Emma barely tried convincing herself that spending time with Killian would be a one-time thing. She'd waited for Ruby to launch an intervention all through Granny's dinner, a so-called Irish lasagna, but from her first helping to her second she didn't so much as hear a word. She almost brought him up herself, just to hear Granny explain the connection again, but something in her stopped her before the words could come.

And falling in bed later on that night felt just as amazing as Emma was expecting it to — she'd earned the hell out of it on her run in the rain. She might have even procrastinated a little by keeping Ruby awake with stories from the flight, just so sleep would feel that much more hard-earned.

"No layovers this time?" Ruby had asked, giggling at old memories of Emma nearly spending entire nights in airport terminals, luggage and scarves serving as her pillow and blankets. Emma scowled and scrunched up her nose in response.

"You were the one who booked the ticket at such a godawful time of day," She reminded her, swinging her feet off the edge of the small daybed so she could rummage around in her toiletry bag.

"Godawful is a bit subjective," she responded evenly, sprawling over the space Emma had taken and kicking her feet up in the air. "That ticket was fifty dollars cheaper than the one you tried to buy."

Emma spat out her toothpaste as derisively as she could, even though her friend was right, and when she came back to her room she pushed Ruby's feet out of the air. "As exciting as this conversation is, I need to get some sleep."

Ruby sat up grinning and made her way to the door, flickering the light on and off a couple of times just because it was there. "I'd tell you sweet dreams, but I have a feeling you don't need any help from in that department."

She winked, silently acknowledging the object of Emma's thoughts for the entire evening, and Emma barely had time to turn around and pretend to busy herself with the bedsheets before she felt her cheeks burn pink.

"Goodnight, Ruby," She deadpanned, brushing her hands across the handwoven blankets on the bed. The keys on her nightstand unlocked a home that was thousands of miles away across the Atlantic, but something about Ireland always made her feel like it was waiting for her to come back.

"Nighty night," her friend sang out, flipping the lights off again. Emma was asleep before she heard the door creak shut.

Emma's plans to wake up early, put her jet lag to good use and cook the family breakfast went south the moment she felt sunlight streaming in on her face. It was bright enough to make her forget yesterday's rain, along with the company she'd made in it, until a loud whacking sound broke the silence.

Oh, Emma thought to herself, groaning and twisting her blankets around her knees. That's why I'm awake.

A large, compelling part of her was all for getting up and shutting the door, letting the morning creep by without her taking part in it for another hour or so. A smaller, more reasonable part told her walking across the room was as good as being awake anyway, so she might as well suck it up. Emma groaned again and took her time pulling herself up in bed, wasting a good minute trying to smooth away the wrinkles her pillowcase had pushed into the skin of her arm. The whacking kept on as she traced the indentations, along with the sound of soft voices trailing down the hall, and her it gave her the final push she needed to get out of bed.

She shivered, instantly remembering the chill that Granny's thick bedcovers kept out during the night, and went for her suitcase, digging aimlessly until her fingers found purchase on her thickest sweatshirt. Squinting disdainfully at the rays of sun falling on her empty pillow, Emma wrapped her arms around herself and made her way into the kitchen.

Granny and Ruby were easier to hear once her feet hit the creaky wooden floorboards in the kitchen. The hammering had stopped — of course it stopped now that she was awake — and the sudden quiet had her wondering whether Granny had gone to deal with the offending noise, but Emma wanted caffeine more than she wanted to satisfy her curiosity. She reached for the coffee machine where it usually rested and found thin air instead. Right, she thought a little grumpily. This isn't Boston.

"Granny's left tea on the table."

Killian's had appeared out of nowhere, head poking through the open window — except that wasn't right, Emma corrected herself, trying to let her brain catch up with her eyes — the window wasn't open. It was missing.

The man who had taken its place was grinning at her, looking for all the world like he was about to tell her top of the morning in that charming brogue of his and offer to reach through and pour her a mug herself. He filled the room with his bright cheerfulness despite the fact that he was outside, and try as she could to hold onto her travel-induced grumpiness, Emma felt it slipping away.

"Is it warm?"

