The house seemed somewhat empty without David. Emma found herself lazing about by herself, spending most of her time by the lake or in the mountains, completely alone or with their family dog. Today she was sitting on the front porch on their family's swinging bench, listening to the silence and the rustle of the trees with her eyes closed and her moth a bit open, half asleep. Every minute or two the bench would squeak loudly when it hit that sweet spot like a timer going off forcing Emma's eyes open. It was too hot out to sleep anyways, which was unusual for the middle of May in New Hampshire but the warm weather was welcome by Emma and her parents. They had had a rough winter with snowstorms every couple of weeks that kept the whole family cooped up inside playing board games and reading books. Emma sighed, trying to forget the immense amounts of time she was forced to spend with her parents. They always told her that she was lucky to have parents at all but at the moment she could use the peace and quiet away from their nagging voices. She took a deep breath in, letting it out slowly, forcing her body to relax on the painted wooden bench, her head lying flat against the side, one leg hanging off and the other against the back of the bench.

The sun felt good on her bare legs and her already pink cheeks. Her hair however was long and heavy and she had to keep blowing it out of her face to keep herself cool. She usually loved her long blonde locks, but recently they had become nothing more then a burden, adding unnecessary weight to her tiny 18 year old frame. But today, even that couldn't bring down her mood. Today, her brother David came home from Ireland. He was two years older then her and had decided to do a year abroad, leaving Emma alone with no one to talk to but a couple of close friends and their dog Hank.

Emma looked down at her phone, wanting more then anything for it to be 12 yet so they could go pick him up from the airport. Normally, she wouldn't have been so excited to see David. After all, he was always the overprotective type. He didn't like her partying or going crazy but somehow things just didn't feel right without him yelling at her. Not that their parents didn't yell at her, because Eva and Leopold were never one's to hold back, but they weren't as fun to get back at as her brother was. They didn't find her pranks as funny.

"EMMA!" Her mother screamed from inside.

"Yeah?"

"Are you dressed yet? We're leaving in 20 minutes!"

"Ughhhhhh," Emma grumbled, looking down at her stained cloth shorts and white v-neck. She looked rather homeless, but figured it would do.

"I'm dressed!" Emma yelled back, it would be nice to see David but that didn't mean he deserved her nice clothing. Emma heard the back door swinging open before she saw her mother.

"Oh Emma put on something nicer then that!" Eva yelled, looking annoyingly at Emma's shorts

"It's hotttt and I'm sweaty! It's just David!" Emma fought back.

"And a guest! He has a friend from school that he's bringing back for the summer… Jesus Emma don't you ever listen to anything I say?"

"Yeah David's bringing a girlfriend back for the summer, got it," Emma rolled her eyes, her brother always had a girlfriend, not that they ever lasted long. She thinks that he just uses them as stepping stones while he waited for the right girl to come along.

"Noo, he's bringing a guy. And he's never been to the states before so be nice and help him get adjusted."

"Ohhhh a guy huh?" Emma taunted, wiggling her eyebrows mischievously at her mother.

"Oh god… I'm done. Just wear what you want we're leaving soon," Eva closed her eyes flinging her arms up in surrender. Emma giggled. She was almost positive that her parents thought she was a psychopath but she didn't really care. Living in Gilford, NH where everyone seemed to be so relaxed and at ease, Emma couldn't keep herself still. Lucky for her, living on lake Winnipesaukee meant she could let out her wild spirit on the family boat or in the mountains and cliffs around them. She smiled; this Friday would be David's first Friday night fire since he'd left, which meant getting drunk with every other teenager in this town and having a fire on one of the islands in the middle of the night. Hopefully his friend was as crazy as they were. Not that it mattered much, He was nothing more than a small detail in her summer.

"Emma get in the car! It's time to go!" Eva screamed, opening the back door and letting Hank outside so that he would jump on Emma, making sure she actually got up.

"Okay! Ooph. Down Hank! Down!" Emma laughed, the slobbery tongue of her austrailian shepard eagerly licking at her face, his tail wagging in excitement. "I'm coming I'm coming," Emma added, brushing her hand through Hank's fur and scratching the back of his ears, making him nuzzle farther into her hand.

