"Wow. And I thought I looked rough this morning," Liam remarked, as he pulled the front door open wider to let his brother slip through.

"You know, I might shoot the next person who decides to tell me just how shit I look today," Killian grumbled, before adding, "Sorry about dinner last night."

"It's not me you should be apologizing to," his brother chuckled, as he waved a hand in the direction of the closed-door just down the hall.

"Well, I brought a peace offering with me, so hopefully she'll forgive me." Killian held up the manila envelope that Emma Swan had given to him the day before, and then took a seat on the tired and slightly saggy couch in front of the television.

"Ellie, your uncle's here," Liam called out loudly, as he made his way past her bedroom door and over to the small kitchen in the apartment. After digging around inside of the fridge for something cold to drink, Liam made his way back, pausing to bang his fist on Ellie's door for good measure.

"I hope you're ready to do some groveling," he told his brother, cracking open a cold beer for himself before he passed Killian a can of Cola.

"I wouldn't have done it if it wasn't important. We're working a major case right now, and I just… God, it's bad, Liam. Really bad."

Liam looked up from his drink to fix his brother with a hard stare. Killian rarely spoke about the type of work he did. And even when he wanted to, he was often forbidden to discuss an active case. But the look on his brother's face at that moment said far more than his words ever could. He'd missed it when he'd first opened the door, but something in Killian's eyes looked truly haunted.

"I'm sorry, Man. I hope you catch the bastard responsible soon."

"Thanks. So do I," Killian sighed, before slumping back in his seat.

The two men sat in awkward silence for a moment. Killian was trying hard not to dwell upon what had happened that morning, while Liam tried not to imagine the horrors that his brother must have seen on this particular case to cause that look in his eyes. Thankfully, the mood was shattered when the sound of a door creaking open reached their ears, before Ellie finally stepped out of her room with her phone glued to her hand.

"I have homework," she declared, not bothering to look away from the screen as her thumbs tapped out a message to her friends.

"I know," Killian reasoned, pushing himself up to his feet. "I just wanted to apologize for missing dinner last night."

"'s okay. It's not like it's the first time," she threw back at him, still refusing to meet his gaze.

"That doesn't make it any better," he told her, because he was well aware of how disappointing he could be as both an uncle and a brother. It was one of the reasons he'd given up on dating. If Ellie got this pissed at him for missing the odd family dinner night, he couldn't imagine how a girlfriend would feel about him constantly canceling their dates. "I know you've heard this before too, but I really am working a very big and important case right now, El."

"I know. I saw you on the news."

Ellie certainly wasn't making things easy for him, but Killian hadn't really expected any less. There was far too much of the Jones DNA in her system for her to let things go easily.

"Well then, I assume that you know I'm trying to find the person responsible for taking someone else's life, and not just blowing you off to go out and party," he reminded her harshly.

That finally seemed to make a dent in her armor, as Ellie locked her phone and slid it into the pocket of her jeans before she raised her head to meet her uncle's eyes. "Sorry," she offered reluctantly.

Killian took a couple of steps forward before he folded her into his arms, hugging his niece to his chest. His brain helpfully chose that moment to remind him that their youngest victim hadn't been much older than Ellie was, and he squeezed her small frame a little tighter to fight off those mental images that were trying to creep in.

"I uh… I have something for you," he offered, as she stepped out of his embrace and headed for a seat in the living room, beside her father. "I've uh… I've um… well…" Killian trailed off, as he tried to find the words to explain what he was about to give Ellie. He wasn't really sure how to describe his connection to Emma Swan at that moment, without giving away her involvement in his case. And the last thing he wanted to do was leave Ellie believing that he'd blown off their dinner in favor of spending time with her idol.

"What is it?" his niece asked.

Instead of replying, Killian simply handed over the envelope as his mind raced for a reasonable explanation about how he'd come to know the singer.

Ellie didn't bother waiting for that explanation. She had already turned the envelope upside down and watched as the contents of it dropped out into her lap. There was a moment of complete silence in the apartment while she carefully examined each of the items inside. Her father craned his head across the space between them to see what Killian had brought for her before pulling back suddenly as an ear-piercing scream rang around the space.

"Oh my god! How did you get this? It's not been released yet," Ellie yelled, as she waved the CD case in front of her uncle's face.

"I uh… I've been thinking about taking on some extra security work for her when this investigation is over," Killian replied lamely. It was the best he could think of at that moment, and it wasn't a complete lie. "I might have let it slip that you were her biggest fan."

Ellie flicked the case open to study the artwork inside of it and then screamed again when she saw the dedication and signature on the inside cover. "Oh my god! This is the best day of my life," she cried, as actual tears streamed down her face.

Liam stood up to examine the rest of the goodies Emma Swan had sent for his daughter. There was a t-shirt from her last tour, some buttons, and a few art prints she had quickly signed. But it was the picture of herself that had his brow rising in question. Emma Swan had signed that one too, and the dedication on it read, take it easy on your uncle.

He was so distracted by thoughts of just how well Emma Swan may know his brother, that it took him a little longer to see the simple white envelope that rested between the sofa cushions. When he did, Liam pulled it out and slid his finger under the flap to open it up before removing the letter inside.

"Uh, El. Did you see this?" he asked, as turned the sheet of paper around to face his daughter.

Ellie looked like she didn't want to let go of the CD case long enough to read it, but when she recognized Emma Swan's signature at the bottom of the page, she quickly snatched it out of her father's hands.

"Hey!" he protested, but Ellie wasn't paying any attention to him at that moment.

"What does it say?" Killian asked, genuinely curious about what Emma would have written for his niece, in the short space of time she'd had.

"Ellie, please consider this an IOU for stealing your uncle away from you the other evening. He's been helping me with some issues that I'm afraid I can't disclose publicly right now. But to make up for what's happened, I'd like to offer you, your father, and your uncle VIP passes to the date of your choice for my next stadium tour. If you'd rather attend an event out of state, I'll cover the costs of your travel and hotel rooms. Just let your uncle know what you'd prefer and I'll take care of the rest. I hope you're well and thanks for all of your support. Emma Swan."

"Of course she sent that," Killian sighed, as he took the sheet of paper from Ellie's fingers to read through the letter himself.

Ellie looked like she was close to having some kind of breakdown while she surveyed her new swag once more. Then she turned to throw herself at her uncle. "Thank you, thank you, thank you," she chanted, as she squeezed him tight. All of her concerns over their missed family dinner now seemed completely forgotten.

"You're uh… you're welcome," Killian replied slowly, lifting his eyes to meet his brother's confused gaze over her head. He had no idea how he was going to explain all of this to Liam when they were alone again.

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