"It's quite possible. Even if it weren't, Granny's tea is hard to beat."

Emma moved to inspect the kettle resting on the countertop, finding it still hot to the touch, but her mind was focused on his words. Before too long, she couldn't help wonder about them aloud.

"How is it you know Granny so well, but I've never heard of you?"

"Well that's a case of bad luck, to be sure." He leaned forward, settling his forearms on the window sill and taking note of her pajama-clad form. "I asked her the same thing this morning, but she wouldn't give me a clear answer. In fact, she got a bit protective when I asked how you were related."

"Granny's all bark and no bite." Emma poured herself a mug of tea and determinedly hid the blush that crept up her cheeks. The last man who'd heard Granny being defensive on her behalf was long gone, despite all promises to the contrary.

"She cares a great deal about you," he said simply, meeting her eyes in a way that suggested he knew without having to ask.

Emma paused a long moment, considering him. "She took me in when I was younger, even though it was a risky move for her and a hell of a long move for me. Sometimes I even forget we're not related."

He was quiet a while too, watching her expression, and she saw the blue of his eyes softening as he listened to her. It should have felt invasive, but it didn't.

"Aye," he replied gently, not at all prying for further understanding like she was expecting him to. It was the same instant knowing she'd felt with him before, a flicker of kindred spirits recognizing each other under the rays of the new morning sun. He was familiar. "We know the feeling."

"We?"

Killian's crooked grin came back as he pushed off the sill to stand once again, twisting around on whatever he was using to reach the window to survey the landscape. "My mangy cur of a dog is around here somewhere. He's probably convinced Ruby to give up half her breakfast by now."

Emma let a smile grow on her face as she pressed her warm mug of tea to her chest. The affection between this man and his dog was palpable, and while she'd spent less than two hours total in their company, she knew she'd have to be an idiot to miss it. Being allowed to see him loving another being so openly made her feel like she knew him far better than she did. And if Emma had to guess, she figured she'd find little of Killian Jones was hard to understand.

She'd be an idiot to admit Killian wasn't easy to look at, either. He was a lethal combination of plaid flannel rolled to the elbows and three-day scruff, of mumbling to himself when something frustrated him and whining about union breaks when Granny finally did make an appearance in the kitchen. Emma wasn't sure what kind of picture she made in comparison in her sleep-mussed ponytail and old sweats, but it had to be better than yesterday.

One cup of tea turned into two, and soon enough Emma found herself sitting on the countertop, keeping Killian company and holding all the old screws while he fastened the new ones on their hinge. Eoghan joined them before the sun could rise too high, to Emma's amusement and not-so-secret delight. He looked much cleaner than he had the last time she'd seen him, and when she told him so he jumped up and pressed his paws onto the windowsill where Killian had leaned before, stretching to a full height that almost rivaled the raven-haired man standing next to him.

The next few days made it easy to forget she'd just met the Jones men, and if it weren't for Granny's grumbled commentary whenever he came around — finally getting around to that, are you? — she'd be suspicious that he was making up reasons to come over. By the end of the week she'd picked up a little interest in his tasks, learning what he was doing when the weather kept her and Ruby indoors. When she found herself brushing elbows with him at the dinner table, she learned the way his smile tilted up just a little higher on the side closest to her, too. If she noticed the way Ruby grinned at the both of them while they cleaned the dishes, or the way Granny's eyes lingered on them as she held on to Killian's tools, well, maybe she was just getting reacquainted with rural life. Maybe she'd missed it here a little more than she realized, and having someone new around was making her see it all for the first time again.

"What's the longest you've gone without rain here?" Emma asked, sitting on the floor with Eoghan while Killian laid on his back, head beneath the kitchen sink. He reached down, blindly searching for the smaller wrench that Emma was playing with while they spoke. She handed it to him after realizing what he needed and ignored Eoghan as he nosed her in the ribs, eager for more attention. He'd grown far too comfortable with her, even Killian had said so. Apparently, he used to spend time all over town during the week, visiting neighbors and bothering the local livestock. Now he always seemed to know just when Killian was headed to Granny's, because one of them would always show up within fifteen minutes of the other.