"Are you excited boy?" She teased, watching Hank's tail wag furiously, "Yeahhh you areee! David's coming home!" She yelled, letting Hank back into the house before heading around to the front, where her parents were waiting.

Usually they brought Hank everywhere they went, but they had gotten more then one warning at the airport for bringing Hank in there, it was the unfortunate rules they had to follow. David would just have to wait until he got home to see him.

"I'll be back I promise!" Emma yelled through the screen door, looking down at her dog who was watching her walk away, his head cocked to the side. She hated leaving him alone but there was no time for that argument today.

"You're happy this morning," Emma remarked, walking up to her father who was beaming from the side of the sedan, his bald spot practically reflecting light at her and his otherwise long, gray, curly hair hanging unbrushed from the side of his head like a mad scientist. He overall looked like a total dad with his cargo shorts and a shirt Emma was pretty sure he stole from a bowling alley.

"Can't a man be excited to see his kids?" Leopold smiled, holding his arms out to Emma who tried to, and failed, to escape from his tight hug.

"Ugh, get off! I'm not 12," Emma grumbled.

"You'll always be 12 to me," Her dad taunted, giving her a kiss on the top of her head for the mere purpose of pissing her off more. "You're still my little princess," He said in the best baby talk he could.

"I hate you all," Emma replied sarcastically, pushing herself away from her laughing father.

"Stop it you two. Let's get in the car, we're going to be late at this point! Oh Emma you really couldn't change your outfit?!" Eva yelled out, running out of the house in a pair of heels, a skirt, and her nicest top. Emma and her father exchanged a look of confusion.

"Mom… We're going to the airport… not a dinner party," Emma mocked, encouraged by her father who was laughing silently next to her.

"Oh hush! You too just look for ways to pick on me!" Her mother huffed, pushing herself into the car. Leopold rolled his eyes at Emma, her mother tended to be a tad overdramatic at times.

"We're sorry," They said together, all climbing into the car and giving Eva the satisfaction of winning the fight. Emma tuned her parents out after that, sticking a pair of headphones in and playing her favorite playlist where Florence + the Machine blasted happily into her ears. She rolled the windows down and relaxed her arm onto the window sill, watching her little house disappear as they drove down the dirt road to the main street.

The airport was packed, people filing in from all edges of the place, all talking loudly and carrying little children around as they screamed bloody murder. Emma tried her best not to look at them with disgust but failed miserably. New Hampshire had become the place to be in the summer, filled with lakes and beaches and outdoor fun that had attracted more then just New Englander's. The problem was that not everyone who lived here wanted those tourists. And then there was Emma's dad.

"Look at all these paying customers!" Leopold bellowed, a huge grin sliding across his face. Eva smiled at him with encouragement. "Business will be booming!" He laughed, resting his hands on his hips in satisfaction. As far back as Emma could remember her family had owned a little restaurant in the downtown area called Granny's that was started by her grandmother. Now that her grandmother had passed away, it was her father's turn to run the business and he had a little too much excitement about the place. Emma smiled though, she really did love it when the place was busy. She had worked there all her life and even now, she never felt more at home then when she was serving up breakfast on a Saturday morning at her families little neck of the woods.

"This is going to be a good summer for business," Her father said, looking over to Emma, "I don't know what I'm going to do at the restaurant without you, too."

"Dad I'm going to Plymouth State," Emma laughed, "It's like a half hour away from the house. I'll be home to work whenever you need me."

"I can't believe you've already finished high school," Her mother added, shaking her head and looking sadly at her little girl.

"Oh jeez. I'll practically be down the street! You two need to get a grip," Emma laughed. She didn't want to think about college. She wasn't ready quite yet to let go of her childhood, which was why this summer was so important. It just had to be special and Emma was determined to make it happen.

"OH this is David's plane! Where is he?!" Eva yelled, looking frantically around at all the people walking out of the terminal. Emma looked too, hoping to see that familiar mop of blonde hair.

"David!" She screamed, waving above her head, her mom joining in with her to attract his attention. Emma swears she saw the eye roll before she even saw his face. The smiling, 21 year old wove his way through the crowd to meet his family. His hair shorter then Emma remembered it but it looked nice on him, more grown up.

