I have no excuse, except that charm bracelets have partially taken over my life - not that I'm complaining :) That, and for some reason, I've been having a really hard time concentrating when I sit down to write lately. It's that, 'Ooooo, shiny!' problem. I'll try to put my blinders on in the future when it comes to writing time. Enjoy, and I'm promising you that I will have another chapter up before the new episode at the very, very latest. Happy New Year!

Chapter 10: Walking the Wire

Henry had his face pressed up against the window in the entryway, keeping an eye out for Mr. Gold. David had been feeling better by the minute, but Henry was still anxious. After what felt like hours, but in reality was probably only a few minutes, Gold appeared at the front of the walk up to the house. Henry swung the door open before Gold even had a chance to knock, waving him in hurriedly. "He's on the couch with mom," Henry told him as he walked past.

Gold gave him a reassuring smile. "He'll be alright," he told him. The memory loss, the sudden illness...Gold thought he might have an idea as to what was going on, but he needed to ask David a few questions before he could be sure. What Gold didn't expect to see when he entered the living room was David sitting upright; back resting against the couch with Regina nestled into his side. She had her arms around his waist with her head resting on his shoulder and he had his arms around her, his head on top of hers. They both had their eyes closed and Gold was almost sorry to interrupt the peaceful moment. His surprise at their position, however, won out. "Well, well. Would you look at that? You've got your memories back after all."

Regina and David's eyes both snapped open as they removed their arms from each other and sat up a bit. "That was quick," Regina said. There was an odd mixture of irritation and relief in her voice.

"Henry let me in," Gold told her, knowing the reason she was upset; she didn't like to appear vulnerable to anyone, especially not him, and walking in unannounced had exposed her.

Regina gave him a sharp nod. "We're hoping you'll be able to help."

At that, Gold frowned. "I thought I'd already figured the problem, but if David is starting to remember-"

"He's not," Regina cut in. "In fact, he still has memories of the past few months, they're just different memories."

"I'm sorry," Gold said, sounding slightly annoyed. "I'd assumed..." he gestured between the two of them. Though they'd removed their arms from each other, they were still sitting quite close to each, shoulders and legs touching. The last time he'd seen the two of them together, it had been an encounter full of hateful words and tears. This was not something he'd been anticipating at all. It intrigued him. David still had the same memories as he had that first day, but he was right back with Regina as if nothing had ever happened. Indeed, if not seen with one's own eyes, one would never be able to tell.

"Well, you assumed wrong," David said rather harshly. He didn't like the way Gold was studying them. As if in defiance to any thoughts Gold might be having, he reached for Regina's hand, lacing his fingers through hers and placing them so they rested against their legs. "So, do you think you can help or not?"

Gold watched as David stroked the side of Regina's hand with his thumb affectionately. While the handholding had been an obviously intentional move, this was subconscious and Gold's idea suddenly seemed even more plausible. "I believe I can," he said finally. "Though I'm not sure you're going to like it." The two of them frowned at him. "I have a series of questions I'd like to ask you, if that's alright?"

David nodded gruffly and motioned for Gold to take a seat across from them.

Gold nodded his thanks before lowering himself onto the couch. He glanced over to the doorway and said, "Some of these questions might be ones you wouldn't want to answer in front of the boy."

Regina leaned forward and noticed Henry for the first time, peeking around the door frame, watching the scene nervously. He jumped slightly when she met his eyes and stepped into the doorway fully, knowing there was no point in hiding now that he'd been caught.

"Come here, Henry," Regina said softly, beckoning him over with her free hand. He came immediately and stood in front of her quietly, gaze directed at his feet. "Hey," she said again softly. David let her hand go and she reached up to lift Henry's chin. "He'll be okay. Don't worry, when it comes to things like this, I'm an expert. Evil Queen, remember?"

Henry gave her a soft smile and nodded.

"Alright, then. Why don't you go upstairs and work on your homework for a while? That way we'll have time for a board game after dinner, what do you say?"

"Okay." He reached down and gave her a hug, then moved over and did the same to David.

"Don't worry, buddy, I'll be fine," David said, rubbing his back.

Henry reluctantly pulled away. He took a minute to look at Mr. Gold who gave him a small smile and nodded his head. Finally, Henry disappeared and his footsteps could be heard on the stairs.

"Right, then," Gold said. "Should we get started?"

David nodded. "I'm ready."

Gold leaned forward in his chair slightly. "So, you said you possessed memories of everything that's happened over the last few months, but those memories differ from, say, Regina's?"

"Yes."

"And what about them is different exactly? Is there something specific?"

David looked at Regina who gave him the tiniest of nods, letting him know she didn't mind him saying. "Yes. Everything in them is the same except for my relationship with Regina."

"Ahhh." Gold studied him for a moment. "So, in this…reality, I suppose you could call it…you have a romantic relationship with Regina, whereas, in the other, you don't."

"Yes."

"I recall you saying that the plan before you went under the sleeping curse was to have Snow wake you with true love's kiss?"

"Yes." David felt like a broken record, but he also didn't feel much like telling Gold more than he needed to.

