A/N: You have finally caught up with me. I don't have anymore chapters banked. We are going to go to when the curse is broken. so we are working on that. I hope you are enjoying this fic. ~S.K.

The Shepherd

Emma and Henry sat together on the bench by the Nolans' stairs. Her father had returned home to a wife he didn't remember. She had come to represent her mother, as Snow had refused to attend the welcome home party.

"You know why he doesn't remember?" Henry asked.

"Can't have a cursed brain if you weren't conscious to get cursed," Emma replied.

"Since it already worked once, Grandma should have been here tonight. She needs to be with him as often as possible."

"Hey..." Emma and Henry stopped their conversation and turned to look at David. "Dr. Swan, right?" he inquired.

"Hey," Emma responded, taking in her father's appearance. She had never seen anyone who looked so much like herself, except maybe Henry, who resembled his adoptive mother more than her most of the time. "Right, yeah."

"You would be the only one I know here," he said with a smirk.

Emma smiled.

"Is your mom coming tonight, Dr. Swan?" David asked.

"No... She's staying home tonight, preparing herself to start teaching at the elementary school and didn't feel quite welcome here, so..."

"Thank you. I've been missing her at the hospital since she stopped coming."

"Yeah, she had to find something to do," Emma said.

"Excuse me, I'm just going to use the restroom," he said abruptly. Emma smiled and nodded. She wasn't one for small talk either, so she decided to mingle at the party, even if just for a short while. As she talked to Dr. Whale, Kathryn asked for David. Emma paused and looked around the room, but her father was nowhere to be seen. Kathryn went off to search for him, and Emma decided the party was over for her. She said goodnight to her son and left the building.

Snow's footsteps echoed softly on the quiet streets as she made her way to Granny's. She had chosen to send Emma to the party that Kathryn had kindly invited them to, but she herself had opted to stay away. David had returned to town, and the celebration was meant to welcome him back, but it was a celebration that Snow couldn't bring herself to partake in.

As she approached the familiar courtyard of Granny's, David suddenly appeared before her, his presence interrupting her thoughts.

"Did you not get the invite?" he asked, sounding somewhat puzzled by her absence.

Snow halted her steps and took a deep breath. "David."

"Did I say something to offend you the other day?" he inquired, concern in his eyes.

"David, no," she replied, her voice laced with empathy. "It's not that. It's just that there are feelings to consider, outside of you and me. Kathryn doesn't deserve this. Yes, you don't remember her, but to her, the years she lost with you are real. There has to be a better way to do this."

David, still grappling with the complexities of his situation, pressed further. "What is a better way?"

Snow's expression softened as she admitted, "I don't know, but I'm working on that. For now, I need you to be patient."

Her words hung in the crisp night air, filled with the weight of unresolved emotions and the tangled threads of their past. Snow and David stood at a crossroads, uncertain of what the future would hold, but determined to find a path that would bring happiness to all involved.

As Emma entered the house, she found her mother standing at the sink, angrily scrubbing away at a stack of dishes. The clatter of dishes and the aggressive scrubbing indicated Snow's frustration.

Emma leaned against the doorway, a smirk playing on her lips. "You might want to ease up, or that Brillo pad is going to press charges," she quipped, trying to lighten the mood.

Snow paused in her task, setting a plate back in the sink. "I wouldn't have to do it if you didn't let the dishes pile up."

Emma stepped further into the kitchen, her tone more serious. "Does this have anything to do with Dad coming for a visit? I saw him sulking outside as I pulled up."

Snow sighed, her shoulders sagging with the weight of her thoughts. "It's just... I can't stop thinking about Kathryn. I know it's all fabricated, but that isn't her fault. Though he made a pretty compelling case."

Emma sympathetically placed a hand on her mother's shoulder. "Yep, and she's smitten. I know I was just at the party."

Snow looked at her daughter, a mix of uncertainty and longing in her eyes. "What do I do?"

Emma took charge, walking over to a cabinet and retrieving a bottle of Scotch Whisky. She poured them both three fingers of it, trying to offer a solution. "You need to stop cleaning and have a drink with me. All I know is, we're here on a mission. We know where he is, and we know why he can't remember, and he will likely never remember her, and that's a good thing. We just have to break this curse. The good thing is that he's still interested."

Snow reached for her tumbler and drank deeply, the warmth of the whiskey soothing her worries, at least for the moment. The two women knew that they had a difficult path ahead, but they were determined to find a way to break the curse and return David's memories to him, freeing him from the tangled web of the past.

David sat in the quiet of his home, surrounded by pictures of a life he couldn't remember. He studied photographs of moments he had shared with Kathryn, searching for any connection or emotion that should have been there. But the truth was, he felt nothing.

