I do not own Once Upon a Time.

Tara looked over at him, thoughtful. Drinking usually accompanied death with them. "When Dad died." She responded softly. Liam, Tara and Killian had secluded themselves in their father's office after the work day ended and polished off a few bottles of Captain Morgan. It was sadness and lost but mostly the ultimate terror that the company was now theirs. "And before that it was when Grandma died. You were barely legal." Something that resembled a smile crossed her face.

That was so long ago, Killian was not the same boy anymore. Physically he was all grown up but mentally, he was still making stupid choices. Like taking up with that woman. What was her name… Milah…? That sounded right. It wouldn't have been a big deal but she was still legally married. So Killian was given a choice, her or the company.

A year and a half into their relationship, Milah got sick and soon after died. She had ranked up quite a hefty hospital bill, one that Killian would never be able to pay back. Or he would have if he had the backup of the company. So he was forced to turn to someone he despised.

Tara only knew the bare details on how he got involved with the band. It was managed by Milah's husband and bottom line; it was a bribe.

All of these facts came through a trusted source and Tara reached out to her brother during his time of pain. But her calls and emails went unanswered and her condolence card was returned unopened. Not that she could blame him; they had not left on good terms.

Killian and Tara sat in silence, letting the stress wash over them in their own way. There was dread and Tara was lost without her older brother. And she knew Killian felt exactly the same way. Tara refilled his flask when he held it out to her. The bottle was now almost empty. She drew her legs close to her body and did her best not to cry again. Did she even have any tears left?

Apparently she did and allowed herself to quietly sob. Killian took her hand and squeezed.

She shouldn't be drinking, or at least not this much. She had scheduled a press conference for the following day. Tara Jones, as the current head of Jewel of the World, needed to make a public statement on the recent events. Tara knew she wouldn't be able to convince Killian to come home on such short notice. So she brought the press conference to him. Tara needed him by her side, there was no way she was getting through this in one piece. She didn't need him to say a word, just be there.

When to break that news to him? Would he even agree to it? Not that he had a choice. Even though he walked out of the company, his name was still tied to it; he was still a member of the board. Liam and Tara had used his vote as one of theirs against the board to break a tie.

Would he come back to New York City with her? Maybe for the funeral but after that? Would he take his rightful place and run the company with her? Jewel of the World was well known for being family owned and operated, would he let that just go down the drain? And for what? It wasn't True Love that drove him away, maybe that's what it looked like to him, but who was Tara to judge? She found the love of her life and was living the dream. A dream that had recently turned into a nightmare.

Tara finally started to get comfortable on the couch; she knew she was not going back to the inn tonight. She slipped out of her jacket and boots. These items went on the floor; she didn't really care about them. Her head rested on the back of the couch and she just silently stared at the wall. She placed the bottle to her lips and threw her head back. It was empty and no use to her. It was also placed on the floor.

What else was there to say? Or what could she say in her current state of mind? There was one question, one very important question Killian hadn't asked yet. And it had the answer Tara dreaded.

What's the question she dreads? And will Killian come home?

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