Married…and yet, Not

Disclaimer: I don't own Once Upon a Time.

Doc hung his head as he finished examining David. "I'm sorry, Prince James," he said as he stared at the ground. "I don't know why your memory hasn't returned. Everything else associated with your injury has healed, but – "

" – Not his memory," Snow White finished, sounding a little panicked. "Isn't there something else we could try? Places that were important to us? Questions I could ask him? Or perhaps fairy dust?" she added, looking at the dwarf like that last comment meant something in particular. David had no idea what that might be, because of course, he couldn't remember. But he nodded in agreement with Snow White. There had to be some way for his memory to return. He hated living in a world where he couldn't remember his wife or any of the people he lived with.

But Doc looked up and shook his head firmly at Snow White. "Snow, you know I can't give you fairy dust! I wish I could but, it's not up to me or any of the other dwarves to distribute it. It's for the fairies to decide. Now as for taking him to places that were important to you, I don't know. You could try it." David and Snow White sighed in relief at the exact same time. But then Doc hung his head again. "I guess I'm just not much use as doctor, considering I wasn't any help."

"No, that's not true, Doc!" Charming protested. He was disappointed that he didn't have his memory back, naturally. But he wasn't about to let this nice dwarf blame himself for it. "You're a great doctor. All the therapy you suggested for the bump on my head worked."

"Yes, but it's not enough is, it?" Doc mumbled. David could barely hear him with the way he kept looking at the floor, and the way his beard covered his face didn't help.

"But you gave us hope that it would return," David told him firmly. "And more than that, I've never had a doctor who seemed to care so much. I've always thought doctors…" Charming paused for a moment as he realized as a prince he should have been raised on doctors treating him. "Most doctors... tend to be so distant, but you aren't. I think you're the best healer I've ever had," he finished, honestly.

Doc finally looked up at David and smiled at him. "Thank you, James, for making me feel better about myself." he replied in a sincere voice. "When we dwarves first decided to support you, it was because of Snow. But now that we've gotten to know you, I can say I wholeheartedly approve of you as our future king." Future King? David thought. He had accepted he was supposed to be royalty, but he hadn't really thought what that meant. Could he really handle this? If only his memories would return!

Doc turned to Snow White, seeming to ignore David's surprised expression. "I would recommend Prince James resume all his normal duties in the palace, including holding court and attending dinner in the dining room, now that he completely healed physically. Perhaps some of these normal activities may help his memory as well."

Snow White nodded eagerly. "Of course," she told the dwarf as he left the room.

David turned back to Snow White as soon as he disappeared. "I agree we should do anything that will help me restore my memory, but do you really think I'm ready to hold court? I've never been trained for anything except for raising sheep, remember."

Snow White stepped toward him, her white dress swishing from side to side as she walked. She took both of his hands in hers and squeezed them gently ask she spoke. "Charming, you're already ready to hold court. As I've told you previously, everything you need to do there are things that come naturally to you. First of all you listen to the people's problems, which you've always been better at then me. And then, you find a solution to the problem."

David nodded, looking into Snow White's beautiful green eyes as he did so. "I suppose. You'll help me, right?"

"Of course," she replied, looking straight into his eyes as well. "We do everything together, Charming. But I will remind you that you help plenty of people on your own. Look how much you just helped Doc. He thought he was a horrible doctor, and you encouraged him. You're great at that, too; encouraging people." David nodded. He supposed that was true. Was it really all that was necessary, was for him to be himself, even without his memories?

He withdrew his hands from hers and walked away before Snow White thought they might be able to peruse something more. David knew she was his wife and had the right to accept certain intimacies, but he still wasn't able to take things further with a woman he didn't know well. "What time is dinner in the dining room?"

Snow White's eyes appeared disappointed for a moment before she replied, "1:00 PM."

OOOOOOOOOO

When he and Snow White entered the dining room, David was pleased that the large room wasn't full. In fact, there were only eleven people seated in the formal dining room, including David and Snow White. They included six other dwarves besides Doc, who introduced themselves as Grumpy, Dopey, Sleepy, Bashful, Sneezy, and Happy. There was also a woman about Snow White's age who was dressed in red and everyone apparently called, "Red." It occurred to David that perhaps she was the werewolf Snow had mentioned to him, although she didn't look anything like he assumed a werewolf would. Then there was an elderly woman who seemed to be Red's grandmother. All of them appeared to be very friendly people, and they greeted him warmly. David even believed they were sincere, rather than acting that way because he was supposed to be royalty.

