Chapter 5

After Mary Margaret had basically kicked him out of the apartment David finds himself making his way to Granny's Diner.

He walked over to the counter to order himself a cup of coffee, and sat quietly trying to figure out how he got in to this mess with his family. He spent a good half hour sitting in silence paying no mind to the other patrons of the diner.

The ding of the bell above the door is heard indicating someone new had entered the establishment. He sees a figure making their way toward him and they sit down in the bar stool beside him. "Are you having a bad night Prince?" Anton asks leaning over to address the quiet man.

"You can say that again... and you don't have to address me as Prince." He says quietly.

"Well what should I call you then?" He asks with a playful shrug.

He pauses for a moment to consider this question. "You know... I don't even know who I am anymore." He lets a low chuckle escape him. "Here in Storybrooke I was David Nolan. In our old world I assumed the role of my brother James, the Prince, and to my wife I have always been Charming." He says as his face goes void of expression, an involuntary reaction to mentioning his wife after a day like this.

"That is a long list of titles to choose from." Anton says with a small smile.

"What brings you to Granny's this evening Anton?" He asks wanting to change the subject.

"I love being a dwarf. I really do." He starts to say with a grin, "It's nice having brothers again but after spending a few years in solitude I learned to appreciate quiet moments alone." He looks over at David before asking, "Did I interrupt your... quiet moment?"

"Oh no... I just... needed to clear my head. I wasn't sure where to go and I ended up here. It's one of the few places in this town I feel comfortable."

"Is uh... is everything alright?" Anton presses. "You seem troubled."

David smiles at the childlike way the question came out of the burly man. He takes a moment before he changes the subject again to say, "I'm sorry... that my brother took your family from you Anton."

"You have apologized before and really there is no need for it. It wasn't your doing. In all honesty it was my fault." He says with a frown.

"I don't understand. How was any of that your fault?" David asks in confusion.

"All I ever thought was that I didn't fit in at home. I was looking for a place to be comfortable, a place where I felt like I belonged but then I realized, much too late, that I had always been where I needed to be. I needed to be where my family was but I made the choice to lead strangers to my home and... that one bad decision caused me to lose everything. My bad decision changed the fate of my family. It was something I never considered and that hard lesson is something I will carry with me always."

David shuts his eyes at hearing these words not liking how some of this story hit close to home.

"You're lucky you know?" He waits for David to look over at him before he continues. "You have a wife who stands by you, a brave beautiful daughter, and a young healthy grandson. Your life is so full of reason and purpose."

David allows a moment to let this sink in. These were all things he never used to be and seemingly overnight he had, in addition to being a husband, become a father and grandfather. He smiles to himself and inhales deeply to hold back his tears. "Yeah." He finally whispers in reply.

"... and now I have that again. You gave me a second chance at having a family. I have my new brothers and a new purpose. I am exactly where I need to be." He says with a smile.

David remains silent staring down at his now empty coffee mug. So many ideas were running through his head at the moment.

"You know..." Anton interrupts his thoughts. "Those beans my brothers and I have been tending to are coming along nicely. It's only a matter of time until you have the chance to go back to your own world. I bet you really want to get back there huh?"

His face is suddenly serious as he takes this question into consideration. "I do... I did... but..." He shakes his head, "I think I have a few messes to clean up in this world before I can make my way to clean up the messes of that one." His face suddenly lights up with a smile as he starts to stand up. "Thank you."

"For what?" The once gentle giant asks with a furrowed brow.

"For reminding me of where I belong. I have to go..." He says as he pats the bigger man on the back. "Thanks again Anton."

"Actually... do you think you could just stick to calling me Tiny?" He calls out.

He laughs and with a shake of his head replies, "Sure... Tiny." He says with a curt nod. "Have a good evening."

"You too...uh... David?" He says with shrug and a small chuckle. Watching the man walk out into the dark street.

He hurries to get back to the apartment hoping that his family is still awake.