Author's Note: Another long one! Not as long as the last one...but you know you wanted a new chapter and you wanted it now! So I delivered!

After having completely embarrassed and teased his sister, James finally put her down as they approached black ground. Placing her down he received another slap for his foolishness which he smiled at. Following behind her and not questioning her as she lead them quickly into the town.

James instantly felt like he was in a different world as he looked at the structures and odd objects in the town.

Queen Regina realized she actually didn't know where Sarah had gone. Deciding that Red...Ruby if anyone might know where, she began walking towards the diner.

For the first time in years James was exceptionally quiet. Not saying a word as they both walked towards the diner. He was trying to take note of anything and everything that he thought important.

When Queen Regina looked into the diner and saw Little Snow and Henry sitting at the counter eating something and talking animatedly with Ruby, it caused her to smile at the sight of their happy faces.

When James walked up behind her, as she stood in front of what seemed to be a store front, and placed his chin on Regina's shoulder and looked at what intrigued her he furrowed his brows. He recognized Red, but the two children he couldn't place.

Out of the corner of her eye Queen Regina saw the look of confusion cross Jame's face. Queen Regina's smile widened considerably at this. Her brother had never known Snow when she was a child. Snow had already been in her later teen years by the time James had learned about them. Sarah only a small girl then.

"Who are they?" James asked as his curiosity got the best of his patience.

Queen Regina laughed merrily. "Don't you recognize your sister-in-law?"

Slowly his sisters words registered and soon a huge laughing smile crossed his face. "Oh my God is that really her?"

Queen Regina laughed and nodded her head. "So very long ago now. But I still see her like this in my mind."

"Now I know why you almost killed David when you found out about them." James joked as he watched Little Snow talk with a wide smile that showed her identity to anyone who knew Snow's face.

"You have no idea." Queen Regina said as her smile became a grimace as she remembered those series of events.

James laughed and tickled her side, causing her to gasp and try to jump away from him and quickly elbowed him in the gut.

"Careful...that other version of you got in a good hit earlier." James laughed at his sister.

But the smile that had been on her face from his tickle vanished as she noticed that he really did wince as he breathed. "She really did hurt you didn't she?"

James quickly tried to joke, but his sister quickly lifted his shirt before he could stop her.

The bruise forming along his right side made her eyes widen.

"It's nothing!" James snapped quickly and lowered his shirt. His eyes quickly hardening, showing that as much as he fought against it, he was his father's son.

"No it's not nothing. She really hurt you." Queen Regina said in an almost panic.

"Gina look at me." James moved forward and held his sisters arms as she tried to pull away from him, almost as if she was afraid that she would hurt him.

"Gina! I said look at me!" James started to become angry as he realized his sister was acting as if she herself had struck him so violently.

Queen Regina's eyes that were avoiding his gaze looked up into his eyes.

"Neither you or her could ever hurt me. Nothing that could make up for what I almost did." James said with a seriousness and authority he rarely spoke to her in.

Queen Regina pulled her arms away from him. " Damn it James! You didn't do anything! If anything you stopped it from happening!" Her face showed just how angry she was at him for even saying the words.

James let out a huge sigh as he tried to contain his own anger. It was a family trait he wished they didn't share.

"Gina I could have killed her!" His calm voice escalating into an almost growl. Disgusted that all those years ago he had been so foolishly blind to his father's intentions.

"But you didn't! You realized what he wanted and you found out about us! We might have never met if you hadn't done as he said! Not one of us would have ever known you!" Queen Regina was frantically trying to reason with James' obvious guilt, on the verge of tears about the idea of never knowing her brother.

She loved David, and honestly they had shared a bond almost instantly. But James and she had experienced the same kind of life. Both understood each other on a level that David never could. The life he had led as a Shepard and away from their parents gave him a innocence to people's evil intentions. Even now after all these years, David didn't see people's ill intentions until someone else pointed them out.