Soon after the introductions were made, servants appeared, carrying in the food on fine porcelain dishes. At this point, David had to admit he was quite overwhelmed. His eyes widened more and more as the servants kept bringing everything in and asking if it was all to their liking. He tried to accept everything about this life as one of the ways he could honor his new wife, but it was difficult. It was all so different from home. Especially when he saw what was being served. Not only bread with butter and wine, but also carrots and most importantly fresh clams. David had enjoyed lamb or chicken on a special occasion, but he'd never eaten anything as lavish as fresh clams. His mouth dropped open in shock as the steamed clams were placed in front of him.

"The head chef says to tell both Prince James and Princess Snow White that he is certain that these clams are not spoiled and he hopes they will make up for what happened at your wedding feast," one of the servants said, looking at both of them. He was rather young to a servant. He only appeared to be about ten years old.

Everyone at the table besides David chuckled at this. But Snow White smiled at the boy when she finished chuckling. "Tell Theodore we appreciate the clams and the fact that he made certain they weren't spoiled, but he doesn't need to worry about what happened at the wedding feast; we already told him it was fine." David didn't understand what was so funny, apparently it was something that happened at the wedding he still couldn't remember. But he was impressed with how sweet Snow White was the boy.

The servant boy nodded, bowed, and left.

Snow White looked at David hopefully. "So, when he mentioned the clams at the wedding? Do you remember anything about that?"

David sighed and searched his memory, but it was still a blank. He hated to disappoint her but he still couldn't lie. "No, I don't," he replied. He was expecting it, but he still hated to see how her face fell. "But you can tell me the story," he added. "It sounds funny."

"Of course," Snow White responded as she washed her hands in the soapy water next to her. It sounded as if she wanted to appear more cheerful than she really was.

David washed his own hands in the fancy porcelain bowl of soapy water and then carefully began eating a clam. They tasted better than he had expected, and they were not too thick nor too thin to sink his teeth into. All of the dwarves seemed to agree that the clams were excellent with the way they shoveled them into their mouths, although Sleepy seemed to be trying not to fall asleep at the same time.

"We had a wonderful wedding and we came in here for or wedding feast," Snow White began the tale. "There was all kinds of food for all of our guests. Steak, wild boar, bread with butter and cheese, vegetables, and fruit. No one went hungry that day, including my dwarf brothers with their big appetites," she commented, grinning at them. "But the head chef, Theodore, came running in, all panicked because the clams were spoiled and he couldn't serve them."

"He was so worried about offending you two," Red added, contributing to the story. "He thought by not providing clams, he had committed a terrible wrong."

"We assured him that the feast was fine the way it was," Snow concluded, seemingly smiling at the memory. "But apparently he's still thinks he did something wrong, judging by the message we received today." She shook her head and took a bite of the carrots.

David sipped his wine as one of the dwarves, he thought it was Happy commented, "Snow you should see the fairy dust we've mined today!"

Snow White smiled, although there was an edge to it. Probably because Doc had told her they couldn't give her the fairy dust to restore David's memory. Still she tried to be happy for her brothers. "That's great. I know how important that work is to you all."

"Well, there's no one else to do it," Grumpy grumbled as he finished eating another handful of clams. Then he picked up a piece of bread with butter.

"It's great to come home to a good" – sneeze – "dinner, though, Snow," said the dwarf who must be called Sneezy. He took a drink from his mug.

David nodded. He was enjoying this dinner, despite how overwhelmed he was at its beginning. He ate another clam. Still by the end of the meal, something occurred to him. If he and Snow White were supposed to be the Prince and Princess, where were the King and Queen now? She had said something about being on the run from her stepmother for several years, so her mother must be gone, (and her stepmother was no longer important), but what about her father? Where was he? Was he the current king?

