turn to take the place of Emma in the same situation, asking all kinds of questions. "How far along are you? Do you know if it's a boy or a girl? Have you come up with names? You know, Ruby is a great name."

Victor reached over and took his girlfriend's hand. "Honey, let them try and answer." He looked at Killian and shook his head.

Ruby swatted Victor away. "Why didn't you tell me sooner? Oh my god, we have to plan a baby shower."

Ariel waved both of her hands at her ecstatic friend. "Whoah, whoah. I'm only eight weeks, we weren't going to say anything until twelve. But…"

"You kinda called her out on it, Rubes," Ashley said and laughed.

Ruby just rolled her eyes. "No, this is good. I have time to plan!"

"And here we go again," Victor sighed.

Emma looked around the table. "I'm missing something."

"Ruby goes crazy over planning things," Ashley explained.

"I do not!" Ruby denied.

"Yes you do!" rang back as a chorus of her friends.

"Well...maybe if I had something of my own to plan…" Ruby replied giving a meaningful look at Victor.

The rest of the group snickered. "Seriously, man," Eric chimed in. "With the way it's going, Ruby will have planned Killian and Emma's wedding and their baby showers before she gets to plan—"

"Enough!" Victor shouted. Ruby looked down, not wanting to say anything. This was obviously an issue between them. But Killian was also scratching behind his ear, and Emma was turning bright red as well due to the implication of what their friends already assumed was going to happen.

Ruby stood up and said she was headed for the ladies room. The girls, immediately all got up and followed her. Emma gave a meaningful look to Killian, before she followed.

"Thanks a lot," Victor huffed looking at Eric.

Eric held up his hands. "Dude, this is on you. What's the deal, anyway?"

"Seriously, man. You and Ruby have been together awhile," Sean chimed in.

Victor looked to Killian for help. "Don't look at me like that, mate. I'm with them." He scratched at the back of his ear. "Besides, do you want to make what Eric said true."

"Wait...are you and Emma...?" Sean asked.

Killian hesitated. "No, not...yet."

The guys caught the hesitation. "But...you are thinking about it. You've talked about it," Eric said knowingly.

Killian nodded. "Yes. And, I want to. I'm just looking for the right time. But...this isn't about Emma and I." He turned back to Victor. "What is going on?"

Victor ran a hand through his hair, "We're happy—"

"Clearly," Sean deadpanned.

Victor glared. "I don't want to mess it up. You know me. This is the longest relationship I've ever had, what if…" He sighed.

Killian folded his hands in front of him. "Do you love her?"

Victor scrunched up his eyebrows. "What kind of question is that?" Killian raised his eyebrow, and Victor sighed. "Of course I love her."

"Are you going to let your fear get the best of you and lose her over it?" Killian asked his friend, and with wide eyes that stared back at him, he continued. "I'm not telling you what you should do. But I will tell you what will eventually happen if you don't. Ruby won't wait forever."

Sean nodded. "There are plenty of other men out there...and women...that would be more than willing to give her what she obviously wants."

"So, what? I should just get down on one knee, because I don't want her to leave?" Victor asked, though you could see the fear in his eyes of her doing just that.

"No," Killian replied. "But you do have to talk to her about it. You have to both come clean about what you want and what your expectations are. What your fear is. Get her to understand." The other guys nodded. "And if you find out that you want something different, or you can't live with what the other wants, at least you know. Or, you find out that you don't have anything to worry about."

"What he said," Eric added and Sean nodded.

Victor lowered his head. "I've royally screwed up, haven't I?"

"Aye." "Oh, yeah." "Good luck, buddy," came the responses from each in succession.

Killian heard his phone beep and saw the message from Emma that they were headed back out. He smiled at the information and looked back to Victor. "Okay, they are on their way back."

