crybaby ghost writer

It was almost disgusting how quickly the crew turned back on Tara and Nick's side as soon as he threw some gold at their feet, but Tara supposed she couldn't be high and mighty at this point. They needed the crew to get home, whether they liked it or not. William, on the other hand, they had no need for. That's what scared her.

Every bit of her wanted to hate him for what he had done, not just on this expedition but over the span of their entire lives. Still, when she saw him bloody and beaten up on the floor, she still felt pity for him. Nick stood over him while Captain Montanez put the crew back on track, and he looked ready to put William out of his misery. William didn't care. He had given up.

Tara gently put a hand on Nick's arm to get his attention and pulled him to the side. He brushed her loose hair out of her face and tucked it behind her ear.

"Everything is back in order," he told her in a quiet tone. "The captain is going to make sure the crew follows orders and stays out of our way while we do what we need to do here. Then we can have a hopefully eventful trip home. Most of us, anyways. I ought to throw William here back in that pit."

"Do you mean that?" Tara found herself asking.

"Do you want me to mean it?"

"Let's take him back with us," Tara found herself saying. "We don't have to give him anything or protect him, but I can't leave him here to die."

Nick sighed and glanced back over his shoulder at William, then back to Tara with a small smile.

"Fine," he said. "As long as you promise me one thing."

"What is it?"

"You allow yourself to start your own life when we get back," he said. "No more hiding in his shadow. Okay?"

"Okay."

"Good," he said. "Now lets get a bite to eat and some rest. Today has been exhausting. Tomorrow, we get to work."

Thankfully, the next few days weren't so eventful. William and his two lackeys were tied up off to the side while the rest of the crew was back under Captain Montanez's command. He made a point to make them work hard for his approval, and as promised, kept them out of Tara and Nick's way while they did their work.

They managed to gather quite a bit of information supporting Tara's theories about Kerelia, along with some loose gold that could be taken back and pay for the journey three times over without desecrating any shrines or sacred grounds. They left Kerelia in one piece, and as Tara looked back at the beautiful city one last time, she promised to work hard and make sure it stayed that way.

When they returned to the ship, William and his friends were locked up in a room below deck to act like a makeshift cell until they could get home and release them to the world. Everyone seemed ready for William to make another move, but he was too tired to keep fighting for his fake image.

As they started the journey home, Tara paid him a visit below deck. Greyson and Colby pretended not to be listening, but she could tell they would glance up at them every now and again. William just rolled his eyes and sat on the floor on the other side of the room. Tara hesitated for a moment, then sat down next to him.

"Not how I pictured things going," she said after a while of silence.

"I knew it was coming sooner or later," William shrugged.

Tara looked over at him in surprise, but he just casually lit a cigarette from his pocket.

"Don't look at me like that," he said. "I'm not pretending to be some snotty scholar anymore, I don't have to do this sort of thing in private."

"I don't care if you smoke," Tara huffed. "What do you mean that you knew it was coming?"

"By the time the third book came out, I could tell you were feeling like you wanted more," he said. "So I kept beating you down, because I knew that with the slightest amount of validation, you could overpower me. And I was right. You did. So good on you."

"Good?"

"I don't mean it as a compliment," he clarified. "I'm just saying you you got ahead of me, which is good for you. But I'm not sorry for anything I did. I wanted my power, too."

"So that's it then?" Tara said, a bit disappointed. "This is where we end it? You're giving up, but you have no regrets?"

"Sure, I have my regrets," he shrugged. "It just doesn't really matter. Dumping them on you won't make a difference. I'll move on with my life, and you can move on with yours. Take loverboy and your books, I'm washing my hands of Kerelia."

"So I don't have to fight you on this?"

"No. I'm tired of it. Take it and go."

Tara wasn't sure she was happy with the discussion had gone, but at least it felt like the situation had come to a close. She'd probably never be friends with her brother, but they weren't tied to each other anymore. They could move on.

Tara left William and went back to Nick's room, where she had pretty much moved herself in at that point. They had nothing to hide anymore, and she didn't particularly want to be alone after everything that happened. He was sitting at the desk and writing something in their shared notes when she came back. He looked up and smiled.

"Well?" he asked. "Was it worth the grueling journey below deck?"

"He's agreed to stand down," she said. "He's not sorry, but he's not going to bother us anymore either."

"And you believe him?"

"I do," Tara nodded. "He's tired. He wants to move on."

"Well, if you trust him on that, then so do I," Nick said. "We can focus on the future."

"Right," she said, sitting on the arm of his chair. "The future. What... exactly is the future?"

"Well, you'll write your fourth book," Nick said. "It'll be the most successful of all of them. Happily ever after."

"I don't want to write it alone," she said. "I think we should write it together. This has been your research as much as mine. Besides, this book is a new start. It's entirely in our control."

"You're sure you want to share that spotlight with me?"

"I'm more than sure," she reassured him. "Besides, I don't want a spotlight. I just want to write and be with you. If you'll have me."

"If I'll have you?" he chuckled. "Tara, of course I'll have you. I'm the one who offered the idea."

"I know," she sighed. "I just don't want to ruin this. I never thought I'd fall so hard in love and I'm scared I'll lose it."

"Love?" Nick repeated, the smile dropping from his face and being replaced with a look of shock.

Tara suddenly realized she had said the thought out loud and without warning and turned bright red.

"It's been a long day," she said, quickly getting up. "I'm hungry. Are you hungry? I'm going to get a snack. I'll get you one too."

Nick was still stunned as she rushed away, slamming face first into the door when her hand missed the doorknob.