OOOOOOOOOO

After the servants cleared all the dishes away at the end of their meal, everyone stood up. The dwarves got ready to go back to the mines, Red planned to go outside, and her grandmother, (whom it seemed everyone) called "Granny" planned to indulge in her favorite hobby: needlework. David and Snow White were left alone again.

"So what would you like to do now?" Snow White asked. "We could go outside with Red and practice with our weapons," Our weapons? David thought in surprise but let her continue speaking. "Or we could examine our correspondences. After all, tomorrow we will be holding court again. Or we could 'make rounds' around the palace to see if all of the people living here are doing well."

David nodded. He tried not to feel too overwhelmed with all of the responsibility he was supposed to have now, but still his eyes widened at all of the necessities of being a prince. And once again, he wondered where the king was. "Actually I have a question for you," he began carefully.

"Of course," Snow White replied, her beautiful green eyes sparkling.

David sighed. "I was just wondering…where is the current king? I know you said we put King George in the dungeon and took over his castle…but then, everyone calls us prince and princess. So, where is the real king? Does your father live with us?"

Snow White's face crumpled for a moment and then she replied carefully, "No. I'm afraid he's dead. My stepmother had him killed years ago."

David felt his heart crumple at that news, and he immediately wrapped his arms around her in comfort. "So you're an orphan, too?" he asked. David knew all about that pain. He's father had drunk himself to death and King George had apparently killed his mother. So now David had no one. No one to ask advice when things got tough or tell him how proud she was of him, as only a mother could. He hated that Snow White had experienced it, too.

"Yes," Snow White sighed into David's silk white shirt. "I suppose I am. It's been a long time since my parents died, but I still miss them. I wish I could talk to them again. I wish…they could have met you."

David nodded and held her tighter. "That's the way I feel about my mother."

Snow White wrapped her arms around him, and David felt like she was shielding him from the worst of the pain, even as she shared her own. "I know….I was able to meet her, once before she was killed, but I wish I'd become better acquainted with her. I wish she could have dinner with us sometimes."

David pictured how happy Mother would be to have dinner with him and his new wife and a lump developed in his throat. "That would have been nice," he agreed, burying his nose into her sweet – smelling hair as he said it.

"And my father, too. He would have loved to have eaten with us today," Snow commented sadly.

David felt increasingly more than just an attraction to Snow White as they continued talking; he felt a bond with her. Like she was the only one who would ever understand how it felt to lose both parents, especially a beloved one. David tilted her face up to look deep into her eyes, which looked sad because they had just been discussing her father's death.

A tear rolled down David's own face, although he wasn't sure if it was a response to Snow White's father's death or his own mother's death. But they were sharing pain and grief. And kissing her felt not only natural but necessary at that point. Before he could even think he pressed his lips against hers.

Her lips felt warm and wonderful, and more than that they felt familiar. When Snow White pushed her tongue into his mouth, he welcomed it, and David found he enjoyed her taste as well. His hands even found their ways into her beautiful hair.

Things may have continued for longer than that if one of the maids hadn't run into them. "Sorry," David told the nice young woman, who seemed to be trying to sweep the hallway.

But the maid simply laughed. "From what I've been told, it happens all the time between the two of you. Just…try to keep to your room."

Snow White nodded. "We'll try," she replied, nonchalantly. It surprised David that she didn't seem to be at all bothered to be caught in an intense kiss in the hallway. He'd always believed royals were so…cold about their emotions, especially to non – family members. But Snow White seemed so eager to show affection, no matter who was watching. She certainly was an unusual princess, and David liked that about her. In fact, when Snow White leaned into give him another kiss, he happily accepted.

Still, as she continued leading him down the hallway, giving him little kisses as she went, David suddenly realized where this was going, especially as they entered the joint Royal Chamber. "Snow White," he said as gently as he could, "I can't do this."

Snow White's face crumpled so much it reminded David of one of Mother's wet rags, especially when the tears began to fall from her face. "Oh," she replied. "So you still don't remember, even after…?"

David really hated this. He was causing her so much unhappiness every time he had to answer that question. "No," he sighed. "I'm sorry. I wish I knew how I will get my memories back, but I don't."

Snow White wiped the tears from her face and nodded. "Of course you don't. I know this is confusing to you, too. I just thought, well you kissed me first, and you kept responding to me, and if anything would get your memories back it would be something like that."