The girls came back out, and Killian could tell Ruby had been crying. All her eye makeup was completely gone, but at least the girls had helped to remove it and not have it streak down her face. He grasped Emma's hand, and she gave him a small smile. They both watched as Victor took Ruby's hand, told her he was sorry, and that they would talk about it tonight. With the nod of her head, Ashley took the lead and turned the conversation back to Ariel and Eric, and their good news.

The next day, Killian was off doing press when the girls met back up, this time at Ruby's. As the girls sat down, Emma looked at her friend and broached the subject first. "So, how did it go?"

"We talked a lot last night. I mean, a lot. I know this sounds horrible, but I think it was the first time in our relationship we were totally open and honest about what we both wanted, and what we both worried about." She took a drink of her ice tea, as he friends just let her talk. "I realized we aren't ready just yet for the next step." When Ashley was about to chime in, she waved her away. "That was me, not Victor. I swear. Funny thing is, after the conversation, I think he was more open to the idea than I am now. Don't get me wrong, I love Victor, and at some point I want to marry him. Just...not...yet. I want more of what we had last night first." Ruby looked to Emma. "You and Killian talk like that, don't you?"

Emma smiled. "We do, a lot. Sometimes not when we should. Sometimes it's after things go wrong. But I think we are doing pretty well with speaking about what we want. For a while, we were both too scared to say things, to say what we want. But we are getting better. I'm trying to get as good at it as he is." She smiled and then looked down at her drink.

Ruby started to laugh, and then laughed harder. The other girls looked at each other in question, then Ashley asked, "What's so funny?"

Ruby smiled. "I think that Eric's prediction, or at least part of that prediction will be true. And you know what...I'm okay with that." She turned to look at Emma, "But you two seriously need to work on timing. Let's get through Ariel's baby before you two get married, okay?"

Emma rolled her eyes as Ariel smiled. "So just wait like seven months."

They all laughed, and Emma shook her head. "I doubt that will be a problem." She was pretty sure it was way too soon for Killian to be thinking of seriously doing that anytime soon.

Killian was once again aggressive in his driving, pairing up with just about anyone to keep him in the front of the pack at the superspeedway. The race was wracked with cautions, most due to middle- or back-of-the-pack issues. Cars getting turned into the wall, tire blow outs, and debris were quite common. There wasn't a need for a green flag pitstop the whole race due to all the cautions. Killian maintained his lead for most of the race, only losing a few laps here or there when another group of cars tried to use their combined draft to push back him and his current 'dance' partner.

Towards the end of the race, there were three sets of cars poised to take the win. Killian had Eric pushing him, Victor had August, and Phillip and Sean were right behind, hoping the two other groups would slow each other down enough with their moves for them to be able to pass them.

When the cars went across the finish line, it was too close to call from the pit box, but the official call was that Victor had won by not even a bumper. Emma felt disappointment for Killian—he had led the whole race—but she was also happy for Victor and Ruby as she watched her friend run over to victory circle.

Emma threw herself into Killian's arms after he was done with reporters, glad to see that he was still all smiles after the race. "So close," she said into his neck. "You did great."

He hugged her close and pressed his face into her hair. "Thanks, love. I can handle a two-point difference."

She pulled back and looked up at him. "Still, I think I have a pretty good consolation prize in mind." She gave him a wink and he pulled her closer.

"Mmm, I like the sound of that." With that they quickly headed back to the RV, and Emma certainly pushed the loss completely out of his mind.

They were back home prior to noon on Sunday, and were welcomed with a pack of resumes that Belle had dropped off while they were in Daytona. Emma made sandwhiches while Killian went through them, telling her key points of each one.

Once she was done, she sat a plate next to him as they leaned over the counter. He took a bite as she read over another one. "Seriously, where does Regina find these people? The range in qualifications is all over the place." She took a bite of her own sandwich. "Like this one has no volunteer experience at all." She pointed to another one. "And this one," she shook her head, "I don't even know where to start."