Out of everything it was a major reason she knew that he and Snow belonged together. They shared the unfortunate mentality that people were generally good.

James fought the clog in his throat. His memories of those days now soo long ago were still fresh in his mind.

Noticing that tears were forming in her brother's eyes her anger faded as sadness for her brother took its place. Slowly she moved forward and wrapped her arms around her brothers middle and tucked her head underneath his chin.

James fought his emotions but squeezed back his sister as his blue watery eyes stung as he tried to keep himself from gasping from how tight his throat had become.

"You're not him." Queen Regina said firmly.

"You're not her." James exchanged their common assurance. Something that both of them had found themselves fearing, and both sharing that very real possibility of becoming just that.

Pulling back from their embrace she reached up and brushed the one tear that had managed to escape from his eye away. Staring into a face that had a duplicate, she saw how James' eyes held a darkness to them that David's did not hold. She knew it was there because of their father.

"She has a lot of anger Gina. I can see it in her eyes." James said with a furrowed brow, referring to her sisters duplicate.

"I know." Queen Regina said in a way that let him know she understood what he was implying. "She's lived a different life then me James. If you knew half of the things she's told me..." shaking her head she still heard the hysterical speech that she had listened to in her head.

James said nothing as he saw how disturbed his sister suddenly was.

"What is it?" James asked, seeing that something was worrying her more than what she was letting on.

Fearing that her thoughts were correct she couldn't bring herself to voice them. Shaking her head she simply said, "Nothing."

James frowned, knowing that his sister was lying to him. But he knew not to push her. Eventually she would tell him if it was important enough.

Queen Regina turned back towards the diner and couldn't help but smile at the sight once more.

James let a half smile cross his face as he too watched a child version of Snow White laugh, oddly it shocked him how the young girl's smile reminded him of Sarah's as a young girl.

His mind taking him back to all those years ago. When all he cared about was the way his father thought of him. When ensuring his kingdom's future was his reasoning for listening to his father.

He remembered the day where everything he was changed.

****************James' Memories************************************

Waking up next to the form of the naked woman didn't disturb him as he remembered the night they had shared.

Slowly as not to wake her he lifted himself out of the bed and dressed as quietly as he could. With one last look at the woman in the bed he couldn't help but smirk as he slowly left the room and the woman behind.

It hadn't taken him long to get to the castle, but apparently his father had been waiting for him.

"Should I even ask where you've been?" King George asked as he scanned the scrolls and books on the old golden leafed wooden desk as James had been about to pass his father's study.

James stopped in his tracks, shocked that his father was awake at such an early hour, then smiled widely as he turned and finally noticed the candlelight that barely showed his father's form.

"You've never asked before."

King George looked up and couldn't help but smile at the look on his son's face.

"I've never needed to. I've known of your flirtations with women since you were a boy." King George emphasizing his word choice to disguise what both of them really knew he was doing with the many women he had been a 'companion' to.

James couldn't help but smile wider at his father's choice of words.

Slowly he entered the room and was about to light one of the torches on the wall, when his father's voice stopped him.

"Leave them off and come join me." King George commanded his son as his eyes returned to the book he had been writing in before James entered the room.

Understanding that what his father wanted to talk about seemed to require secrecy even from light concerning him, but nonetheless did what he was told.

Slowly King George lifted his eyes back to James.

"Something has come to my attention that requires your skills."

James felt himself stiffen for a second at the words. His father had always said that his only true skill was fighting and killing.

King George smiled at his son's immediate trepidation. "It's nothing you can't handle. It's for your future kingdom after all."

James' unease seemed to vanish at his father's compliment. "As long as I don't have to fight an army by myself, I am all ears."

His usual cocky smile had filled his face. His father had been trusting him more and more to actually do things for him and for the kingdom. From a young age his father had been grooming him to be King, but he had rarely allowed him to be involved with his dealings and secret missions.

If his father was trusting him with something like killing someone, it was most definitely someone who threatened his father and him.