David nodded. "I understand. It did feel familiar. I suppose I shouldn't have kissed you there; I took advantage of your grief and made you think I was ready for something I'm not. I won't do it anymore."

Snow White shook her head violently at that, her jet black hair falling all over the place. "You didn't 'take advantage of me,' Charming," she snapped. "You can kiss me any time you feel like it."

David sighed. "But for a married couple, sometimes kissing leads to more than kissing, Snow. And I know that's what you had in mind when you led me in here. And I suppose since Doc says I'm recovered, physically, there's no reason why we can't have martial relations. But see, I was taught that I should never enter such a relationship with a woman unless I was really in love with her. I was never one of those men who uses the loose women in the taverns. So…I just can't do that with you right now."

Snow White looked shocked at this. She studied his face for several minutes before she finally replied, "But Charming, I'm not some loose woman. I'm your wife. You do love me; you just need to remember you do. And if kissing me felt familiar, isn't it possible that more than kissing would bring it back completely?" She was practically shouting at him as she finished.

David sighed and put his hands on his hips. "I understand that you are my wife, Snow White. And I'm trying to honor you as my wife, but the reality is, since I can't remember you, you don't feel like my wife. You feel like a woman I just met last week. A woman I'm attracted to and am enjoying getting to know, but that's it. I can't be with a woman I still don't know very well that way. It would go against everything my mother taught me."

At that last line Snow White finally nodded. "I suppose, I can live with it then, if it's a way to honor your mother. I know how important it is to honor a deceased parent. I just wish…well, I suppose it can't happen now." With that she ran out of the chamber.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

OOOOOOOO

The atmosphere between Charming and Snow was quite cool since he'd told her he wouldn't be intimate with her anytime soon. Snow couldn't believe he'd decided to "honor her as his wife" and yet not sleep with her. And comparing their sexual relationship with a girl from a tavern? Sometimes she could barely look Charming in the eye.

Nevertheless, Snow had already told their people that they would hold court today, and they must do so. These people had already waited over a week to be heard. So they both sat down in their thrones, dressed as formally as they had for the wedding Charming still couldn't remember, as people came forward.

"Your Highnesses Prince James and Princess Snow White," said a young man as he bowed to both of them. "I am Ronald, and I humbly ask for your assistance about a land problem with my neighbor. He's has been growing his wheat on my land and then selling it himself. Please tell me there is something you can do."

"Is there a way that you can prove that you own the land, sir?" Snow asked without even looking at Charming for agreement of this idea, as she normally would.

"Yes," Ronald replied. "I have the deed right here, originally given to my grandfather by our lord and accepted by former King George." He reached into a pocket of his brown pants made of linen and pulled out an old piece of paper yellowed with age. "You had told us that the deeds accepted by George would still be legitimate."

Snow nodded as she examined the paper. "Yes, we did, for the most part, as long as you were willing to swear loyalty to us and you hadn't wronged anyone severely." At that, the young man's face flashed with shame and his blue eyes looked horrified. Clearly he had wronged someone severely. Perhaps this "neighbor" he complained about?

But after that he immediately wiped his expression clean, and replied, "Of course, your highness. I swore loyalty to you as soon as you overthrew King George."

"Of course you did," Charming replied calmly. "But I wonder what your neighbor might say about this matter? If we requested that he speak on this matter as well, do you think he would come?" Despite her anger at him, Snow was impressed with how he contributed, considering he'd been so uncomfortable with holding court.

Nervously Ronald nodded. "Of course, Prince James. I will give him the message immediately."

Snow White smiled mischievously and whistled for a bird. "Oh, there is no need for you to give the message yourself. This bird will give it to your neighbor without any trouble." She quickly penned a note to the occupant of the lot nearest to Ronald and then attached it to the bird's leg. The bird flew off.

The man sighed in what seemed to be disappointment and then bowed to both of them again before he left.

Next, a familiar - looking middle – aged man bowed before them. "Prince James, Princess Snow White," he greeted them with a more friendly face. "My name is Nathanial, and I have been the medal worker for this kingdom for many years."

Snow nodded eagerly. That's where she knew this man from. Charming commissioned all of his swords to be made by him, and for their knights as well. "Of course," she told him.