Killian laughed as she pointed out the things he also had thought. "I should just hire you and be done with it," he said with a smile, his voice half-joking because he knew she would never go for it. But the change in the look on her face, had him wondering.

Her shocked expression turned into contemplation for a second, as gears started turning, but she shook her head. He was just joking, he didn't mean it. "Hilarious," she said and continued looking at the resumes in front of her.

But he didn't turn to the resumes, as he kept looking at her. He was still in a sense of shock that she hadn't refused, that she had seriously thought about it for a minute. He cleared his throat. "Emma, would you want to?"

She refused to look at him. "Killian, don't be silly. I've never done that before. I don't need you to just choose me because I'm your girlfriend. You need to choose the best person for the job." She would be lying if she said she she wouldn't like to. Just thinking about it for a moment, it held a lot of appeal. Of course, she loved her current job—she got to help out a lot of kids. But the charity work would be able to help so many more. But it was just a crazy thought. She had never done anything like that before, never organized something so complex. She didn't want him handing over the reigns because of who she was to him.

"Emma," he said and reached for her hand to get her to look at him. "I'm quite serious, love. The only reason I never asked prior to this was because I thought you would say no."

She looked at him confused. "Why would you think that? Any of it?"

"I know how much you love your job at the shelter. I know how much it means to you to help those kids. I never wanted to pull you away from that, or make you think you had to choose. That's the only reason I hadn't brought it up the first time around."

She sighed. "Killian, I don't have the experience—"

"Bollocks. I remember someone with a clipboard who organized the christmas sock and gift distribution to make sure every child on that list had a good Christmas. I remember how you completely planned my birthday party—without me having a clue, by the way—and got Regina and the others to help out. You got my brother and Elsa here for it, all on your own. You knew Lily wasn't good from the start; your gut has that instinct needed for this role." His other hand came up, and cupped the side of her face. "There isn't anyone, and I mean anyone, who I trust more than you. I know you can do this, Emma. I have no question and no reservation about it. But the question is, and I don't want you to base it on what I want, love: what do you want?"

She swallowed hard at the complete honesty in his eyes. He truly believed what he said; the question was, did she? Did she believe that she could do it? What if she didn't have what it took? What if she would fail? "Killian...I…"

His fingers pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "Think about it. I don't need an answer right now. But really think about it."

She took a deep breath and nodded. "Okay, I'll think about it."

The next day, Monday, was also the 4th of July, which meant Emma didn't have to go into work and instead, they packed up another picnic and headed out on the boat. This time, the lake was a lot busier due to the holiday. Boats were all over the place. People were skiing, tubing, swimming, fishing, and sunning all around them.

Killian knew exactly where he wanted to go, and anchored the boat in another cove. This one already had a few boats around. Emma turned to him, "Guess we don't have the area to ourselves this time."

He laughed. "Sorry, love. You won't be able to have your wicked way with me, at least not outdoors." He gave her a wink as he went around to secure the yacht right where he wanted it.

"So, why here?" she asked, looking around.

"Because right here is the perfect spot for the fireworks they will cast over the lake tonight."

She laid out a blanket on the front of the boat again and sat down, looking out over the water. He sat down next to her, took out two beers from the cooler, and handed one to her. "So…" she began. "Why does a Brit like you celebrate the 4th of July?"

He sputtered on his beer and coughed. "Well, love I don't hold you responsible for what your ancestors did centuries ago, so you can't hold it against me either." He winked at her. "Besides I'm doing very well in this country, and I should be happy for everyone else. And, most importantly," he grabbed her hand and squeezed her fingers, "this year, I get to celebrate with you. And I can't wait to see your face light up when you see the display later." She leaned over and kissed him.

The spent the rest of the daylight hours picking at their picnic, taking a swim, listening to the radio, and talking. It was nice just to relax and take the day off. Both having a day off at the same time was quite rare for them. It could be more often, part of her brain told her. But the other part pushed it away; she still wasn't sure if she should take on such a big task. Though she would no longer have to worry about traveling with him—she could work on the charity from wherever, and whenever. She shoved it back down; that wasn't enough reason to do it.

