The note he'd written to himself when he'd taken his memories away told him that Snow White and Prince Charming had met and would need watching. He'd trusted those words because they were in his own hand, never once had he ever questioned it or even tried to look in on how it had happened lest he see something he didn't want himself to see. But now that he'd given Snow White her potion, at the behest of the Seer, he found that the "watching" was imperative. And he'd never felt more alone.

In his tower day and night watching, waiting for something to happen, it wasn't just that Belle was no longer around or even alive, it was more than the fact that Regina was distracted by the Blind Witch, it was also this task. Watching, watching, watching…after a century of moving at a snail's pace, suddenly things were happening at a whirlwind. With Snow and with David, sometimes together but mostly apart, this was the time that he might have used Pirithous to help him investigate and watch, to listen to what was happening. But after how curious he'd been during the exchange with David and James he couldn't trust the boy anymore. So he was alone, watching on his own, using mirrors when he could, but mostly watching the soundless exchanges through his ball and cauldron.

Snow didn't take the potion he'd given her, he liked that. It wasn't until after they'd parted that the full danger of the potion he'd given her had slammed into him. He felt uneasy at the realization that if something went wrong, she could lose her memories of David forever and then Baelfire would be gone forever too. But she didn't take the potion. At least not right away and he felt some relief at that. He was beginning to think that perhaps she was never going to take it, maybe she just needed to learn how extreme her measures had to be to give her the push she needed. Maybe she needed to have the opportunity to lose her memories of David to realize just how precious he was to her.

He was happy when he saw her approach King George's Castle, happy that she might actually be doing something to get closer to the Prince when she was, unexpectedly, captured by King George's Army. He was sure to watch the mirrors, to keep his eye on Regina, fearing, of course, that she would be summoned for the girl. Perhaps he'd barter to get back their former trade deal? But no. Regina remained unaware that Snow was there, and George didn't seem to show any interest as he tossed her into a cell. She spent most of her time talking to…a dwarf?

Yes. The Seer provided the story for him, images…that very dwarf hatching from his egg and being handed his axe…his name was Dreamy but…but it wasn't. He watched a brief encounter play out, a woman, a fairy trapped in a machine that he stopped, him talking to that fairy, talking to someone in a pub, meeting that fairy on a hill and tears streaming down his face as he sent her away. A destroyed axe and a new name,…Grumpy. "I'm Grumpy now…" An image of pennies pinched, wages hoarded, and then a diamond. Beautiful, flawless, so clear he could see the dwarf's reflection in it. A man in a dark cloak sold it to him in a dark alley, and he could tell just from the scene it wasn't a smart deal to make. There was something wrong with it. But the dwarf took it home. "For Nova..." he explained to a brother. "I made a mistake, with this, I hope she'll forgive me, and we can be together." And then an ambush. King George's men seizing the dwarf, taking the diamond in their own hands and examining it. He heard phrases like "Property of the crown", "it's stolen goods", and "take the dwarf prisoner" in his head as he watched soldiers throw the dwarf first into a cell on wheels and then into the one beside Snow White. He'd been there ever since.

Grumpy…what an interesting life he led for a dwarf. What an interesting role he was to play. For out of the shadow's eventually another dwarf arrived, one of his brothers, and judging by the lack of vision he had from him, he'd wager he'd had a fairly unexciting life. The dwarf freed Grumpy, and after a moment of hesitation, Grumpy turned and freed Snow White.

The trio attempted to get free of the castle. There was an argument of some kind. Then, as they were crossing the courtyard, the other dwarf was caught by the guards and died. Apparently his unexciting life was also doomed to be a short life.

Grumpy flung himself out of his hiding space, intending to go and help his fallen brother despite the fact that it was too late, but he was caught as well. And then, right on cue, Snow White revealed herself, sacrificed her own freedom for the dwarf's, earning herself a meeting with King George.

He would have expected it in the jail, or back in her cell or somewhere else, anywhere else other than inside the castle proper. He led her silently through halls and chambers and rooms that neith of them knew finally coming to rest in a hallway with a door behind them. That was where he turned. That was where words were exchanged. He moved to his mirror to get a good sight, but by the time he cast the enchantment to hear, the encounter was over. Snow was already going into the room, and he was about to tap into a different room to listen.

She wore a smile on her face when she first saw him, but it quickly faded as she closed the door and alerted the False Prince to her presence. For the longest time, there was nothing but staring. Staring and walking. She came closer, he stared. She stared at him. He stared back in utter disbelief.

"James…" she finally whispered, her voice husky as if she was holding back tears.

"Snow…"

"I got your letter."