"But in the last two weeks, I have noticed my products are being stolen," Nathanial continued. "This business is my livelihood. If I can't find who the thief is or thieves are, I will have nothing left to do with my life. No other way to feed my four children. I don't know what to do about this." He looked completely defeated by the time he finished speaking.

Charming immediately responded, "Don't let some thief get the best of you, sir. You are an honorable man who provides a valuable service to our people, and to your own family. We will send one of our knights to watch over your shop and your products, but you need to keep working, do you understand?" Snow smiled at him despite her anger. She loved how passionate Charming got when he talked about "defending the innocent" and encouraging people not to give up.

Nathanial eyes looked at Charming like he was his only ray of hope. "Thank you, Prince James. If one of your knights could help protect me and my family from the thief, I am sure I could continue with my metalworking. Are you certain you could spare one?"

"Yes, we could," Snow replied, making a mental note to speak to a knight about this. She didn't even mention that it was in their best interest to catch this thief, considering all their swords came from this man; after all it didn't seem important to Charming or Nathaniel. They were both so selfless.

Nathaniel nodded and bowed to both of them again. "In that case, I will return to my metal shop immediately." And then he left the throne room.

Snow and Charming saw many other people for the next couple of hours and did their best to help solve their problems. Charming was excellent, just as Snow told him he would be. And by the end of the day, their relationship was sufficiently warmer than it was before. They smiled at each other as one of them had a good idea, and chuckled when someone tried to get away with something. And perhaps Charming would regain his memories soon, if they kept doing things together like this.

OOOOOOOOOOOOO

Snow woke up again in the Queen's chamber, all alone just as she had for the past week and a half. She was becoming more and more used to sleeping here by herself, but she still didn't like it. Now that a couple of days had passed since their argument, Snow could understand what Charming had meant. He'd always been very respectful of women; it was something she'd noticed quickly as they worked to take back the kingdom, and she loved him for it. Of course a sexual relationship wasn't something to be entered into lightly for him.

Snow stretched her arms and legs a little as she continued thinking, still missing how her body would often brush against her husband's….If she could still call him that. Charming had decided to honor her as his wife…except in one way. As far as their sexual relationship, he'd implied she was no better than a bar wench from the tavern! Snow grimaced at the thought, becoming angry at him all over again.

Then Snow shook her head firmly as she pulled herself into a sitting position. She'd already decided she wasn't going to think that way anymore. As Charming said, he didn't feel he knew her that well yet. And how could Snow deny him something that he needed to do in order to honor his deceased mother? She was well aware how important that was; it was why she tried so hard to "hold goodness in her heart."

Snow made her way to the bath chamber and turned on the water. As she climbed into the tub, she wondered again why his memories had been restored when he kissed her the other day. Shouldn't True Love's Kiss restore his memories just has they had hers when she forgot him? How was the time when they'd kissed after Snow took Rumple's forgetting potion different than when they'd just kissed in the hallway?

Did Charming love her less than she loved him? She had to wonder as she finished washing herself and climbed out of the tub. Memories of all the times he'd risked his life to save her, the way he got to know her new family, the way he looked at her, and how he said her name all flashed through her mind. No, Charming had loved her just as much as she loved him. Especially considering he'd given her his mother's ring, she thought to herself as she looked down at the green gem on her finger.

Snow picked up her brush and began running it through her hair as she waited for her lady's maid to enter. Perhaps the kiss didn't work because, as Charming had suggested, it was an expression of grief? Maybe True Love's Kiss only worked if it was a happier occasion. If Charming kissed her when they weren't crying, True Love's Kiss would work, right?

She paused in her thinking as she hit a snarl in her hair. She could feel the pull all the way to the roots, and it ached a bit. Still a little snarl was nothing compared to all nests her hair had been covered with when she'd first stopped living in the forest. She and Charming used to joke that birds had nested in her hair at times. Charming. She needed him to joke like that with her again. She needed True Love's Kiss.

The problem with that idea was ever since Charming had decided not to have martial relations with her, he'd decided kissing her was "taking advantage" of her. Snow loved his protective streak, but it was also one of the most annoying things about him, especially when he was trying to protect her. And in this case, it was twice as frustrating because Charming was trying to protect Snow from himself!

