I do not own Once Upon a Time.

Ok, so this is how Neal and Tara met and their romance. It has some nice sibling moments. There are so needed.

Tara's father, Michael, was part of New York's elite. So naturally he was invited to all the events. Including the opening of art galleries. While he had no taste in art, Michael liked to help the community and the up and coming artists. So there he was, along with Killian, Liam and Roxanne staring at a painting of… something. Abstract art was so not this thing.

Where was Tara? She was late again. And she had a body guard now, Michael was paying that boy to be on time.

Suddenly Tara was part of their group. "What did I miss?" She asked, slightly out of breath.

"Well, there was a bear on a unicycle and a dog jumping through flaming hoops." Killian told her with a straight face.

Tara's blue eyes widened and she looked at Liam.

"Yeah, there was parade of elephants and monkeys hanging from the ceiling." He added.

"Dad!"

Michael had to shake his head, they still acted like children.

"Stop it, the two of you." Roxanne took Tara's side. "You did miss the singing parrots though." She had to get in on the fun.

Tara finally laughed. It was so amazing how well Roxanne fit into their family. She was like the sister Tara never had.

Later, Tara found herself standing in front of a painting when she was joined by a mysterious man. "And I thought the beauty was only on the walls." He commented, his eyes staring at the painting.

"Is that the best pick up line you have?" Tara asked, sipping her wine. She was amused. Guys walking up to her to flirt was normal but they usually had something better than that.

"Can I try again?" He asked.

Tara turned to look at him and was not disappointed. He was good looking, more on the cute side than handsome but no complaints from Tara. "Be my guest. The floor is yours."

"This whole world is so depressing that I need to find something better to focus on."

Tara bit back a smile, she had an idea where he was going with his pick-up line. "Should we find another piece to look at?"

Finally, he turned to face her, warm brown eyes met her twinkling blue ones. "I think…" And he took a step closer. "I don't have to look far."

"What caught your eye?" Tara asked, she heard her own heart beating loud in her chest.

"Quite possibly the most beautiful creature in here." He took her hand. "Neal." He introduced himself.

"Tara." She assumed he was going to professionally shake her hand. But instead, he actually kissed her hand.

And suddenly they were not alone. Michael came striding over following by Liam and Kilian. "Mr. Cassidy, this art is breathtaking. Where do you get your inspiration?"

Tara's eyes widened. "You're the artist?"

"Yes. The abstract ones are from colors and words but the landscapes are my newest pieces. I wanted to capture real things to share with others." Neal answered.

"Michael Jones, CEO of Jewel of the World shipping." Michael held out his hand.

"Honored to meet you, sir. I have read so much about you. Thank you for attending the opening."

Then Michael turned to his children. "These are my sons, Liam and Killian. And you already met my daughter Tara." Neal shook hands with both Liam and Killian.

"You going to kiss my hand too?" Killian asked jokingly.

"Only if you buy a painting." Neal responded. "I should be mingling with the other guests. Make sure you say good bye before you leave." While his statement was directed at the group, his eyes rested on Tara. He walked away.

"You're not going to let me out of your sight, are you?" Tara asked, no response was needed.

Roxanne come over to Tara's side. "I tried to hold them back and let you talk to him. I can stop Liam with a look and I had a good grip on Killian, but then your father saw the scene and…"

"I know the drill. Protective father and brothers."

"So, the artist. He's cute and talented…" Roxanne said with a smile.

Tara tried to stop a smile from forming on her face. But that was a losing battle.

A few hours later, Tara found herself in a corner with a plate of brownies. Small plate, she had a figure to keep up. This would just mean a few extra hours at the gym that week.

"Hey." A voice almost scared her.

She saw Neal standing next to her. "If you made me drop my plate, I swear to God…"

"I would gladly get you more brownies." He leaned against the wall next to her. "So I met your father, your two brothers, your brother's girlfriend but who's the other man?"

Tara squeezed her eyes shut. She didn't want to go into that story. But there was something in his voice that wanted to know something else. "He's my bodyguard."

"So not your boyfriend? You have a bodyguard? What kind of trouble do you get into?"

Tara grinned. "Trust me, you do not want to know."

"Try me."

They locked eyes, Tara had to fight to the urge to grab him and drag him into an empty room just so she could have her way with him. Yes, that's how's fast her mind worked. But she had to slow down and see where it led, if anywhere.

Then they noticed the gallery being cleaned up.

"I should go before my family sends a search party for me." Tara whispered.

"Yeah, that's a good idea." He responded, but he didn't really mean it.

They walked to the coat check and Neal was a gentleman and helped Tara with her coat. They stood facing each other in silence for a few minutes.

"I kind of expect you to grab my hand and write your number." Neal joked.

Tara laughed and took a step forward. "I have much more class than that." For a second, it looked like she was considering kissing him. "Good night, Mr. Cassidy." Then she walked away.

"Good night, Ms. Jones."

Later that night when Neal was pulling out his apartment key, a slip of paper came out of his hand. He wasn't one to crash trash with him. But he was curious so he read it.