One of the first lesson's his father had taught him as a boy was preemptive strikes. To attack a foe before they could attack them. To eliminate a threat before it became a threat.

"As you know the coffers have been quite low recently." The King began.

James nodded. "Rumor's of people leaving the kingdom and moving to a not so distant kingdom. One I've never had the pleasure of seeing but from what I've been told is ruled by a Queen who hold's her people's hearts close to her."

"Yes. Her and her two daughters have most definitely captured the hearts of her people. They are loved by their people and have gained a reputation for their fairness and kindness." King George's words sounded bored and held a slight twinge of disgust to them.

James nodded his head in understanding. His father had always believed that a King should rule a kingdom. That order was held because of fear of punishment, and that a ruler should be feared and not loved. The idea that a woman was ruling a kingdom and was called kind and fair would indeed disgust him.

"What does this have to do with the services you require of me." James asked suspiciously. His father wasn't foolish enough to send him to kill the Queen of another kingdom! It would lead to war no matter who took the throne of their kingdom. As discreet as he could be, he knew there was no way for him to enter a guarded castle and get close enough to the Queen to kill her.

King George slowly smiled at his son. "I would not send you on such a mission as the one you are thinking. I would never risk your life in such a way."

James relaxed slightly, but soon found himself even more suspicious of his father.

"But your suspicions are not far off from what my intentions are." Smiling at his son, the candlelight picked up the small gleam in his father's eye.

"Go on." James urged.

"One of our men has informed me that one of the princess' of that kingdom is known to ride her horse outside of the castle walls in the meadow by the river that separates their kingdom from that of King Midas'." King George said lowly as he gave his son a smirk.

James suddenly understood exactly what his father's intentions were.

"King Midas…the one who can turn anything to gold with his touch?" James lowered his voice and asked.

Nodding his father responded, "One and the same."

James straightened, understanding now exactly who his father wanted him to kill.

"How will that help fill our coffers?" James asked as the last bit of his father's reasonings escaped him.

King George's smile widened. "If King Midas is accused of an act of war, we can offer him our soldiers and protection…for a certain price."

James thought for a second about what his father was suggestion and found the flaw to his plan.

"But what if Midas refuses such a generous offer? What if he denies any involvement? Or if the Queen does not retaliate?" James questioned.

"She will retaliate. As for Midas' refusing I find that unlikely. His army is meak and few in numbers. They have not been in war for many years. And it does not matter if he denies his involvement, you'll make sure no matter what he says, all evidence will point to him." King George moved a scroll that he had been looking over before his son had entered, and lifted it up to his son to inspect.

James looked at his father curiously, then took the scroll from his father's hand and read it's contents. His eyes widening as he did so, and stopping with shocked eyes at the bottom.

"You see my son…" King George said as he stood, " it is my obligation as King to our people to do what I must to ensure our way of life. One day you will take my place, and the continuance of our kingdom will depend on what actions you take. I'm merely insuring that that day will come."

James swallowed as he realized his father had already made the decision for him. It was a formality that he asked since he had already had this scroll in his possession.

"When does the princess have the misfortune of meeting her end?" James asked in a whisper as his father was so close now, obviously not wanting anyone to hear what they were saying.

"Why do you think I'm waiting for you in the early morning hours?" King George smirked and looked pointedly at his son.

James closed his eyes and looked away from his father. It was one thing to kill a man in battle or because he was a traitor. It was another to kill a woman for gold.

Swallowing down his disgust he reasoned with himself that if he wasn't the one to do this then his father would find someone else to do it. Not to mention the fact that his father would find a way to punish him or disgrace him before the kingdom. His father had given him certain liberties, but James knew his father's limits all too well. If he didn't do this he was risking his father's wrath. Something that he learned at a very young age was to be avoided at all costs.

"What do you want me to do?" James asked turning his head and locking eyes with his father.

King George smiled and laughed clapping his son's shoulder. "Everything you need is in your horse's satchel. I'm sure you'll understand what needs to be done."