The tangle was finally clear and Snow continued brushing the rest of her hair. Although their relationship was much warmer after they'd held court, he still didn't stand very close to Snow and he was far too formal in her opinion. They chuckled a bit in court yesterday, but Charming hadn't let out a full laugh in quite a while. He'd also stopped teasing her the way he'd been willing to do last week. And then there was the way he said her name. Charming called her "Snow White" now, rather than his more intimate "Snow." She needed to find a way for him to loosen up a little, especially around her. If he could do that, perhaps they could finally make love again. Charming was often incredibly mischievous when he instigated love making.

Snow remembered one day when she'd woken up alone in their joint chamber. She knew immediately that he was playing their own special brand of hide and seek that they had started playing on their honeymoon. So she looked all around the room, excited to find her Charming. The chamber was well – lit with sunlight at this time of day, and assisted her quest. She was able to quickly search under the bed, behind the curtains, and in the bathtub. The more places she looked, the more aroused she became.

Snow finally found him hiding behind the bathtub. He gave her his adorable smug grin as soon as their eyes met and they immediately began kissing desperately and fondling each other at the same time. Snow moaned into his mouth as he caressed her soft breasts and he groaned as she stroked his hard manhood. Then they eagerly joined their bodies together; on floor of the bath chamber, of all places. "You're a mischievous rascal, Charming" she panted after they'd finished.

He offered her the same smug grin he'd given her earlier. "And you love me for it," he replied, giving her another kiss.

Thinking about that morning caused Snow to think about taking another bath, but that wasn't possible, considering her lady's maid had finally arrived to help Snow dress for the day. But she definitely needed to think of something for them to do that would make Charming compelled to kiss her.

OOOOOOOOOOO

Snow had tried suggesting they practice using their weapons that day; she knew how sexy Charming had always found her when she used her bow. But although Charming seemed to appreciate watching her, he hadn't been compelled to kiss her. Nor would he respond to the way she'd tried to tease him. In fact, Snow came much closer to jumping him as she watched him practice with his sword, which he unfortunately wouldn't appreciate now.

Memory or no memory, her Charming was sometimes far too patient for his own good, Snow thought to herself as she put her archery equipment away.

OOOOOOOOOOO

The next day, as they read through their correspondence, they received an invitation to Princess Abigail and Sir Fredrick's wedding in two weeks. Snow had to admit, she hadn't been looking forward to attending Charming's former fiancée wedding previously, but now she thought the invitation came at the perfect time.

"A royal wedding?" Charming commented, looking a little nervous. "I suppose if we're royals, too, it's expected that we attend, but…will we be expected to dance formally? Like most royals are taught how to?"

Of course. Poor Charming had forgotten all the lessons she'd given him about ballroom dancing when he lost his memory. Well that was easily fixed. And it was the perfect activity that would force him to not be so distant with her, Snow thought, smiling secretly. "Don't worry, Charming. I can teach you the dances we'll be expected to do. You caught on quite quickly last time. I'm sure you will again. We'll start after dinner this afternoon."

Charming nodded, looking enormously relieved.

OOOOOOOOOOO

After dinner, Snow eagerly led Charming to the ballroom so she could "reteach" him how to dance all the moves he wanted to know for the royal wedding. Red, who had learned the basics of playing the lute, followed behind them, as she had agreed to provide them with music.

Snow couldn't help but notice how different the large ballroom looked when it was empty instead of full of guests. Still, perhaps Charming remembered something about it? After all they had held their wedding ceremony right in the center of this room. "Do you recognize anything in here?" she asked as they walked into the center of the room. "Like this gazebo, for example?" she added, touching the structure they stood in when they were officially married. "Or the stained glass windows?" she gestured at the painted windows that decorated the entire room.

But Charming sighed and shook his head as he always did when she asked him that question. "No, I'm sorry."

Snow smiled. "It's all right." Or at least it would be all right as soon as he kissed her. And she was almost positive he would kiss her today. "Come," she took his hand and led him to the dance floor. "We wanted to practice some dance steps." Snow shared a look with Charming, as he understood that word "practice" was meant to protect their secret that he wasn't raised a prince. He smiled, approving the way she explained that.