She shook the thoughts out of her head; she would think about it later. Right now, she just wanted to enjoy her day, well...the rest of the twilight. Because it was starting to get dark.

The finished up their dinner and Killian brought out dessert and poured her a glass of wine as they snuggled together under a light blanket. After a couple test fireworks, Killian turned the radio over to a local station that was playing more Americana music, which made Emma giggle. Killian smiled. "Just don't tell Liam." That made her laugh harder, but it was quickly silenced as the fireworks started to go off.

Big white ones exploded with gold streamers, then ones that were half blue and red. Quick pops of red then white and blue lit up the sky, followed by white circles that looked to contain red hearts. She snuggled closer to him, and he kissed the top of her head as they continued to watch the fireworks go on above them. He definitely picked a good spot.

He had been here to witness the fireworks the years before, but this was the first time he was truly happy and didn't feel so alone. He wrapped his arms around her as another and another pop went off, followed by a bang and the dark sky lit up by various colors.

"Those are my favorite," Emma said just as a big white one filled the sky and then the sparks for them had little other explosions that seemed to glitter down from above.

"They are quite beautiful, love, but they don't compare to you."

She just rolled her eyes. "Killian...just watch the fireworks."

"As you wish," he told her and kissed the side of her face. He didn't miss the smile she gave him, and later after the fireworks were over, they headed below and created some of their own.

On Tuesday, Killian headed into work and stopped by Regina's office. "So, how were those resumes?" she asked after she hung up her phone.

He shook his head. "Nothing either of us liked, let alone both of us."

"I'll keep having them look," she told him, and made a note.

"You may not have to, at least I hope you won't." Regina raised an eyebrow at him in question. "I asked Emma if she would take the job."

Regina's eyes went big, "I thought…"

"I never thought she would want to, that's why I never said anything. But she might. I've given her time to think it over." He looked down at his hands, "And before you say anything, Liam is also in agreement, and this is my—"

"Killian, stop. I'm not against it at all. She's been helping you this whole time. And, selfishly, for the sake of the team, I think that if she is in control of the charity, you'll be able to relax and let her take over. It will allow you to concentrate on racing once again."

She had a point. That was part of it. He trusted her and her instincts completely; he knew it would be in good hands. "Okay, good. That is settled...as long as she accepts."

"Belle and her get along well, don't they?" Regina asked a little too slyly.

"Aye. Why?"

"Does she know that Emma is considering it?"

"Regina, I'm not going to have someone push Emma into making a decision."

"Killian, we both know Emma." She waved her hand at him. "You way more than me, obviously. But maybe she needs to talk to someone who is part of it all that isn't you."

He groaned. "God, I hate it when you have a point." She grinned in triumph, as he stood and left her office heading towards Belle's. Killian knocked lightly on the door frame and Belle turned to him with a smile and waved him in. He came in, shut the door, and took a seat.

"Perfect, I wanted to see you. The estimate for the renovations came back, and they look really good. Can you sign off?" she said as she handed him the quote.

"Nice work. It's about what we thought," he said as he signed his name and gave it back to her.

"Splendid, I'll get this over to them, and they'll start work soon. Since it's just cosmetic, they don't think it will be more than a month. It will probably be ready before the furniture order is done. Which you still have to pick." She pointed her finger at him.

"I'll take a look at the site later tonight, I swear. You can put in the order tomorrow morning," he told her and she made a note. "But that's not why I'm here."

She sat down her pen and looked up at him. "Okay, then why?"

He nibbled on his bottom lip as he thought. "I offered the executive director position to Emma."

Her eyes lit up. "That's great! She'll be perfect. When does she start?"

Killian smiled at her exuberance; she clearly liked the idea. "Well, she has to say yes first."