James' body jostled as his father once more patted his shoulder in what James understood to be pride.

Then his father began walking out of the study when James couldn't help but ask just a few more questions.

"How will I know if the person I find there is the princess? Or does it matter which sister I come upon?" James didn't turn his head towards his father's retreating form until after he asked his question.

When his eyes met his father's in the darkened in-between of where the light of the hall touched the entrance of the room and where the candlelight shone, James could still see his father's eyes as the evil glint in them shined out of the blackness.

"They say one of the two sisters rides her horse more frequently then the other. Apparently she is trying to impress her mother by learning to master her horse. So you will only find the one. And if my informant is correct this princess will cause the most heartache to the dear Queen." His father answered, the white of his teeth showing slightly in the darkness surrounding him.

James couldn't stop himself. The question burning in his mind, even though he knew it was better if he didn't know the answer. It didn't matter anyway. No matter what he needed to kill this princess. But he couldn't help it.

"Just to make sure…what is this princess' name?"

King George turned and began to walk away from his son…making James think that he would not answer him. Why would he? The more he knew the more he had to risk. A slip of the tongue might get him killed.

It wasn't until his father had reached the door frame did he once more turn back towards James, the smile on his face had melted into a mere smirk.

"If you do this…it will ensure me that you are ready to take the throne. That you are worthy of the crown. It pleases me that you wish to be so thorough."

James couldn't help but smirk at his father after such words. The want to please him surged through him, that he very nearly missed what his father had said next before realizing that his father had answered him.

"What was that?" James asked with a tilted head.

The King's smirk fading with the need to repeat himself louder.

"I said….Sarah. Her name is Sarah."

***************************************Back to Storybrooke*****************************************************

Sarah couldn't help the annoyance at being followed.

Where normally a woman in her situation would be scared to death, Sarah knew that she had nothing to fear at all.

After what she had been through in her life, she was confident that very little could truly scare her.

Knowing where they were with the amount of sound they made as they tried to quietly tread through the woods signifying to her how very out of their depth they were in this setting of the woods.

As she came closer to a certain clearing between trees she felt a tug to go to the right where a clumping of trees hid what was beyond them from view.

The very strange looking home stood out amongst the trees hiding it, making Sarah suspicious of who would live in such a place.

Not worried about the people following her she made her way to what appeared to be a door.

Knocking on the door, she tried to look through the windows to try and see anything moving inside.

The darkness in the home hid the movement of who was inside, but Sarah could feel their approach.

This particular feeling overwhelming her, making her realize exactly who was behind the door.

Slowly the door opened and eyes that she was more than familiar with were the only thing that could be seen.

"Can I…"

Sarah didn't let him finish the question as she pushed the door in and forced her way into the house. Kicking the door closed she rounded back. Opening her mouth about to scold him she stopped with her mouth staying open as she finally could see him fully.

"Who are…" He tried to ask again when the unfamiliar woman stepped forward and smacked his forehead hard, causing him to stumble back slightly.

"You IDIOT!" Sarah screamed. "HOW MANY TIMES HAVE I TOLD YOU TO STOP LYING? HOW MANY?" Sarah screamed with anger, knowing exactly why he was in the condition he was in.

"I DON'T KNOW WHO YOU ARE!" He screamed back at her, knowing there was no way he could run away from her. His movement was very limited these days.

"Damn it! I swear pin head if it wasn't for me you would have been kindling in someone's fire with how many times you've messed up like this." Sarah's anger ebbing at the reminder that this wasn't her friend.

August didn't know how to respond to this crazy woman that showed up out of nowhere.

"Well! Would you care to explain how you turned into wood again? I'm sure it has to be a good story." Sarah said with the crossing of her arms, her stance showing that she wasn't moving until she had an explanation.

August finally understood that whoever she was, she seemed to know him. Which was impossible in this dimension. Despite how at the moment he was indeed back to being made of wood, Emma had proven that you would have to believe in magic to see the state he was in.

