HE HAD RUN AROUND TOWN LOOKING FOR A MISSING PERSON ;  hours until the guy was found.  would david just wait until he ( again ) found the town DRUNK  unconscious in the local precinct ? he wouldn’t.  but the DOCKS  seemed to be the last place to look.   “ Hey ─ It doesn’t have to be this way Willas, “  he begins to say , stepping toward the other in a careful manner. How do you bring back an old friend?   “ This isn’t how your story works ─ town drunk ? C'mon─ you know that isn’t you ,  “ 

 IT’S  BEEN  SITTING  ON  HIS  MIND  FOR   A  WHILE.   knowing and then being  UNSURE ;   which was not something he’s  ever been ─ but david was still capable.  always a thought in the back of his mind that maybe something was just off ...today’s intuition just felt  STRONGER  around this time.           “ Mary-Margaret  wait  ── “ 

 PARENTS DIDN’T HAVE INSTRUCTION MANUALS TO LOST YEARS ;   david and snow had come to realize that early on.  so this is it.  you could  IMAGINE   he had no idea how to approach this ── the curse just barely broken.  memories flooding in. good , bad ... GUILT.  but he’d given himself somewhat of a PEP-TALK  as he’d spent minutes in the kitchen putting something together.    “ sometimes ... HOT - COCOA’S  magic  in  itself,“ he would soon, have to face this ; they all would. though sometimes ... david wished he knew exactly what to say.  right now was just endless wishful thinking  that hot cocoa really  DID have some magical properties. 

               HIS HAND IMMEDIATELY GOES     to his lower back as he stands from the  PROJECT  in front of him, blue eyes widening in the process. did he pull something ?  ❝ HONEY , I think   my age   it's... finally catching up with me ! ❞      it would sound like a joke, to an outsider seeing him now ; he’s physically in his early thirties at least.  there’s A LOT of pieces to this thing, now the thought of asking Geppetto to build a play-set didn’t seem so bad ─ but it had been charming who wanted to test himself after finally putting together that EUROPEAN CRIB.    ❝ y’know this thing ─ ❞     there’s a pause between breaths, speaking incompletely in wandering thoughts.    ❝ i’m just thinking back on everything and it’s crazy you know ─ but i mean ─are you happy, snow ?  ❞

   THERE’S  A  MOMENT  OF  HOPE  THAT  COMES  BACK  TO  HIM.     several times he’s attempted a good plan trying to help the memory of an old friend.  the blueprints that never seemed to work, or the   CUPS OF COFFEE  and longest hours of the night trying to figure this entire thing out ; because the other was  NOT  a bar drunk.  david knew him as one of the BEST knights in the realm of the  enchanted  forest.  he knew there were certain repercussions to consider, but every one who knew him ( and snow for the fact ) knew they were not the ones who ever gave up. 

        he had almost walked out of the bar , given several attempts that week to somehow jog the other’s memory.  EMMA  had been busy with her own things and charming never wanted to ask more of her regardless of the quintessential title tied to her fate ; which was exactly why he wouldn’t dare ask.  these were more of personal matters anyway, and david was set on them.  he turns, placing an honorable hand on the other’s shoulder.   ❝ Likewise, Willas.   ❞

 there’s a pause in his word.  david turns to every one in  THE  RABBIT  HOLE , shoulders back and chest high ; a speech to come.      ❝ This man right here, is not only one of the best of the  ROYAL  GUARD , but nearly had lost his life to save my daughter─  and every one of us ─ when our lives were at stake in the ENCHANTED  FOREST. This man ─SIR  WILLAS  TYRELL deserves  a celebration ─ which starts now. it starts with me honoring everyone with a round of drinks.  but that is nothing in comparison,  and there is absolutely nothing I could do to repay this man─  ❞  blue eyes turn to the other in high regard.   ❝ but to say thanks for his honorable service, in hopes that he’ll join me ─ and my family for dinner for old times’ sake. ❞