"And what is it that you remember happening after you talked to Snow?"

"She tried to kiss me, but went right through me instead. She started to wake up, and right before she faded away entirely, we promised we'd find a way back to each other," he summed up. "After that, I was alone in the flames and then…well, I'm not sure exactly. I woke up with Regina leaning over me."

"Hmmm." Gold blinked slowly, nodding his head as if agreeing with something. "Before you woke up in this world, what would one of the worst regrets you could imagine be?"

"Uhh," David wasn't sure exactly how to answer the question. He could think of several unpleasant things, but he didn't see what any of them had to do with the current situation.

"Would it perhaps have been cheating on Snow?" Gold asked with a raised eyebrow.

David narrowed his eyes in thought. "That was something I was thinking about a lot, yes. Before the curse ended, I'd cheated on Snow and it was still bothering me. It was because of who I was under the curse; because I didn't remember who I was. I still felt guilty, though. I would never do that to her."

"And yet…" Gold motioned between him and Regina. The couple shifted uncomfortably, but didn't say anything. "Would you say that the idea of being with Regina was on your mind as well?"

"Well…" James glanced nervously at Regina before nodding. "Yes." He looked back at Gold. "At least, in a way. It was after I…learned…about Daniel." He didn't want to say anything more in case Gold didn't know about that terrible day. He looked back at Regina with sympathy, wishing he didn't need to bring it up. "I was wondering who…I was thinking about what it would be like…" He was searching for the least hurtful way to phrase it, but Regina finished it for him anyway.

"You were wondering what kind of person would fall in love with me; what it would be like to be in love with such a horrible person," she said sadly.

"Regina…" He held her hand more tightly, looking deeply into her eyes.

"It's alright, David. I understand." She turned an intense gaze on Gold. "I assume you have some purpose in asking these questions?"

"I do. In fact, I only have one question left, though I do believe I already know what's happening."

"What is it?" David asked, impatient to have all of this out of the way.

"Are you in love with Regina?"

David looked at Regina and couldn't help the warm smile that accompanied the feelings he had when he did. She smiled back, and for a second, he forgot about everything but her. It made him feel so completely at peace and full of joy. The exchange only lasted a few short moments before he pushed it all down and turned back to Gold with a neutral expression. "I am."

"That would explain it," Gold said. "I'm curious, though. It's been less than forty-eight hours. How did you manage to fall in love with her so quickly?"

David still wondered the same thing himself, though he didn't question it at all. "I've answered your questions. What do you think is happening to me?"

"It's not so much what is happening to you as what isn't happening to you."

David let out an irritated breath, but Regina was the one to speak. "We're not in the mood for your games, so just tell us; what's causing this?"

He stared coldly at Regina. "Fine," he drawled at her. Then, turning to look at David, he finally said, "You never woke up."

There was absolute silence for just part of a second before Regina and Daniel simultaneously asked, "What?"

"You heard me," Gold told them both. "I believe you're still under the sleeping curse."

"How…how would that be possible?" David asked skeptically. "I woke up. Regina woke me up. I've been awake for almost two days, walking, talking, trying to get Emma and Snow back from our world. This isn't the red room. I would know if I were still sleeping."

"Not necessarily," Gold said. "The red room is not the only part of the sleeping curse. You said yourself; you were thinking about how terrible it would be to cheat on Snow and to be in a relationship with Regina, yet you've done exactly that. It's the double insult to Snow – being with her one true enemy. If I'm not mistaken, that could end up being a rather large regret."

David stared at him, opening and closing his mouth, not sure what to say. He looked to Regina to find some reassurance. Maybe she could tell him how ridiculous this all was. But she didn't. She was staring at him in shock; not looking ready to accept the idea, but definitely not denying it either.

"No," David said simply. "Snow's told me about what it's like being under the sleeping curse. Dreams formed of her own regrets; that's what she said you told her would happen," he said to Regina. "She said it was horrible, but this isn't. This is nothing like that. I'm happy here."

"Maybe now," Gold interrupted, "But what about tomorrow? When your daughter and wife come through the portal, how do you think they'll react when they find out that you're in love with Regina?"

David shook his head violently. "No. No, this doesn't explain it. We called you here because I wasn't feeling well, I—"

"What, you…felt dizzy? Felt like something in you had turned inside out? Maybe a slight pulling sensation?" Gold listed the symptoms that David hadn't been able to describe one after the other. "Perhaps you even had a moment where you felt like you were no longer here, but you weren't anywhere else, either?" He smirked when David's face paled.

"How did you know?"

"Unlike Regina here, I have quite a lot of experience with the sleeping curse, though I've not heard these particular feelings described more than a very select number of times. Understandable under the circumstances."

"And what circumstances would those be?" David asked tightly.

"True love's kiss, of course," Gold said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "It sounds like your dear Snow beat you home. What you've described to me…she gave you a kiss, but nothing happened. At least, nothing happened on her end. It very much had an effect on you, just not the one she was looking for."

"What are you talking about?" David asked, growing more and more impatient by the second.

"It's simple," Gold told him. "The kiss didn't work because Snow is no longer your true love. Regina is."