"Who are you?" August's voice barely getting the question out when the woman reached up and started knocking on his head.

"Hello! I asked you how this happened. We're you gambling again? No..no…let me guess! You were drinking? Smoking? What is it going to take before you learn that you're not like other boys! You can't risk being bad because THIS is the result!" Sarah huffing at the end as she noticed that he was back to being completely made of wood, and moving with a stiffness that gave away how he had been completely solid not too long ago.

August lifted his hands in a calming motion. "Okok…you're right. I was stupid and forgot myself. I haven't exactly been reminded until recently that I am most definitely not like other boys. Could you…just…please calm down?"

Sarah stiffened at the words. "Calm….down?"

"Yes…please! You're not exactly helping out my current condition!" August said as his own anger at himself made him say things he knew he shouldn't.

"Oh! How very inconsiderate of me! How irrational I must be acting finding you like this when your father has been looking for you for who know's how long! Do you have any idea how scared and sad he is?" Sarah's anger raged as she remembered the look of desperation on Gepetto's face earlier that day. It had made her heart ache.

If there was one thing that could make August crumble it was his Papa.

"Why is he scared? Did something happen to him?" August moved towards Sarah, wanting to grab her shoulders and make her look him in the eye, but his stiffening form wouldn't allow him.

Sarah though was in no way afraid or intimidated by August and rolled her eyes at his words.

"Pin...it looks like he hasn't been sleeping for days! Whatever you did or didn't do you need to tell him! Keeping him in the dark is doing nothing but hurting h...wait...why would you think something had happened to him?" Sarah's instincts suddenly flaring as August's eyes widened at her words.

"Pin..." Sarah dragged out his name in a sort of wording, "what are you keeping from me? Is your dad in some kind of danger?"

As soon as August began to open his mouth, Sarah raised her finger.

"Don't even try to lie to me. I know what you sound like when you're lying! Plus if you even want to keep walking around and not freeze up like the tree you were made from - you better tell me the truth and everything that you don't want me to know so you save us both the time of me having to beat it out of you!"

August didn't know her, felt intimidated by her, and yet something in him told him to trust her.

Sarah never expected the story that would come out of his mouth.

He really wanted to be able to help find the people that might have been wandering the woods, but David knew that he should get back to Regina's home where they had left Cora.

After everyone else had left the hospital he had made sure to give his blood, just in case he was a match.

There wasn't much he could do since he needed to avoid Little Snow in case he actually did alter their futures.

He also had hung back in the hospital because a nagging feeling struck him when he saw Whale coming down the corridor studying paperwork, when he had looked up and found him starring at him he had looked startled. Like he had been caught doing something he shouldn't have been doing.

It had set off a small alarm in David's brain.

Trying to be discreet as much as possible, he had watched what Whale was up to.

After Whale had talked to the nurse about the blood samples and labeling them correctly David didn't see him doing anything dishonest.

He had left feeling like he was not seeing something he should have, but in the end he really didn't know what he could have been hiding.

Dismissing his suspicions for later, David was making his way through the town and towards his sister's home.

David shook his head. He could barely think the word 'sister' when thinking about Regina. It was still so new he didn't think he would be able to say it out loud without stumbling over the word. Standing up to Rumplestikltskin was one thing, after all he had sworn to protect her if she was his sister, and when he knew for sure that she was he wasn't about to let the 'dark one' hurt her when he was there.

It just wasn't going to happen. Not ever again as long as he was alive.

"We'll if it isn't mon frère! Even in another dimension you don't pay attention to your surroundings! Where's your sword?"

At first David had frozen at the sound of his own voice, but the words that he soon heard made him realize it wasn't another version of himself that was speaking. And when the joking manner of how he was speaking registered, along with the question of where his sword was in such an amused manner...David knew.

It wasn't another version of himself.

It was his twin brother.