"Hey sis," He smiled at her, holding a hand out for a handshake but Emma swatted it away, instead jumping on him, wrapping him in a tight bear hug and hearing him cry out in surprise, dropping his bags to the ground to hold her up.

"I don't know why I expected you to have grown up at all," He laughed, wheezing a little to keep her from falling.

"And I don't know why I expect you to be able to hold me up," Emma through back at him, letting her legs hit the floor again, "I missed you."

"I missed you too," David smiled back at her.

"Alright that's enough love for me… Ooph!" Emma said, backing away from David and backing right up into someone else, "OH I'm sorry!" Emma said, turning to face whoever she had just hit.

"That's quite all right, lass," A deep Irish voice responded. Emma looked up to find the source of the voice to find Bright blue eyes meeting hers, a dark brown mess of hair and perfectly unperfect stubble lining a strong chin. Emma felt her jaw starting to drop but caught herself, simply smiling at him and shrugging in apology.

"Oh everyone, this is Killian, my roommate from Ireland. He's the one that'll be staying with us this summer," David said, moving to stand next to Killian and giving him a pat on the back. Killian gave a little wave to the family, his eyes meeting Emma's only for a fraction of a second longer before saying hello to David's parents.

"Nice outfit," David commented, letting their parents tackle Killian with questions about his stay.

"Yeah I'm suddenly very much regretting this decision," Emma said, trying to fix her hair as quickly as she could without acting obvious. The man in front of her was drop dead gorgeous and she couldn't help but feel rather stood up.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, David's sister," Killian said holding out a hand to her.

"It's Emma… I don't usually look this awful… or bump into people at airports," Emma blurted out, reaching out a hand to him in return. He just smiled at her in response.

"I think you look lovely. I consider myself lucky that a woman such as yourself would even bump into a man like me," He smirked at her, making her go weak at the knees.

"Well anytime you need a good shove," Emma laughed, brushing her hair out of her face.

"Emma!" Her parents shot at her, making her blush. She knew she was making an idiot of herself. Killian didn't seem to mind though, just laughing back at her and turning back to her parents.

"Dibs," Emma whispered to David as soon as Killian had turned his back.

"Don't you dare. He's not here to play footsie with my psycho little sister," David shot at her.

"Ughhh but… fine," Emma whispered back, staring at Killian as he chatted with her parents, "But noo promises," She added under her breath, catching Killian's eye. He was looking at her quite a lot.

"Well I've already talked to him too," David smiled at her, drawing her attention away from the stunning specimen before her, "So nothing happens. Got it?"

"Got it," Emma mumbled, a little disappointed but it wasn't totally unexpected. She would be fine being just friends. Besides, it was only going to be one summer, how hard could it be?

Emma whispered apologies, her body shoved against Killian's in the back of the sedan, with her brother on the other side, her parents in the front, and piles on piles of bags surrounding them on all sides. Her bare legs, met with his tight jeans, rubbing against him with the movement of the car. She could barely tell where her own white v-neck ended and his started. Instead she just sat in a tiny spot with her hair flying wildly around the car with the windows open.

"I'm so sorry!" Emma muttered again, trying to control her hair.

"It's okay Emma," Killian laughed, pulling a couple of strands off of him. She blushed, she looked like such a child in front of him. Thankfully her mother interrupted her apologies.

"So David! We want to hear all about your trip! Tell us everything," Eva beamed, turning back around to face the three teenagers.

"It was uh…. quite the adventure," David laughed, turning to Killian for help.

"He fit right in," Killian nodded, patting David on the back.

"Lots of school work and studying," David nodded, "Some travelling."

"And bars," Killian mumbled but David hit him in the arm, making him shut up.

"Anyways I missed Emma's senior year! How was that?" David asked, doing his best to turn to face Emma and take everyone's eyes off of himself, "How's the boyfriend?"

"Over and done with," Emma said simply.

"Which one? Senior year or Neal?" David asked again. Killian looked over too, waiting for Emma to answer.

"Both," She said simply, ignoring both David and Killian and turning instead towards the window. This was not the time or place to have that conversation. After all, David had never liked Neal and even warned Emma multiple times about him and when he left her for another girl, Emma couldn't help but feel like David may have been right all along. David seemed to pick up that Emma was done talking though and stopped the conversation, letting the family sit in silence as they pulled up to the house.

