The response to this story has been amazing! Wow! Definitely going to be putting some serious time into it, then. :) I'll include a section from both the dream world and the real world in each chapter, though the order in which I do so will probably change each chapter. I'm so excited for this story! Can't wait to read your reviews!

CHAPTER 2: Searching For a Foothold

Regina watched Henry from where she was sitting. He'd fallen asleep sitting on the floor next to David's bed with his head propped against it. It had been several more hours and David had shown no signs of waking.

She stood and stretched. It seemed that nothing would be happening anytime soon and Henry didn't look comfortable in his current position. It wouldn't do any good for him to exhaust himself.

"Henry," she shook his shoulder gently. "Henry."

Finally, he opened his eyes and looked at her. Remembering where he was, he looked quickly at David and his face fell when he saw that nothing had changed. "How come he's still asleep?" he asked, pulling himself to his feet.

Regina simply shook her head sadly with a slight shrug of her shoulders. It had occurred to her that perhaps Snow hadn't been able to kiss him. It was a dream world after all; their physical forms weren't really there. She couldn't believe none of them had thought of that. They'd all been too anxious to get the message through to the other side. Not wanting to scare Henry, she kept that realization to herself. "We'll figure something out, Henry, but it's late. You should sleep first."

Henry frowned at her. "I don't want to sleep. Not until David's awake and Emma and Snow are back."

Regina sighed heavily. She, too, was tired. It had been a long day and the threat of Cora coming to Storybrooke weighed heavily on her, draining her energy. Not having the strength or will to argue, she tried from another angle. "What if Snow and Emma need your help? What if Snow goes back to ask us something and you're not there?" She hated using this against him; hated the fact that for Henry, sleep meant ending up in that terrible place.

"I…I didn't think about that…" Henry trailed off at the end, losing himself in his thoughts. "Okay," he decided, and looked up at Regina. "But since David isn't here, I'll have to go home with you." The statement almost sounded like a question.

Knowing that he was wondering if this had been her plan all along – to ensure David wouldn't wake up so that Henry would be forced to live with her again – Regina was careful not to appear too emotional on the subject. She nodded slowly. "I suppose that's true, yes. If you don't mind, of course."

He searched her eyes for a moment, but didn't find any reason not to trust her. He nodded. "And then in the morning, we can try to figure out a way to wake him up?"

"Yes." She didn't add that there would be nothing to try. Once the curse was cast, the only way to break it was true love's kiss, and apparently, that wasn't going to happen this time. All kinds of terrible realizations occurred to her surrounding David's sleeping state and Snow and Emma's return home, but she pushed them to the back of her mind. She would deal with all of that tomorrow.

"I've told you several times; that's not how it happened." David sighed in exasperation. They'd been talking for almost an hour and nothing had become any clearer. If anything, they were all more confused and frustrated than they'd been when they'd started.

Regina slumped her shoulders in defeat – something David didn't think he'd ever seen her do. She seemed to be affected by this whole ordeal more than anyone else – something he was still trying to wrap his head around.

"I just don't understand how this could have happened," she exclaimed. "I followed the directions for the sleeping curse to the letter. It shouldn't have had any effect on you – aside from putting you to sleep of course."

"You really think this world makes more sense?!" David snapped. "A world where you can wake me with true love's kiss? Honestly, Regina! Don't you see how absurd this all is? That I would leave Snow for you, my sworn enemy, a woman I hate. You really think I would ever choose you over her?!"

Even though it was what he was feeling, he regretted the words instantly. Regina seemed to fold in on herself and her eyes filled with tears. A moment later, she was somehow able to draw herself up and find her voice. "Excuse me," she said and the exited the room quickly.

Gold looked at David with a neutral expression. "I'm impressed. You managed to call her out on all her fears and insecurities in one pass."

Worse was the expression of horror on Henry's face. "How could you say that to her? You promised her you wouldn't hurt her like that!"

David took a deep breath. He knew he was going to have to put a hold on figuring out what was going on for the time being. They weren't going to be able to get anywhere under the current circumstances. He was going to have to do something to fix it.

"Henry, will you be alright here with Mr. Gold for a few minutes?"

Henry nodded.

Giving Gold a warning look, David followed in the direction Regina had gone. Once outside the shop, it wasn't hard to figure out where she'd gone. Though she was nowhere in sight, the sound of muffled crying could be heard quite clearly. He turned the corner into the small alleyway and was met by a heartbreaking sight; it didn't matter that it was the former Evil Queen.

Regina had her back pressed against the side of the building and she'd sunk to the ground. One hand was pressed firmly against her mouth to hold in her sobs while her free arm wrapped tightly around her middle, trying to control the shaking caused by her tears.

Catching sight of David, she stood up quickly, not wanting to be seen in such a vulnerable state. She hated that he'd caught her in such a weak moment. Especially since he'd been the one to cause it, and because she'd been so sure he wouldn't follow her.

"Regina—" David started softly.

"No!" She ran a hand roughly over her face, wiping away her tears. "You've already made it clear that you want nothing to do with me." She took a shaky breath and then straightened her shoulders. Her voice became the one he recognized – cold and dismissive. "You should go back in with Henry and Gold. I'm sure you're eager to fix this problem."

The way her voice cracked on the last word, he couldn't help but reach out a hand and run it comfortingly down her arm. He expected her to jerk away from the contact, but instead, she stepped into him, wrapping her arms around him and leaning her head against his chest.

He stood there rigidly for a moment, not sure how to react to this new Regina until she quietly asked, "Can you just hold me for a minute and pretend like nothing's changed? Just for a minute?"

And so he wrapped his arms around her, trying to imagine how he would comfort her if she were someone he loved. He seemed to get it right, because she closed her eyes and her breathing evened out.

After a moment, she reluctantly pulled away from him. "Henry will be waiting for us." She walked back to the entrance, leaving David standing there, lost in thought.