"I know," he says, and he's old enough that it's true. He's too old to not understand that all the I'm sorrys in the world won't make a damn bit of difference. He appreciates it, though, as an expression of sympathy. When this had all been happening, he had been more concerned with Holly-- she had been Lily's sister, after all-- and he'd kept himself going with a gut full of guilt and impotent anger. Turns out that you can only stay angry for so long.

He'd blamed Bigby and the rest of the Fabletown government for not giving a shit when he'd told them for weeks that Lily was missing, for not caring enough to save her-- but he hadn't saved her, either. And the weight of that eats a hole in his stomach faster than the tequila ever will.

"But she deserved better than this. She deserved... she deserved a real fuckin' funeral, she deserved a little fuckin' dignity. They couldn't even let her have that fuckin' much."