He couldn't grasp the love he was supposed to have for this woman, a love that should have bound them together as husband and wife. It was a strange and unsettling feeling. In his mind, he knew that if he had married someone, it was because he loved her deeply. There should have been a connection, a spark, a feeling of being with the one he cherished above all.

Kathryn, who had hoped for a reunion, could see the emptiness in his eyes. She leaned in and kissed him, hoping to rekindle the lost love between them. But when she felt him pull away, it shattered her heart all over again.

"This... This isn't right!" David finally managed to say, his voice filled with confusion and frustration. And with those words, he walked out of the door, leaving Kathryn alone and heartbroken.

The uncertainty of his emotions and the painful realization that he couldn't remember the love they once had were taking a toll on both of them. David's journey to rediscover his true self was bound to be filled with challenges, not only for himself but for those around him as well.

The next morning, as Emma and Snow sat at the diner, their conversation was intermittently interrupted by the voices of Kathryn and Regina at a nearby table. It was evident that the two women were discussing the recent events surrounding David's departure from Kathryn.

Kathryn, her voice filled with a mixture of sadness and frustration, said, "I just don't understand it, Regina. One moment he's back, and the next, he's gone. He doesn't remember me, but he could at least try."

Regina, with her usual air of calculated composure, replied, "Kathryn, this situation is complex. You have to understand that he's been through a lot. It's not easy for him, either."

Meanwhile, at their own table, Emma and Snow exchanged glances, knowing they had to help resolve this complicated situation.

Emma leaned in, her voice hushed, and said to her mother, "Mom, we have to do something. Kathryn is heartbroken, and Dad is wandering around in confusion. We can't just sit here."

Snow nodded, her brow furrowed in concern. "I know, Emma. We need to find a way to break this curse and bring David's memories back."

As they listened to Regina and Kathryn's conversation, they were increasingly convinced that they needed to act quickly to restore David's memories and bring an end to the curse. It was a mission not only for their family but for the well-being of everyone in Storybrooke.

David's unexpected appearance at Mary Margaret's workplace left her torn between her past and her present. As he urgently expressed his need to talk to her, she couldn't help but be blunt in her response.

"Tell me that you didn't leave your wife because of me," Snow said tersely, her voice tinged with concern.

David shook his head, his eyes reflecting his inner turmoil. He attempted to explain, "I didn't want to hurt her either. But the worst thing I could do to Kathryn would be me pretending." He sighed, then added, "She needs someone to feel about her, the way I feel about you."

Mary Margaret pondered his words, conflicted by the situation. She questioned, "And you don't care about my age?"

"It's nothing but a number," he responded earnestly.

Their conversation was abruptly interrupted by the ringing of the bell, signaling the start of her class. Mary Margaret was left with no choice but to focus on her students who were pouring into the classroom, including her grandson Henry.

"I can't talk to you about this now," she whispered to David as she turned her attention to her teaching duties. He had no choice but to leave, asking her to meet him at the bridge later that night.

After David had departed, Henry, her ever-curious grandson, approached her and asked, "Grandma, are you going?"

Mary Margaret looked at Henry, her heart heavy with the decisions she had to make. She gently replied, "Henry, have a seat," and prepared to start her day, knowing that the evening held a difficult choice that would weigh on her mind.

As Emma sat at her desk during a free period, engrossed in reviewing course materials, her mother, Snow, entered the teacher's lounge with a request. Emma looked up and asked, "What is it?"

Snow began, "Your father came to see me. He wants to meet at the bridge tonight."

Emma's interest was piqued. "So what's the plan?" she inquired.

"I'll meet him and see where this goes. I've been waiting for this night for 28 years," Snow replied with a mixture of hope and anticipation.

Emma couldn't help but express her impatience. "It's about damn time."

She then reached for a bearclaw pastry on her plate, taking a bite, and continued, "I found some shards out in the mines. I want you to look at them."

"Something other than rocks?" Snow asked with curiosity.

"It's glass and metal," Emma explained. "I found a pretty intricate piece. It didn't look like something random. Maybe you can tell me if you've seen it before."

Snow agreed, "Sure," and Emma stood, retrieving a small box from her cubby in the lounge. When she opened the box and showed its contents to her mother, Snow gasped in recognition.

"Do you know it?" Emma asked.

"It's the bed from my sleep curse," Snow confirmed.

Emma handled the intricate piece as if she needed to touch it. "I think it's got magic," she whispered while examining it closely.

"Well, I think it did," Snow responded, reflecting on the curse that had held her captive for so long.

"No, it still does. It's being suppressed, like mine here," Emma insisted. She carefully placed the shard back in the box and stored it away, determined to explore its magical properties further when the time was right.