"Welcome home!" Leopold yelled from the front, obliviously unaware of the awkward tension forming in the backseat.

"Thank god," David mumbled, smiling happily at his home.

"Hank is waiting for you inside," Emma smiled at him.

"Hankkkk," David said excitedly, pushing open the car door so that he could run up to the house. Emma took her time, trying to move the bags so that she could get out and still help carry them in. She heard the door opening and barks of excitement as Hank and David reunited.

"You're beautiful," Killian said to Emma as she tried to pull bags out of the car.

"I'm sorry what?" Emma asked, turning her attention to him.

"Uh, your dog. He's a beautiful dog," He smirked, helping her pull the rest of the bags out of the car. Emma eyed him suspiciously.

"Yeah. One beautiful ass DOG," Emma said, accentuating the last word. His eyes flicked back to hers, his eyebrows raised.

"Killian, come on!" David yelled, drawing his attention away from her.

"Coming," Killian said back, throwing a couple of bags over his back and giving Emma a little wink before following David inside. Emma stood still, blinking, watching him walk away from her.

"What just happened?" Emma asked herself, shaking her head and turning back to the car to grab the last of the bags. He's just a minor detail, She told herself, those blue eyes stuck into her brain like glue. Emma sighed, this was going to be more difficult then she thought.

Killian followed David upstairs to the farthest room on the right, passing a couple rooms he assumed to be David's and Emma's and on the other side of the hallway, another room which he assumed to be their parents.

"Hope this is okay," David said, opening the door and gesturing Killian inside.

"Thanks, mate. This looks perfect," Killian answered, dropping his bags off on the bed. He looked at David, scratching awkwardly at the back of his head. "So…," Killian started.

"What?" David asked, looking annoyed already.

"I want you to know that I heard you when you said not to look at your sis, mate, but you did not tell me that THAT was your sister," Killian laughed, pushing his hands through his hair and shaking his head. David just looked at him, his arms crossed across his chest.

"Look. She's kind of a wild child and she tends to throw herself at guys and end up alone and with a broken heart. So please, for me, if she tries anything, can you just keep it in your pants for once?" David asked, raising his eyebrows.

"I always keep it in my pants," Killian joked, looking up to David's serious face, "Yeah yeah. I won't try anything," He added. David seemed to relax after that, nodding in thanks.

"Thanks man," He said, sitting down at the desk across from Killian's temporary bed.

"But she's really hot though. Just so you know," Killian laughed.

"Yup, I'm leaving," David said, shaking his head and getting up to leave, "Take some time to get readjusted okay?"

Killian nodded to David, still chuckling a little as he watched him leave. He waited until the door was closed before he lay back on the bed. He was entirely too exhausted to move. The flight had been long and brutal and when he had stepped outside into the humidity of New Hampshire, he had instantly felt a million miles away from home. He was grateful for David's offer to come home with him for the summer though. He thought back to how awful a year he had had with his girlfriend Milah leaving him and his home life turning to shreds before his eyes. He was grateful for the escape.

He sighed, looking out the window to the lake. It was beautiful here. The water bounced happily against the shore, the trees opening up to clear skies and a warm sun. He could see a tiny blonde girl running across the grass, a dog on her tracks. She was laughing, throwing a ball across the yard and watching their dog fetch it. More like She was beautiful here, Killian thought to himself, watching her from the window. He sighed, he would only be here for a couple months but that was more then enough time to find another girl besides his best friend's sister to use as a rebound. Knowing heartbreak first hand, he wasn't about to put Emma into that scenario. Not when he owed his life to her brother, and recognized his own heartbreak in Emma's face when David asked her about her ex. No, he wouldn't do that. No matter how hot she was. She was just another girl, Killian told himself.

Moving away from the window, he collapsed his head back down on the pillows, his body curling up. He was too exhausted to think anymore. Too exhausted to think about the smell of Emma's hair in the car, or how the heat from her body felt against his own, or the sassy little remarks she gave him when he made stupid comments. He smiled, no, he would never be too tired to forget that.