"What? Why hasn't she?" That seemed to deflate her sails a bit. "Oh, does she not want to leave the shelter?"

He sighed. "I don't think that's it. I believe she thinks that she's not qualified, or at least that was her first reaction. I just don't know. I don't want to pressure her, but at the same time…"

"You really want her to, and you know she will be good at it. Which she will be. So let me guess, you want to see if I'll talk to her?"

"I don't want to force you, lass. Only if you think it's a good idea. And you can be upfront and let her know I talked to you. I don't want to keep secrets. But maybe she'll be more willing to talk to you than me about her reasons." He shook his head. "That sounds bad, doesn't it?"

She just smiled. "No, it doesn't. It might be easier for her to talk to another woman, and not the love of her life." She winked at him, and he chuckled.

"Especially since I'm the one offering her the job." He had been worried about that actually. Was she worried that in a way he would be her boss?

"I'll try to talk to her, if she's willing. But I will be completely honest with her, and give her how I really feel about whatever she tells me. I'm not going to talk with her just to tell her to take the job, even though I think she would be great."

"That's exactly what I'm looking for, Belle. You know her happiness is what I want. I just don't want her selling herself short."

They both agreed, and Belle set up a lunch date with Emma for the next day. Emma didn't mention anything that night when they looked over the furniture choices, but he could tell that she was still contemplating her decision, so he didn't say anything.

When Emma got to the diner, Belle was already there in a booth, and Emma sat down in front of her. "Emma! So good to see you, glad you could join me."

"So, how much sweet talking is Killian having you do to try to get me to say yes?" she asked the brunette across from her.

Belle just smiled bigger. "We both knew you would figure it out. But, I'll be honest with you. He didn't force me. He wants you to make the best choice for you, and I do, too, if that is this job or not." She took a sip of her water. "But, since I work at the charity, and do the day to day, I am probably in a better position to talk to. There may be questions you have or worries that Killian can't answer or that you don't want to talk to him about. And anything you tell me, I swear Emma, won't go back to him, if you don't want it to." Emma smiled at her; she had liked the woman from the start, and this just confirmed the feeling even more. "But, I personally think you would do an amazing job. Just my two cents."

They both ordered their lunch, and Emma took a deep breath. "I am constantly going back and forth in my head. There are a lot of good reasons to take it. But there are bad reasons, reasons why I shouldn't."

"Okay, well, let's look at the good reasons; those are easy. You'll be able to help out a lot more kids than you do now, which I know is important to you." Emma nodded. "You'll get to be with Killian wherever he is all over the US without an issue." Emma nodded again. "I don't know what you make at the shelter, but I'm pretty sure this pays more. And before you say it, it was the going rate for what Lily was getting, so you can't say that Killian did that for just you."

Emma huffed at that one; she had a point with that. It wouldn't make her question the salary. "But I'm not qualified."

"Oh please. Yes, you are. I know how much work you have been doing with Killian. I know how much work you do at the shelter. I know, and he knows what you are capable of. Besides, you aren't alone in this. You have me, Will, Mulan, and Merida. You don't have to be an expert in everything, you just have to get us to work together and see the big picture."

"Okay, let's say I can do all that." She still didn't believe she could, but that wasn't the only issue. "Killian will be my boss. How is that going to work? Everyone is just going to assume that I have the job because I'm his girlfriend. Not to mention, what if I do something wrong? What if we disagree about something with the job, how is that going to affect our personal life? What if we…" She didn't want to think about it, let alone say it. But she had to get it out. "Break up? Then what? I'm out a boyfriend, a place to live, and my job?"

Belle reached over and squeezed Emma's hand getting her to look at her. "Emma, Killian would never do that."

"Which part?"

"Well, all of it really. I doubt that man is going anywhere; he loves you. But I get what you are saying; that is a worry. But it's a worry you can address. You could even add it in the contract."

"What?" Emma asked not understanding.