"Couple of weeks," came his reply from inside the cabinet.

"Really? It's rained at least an hour a day since I got here."

"It won't green up outside on its own, love," he replied. She could see the smile growing on his face without having to actually see him. It happened ridiculously often in her presence; she nearly had it memorized. "Galway dries up a bit in summer…you should stick around and see it yourself sometime."

She would have missed the way the cadence of his words changed if it wasn't so quiet in the kitchen, but Granny and Ruby had left for town. Emma felt it the second it happened, fingers pausing along the divot between Eoghan's shoulder blades. For a moment, she let herself wonder why not, and it became very hard to remember her reasons after that.

"Maybe."

Killian was quiet for a second. He seemed to understand that she'd hit her emotional limit for the day, and switched to regaling her with step-by-step explanations of what he was doing and taking the time to show her what he meant when she had questions. Eoghan eventually got fed up with the lack of attention, sighing heavily as he got up and stretched along the floor.

Emma was the first to notice his absence later, once she'd followed Killian out to enjoy the rare evening sunlight on Granny's front steps. A few crickets had found it in them to sing as she stretched her legs in front of her, cradling yet another mug of tea in her hands, and she interrupted Killian mid-sentence to ask where he'd gone.

"Eoghan? He's likely home, lass. He knows his way here and back better than I do by now."

"He usually sticks around this close to dinner, though."

"Emma, he'll be fine," Killian reassured, the corner of his mouth ticking up in amusement at her concern. It made her remember his story once again as she marveled at how well he knew his dog. Their bond of obvious love and trust was infectious, something that made a person want it for their own. Emma had found she'd been learning a lot about what she wanted out of life — all she was waiting for now was the lesson on reaching out and holding onto it.

Killian killed the engine to his motorcycle at the edge of the driveway, well aware of how late it was and how loud the bike could be. He hadn't been expecting anyone to be awake, but he saw the light on in Granny's living room, giving him the shred of hope he was looking for. Luck seemed to be on his side for once in the overcast night; it was Emma who answered the door.

"Killian?"

She was wearing the exact same set of pajamas he'd seen her in the first day they met, long hair cascading freely down her shoulders this time. He tried not to look as frantic as he felt when he started to explain himself. Putting off checking Granny's until now had been a vain stroke of hope.

"I hate to bother you so late at night, lass, but is Eoghan inside?" He hated watching her expression fall from playful amusement to concern as he rushed the words out. Emma shook her head, lips curling into a frown as she caught up with his words. She'd clearly misread his quick, urgent knock as something more playful.

"He didn't come back?"

"Not for dinner, not after. I've called 'round and I can't find him."

"But doesn't he do this all the time? You told me he loved being outside."

He tried to be patient with her as she asked, but he felt himself clenching his jaw anyway. "This is different,Emma." he told her in a clipped voice, reigning in his tone as much as possible. "Usually, he does, but I wouldn't have bothered you if he'd come back tonight. I haven't seen him since I was here." He wasn't a man shaken by much, but as he stood and explained what he knew to her, he could hear himself straining.

"Killian…" Emma had shrunken back in the doorway a little, clearly affected by his behavior. Clearly throwing up walls he'd just started seeing her drop. This is your fault, he thought despondently, letting his gaze fall to her bare feet. This is your fault.

"Don't take this the wrong way, but isn't there someone better than me for the job? I don't know my way around as well as you do."

His eyes came up again, hope making a dim, hazy return. "You're a bail bondsperson, aren't you? Back in Boston?" It was the only useful thing he'd been able to think of once he realized Eoghan was gone. He could guide her if she would come and help. He knew she wasn't familiar with the town by dark, but she was who he needed right now.

Emma looked at him, eyes searching deep into his own, and seemed to find whatever she was looking for without much trouble. She stepped away after that.

"I'm only grabbing my jacket," she reassured, holding a placating hand in the air between them. Killian hadn't realized he'd stepped forward until she moved herself, but he tried his best to stay still while he was alone. It was a grueling five minutes he waited, wondering if she was having second thoughts about following him into the night. He wouldn't have expected any less, the way he'd snapped at her. The thought of Eoghan truly lost, or hurt somewhere in the dark that he couldn't be found, was making him lose his sense.