Regina had spotted David and knew he was on his way to see Snow. She also had a trinket in Mr. Gold's pawnshop that Kathryn had mentioned in one of their conversations about memories, and Regina believed it was crucial for him to see it. When she saw that David seemed lost, she approached him and asked, "Is there anything I could help you find?"

David looked at her and replied, "The toll bridge."

Regina sensed the significance of this meeting and asked, "Where you were found... trying to remember?"

David nodded, and a faint smile played on his lips. "Well, I'm meeting someone."

Regina couldn't help but probe further, her tone carrying a hint of desperation, "Oh, so you've made your choice. Is there any way I can change your mind?"

"Sorry, no," David said firmly.

Regina gave him directions, but she had her own plan in mind. She directed him not to the toll bridge but to Mr. Gold's antique shop.

David sighed, feeling a bit puzzled, and decided to ask the shop owner for help. "It seems that the Mayor has led you astray."

The shop owner corrected the directions, pointing him in the right path to the toll bridge. As David was about to leave, his eyes caught something. A windmill, the same windmill that was supposed to be outside their house when he and Snow had been together. He stopped and watched it spin, and in that moment, his cursed memories began to resurface. "I remember."

Snow waited at the toll bridge, knowing that David would come. He couldn't remember anything about Kathryn, and she was determined to see if their love could be rekindled.

When David arrived, he was running and seemed surprised that she had come. "You came!" he said.

Snow couldn't help but feel a pang of disappointment in his tone and asked, "Why do you sound disappointed?"

But David's next words took her aback. "I remember."

"Kathryn?" Snow inquired, her voice tinged with concern.

"Everything," David confirmed.

Snow blinked, struggling to process this revelation. "And you love her," she stated.

"I don't know," David replied. "But I did. I remember how I felt. I think I have to honor that."

Snow's heart sank, and she let out an exasperated chuckle. She turned and walked away, her emotions too overwhelming to deal with at that moment. She couldn't help but wonder how Regina had managed to implant those cursed memories into David. "Goodbye, David," she said, her voice heavy with sadness and frustration.

Emma was driving down Mifflin Street, a route she often took because it allowed her to catch a glimpse of her son's window as she passed by. However, on this particular evening, her routine drive took an unexpected turn. She spotted someone climbing out of a darkened window in Regina's house. Emma immediately stopped her car and, with a baseball bat in hand, approached the intruder stealthily.

She waited for the right moment and then ambushed the person, only to discover that it was Graham. "Graham, what are you doing climbing out of the window like that?" Emma demanded, her tone a mix of surprise and annoyance.

Graham stammered, "I was... we were just..."

Emma interrupted him, clearly exasperated. "Ugh, spare me. Why couldn't you use the front door?"

Graham hesitated before explaining, "She doesn't want Henry to know."

Emma's disgust was palpable. "You did that with Henry in there?"

"He's asleep; he doesn't know," Graham replied.

"That's disgusting." Emma's revulsion ran deep as she retreated to her car. The unexpected encounter with Graham sneaking out of Regina's house had left her feeling a complex mix of emotions. Disgust was at the forefront of her thoughts, and it was a powerful feeling.

First and foremost, she found the situation distasteful due to the clandestine nature of Graham's exit from Regina's house. The notion that they were trying to keep their relationship a secret from her son, Henry, didn't sit well with Emma. She believed in being open and honest with her child, and the idea that someone was sneaking around in Henry's presence didn't sit well with her maternal instincts.

Furthermore, this discovery raised questions about Regina's romantic preferences. Emma had known Regina to be a formidable and often harsh figure, and the revelation of her romantic involvement with Graham, a more decent and compassionate individual, left Emma perplexed. It seemed like an odd match, and Emma couldn't help but wonder what had drawn them together.

As she sat in her car, the encounter weighed on her, casting a shadow over her evening. Emma had intended to just pass by and catch a glimpse of her son, a simple and comforting routine. Instead, she had stumbled upon an unsettling situation that left her feeling a mix of frustration, concern, and confusion. This unexpected turn had thoroughly ruined what had started as a routine drive home.

David Nolan walked through the door of his home, a place that had been a source of both comfort and confusion for him in recent days. He was determined to make this second chance at a life with his wife, Kathryn, work.

The familiarity of the surroundings enveloped him, with the memories of his life with Kathryn beginning to resurface. He saw the framed photographs on the wall, capturing moments of joy and love that they had shared. These images, though still somewhat hazy, carried the weight of years of history together.

As he moved further into the house, he noticed the subtle details that made it feel like home: the soft lighting, the inviting aroma of a home-cooked meal lingering in the air, and the warmth of the living room where they had spent countless evenings together.

Kathryn awaited him, her expression a mixture of hope and apprehension. They both understood that the path ahead wouldn't be easy. Rebuilding a life together after the confusion of his lost memories was a challenge they were willing to face head-on.