"It is very common for the significant other to work for the charity that their partner sets up. Especially in sports. You can get a clause in your contract. Whatever you both agree on. Maybe it's a minimum payout, or length of time that you get to stay with the company. But I can tell you, Killian would never just throw you out. It's just not him."

Emma of course knew that deep down, but try telling that to the child orphan that was still inside of her worrying about the prospect. Just then, the food came, and she took a big bite of her grilled cheese and sighed, allowing the slight crunch and the cheesy goodness to relax her a bit.

"As for him being your boss, well you are already in a relationship, and…you never know...it could spice things up." The woman gave a tilt of her head, and then dug into her salad.

"Belle!" Emma said in disbelief, and then they both started laughing as they continued their lunch. When it was over, she still wasn't clear on what her decision would be. But at least she did have a lot more information. And hearing from Belle that she thought Emma would be good for the position, too, did make her believe that she might have what it takes. It was getting through her other worries that she still wasn't so sure about.

Wednesday night, they left to fly to Kentucky for another Saturday night race. Emma felt guilty for asking to be able to work away from the shelter two days last week and this week in a row. Archie had said it was okay, but Emma couldn't help but feel bad about it. They deserved someone there all the time, which had her mind thinking about the position at the charity.

But every time she started thinking about it, thinking about all the positives, then her brain would switch over and start worrying about all that could go wrong. Everything was so great between her and Killian right now; did she want to add this into the mix? It could ruin everything. It could also make everything better. Part of her was saying a 'bird in the hand is better than two in the bush' as Ruth would say, and that the 'devil you know is better than the devil you don't.' But Killian, the shelter, nor the charity were a devil. Devil in bed maybe, but anything but outside of it.

She sighed to herself; how was she ever going to make a decision? She couldn't hold out forever; the charity needed someone soon. Killian reached over and took her hand, holding it. "If there is anything you want to ask me, you can, you know?"

She smiled; it was just like him to know exactly what she was thinking about but also not push her. She knew he wanted her to make the choice based on what she wanted. But that wasn't really the problem. Could she overcome her fears of the what if's to take what she wanted? That was the real question, she realized. She just wasn't sure. She squeezed his hand back, and just told him, "I know," as they both continued watching the movie on their late-night flight.

The time in Kentucky flew by for Emma; it was as if she was almost in a whirlwind. It wasn't because of a crazy schedule, or a ton of press, or them trying to do too much—it was because she was stuck in her head most of the time.

Ruby and the girls helped here and there, though they had found out about the offer as well and had attempted to try and sway her, but she quickly let them know that she didn't want to talk about it and they changed the subject.

Killian was also being extremely patient with her, but she still caught his worried glances here and there, along with his reassuring smiles.

It was during the drivers meeting when Ruby cornered her. "Okay, no more avoidance. Talk to me."

"Ruby—"

"No, no 'Ruby' me. I can see the conflict on your face, and you are freaking yourself out over this choice. As your friend—not Killian's, not anyone else's, yours—what has you so worried about taking the offer?"

Emma looked around and, seeing it was just them, closed her eyes and let out a deep breath. "What if something goes wrong?" When she didn't get an answer she looked up at Ruby, who looked confused.

"Like what?" Ruby inquired, needing her to expand the statement.

"Anything!" She said too loudly, and then hushed the rest of her statement. "What if I do something wrong? Will he fire me? Will he not, just 'cause I'm his girlfriend? What if we break-up, then what? What if we break-up because I take the job? What if it changes everything? What if—"

That's when Ruby cut her off and put her hands on her shoulders. "Emma! Stop." Emma took a deep breath and realized she was physically shaking from her hysterics. "You are coming up with tons of horrible scenarios that probably won't even happen."

"But what if they do?" She looked down. "I don't want to loose him."

"Emma, look at me." Slowly Emma raised her eyes to her friend. "It's not going to happen." Ruby saw that her friend was about to interrupt. "No. It's NOT going to happen. That man LOVES you. You have already overcome a lot together; this is nothing in comparison."