'Tara Jones' with a number.

When had she been able to put that in his pocket? No matter he had her number. And now to see what happened.

Coffee dates became movie dates and those became long discussions into the night. Neal grew up in the suburbs of New Jersey, bounced from foster home to foster home after his parents died. When he was sixteen years old, he was finally adopted by the Darling family. Mr. and Mrs. Darling and their three children Wendy, John and Michael. He went on to college and majored in art. It was slow but he got his big break a couple few ago and now he opened his first gallery.

She told him about her life, feeling bad she was so privileged. Huge family and a company that kept them comfortable.

There was an instant connection.

A few months later, Neal was going over the gallery, there was another showing with his new pieces. The door opened and Neal turned to see Liam and Killian walking in.

"Hey, how are you guys doing?" Neal asked brightly.

"Exactly what are your intentions with our sister?" Liam asked. He wasn't usually right to the point. But now he was.

Neal didn't pale or back off. Tara had warned him. She had said the siblings were always involved in each other's love lives. 'Thank God for Roxanne, all I have to do now is chase women away from Killian.'

"We are together, just enjoying each other's company and getting to know each other. So far, that's it. If or when something changes, we will discuss it together as a couple." And that was the truth.

Killian stared hard but nodded. "We will be keeping an eye on you no matter what."

"Just know, we have friends in high places, we can make you disappear if you do anything to her."

That was a true threat. And Neal took it to heart. He watched them leave.

"I'm going to Ireland for two weeks with my family." Tara announced to Neal when they were out for coffee.

"I'm going to miss you."

She paused. "Would you like to come? It's kind of a family reunion and I want to introduce you to everyone."

That slightly scared Neal. Tara had a huge family, how was he going to keep names straight? And he was most likely going to get the third degree from her cousins and uncles and aunts.

"Will you come?" She asked, noticing his distress.

Yes, he was going to go, he loved her and wanted to be a part of her life. "Yes, of course. I'll come. I'll switch my projects around."

The moment Neal walked off of the plane, Neal felt like he was home. He had never left the country before and he was glad it was with Tara.

The family welcomed him with open arms. They had already heard about him through Michael and Liam.

He had been cornered by her uncle. "Tara is my little sister's daughter, if you hurt her, I will make you wish you were never born."

Neal nodded, he knew the drill. He would never hurt her. Besides, she would murder him, so her family would have whatever was left.

"I would never hurt her. I love her."

"You are aware she is loaded; her family is loaded. Most men would only want to be with her because of that. Is that you?"

"No, I want this." He looked at Tara with her cousins. "I want the family, the loyalty. That's what I dream of. Tara is everything I ever dreamed of."

Killian and Liam walked up to their uncle after Neal went back to Tara's side. "So what's the verdict on Neal?"

"He passes. I like him; he knows what it's like to have nothing so he appreciates everything."

One evening, Tara saw Neal sitting on the ground. She went to sit next to him and found him drawing. "You are aware this is vacation and you are not supposed to be working."

"I don't plan on selling this piece."

She got a good look at the drawing, it perfectly captured the beauty of Ireland. "It's beautiful."

"Not as beautiful as you."

Tara blushed and suddenly knew she wanted to take the next step in their relationship.

"You're up late." Liam observed when Tara entered the kitchen for a glass of water the next morning. "What were you doing all night?"

She didn't answer, didn't even meet his eyes. But a goofy grin did cross her face.

Before Liam was able to question, Neal walked into the kitchen. "Morning."

"Afternoon you mean. You didn't come back to the room last night. Where were you?" Liam asked, suddenly wished he hadn't.

Neal walked past Tara, his hand gently touching her waist. She winked at him and was rewarded with a kiss on the nose. That's when Liam noticed a giant mark on Neal's neck.

Liam's blue eyes widened in horror. Was it too early to start drinking? His little sister just… he couldn't out the words together. Not that he wanted her to be a nun or anything like that but he rather he had no idea. Liam knew his sister was smart and responsible and he trusted Neal with his life. And Tara and Neal were madly in love.

"Not a word to Dad, alright?" Tara half pleaded.

"Sure, whatever my lips are sealed. Neal, you might want to wear your collar up, Tara marked you." Liam told them.

Tara couldn't believe it; she was finally here. In Ireland during the Rose of Tralee festival. She had dreamed of this for years. Yes, the family came every year but not in August. Her father had always said it was because it was too close to the beginning of school. And Michael would never let the kids miss school.

She stood in a crowd, Neal was close behind. It was just the two of them, their first solo trip. This was a huge step for them, they had been together for eighteen months and things were going very well.

"Neal, are you watching this?" Tara turned around but didn't see him standing behind her.

That was until she looked down.

Neal was on one knee, holding a ring in a tiny box.

Tara stared, completely shocked. Was he really asking what she thought he was asking?

Neal opened his mouth but Tara beat him to it.

"Yes."

Aww. So sweet. I like them.

Reviews?