Woo hoo! New chapter! And in a semi-timely fashion! Go me! Ohhh, this...this whole situation...the David Kathryn saga just...bothered me. Kathryn admitted first thing in Snow Falls that she had told David to leave and he had left her right before his accident. It bothered me so much that no one seemed to point out the absolute absurdity of putting the amnesiac man in the care of his estranged wife who admitted that they were estranged before his accident and she now wants a second chance with (I repeat) an amnesiac man.
Is no one else kinda disturbed on David's behalf that they were all apparently just like: "yeah, let her take care of him, never mind that he has no memory of her, she is his wife legally only, but admits that they were probably going to divorce at the time of his accident and she wants to get back together now, all these years later...it'll be fine and not at all a conflict of interest or awkward for the amnesic man at all."
What?
Regardless, here is the first half of "The Shepherd."
"Oh, this is going to be awkward," Ada muttered as she stood next to Emma in the Nolan home, waiting for David to arrive. The house was filled with people- most of whom David wouldn't remember.
"Dr. Whale said it would be good for him- the smallest thing could be a trigger. But," she cleared her throat, "I'm kinda with you," Emma agreed in an undertone, "I couldn't imagine having to deal with a room full of people who I didn't remember."
"And then," Ada added, warming to the topic, "Having to have them talk about you like they know you and you should know them."
"Yup," Emma nodded.
"Awkward," concluded Ada while sending an uncomfortable smile towards some people nearby who she didn't know.
Henry wandered up to them as Kathryn led David, who was looking shell-shocked, into the house. "You know why he doesn't remember?" he told them in an undertone, "The curse isn't working on him yet."
While she understood she shouldn't disapprove of Henry's belief, Emma didn't want Henry bothering and potentially impeding David's recovery, so she attempted to stall a bit, "Henry," she reminded, "David has amnesia."
"Which is preventing the curse from replacing his fairy tale story with fake memories," the ten year-old concluded.
Before Emma could say anything more, Ada stepped in, "Well, if that's the case- what could we do to make sure his fairy tale memories come back but not the curse ones?" She was pretty confident stalling Henry by making him formulate a plan would buy them a little time to keep the boy from interfering with the amnesiac.
"We just have to jog his memory by getting him and Miss Blanchard together," Henry told her confidently with a smile.
So much for that plan.
"Did we just try that?" Emma grimaced.
Henry nodded, "And it woke him up."
"Hey," David said, approaching them, "You're the ones who saved me, right?"
"Yeah, I guess," Emma told him while Ada smiled and put a restraining hand on Henry's shoulder.
"And, uh," the man muttered, glancing around uncomfortably, "You're the only ones I know here."
Ada bit her lip in sympathy. "If you want, you can say we're talking about different parts of town Emma and I have found to try and jog your memory so no one bothers you for a while?"
"Yeah," Emma added, "Hide with us."
The poor man's shoulders dropped almost to the floor in relief, "That's a relief, thanks." Seeing a tray of food nearby, David stabbed one appetizer with a sword-shaped toothpick and twirled it.
"So," Henry chimed in, watching David toy with the food, "You ever use a sword?"
Ada tried not to face-palm at the kid's question. "Subtle," she whispered to him as she bent to grab some food herself.
David laughed, though, "I'm sorry?" he asked, but Henry had let the question go, so David turned to the blonde, "Emma? You live with Mary Margaret, right? You know if she's coming tonight?"
"No," Emma shook her head, while Ada tried to keep her face expressionless. Apparently, Mary Margaret wasn't the only one who was dealing with...feelings. "She couldn't make it tonight."
"She had a tone of papers to grade from her students, and last we saw," Ada chimed in, "She was settling down with some comfy sweats and a red pen. Very frightening for Henry, I'm sure."
"Oh," David disappointedly said, before turning to Henry in an attempt to keep up conversation, "So Mary Margaret is your teacher?"
Seeing an opportunity to chat up the woman, Henry grinned, "Yeah! She's my favorite teacher. She's really nice. Pretty...charming?" the boy added with special emphasis. Emma rolled her eyes and began to head to the kitchen to get a drink while Ada couldn't help but chuckle a bit.