"I'm worried that—"

Ruby squeezed her shoulders, "Have you talked to Killian about what worries you?" When Emma looked down, Ruby laughed. "Wasn't it just last week that our friends, you and Killian included, told me and Victor we needed to talk?" Emma couldn't deny that and nodded. "I think the two of you need to do the same. I'm sure most, if not all, of your worries, could be overcome just by talking to him."

Emma groaned, her friend had a point. "Ahhh! Fine. I'm just wor—"

"He loves you."

"But—"

Ruby shook her head. "He loves you. And you love him. It will be okay. Just talk to him...after the race."

That made Emma smile. "Yeah, I don't think it would be good to bring it up right before he goes on the track."

With that, Ruby flung her arm over Emma's shoulder and they walked to pit lane to get ready for the start of the race. Once the opening ceremonies were over, and with a kiss to the lips, Killian got into his car with a smile. He wasn't sure exactly what happened, but he could tell that Emma was in a much better mood, which let him relax and his mind stopped worrying about what was going through her head, and he turned his attention solely onto the race that was about to start.

Emma retreated to the pit box and posted a picture of the track to twitter, with her encouraging words to Killian and the team. Her twitter account following was growing every day, and she knew that following could also help the charity. She had already made a post about it, back when it started at the Charleston race, but had let the others that actually worked for the charity do the rest of the promotion.

Killian was able to maintain his lead until a green-flag pitstop, but was able to gain it back a few laps later when those lead cars had to pit as well. There were a few cautions from a blown-out tire, another car running into the wall, and of course debris.

Killian was making his way back onto the track, along with Eric and August behind him. The three had just stopped for a green flag pitstop when Victor tried to move around Jefferson. However, Jefferson refused to budge and bumped him up the track into Sean. Both cars hit the wall and spun back down the track, collecting Jefferson and Phillip with them. The other cars tried to avoid the pile up; some of them smacked into each other as a result, but were able to drive away.

Yellow lights rang out around the track and Emma could hear cursing coming from Killian, both from worry for the other drivers and because now he was down a lap since the ones in front of him hadn't made their way into the pits and now would get to on a caution.

It took almost five caution laps to clean up the track enough to allow the drivers who wanted to to come into the pits. Killian stayed out, allowing him to make up some of the spots lost to the horrible timing of the crash to when he pitted. The cars involved in the wreck were luckily able to limp into the pits and didn't need to be removed by wrecker.

Emma wasn't sure how that was possible with some of them. Bumpers were hanging, side panels were missing. Victor's poor car looked to have received most of the damage, having cars him bang into him from both sides. The drivers' crews went to work immediately, trying to fix or patch the cars as much as possible during the caution.

With Victor and Jefferson still in the pits, and the other cars at the back of the pack, the race started back up. Killian was back in sixteenth place, but at least he wasn't as far back as the rest that were in the wreck, and he wasn't laps down now. Emma clung to that idea as she watched him try with a vengeance to make his way back to the front.

With eight laps to go, Killian moved around the front car to take the lead. Emma unclenched her fists, and took a deep breath. He wasn't going to have to push it so hard anymore. She wasn't sure if she could take him going three wide and barely squeezing between two cars or a car and the wall anymore. Not to mention the quick dives in front of other cars.

But he still had to keep driving aggressively, because Eric and August were right behind him. They were looking to take the lead away. However, it was Killian who came accross the line first, with Eric and August in quick succession. Sean managed to get to 14th, Jefferson in 17th, and Victor was at least able to rally to 20th.

Robin and Emma gave each other huge smiles, and he helped her back down to the ground as they took off to the Winner's circle once more. But this time, the whirlwind was due to the happiness of Killian and his team, since the win had catapulted him in the points and he was now in second place.