David looked up into blue eyes that had only ever stared back at him in a mirror.

"Come on little brother, I know you don't do well with surprises - but don't look like you're angry at me already! I just got here!" James said with a smile, walking towards David on the sidewalk.

Queen Regina rolled her eyes at her brother. With how easily he was distracted it was a wonder how he ever managed to complete any task.

"You two please behave yourselves! I'm going to go check on Sarah and the children." Queen Regina announced with a smirk, not yet knowing that James didn't exist in this dimension.

David's mouth hung slightly open and only snapped out of his stupor when James nudged him.

"I know I'm gorgeous, but stop drooling over me. You look like I'm a piece of steak or pork." James tried to joke, not really knowing how to react to this other version of his brother. And it was abundantly clear that it was his brother. David tended to walk in a way that showed he had not been brought up as royalty. Mannerisms and eye contact that he had aquired over a lifetime of being constantly told what to do and how to respond had been imbedded in his everyday life. Something that David - no matter how many times was explained the reasoning behind the importance of such things - would mutter how he didn't want to be a snob.

James could tell that David hadn't been prepared to see him. Then again he hadn't really been thinking about encountering another version of himself here...and obviously it was stupid not to after his encounter with his sisters duplicate.

"Wha...I um...I'm sorry?" David was trying to get his brain to start, but he hadn't been prepared for this yet. He had just barely processed from the conversation with his mother earlier.

"I know this is awkward," James said with a little laugh, "but I figure it's better to laugh about it then go crazy over the implications of all of what all of this crossing dimensions means. You know how Gina gets when she's confused and afraid. Best to keep them both occupied with the usual stupid things we do and not all of this." James motioned between himself and David.

David couldn't help but smirk. "Sarah definitely gets her lively personality from you."

The little quip made James instantly smile. David was the same here as he was in his dimension. The ease he felt with his brother seemed to cross over to his other self here.

It felt good.

It felt better than good.

"Better mine than yours! I can at least look our sister in the face and honestly say I don't have tingly feelings for my niece!" James adjusted his stance and crossed his arms with a self assured smirk.

David felt his smile vanish.

"God it's easy to get under your skin!" James said as he positioned himself beside David and wrapped an arm around his brothers neck and began walking again. "So where are we going?"

David didn't struggle or fight off the hold, something oddly familiar and comforting about his brothers presence. Almost like he had discovered a part of himself that he hadn't known was missing.

"I was going to see mom." David didn't want to say Cora - it would only confuse James at the moment and he figured it was better to do that later with their mother actually present. One thing he knew was that she was more than likely not ready to see James.

"Great! Maybe she can whip something up for us to eat. I'm starved. Do you know how many days we were looking for your wife and Sarah? Hopefully after I eat I can take a nap. I need my beauty rest you know." James talked to David with ease, something that David felt himself. The stiffness from earlier all but vanished as James continued talking in what he now knew to be humorous egotistical way.

The closer they moved towards the house, the more David found himself laughing and joking and harassing James back.

It somehow felt right.

Maybe if things had been different - maybe if they had never been torn from each other at infancy...so man maybe's of a life he would and could never know.

By the time they reached the house David knew James was a missing piece to himself as much as Snow was.

Bracing himself as they walked into Regina's home he knew he wasn't doing so because of his mother.

It was because he knew with certainty he was going to lose his brother again.

Having lost him without never knowing him had left David understanding why he had never felt right in the world.

And now he knew without a shadow of doubt what he would feel when James left him once more.

He would morn the loss of his brother again...this time knowing just how big of a loss it was.

Author's Note: Ok! I'm expediting these chapters for the sake of people not being angry with how long it's taken me to update...so please excuse the typos! And I'm blackmailing you guys! If you want more story...I need more reviews. Reviews. REVIEWS! It's like cocaine! Once you have some...you can never get enough! Tell me what you guys though of James' memories! And trust me...you want to know what the next chapter holds! So REVIEW!