"Well," David told the two of them with a confused grin, "I think I've hidden for as long as I can get away with it, I'd better go," he gestured to the guests.
"Mingle," Ada added with a grin, "Go on, we'll stick around for a little longer if you need to hide out again."
David smiled at the two of them before stepping away, "Thanks," he told them one more time. Ada just waved him off.
"Many things you are," she told Henry, "But subtle is not one of them." The boy just gave her a cheeky grin.
"Did you see his face? I think something got him when I said "charming!""
"Either that," sighing Ada told him, "Or he thought it was odd for a ten year-old to call his teacher charming."
"Oh, that's why you said the subtle thing, huh?"
The redhead nodded. Before looking around, "Where did Emma wander off to anyways?"
Ada wandered into the kitchen, leaving Henry interrogating Dr. Whale on amnesia (she figured that served the Doctor right after how he had treated Mary Margaret on the disaster of a date she had confessed to Ada and Emma) and found Emma, Regina, and Kathryn all standing looking awkward. Regina was glaring balefully at Emma (surprise surprise), while Kathryn, poor woman, just seemed out of sorts (understandable considering her husband who she had been estranged from had now apparently come back with a severe case of amnesia) and Emma just looked downright uncomfortable.
"Have you seen David?" Kathryn asked Ada as she approached the scene.
"Not since the start of the party, really," Ada shrugged. "Maybe he stepped outside for some air. It's understandable. Probably a little overwhelmed."
Meanwhile, across Storybrooke, David approached Mary Margaret from where she was hanging a birdhouse outside, distinctly without comfy sweats or red pen.
"Did you not get the invite?" he called out to her, causing her to turn and notice him. "You got Emma and Ada, who I thought told the truth almost brutally, to lie for you, you know."
The teacher was immediately flustered, "David."
He stood beside her, "Not that I thought you asked them to," David immediately stumbled over his words, "Here," he offered, taking the birdhouse out of Mary Margaret's hands and hanging it for her, "So I heard you resigned from the hospital," he started off, sounding far too casual in his attempt to ask the question he really wanted to know, "Was it me?" David gave up beating around the bush, obviously recognizing he didn't have the skill for it, "Because of what I told you? About how I felt. About you," he clarified unnecessarily while Mary Margaret blushed and tried to avoid eye contact. "Come on," he begged, "Don't tell me it's one-sided."
"You're married," Mary Margaret reminded him, "It should be no-sided."
"What is should be doesn't matter," he told her impassioned, "Whoever married Kathryn, it's not me. I didn't choose her. I'm choosing you. Now I know you feel it. I can tell."
Mary Margaret took a deep breath, trying to keep her head as David almost swept her off her feet, "I know you think that we have this connection," she carefully avoided her own opinion on the matter, "But maybe it's because I happened to be the person who saved your life?" she shook her head slightly before stepping away, "So why don't we leave it at that."
With that, she walked away, leaving David Nolan, Prince Charming, standing by the birdhouse. Alone.
"You might want to ease up or that Brillo Pad's going to press charges," Emma joked as she and Ada walked into the apartment to check on Mary Margaret.
"The dishes were just piling up," the teacher tried to evade but Ada stepped up to the sink and took the sponge out of her hands and started putting away the plates.
Emma crossed her arms while she raised a single eyebrow, "This have anything to do with David stopping by? I saw him sulking away as we pulled up," she explained.
Mary Margaret got even more flustered, seeming not to know what to do with her hands, "We just, um, he just..." she trailed off.
"Yeah," Emma nodded, "I know what you both just. And you did the right thing."
"He made a pretty compelling case," Mary Margaret confessed as if ashamed.
"But he's still married," Emma reminded, "I know. I was just at the party."
"Okay," Ada interrupted rinsing out the sink before turning around to face the rest of the room decisively, "How about we examine that a bit- apparently at the time of David's accident they were estranged and going to get a divorce in all probability, so...I'm not sure if we can hold that against the poor man. Just because Kathryn wanted to reconnect does not mean David, if he had all his memories, would've wanted to. The reason he's with that estranged wife is because he has nowhere else to go."
Mary Margaret put her head in her hands, "What do I do?" she moaned.