Emma waited until they got on the plane the next morning to talk to Killian like Ruby urged her to. She didn't want to possibly spoil any of their celebration from his win the night before. So after they got to cruising altitude, she came to set over on the couch next to him. "I'm ready to talk," she told him, and he gave her a smile, took her hand, and faced her. She took a deep breath. "I'm worried about what will happen to us if I take the job."

He was confused. "What do you mean?"

She bit at her lip and then started. "I'm worried that you might give me preferential treatment. I'm worried if I do something wrong, you won't do what you do to other employees, or that it will come between us. I'm worried that work disagreements will turn personal. I'm worried that if we break up, then I'll not only lose you…" She closed her eyes, "Which would be horrible, but also my job and where I live, too. I'm worried—"

"Emma." He stopped her, and leaned in to give her a soft kiss. "First, if you believe I would fire you and throw you out onto the street if by some crazy slim chance we break up…" He shook his head, the fact that she thought that...well, it hurt.

"Killian, a large part of me believes that you wouldn't do that. But I can't help the small part of me, the part of me that was orphaned and abandoned by people over and over again, that believes that it's possible."

He pulled her closer and tucked her against him. He understood her worry; what happened with his father had left similar issues with him as well. "Then we'll put it in your contract. We'll have Kathryn draw something up that we are both comfortable with. A housing clause, and a continuing employment clause. I'm sure she'll be able to come up with something." His fingers went under her chin. "And, that way, if for some reason...you wish to leave me…" It was extremely hard for him to continue, but he needed to, "you won't feel tied down and made to feel like you'll lose your security if you do so."

Her hand came up to the side of his face as her heart swelled. She could see how much it pained him to even mention it, but that he was willing to go so far to make her feel comfortable...god, she loved this man. His eyes found hers and she found her voice. "Thank you."

He nodded and attempted a smile. "Now, I can't say I won't give you preferential treatment." He saw she was about to object. "You're my girlfriend, I love you! How can I not be prejudiced?" He kissed her forehead. "But I can work it out, if you wish, that some your pay, benefits, etc are determined by the rest of the board, or nationwide averages, or whatever Regina and/or Kathryn can think of." She smiled at that. "Though I'm not sure why I'm not allowed to spoil you if I want," he said grumpily.

She laughed. "What if I say you can spoil me outside of work? Just not in the job?"

He grinned and raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure about that? You have been very hesitant in the past to let me truly spoil you."

He wiggled his eyebrows, and she could see his tongue flicking behind his teeth. She lightly swatted his chest. "I may be getting over my aversion to it a tad bit." The smile that lit up his face had her giggle. "But...what about work flowing into our personal lives? I don't want to upset the balance we have right now."

He took a breath, and slowly let it out. "I understand, my love. I worry about upsetting the life we currently have, too. But, while not attempting to move backward, we also won't move forward." His fingers played with a strand of her golden hair. "I don't want to just stay still forever, do you?"

He had a point. "No," she admitted.

"I know it's scary. I'm scared, too. I don't want to lose the best thing that has ever happened to me." He watched her eyes mist over, and she leaned in and gave him a soft kiss. His fingers trailed over her cheek.

She smiled back at him, as the tear ran down her face. "You're mine, too."

He pulled her back in for another kiss, this one more demanding and passionate. Slowly, he pulled away and rested his forehead on hers. "I can't promise we'll never fight. I can't promise that work won't intrude into our personal lives or vice versa. But I can promise to try to work through it together."

"I can promise that, too," she agreed.

"So, does this mean…"

She laughed. "Yes, yes! I'll take the job." She barely got the words out before he pulled her towards him and sealed the deal with a kiss.

Point Standings:

Car - Driver - Points - *=leading

#71 - Killian Jones - 682

#8 - Phillip Haven - 675

#36 - Victor Whale - 676

#53 - Sean Herman - 674

#65 - Eric Sirena - 688*

#92 - August Booth - 675

#12 - Tarrant Jefferson - 600