Prompted to me by loboselinaistrash. An AU of season 1, where David does the right thing and leaves Kathryn.

David quietly pushed the door open and entered his apartment, kicking off his shoes. He knew Abigail…no, Kathryn, would be asleep and he had to keep it that way. He had spent the entire night hanging out with his wife and daughter.

Not that they knew that's what they were.

He had woken up the night that he touched the unicorn mobile hanging in Gold's shop. It wasn't long before he realized that Rumpelstiltskin was also awake. David was ready to swarm Regina's mansion and make her pay for all she had done to their family. Rumple warned him that it would be a mistake, that Regina couldn't know he was awake. He assured him that Emma would break the curse in due time, but in the meantime, he had to keep up the charade.

He had to pretend to be David Nolan, husband of Kathryn Nolan, rather than David Charming, true love of Snow White. It was killing him. Every moment he had to be away from his girls was a dagger in his heart. But he knew that if Regina knew he was awake, she'd hurt them. It left him with no choice.

However, even if David had to be forced in a loveless "marriage", it didn't mean that he'd be out of his girls' lives all together. He was still friends with "Mary Margaret" and Emma, spending many nights at the loft. They got dinner together, saw movies, they were almost like a family. It was an unspoken rule to not speak of his home life, they knew he was unhappy. What they didn't understand was why he just didn't leave.

The lights turned on and he spun around, finding Kathryn standing there in robe, arms folded over her chest.

"It's after midnight," she said.

"I told you I'd probably have to work late…"

"I called the shelter, you weren't there." She gnawed on her lower lip. "You were with them, weren't you?"

"Kathryn…"

"Tell me the truth."

David sighed. "I went to see a late movie and grab some dinner with Mary Margaret and Emma."

"Are you sleeping with one of them?"

"No!"

"But you're not with me either."

"Kathryn…"

"You love Mary Margaret, don't you?" She interrupted. "I never stood a chance, did I?"

He stepped closer to her. "I know it seems cruel, I know you don't understand. Just think about it Kathryn, how much of your life do you remember?"

"What does this have to do with anything?"

"I know you remember the life we had before I went missing, but think harder than that. Your childhood, your life before me. What do you remember?"

Kathryn's mouth opened, then shut again. "I guess not much."

"Look, you just have to trust me, we're not meant to be together. I was separated from Mary Margaret and you were separated from your true love."

Kathryn tilted her head. "You sound like Henry right now. Are you honestly telling me that you believe him?"

"I'm just saying…I know this is hurting you now, but in time…all this pain…it'll be gone. You'll have what you deserve."

"Don't tell yourself that just to make yourself feel better," she said, bitterly. "You're walking out on me, on our life together! That's not noble, you're no prince charming!"

She blinked a couple of times and it broke David's heart. The two had been friends after the whole fake engagement. They had plans to be in one another's lives for years to come. Now here he was, breaking her heart. How badly he wished he could wake her up, so she could see it was all for the best.

Kathryn was right, he wasn't a prince charming in this world. He was just an ordinary guy, one who was seemingly being the biggest asshole in the world. He was leaving his wife for another woman.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I never wanted to hurt you."

"Right. Sure. Just get the hell out."

David nodded, turning on his heel and heading for the door. He just hoped that Emma would break the curse soon. He was tired of hurting the people he loved.