Emma immediately offered one course of action, "You need to stop cleaning and have a drink," she grabbed the nearest bottle and began pouring, "Here's the thing," the blonde began, "I don't know a lot about relationships, other than having many that failed. But generally speaking, if you think something you want to do is wrong, it is. So, you got to stay strong, and he has to figure out his life. Cheers." They all drank.
"And," Ada said after they all swallowed a healthy amount of booze, "For a slightly less cynical interpretation, I, the realist, am here."
Emma snorted into her drink, "Realist."
"You, my most beloved sister," Ada pointed at the woman in question, "Are, contrary to your own belief, not a realist- you are a pessimist. I am a realist, so here's what I say," the redhead turned to face Mary Margaret, "If you feel a connection with this guy, that's great. Connections are fabulous- when you're reasonable about them. Here's the thing: right now, getting into a relationship with this guy is wrong. He just woke up from a coma, he has no memories of his previous life, but," she interjected with a pointed look toward Emma, "He is not helpless or stupid. He knows how he feels; he knows what he believes to be right and wrong, all that important stuff. What he needs to do before you can be with him, if you so choose, is get his life somewhat together. I'm not saying regain his memories- he may never do that- what he needs is a job, a place to live that is not his estranged wife's house, and some sort of stability in his physical health. Then, should you both consent, and should his divorce papers be filed, you can be together. Tell him this," Ada added as she refilled the glasses, "And I say kudos to you both."
Mary Margaret grimaced, "But is it a good idea for me to make demands from him? Or to even see him to tell him this? I just...I feel so guilty," she looked desperately at the other two women for their help.
Emma shrugged, "Have a mediator then. Archie is a therapist; he'd probably tell you the same thing as Ada-,"
"Not all people who studied psychology agree, Emma," Ada interjected, but the blonde kept going without acknowledging it.
"But he'd be able to help make sure you guys are clear about what you want and need to be healthy."
"But," Mary Margaret's eyebrows came together in concern, "To actually hire someone and have to tell Archie I need him to help me talk to someone?"
"So have Ada do it," Emma waved it off.
"I can help mediate if you'd like," Ada agreed easily.
"Really, you'd be okay with that?"
"Sure," the redhead shrugged, "It's basically what I do for work except this time I'm working with adults instead of a kid and it'd be about amnesia and it's effect on a budding romance instead of child abuse or adoption or...huh. Ok, it's pretty different. But," she waved a hand, "Details."
Mary Margaret couldn't help but laugh at that, supremely glad that the sisters had decided to come to Storybrooke.
David wasn't laughing as he sat, uncomfortable, on the couch in a house he didn't own or feel like he knew, and tried to remember the various pictures Kathryn had presented to him.
"You look different," she told him, "Your hair. It's longer," she explained, "You used to always keep have a buzz cut. You used to complain that long hair was itchy. And hard to take care of."
David sighed as still no memory came, and he wasn't really sure he wanted the memories to come, "I guess it grew while I was in there."
"So," Kathryn said, standing, "I was going to go to bed. Do you want to join me?"
David was faintly alarmed, "Do you mean "go to bed" go to bed? Or go to bed?" he asked, feeling uncomfortable at the idea of sharing a bed with a stranger let alone...going to bed.
"Whatever you want," Kathryn tried to assure him.
If Archie or Ada were there, they'd have probably told him that as long as he felt uncomfortable or felt he didn't want to, he should sleep separate from Kathryn where ever he wanted or felt safe.
But they weren't, so he said, "Why don't we just sit and talk some more?" Kathryn leaned in and gave David a kiss, but he pulled back from it. "This isn't right."
Hope you all enjoyed that! I was kinda upset I couldn't include the part about Regina and Kathryn becoming friends during the party in this chapter. It's an intriguing scene for me, because I wonder, is Regina actually caring about Kathryn and if so, is that still a secondary motivation while her primary one is just to screw with Snow and David's happy ending? I mean, I find it hard to believe she honestly cared about Kathryn since a few episodes later she wants Gold to kill her and is, actually, disappointed with he fails to do so on Regina's order. But it's still another interesting layer to her character that I just wasn't able to include without it seeming out of place with the rest of the chapter. Neither Ada nor Emma were in the scene, it doesn't actually relate to them, so it just upset the flow.
Oh, well. Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Drop a review if you could!