5 Times Charming Felt the Effects of Sharing a Heart and 1 Time He Understood.

1) Snow's Frustration with not being able to help find Rumplestiltskin

"Alright, we should really get out into the woods."

"Hey. Maybe you should stay home"

"Me? I'm the best tracker here."

"I know. But we'll manage. Remember what Zelena said. You need your rest."

Snow looked to her daughter for support, but from the way she looked back at her, David knew that Emma sided with him. Snow raised her hands in exasperation. She would be going home where she would be safe.

He couldn't shake a sudden feeling of intense frustration and helplessness.

He pegged it on how long it was taking them to find Gold, and his desperate need to find the Wicked Witch to secure his family's safety.

(Even though that didn't seem quite right.)

David and Emma dropped Snow back off at the loft before driving out to the woods to continue their search for Rumplestiltskin.

As they trekked through the forest, David found himself feeling inexplicably confined. He felt useless and concerned, and like he should be doing more to help.

He was doing all he could – searching the woods with Emma, checking into every lead. But even so…

~~ "And I'm cooped up here while everyone else is out there working hard to find her." ~~

2) Snow falls so deeply asleep she re-enters the Netherworld

The dreams of the Netherworld only haunted him for a few months. He was lucky – they had terrorized Snow's sleep for more than a year. By the time their cobbled team of heroes and villains journeyed together to Neverland to find Henry, the dreams had mostly gone, excepting the odd times he fell into a very deep sleep.

Tonight was not one of those nights.

David woke up in a panic. He was breathing hard and fast, and he had the phantom sensation of heat burning his skin. He felt trapped, alone, afraid. He had barely nodded off an hour ago – his sleep had been fitful of late, his subconscious keeping him alert in a light sleep, knowing that with the Wicked Witch on the loose. He slept knowing that he might have to be up and armed to defend his family at a moment's notice. He sure as hell wasn't sleeping deeply enough to travel to the Netherworld. So what the hell –

He looked to his right as Snow twitched in her sleep, silently gasping for breath. She was in the Netherworld, not him. The exhaustion of pregnancy had been causing her to fall into very deep sleeps lately. Of course she was having the nightmares.

"Snow" he whispered, stroking her cheek softly. "Snow, it's alright. I'm here. Come back to me."

He pressed his lips against hers in a feather-light kiss and she woke with a gasp.

"Charming! Charming, I –" She sat up quickly, grasping at his shoulders, breathing hard.

"Shhh. Shhh I'm here. I'm right here. You were dreaming. It's okay." He pulled her against his chest and breathed with her, murmuring softly against her temple. She eventually calmed, and David eased her back against the pillows. "Just a second."

He reached across her into her bedside table drawer, pulling out a candle and a lighter. Snow rolled over to face the now-burning candle as David curled up behind her, pressing his chest against her back and draping his arm around her to gently rest his palm on their growing child. He kissed the nape of her neck as she slowly fell back asleep, safe in his arms.

3) Snow's love for Emma

David was walking up the stairs to the loft when he was suddenly caught by an overwhelming feeling of love and awe. He stopped for a moment to catch his breath and to blink away the sudden tears in his eyes. He had no explanation.

He took a moment to find his balance. He grasped the banister for a moment before slowly walking the rest of the way up to the loft – footsteps light and heart full. He opened the door quietly, looked inside, and paused at the beautiful scene in front of him.

In the living room area sat Emma with an arm curled around Henry. They were both laughing and smiling, talking about Henry's day. There was nothing particularly noteworthy about the scene – just a mother and a son, talking and loving and living. And they were both so beautiful. Further back in the loft, David saw Snow leaning against the steps leading up to Emma's room, unbeknownst to the pair on the couch. She was smiling with the same loving smile which Emma was directing at Henry. David quietly crept up behind her, gently pulling her to lean back against his chest, resting his hands on their baby bump.

"Charming. Just look at her," she whispered. "Look at them. Our baby. And our baby's baby." He could hear the tears in her voice. "They're so beautiful."

"Yeah," David sighed, holding his beloved and their unborn second child closer, "yeah, they are."

4) Snow Craves Oranges.

"Emma, do we have any oranges?" David was digging through the station mini fridge.

"No. Why?"

David slammed the mini fridge door in frustration. "I just really want an orange." Emma raised an eyebrow and her father's uncharacteristic overreaction. "I'll be back in a few minutes. Hold down the fort."

He returned ten minutes later with no less than half a dozen oranges. He ate them all by the end of the day.

When they got home after following a false lead on the Wicked Witch, Emma found an empty carton of orange juice by the sink and far too many orange peels in the garbage.

Emma had heard of sympathy symptoms, but this was ridiculous.

5) Snow needs Charming

David was suddenly, and inappropriately, very aroused.

He was on duty while Emma was taking the evening off with Henry, and he was checking in with Robin Hood's Merry Men by the town line. He was talking to the men about recent flying monkey sightings when he was suddenly quite overwhelmed.

He needed to get home. Soon.

But that didn't make any sense. Why the hell was he aroused? He was talking about flying monkeys with a bunch of woodsmen for gods' sake. And that sure as hell wasn't the cause.

He wrapped up the conversation as quickly as possible, double checked that police calls would be received on his cell, and hurried home. One benefit of being the sheriff – no one's going to arrest you for speeding.

He jogged up the steps to the loft and unlocked the door. Snow was waiting for him on the other side.

The moment he was through the door, she pushed him back against it and pulled him down into a fierce, heated kiss.

"I'm so glad you're home." She removed his belt. "I need you." And his jeans. "Right now."

+1) Neal says his first word while Charming is at the station.

By the time Neal was eight months old, David and Snow were well accustomed to the effects of their shared heart. They knew that when one of them was feeling a particularly strong emotion, or had a particularly strong need, it would echo over into the other person. They felt this time and time again, and their impossibly strong bond and love for each other only grew as a result.

So, when Neal was eight months old and David was suddenly overwhelmed by pride, joy and love while sitting at his desk at the sheriff's station, he instantly knew that that feeling was coming from Snow.

"Hey, Emma? Let's take an early lunch."

Emma raised an eyebrow.

"Trust me."

Father and daughter were home fifteen minutes later to find Snow sitting on the floor, beaming at Neal. She looked up from one of her favourite people to the other two. "I'm so glad you're here!" She beckoned them to sit on the floor with her. Once they were seated, she looked back at Neal. "Hey little prince. Can you say that again for mama?"

Neal turned his big blue eyes from Snow, to David, to Emma, and back again.

"Mama."

And a moment later:

"Dada." David's heart melted and he lifted his son into his arms.