"You came. You came!" And then he rushed at her. In a movement too quick for her to prepare, he strode forward, swept her up off her feet and into his arms. He twirled her around and though she seemed uncomfortable, upset, and panicked at first, it faded. As he held her, he watched her sink into him, her head bending into the contours of his shoulder, holding tight until he set her back down. "You came. You came."

And then the mood changed. David leaned in to kiss her, and he knew even before it happened that she was going to stop him. It wasn't a vision. It was just her body language.

"Wait, James. Us? It can't happen."

"Wh-what's wrong?" David stuttered in disbelief. "Of course, it can. You're here. We can go. We can be together. We can leave all this." He reached out, took her hands in his own in a grip that he could see just as sure as he knew they could feel it. "I know there are costs, but I've planned for everything. They can't hurt us. And now that I know that you love me too-"

"I don't."

David looked shocked, reeling back as though he'd been slapped. He couldn't blame him. She wanted him to kiss her, he could see that plain as day. But why wasn't she letting him? They were so close! True Love right in front of them! Fools! If he had a chance to do it all over again, he'd be in that Great Room by Belle's side again in a heartbeat! So what was stopping Snow? Why was she refusing him when she didn't have to?

"What?"

"Love you. I don't. I'm sorry," she stated with genuine sympathy. "You said I would always be in your heart and…that is too cruel a fate. Go live your life. Live it without me, because there is no place for us together. And fill your heart with love for someone else. Someone who can love you the way I never have – the way I never will."

She held something out to him then, something that he took rather ungracefully from her palm, a piece of paper that he crumpled up. He was crying, he realized, as she stepped around him and walked carefully out of the room. And she was crying too. Or at least she would be. He could see it in her face, hear it in the mirror that she was careful not to make a sound as she left. Only once the door was closed, and he was forced to look inside his ball, did he see her cover her mouth with her hand and weep. King George was there, but she didn't run from him. He said something to her, something he couldn't make out without the sound and then she blinked away tears and walked away as he looked on with pride.

The entire thing took one maybe two minutes, but it left his jaw on the ground. What had just happened? Why would she…

King George. It had to be. The conversation that they'd had before she'd gone into the room…it wasn't just a conversation, it was a deal of some kind. It was the only explanation he had for the way the guards suddenly let her leave the castle in peace. He'd threatened her, or him. Someone! He didn't care who he'd threatened, all he knew was that somehow King George had told her something that forced her to go into that room and tell him what she'd told him, and in return for doing it he was letting her go. Back into the woods, back into the dark, back to the group of dwarves who met her as she left.

He held his breath as Snow lifted the vial to her lips in the middle of the woods…

Grumpy stopped her. After a brief exchange of words, she put it away, and they walked on. He breathed a sigh of relief as she moved into their home and almost stopped watching when, that night, once they left her alone to her privacy, he watched as she downed it in one swallow.

"No!" he cried, turning and pushing the contents on the table behind him onto the floor. Glass shattered, books slammed against the stone, paper fluttered and droplets of ink scattered like rain. His heart raced. Yes, he'd given her the potion. Yes, he'd given it to her expecting she would take it. But he had hoped that it was nothing, that she wouldn't take it. He'd hoped that she'd keep her memories, wake up from this hopeless defeat she seemed to have where David was concerned, and go back to claim him. Apparently, he'd been wrong about that…

He'd been wrong about her. But not all was lost. He strode over to his crystal ball and summoned up a different image. The Seer had told him that she needed to forget in order to remember. Love was a two-way street. As long as one of them remembered, there was always hope.

So this is actually a fairly good example of the kind of chapters you'll find in the Snow White and Prince Charming section. Like I said, it's a lot of watching, right. But I also didn't want to give you only a summary of each episode because, let's face it, if you want that then you can find summaries on the OUAT Wiki. So with each episode I was able to find at least one pivotal scene, sometimes more but not always, and come up with a reason that he'd be able to get sound and watch it. This one was easy, there was a mirror in David's room and it allowed the scene between them to be heard. Other times I had to get a little creative, but this is how a lot of it goes. These episodes usually have one with Rumple and then a follow up of some kind. Not terribly exciting, but it is what it is.

Thank you Alarda, Grace5231973, and Jennifer Baratta for your reviews on the last chapter. I don't know what you'll think about this one or more like it, but I did manage to find fiendish delight in picturing the Dark One basically watching lots and lots of TV in these chapters and getting way too into it. I mean, what do you do after a break-up? You sit at home and when you can't eat and sleep you binge Days of Our Lives and overreact when the bad guy manages to convince the good girl to hook up with him. Is that not what's happening here? If it makes it easier, then think of this as Rumple-Post-Break-Up. Not pretty. Peace and Happy Reading!