Dancing music filled the room as echoes bounced from every corner. Snow flashed a thank you to Red and then began the lesson. She intended to reteach him a basic waltz first, as it was the easiest of the ballroom dances. She placed Charming's left hand on her waist and then held his other hand, loving how close this forced them to be. "Now step to the side like this," Snow whispered, demonstrating. Charming stepped, copying her movement. "And then like this," she demonstrated again, looking straight into his deep blue eyes as she did so. Charming copied the movement again. "And then back to the beginning," she finished by bringing her feet to the place where they had started. Charming finished the movement as well.

Snow smiled at him. "I knew you'd do well with this. You did the first time. You've always been good at moving your feet," she teased him, pausing to admire his well – developed legs and feet. "It's one of the reasons why you're so good at sword – fighting."

"Thank you," Charming smiled politely, but didn't rise to her teasing.

Snow sighed but pressed on anyway. "Let's try the waltz together," she suggested. Charming nodded and their feet began moving together perfectly in time with Red's music. They whirled and twirled all over the ballroom almost without even noticing it, they were so lost in each other and in the dance.

Is Charming ready to kiss me yet? Snow asked herself, looking at his face closely as they finally stopped. She leaned her face even closer, but to her disappointment, he didn't respond. "Let's try the more complex waltz next," she said to him, trying to sound less disappointed than she was.

"Of course," Charming agreed.

So Snow showed him how to move his feet to form the pentagram instead of a triangle. He performed it wonderfully, naturally, just as he had the last one. "I think you were born to ballroom dance, Charming. If what you are doing today is any indication, you won't have anything to worry about at Abigail and Frederick's wedding."

Charming smiled in that modest way of his that could be so endearing. "Perhaps it's because I have such a great teacher." he whispered in her ear, like it was a special secret. Snow loved the way his breath tingled on her neck as he spoke to her that way. "Does the teacher have any other lessons for the student?" he asked in such an eager voice that she couldn't say no. Besides, she loved dancing with Charming.

"We could try the galliard," Snow suggested as another melody from Red's lute filled the room. "It starts with leaps like this," she demonstrated how to leap, doing her best not to trip over her long dress as she did so. Charming nodded and did his best to leap along with her. "And then there's a move where I leap into your arms. Hold out your hands," she told him firmly. "No, move them a little higher," she told him as he held out his hands about mid – chest length. "Up here," she instructed him, guiding his hands to the top of his chest. Snow loved how warm and firm his hands were.

"Snow can you really jump that high in a dress like that?" he asked, sounding worried.

Snow chuckled. Always her protective Charming. "Of course," she told him. I used to do it at my father's balls." With that she ran and jumped right into his arms, just as she promised him she would. She smiled smugly as she looked down at his face. "I told you I could!" she crowed.

Charming looked up at her with amazement. "I suppose you did." Red's music had faded into the background, and all Snow could hear at the moment was their hearts, which seemed to be thumping in together in unison.

"No," she suddenly corrected him, looking into his deep blue eyes that she felt like drowning in. "We did it. I couldn't have done it if you hadn't caught me, Charming." She touched his face as she talked, feeling the scar she'd given him two years ago. Their hearts were still beating together in unison.

And suddenly Charming pressed his lips to hers and Snow felt the sweet, perfect kiss she knew she would today. But when they drew back, his eyes didn't show the recognition she expected. Why had True Love's Kiss not worked?

Thanks for the reviews for the last chapter and please consider giving me one for this chapter.

Here's some responses.

Mry23: Yes, poor Snow and Charming.

Green Dragon Mage: Glad you liked the part with Charming trying to help the maids with the dishes. It's so easy to picture that happening. Charming is such a "doer" and washing dishes is something he's comfortable with, because he would have done it on the farm occasionally. (Even though dishes were considered "women's work" he would have had to have done them when his mother was ill, etc.)

Carol: I'm glad you appreciate that as hard as it is for Snow, it's just as difficult for Charming. That's something I really want to make clear with this story.

Austenphile: Yes, the foundations are still there. After all, although Charming is confused right now, they're still the same people who fell in love before.

Booksinmydreams: Thank you.