He hated to admit it...but it was true.

He, David Nolan, formally Prince James of the Enchanted Forest, was jealous.

And of his wife and daughter no less- the relationship that had blossomed between them while parted from him. Looking in on their close-knit bond, he felt like an outsider.

There was now natural ease between Emma and Snow. His wife could initiate a hug, a squeeze of the shoulder, even reach for her hand and Emma responded naturally. No awkwardness. No shuttered emotions. Just the beginnings of acceptance and growing trust. Whatever had happened back there had bonded mother and daughter.

How he craved that kind of openness with his daughter.

His cursed persona hadn't exactly scored him any points in the "good guy" category. Since waking from that coma, he had engineered his own drama, stringing Mary Margaret along with the promised hope of being together (despite him being married) and, because of cowardice, breaking her heart... multiple times.

That fact still made him cringe.

Maybe that played a part in why he and Emma struggled to connect. The two women in his life had roomed together for months, become friends, shared secrets. Emma had seen Mary Margaret through the trauma he had caused by his bad decisions.

Snow had forgiven him without qualms but as for Emma...

It was time to clear the air and lay the groundwork for a relationship with his daughter.

"Emma?"

The blonde paused in refilling her mug at the eating counter. "Yah?"

"Can I talk with you for a minute?"

When she looked at Snow, his wife gave an encouraging nod in his direction, a small smile tugging at her lips. She then graciously busied herself in the farthest corner of the loft as they both went to take seats in the living room.

With a puzzled frown, Emma asked, "What's going on?"

"I think it's time to clarify something," he began. "And I hope, by having an honest conversation, we can start to move forward."

He saw caution flood into her eyes.

Please Emma. Let's start again.

Taking a breath, he continued. "I know because of Regina's curse, you and I have a difficult history to overcome. David Nolan wasn't exactly a great person. The choices I made while him, regarding Mary Margaret...Snow... weren't those of an honorable, decent man."

The strain in her shoulders eased slightly.

"And I've owned up to all of those bad decisions. I've asked for your mother's forgiveness and now..."

He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, his posture unguarded and candid. In this new position, he could easily have brushed her fingers but that would have scared her off. Instead, he allowed her to hold his gaze. Could she see the longing in his eyes?

"I want to ask for yours."

He saw a hint of surprise mingled with uncertainty as she looked back at him.

"You deserve better than that man Emma."

He had her complete and undivided attention. "I want, more than anything, for you to know the man I am now. I hope, that given time, my words, actions, and character will demonstrate just how different I am. I don't expect it to happen overnight. I know you need time. You will want to assess from here on out, make sure that I'm the real thing. So I'm not going to push you. There's no rush. I'll wait. However long it takes."

"And I want to say I'm so sorry you met the David you did Emma. Can you forgive me?"

He could tell his declarations had left her floundering. From what he had gleaned, Emma wasn't all that used to or comfortable with heart-to-hearts. She was silent for what felt like hours.

Then she crouched to copy his stance, one of her knuckles brushing against his hand. Intentional or accidental, he didn't care. It was physical contact with his little girl and it buoyed up the hope inside.

Air left her lungs in a lengthy whoosh as she stated, "Wow."

And at that one word, the mounting tension shattered. They both gave relieved chuckles.

"You didn't need to apologize but...thanks. I'm just going to need some time David." She cleared her throat, offering him the tiniest hint of a smile.

"But with a name like Prince Charming, I think your chances are good."