Emma came back later than he'd been expecting her to, a guilty grimace spread across her face. "I wanted to let Granny know where I was headed. It took a while to convince her not to come along," she told him apologetically. Killian knew he should have been happy for the offer of another set of eyes, but something in him felt like Emma was enough.

"Emma. He caught her arm as she moved to pass through the door, blocking her from stepping out onto the front steps just yet. "I'm sorry."

Her eyes turned soft as she moved closer, tugging the door shut behind her with one arm and letting his hand slip down to her wrist with the other. Her hand turned over, fingers skimming across the bottom of his wrist and settling his heartbeat. "I know you're worried. We'll find him."

Eoghan was nowhere in sight, but her words brought him the closest to relief he'd felt for hours.

Emma had him take her back to every place he'd checked before. His house and property, the empty barn a mile down the road, everywhere was just as empty as it had been the first time around. He felt embarrassed, helpless even, and even Emma's steadfast presence couldn't hold his attention for long. Sure, he could keep suggesting places for them to go, and he could keep his eyes peeled while he drove along the back roads of the country for a streak of grey in the night, but all he really saw was the scraggly pup he'd rescued all those years ago.

"We've never truly been apart since I found him," Killian explained later, when they were trailing over the rocky coastline on the other side of town. He and Emma both had flashlights pointed out in front of them, arms stiff from holding them up for so long, but she'd shown no signs of exhaustion yet. "Not an entire night, at least. He was glued to me for the first year after."

"You gave him a home," Emma said quietly, sweeping her eyes over the scrubby, rocky land. "Of course he stuck by you."

"I just don't know what's kept him out here," Killian admitted to her, trying to listen for anything over the sound of crashing waves. "He's hardly delicate, but anything could have happened."

"No," Emma sighed, surprising him a little. "When I get hired to find somebody in the city, it's either because they're hiding or because they're still out there waiting to be found. This is a small town…if something had happened to him, we would know."

It wasn't the most encouraging thing she could have said, but it was honest. Coming from Emma, that seemed to mean a lot.

"So you think he's waiting for us to find him, lass?"

"He was waiting to find you before," Emma shrugged, looking at him the moment he turned his eyes to hers. "Why not this time?"

A faraway bark interrupted him before he could answer, causing him to stumble over his own feet. Emma's head twisted to look at him, her hair whipping his shoulder, and both of them strained to listen again.

"Did that sound like him?" He shook his head and held up his free hand, pointing his flashlight to the source. They didn't hear another bark, and after a minute of staring into an empty copse of woods, he lowered his light. He went to move on, but Emma held her ground.

"Eoghan!" Her echo sounded out across the coastline, traveling out into the relatively quiet night. Killian held his breath in the aftermath, heart falling with every second of silence.

Then the barking started again, and he took off running. Killian could hear Emma's quick stride following after, but he was more focused on the barking, growing louder and louder every moment. His light went everywhere, but hers gave him enough to see ahead.

Eoghan collided with him, knocking him to the ground and whining desperately. He was covered in mud and debris, constantly moving around and stepping on Killian as he tried to get closer. He shoved his face into Killian's chest, licking his cheeks and face, and Killian found it in him to laugh. He let it go on for a good minute before wrestling himself loose and sitting up, and even then Eoghan wouldn't stand still long enough for him to make sure he wasn't hurt. He settled for running his hands through his wiry fur and trying to keep from getting too choked up as he did it. He looked at Emma then, remembering she was close by, and saw he wasn't the only one.

"He's got a few scrapes on his back, but I think he's okay," she told him, reading his mind as she kept her light out of his eyes. "It's a long way to run back home, though."

His motorcycle was waiting for them a mile away. There was no room for Eoghan on it, even without her. He was going to have to run alongside of them all the way across town to get home.

Emma stepped forward and reached out to him, tucking a set of keys into his hand. "Go back and bring my car. A little dirt in the backseat won't hurt," she said softly, as if she knew she needed to coax him to even stand. "We'll go back to where we parked and wait for you."

It took him a minute to extricate his hand from the dog's mud-soaked fur, but he found it in himself to go.

Eoghan was still making soft noises of happiness when they made it back home. Killian put him right into the bath, watching mud and twigs swirl overtop the drain as Emma held him steady, wishing he could know what had happened in the past dozen hours or so.

Emma stayed close, handing him towels and kneeling to take hold of Eoghan's collar and hold him steady. She gave him a small smile that let him know she was remembering the day they met too, that the coincidence wasn't lost on her, and Killian felt the last of his anxiety begin to seep away from him. She knelt on the floor by their sides, taking the time to clean out each and every cut with hydrogen peroxide and a handful of cotton swabs, and the three of them took up every inch of the floor space in the bathroom for a while afterward. Killian stroked Eoghan's back while Emma held his head in her lap, and it took a while for him to remember how late it was.

"Lass, I'd be happy to have you stay if you didn't want to drive. There's a spare room down the hall and the bed's made up." He only lifted his eyes to her at the end of it, unsure of how hopeful he should let himself feel.

"What time is it?" She asked, just barely tearing her eyes away from Eoghan. He was surprised to see her hesitate, and she had his attention. He'd been so caught up in his own worries that he'd missed hers until just now.

Killian glanced at his watch, and then back at her. "Almost three."

Emma sighed and gently lifted Eoghan's head off her lap, standing in the tiny space. He tried not to feel disappointed as he watched her brush a bit of fur off her thighs.

"Well," she sighed, meeting his eyes again, "I guess it's a good thing I'm in my pajamas."

Hope roared in his chest, a happy and victorious thing, and he swore it wasn't coincidence that Eoghan's tail swatted him in the chest.

Killian showed her the spare room and told Eoghan to say goodnight, smiling as he brushed up against Emma's side and licked her hand. There was a strange kind of tightness in the air between them, making it harder for him to convince himself to walk away. She'd taken him seriously when he reached out for help, and she hadn't brushed off his offer when he'd made it. He'd seen her tendency to brush off compliments and kindness, but here and now she'd told him yes.

"Are you sure Granny won't mind you being gone?" He asked her once Eoghan had loped off down the hall, likely seeking out a drink and a spot on Killian's bed. "I know she worries after you."

"I told you already," Emma replied, leaning against the door and looking at him with a sleepy grin. "Granny's all bark and no bite. She'll understand."

Killian wasn't sure if it was the late hour, or his senses playing tricks on him, but he thought he saw her shift a little. He had no idea how much longer she planned to stay in Ireland, but that wasn't what made him step closer to play this game of distance with her. It was just the urge to seal the distance between them, the same one he'd been feeling since she showed up sopping wet at his door.

"And what about you, love?" He asked quietly, his voice dropping a little lower, his eyes flickering down to her lips for the briefest moment.

"Am I all bark and no bite?" She asked playfully, pushing off the wall and swinging into his personal space just an inch further. He could smell the night lingering on her hair and wet dog on her skin, and he was near drunk on it.

He shook his head and reached up to push a lock of hair behind her shoulder, fingers brushing the side of her neck and lingering there. "Do you mind?"

"Not a minute of it."

Emma smiled again, purposefully waiting for him to move, and he swept the pad of his thumb along her jaw. He barely moved to lean in and kiss her, and then she gave in and responded. It was a sleepy, tentative kiss. His hand barely moved to cup her cheek, just as hers barely rested on his chest, but soon enough he got caught up in the affection he could feel emanating from her. He responded doubly in kind for as long as she let him, wrapping an arm around her waist and changing the angle, letting a quiet sigh fall from his lips when hers wound into his hair.

"You should get some rest. It's late," he whispered.

Emma nodded, ducking to hide a yawn in his shoulder. He loosened his hold on her to let her go and moved into his own bedroom, glad to see Eoghan had left him some room on the bed. He fell asleep content and eager for the morning, unperturbed by thoughts of the future. There was still plenty to fix in Granny's house — especially since Emma kept breaking them over again to bring him back.