A/N: My entry for Day 4 - Rescue. Set after Henry left Storybrooke. Reviews are greatly appreciated.

Regina almost fell on the thick ice underneath her feet. Not only was it cold but it was also very slippery. The pumps she had chosen for the day didn't help matters. The only thing that saved her were David's arms. He managed to catch her before she fell and broke something. He only let go of her when he was certain that she had regained her balance.

"How many ice magic users do we have to deal with?" Regina started fuming instead of thanking him. Really, after the whole drama with the Snow Queen and Elsa one would think that they'd had their fair share of ice but there they were, surrounded by icy walls that her magic could not melt. Trapped.

She wanted to scream and kick the ice but that would only cause her to lose her footing again and probably result in a serious injury. She didn't want to make things harder for David. He had rushed to her trying to save her when the walls had started appearing and thus ended up on the wrong side of the ice. He was caught in that icy cage because of her carelessness. She couldn't even bring herself to look him in the eye.

"Are you alright?" David asked and she nodded, still unable to find it in herself to meet his gaze. "Emma knows where we are. She'll come to look for us when we don't return," he said, trying to calm her.

"Am I supposed to be thrilled that I have to wait for Emma to save me?" Regina snapped, her tone colder than the ice.

David didn't say anything but he put certain distance between them. Not physically but emotionally. She felt like the Evil Queen he had been so used to running from again.

She turned and faced him as much as she didn't want to. "I'm sorry, David."

His eyes were locked with hers and even though his expression remained unchanged she felt the tension melt away. If only the same could happen with the ice. But she was powerless when it came to it.

"I just wish I was powerful enough to melt that ice." Her voice was shaking horribly as if she would start crying every second. She covered her face with her hands.

She heard David approaching. He stopped in front of her and wrapped his arms around her. "I know."

The warmth of his body and that of his words only made her feel worse. He shouldn't have been there. She had gotten him into that mess and yet he was the one to console her. She had to stop wallowing and find a way to get them out of there but she couldn't do anything. She had tried to teleport but in vain. There was a magical barrier that prevented her from going anywhere.

"I'm sorry," she said, sounding too much like the helpless girl she had been so long ago.

"It's fine," David didn't sound even half as discouraged as she did but she could feel him starting to tremble despite his best efforts to hide it.

Regina suddenly pulled away, startling him. There was a small smile on her lips and determination in her eyes. He looked at her questioningly but understanding washed over him when flames started dancing in her palm. She couldn't melt the ice but she could use her magic to keep them warm. She doubted that it would be enough to keep them from freezing but at least it would buy them some time.

David extended his arms towards the inviting warmth of her fire timidly, trying not to let on how desperately he needed it. The fire that had once threatened to kill him was now burning to keep him alive.

"Careful, Charming. It's keeping you warm but it can still burn you if you come too close," Regina teased him. A bit of her confidence had returned now that she was useful.

He smiled in response but it quickly vanished. "How long can you keep that up?"

"I'm not sure." Regina looked away, feeling as if she was betraying him. "I usually throw it at the enemy as soon as I conjure it." Her fire was meant to destroy not to protect.

"Then you'd better put it out," David said and reluctantly moved away from the flames. "Save it for when the situation gets really dire," he added before she could argue.

The situation was already dire in Regina's opinion but she decided to listen to him. An argument was the last thing they needed at the moment. Besides, it could always get worse. She'd better save her energy.

All they could do now was wait. David sat down despite Regina's protests, insisting that his legs couldn't support him anymore. She kept pacing around their icy cage careful not to slip again. The minutes were passing by and she hoped Emma would find them soon. David was looking worse by the second. She was cold too but the chills running through her body were nothing compared to his violent shaking.

She couldn't watch him like that anymore. She knelt next to him and the cold immediately bit at her skin through the thin fabric of her slacks but she didn't pay any attention to it. She concentrated on lighting a fire and making it as big as possible. She held her hands close to David but was careful not to burn him.

"Emma, where are you?" Regina said more to herself rather than to David. Their time was running out. His lips were turning blueish and he was now lying on the ice. Regina forced the fire to burn brighter even though it was already draining her energy at fast speed. She had to keep him warm and awake.

"E-Emma?" David asked trying to turn his head in a desperate search for his daughter.

Regina felt the urge to cry return but she could not afford it at the moment. "She's coming, David. She'll be here any moment." She was hoping that it wasn't a lie.

"Tell h-her that I l-love her," David said and her blood froze.

He was talking as if he wouldn't see his daughter again. And the worst part was that she didn't know if he would.

"A-and Neal," he stuttered, interrupting her dark thoughts.

"Neal," she repeated when an idea struck her. "Why don't you tell me again how he's doing in school?" she asked, trying to make him talk. She had to keep him awake.

"I'm t-t-tired," he protested, barely keeping his eyes open.

"Come on, David. Tell me about his progress in Art."

"He's g-getting b-better." David managed to smile a little. "He d-drew a b-b-bird for… for his m-mother." His eyes closed and his body wasn't shaking as much. He was losing consciousness.

"David," Regina shouted and the fire disappeared from her hands. She grabbed at him and shook him. "David!"

He did not respond and her heart leapt in her throat making it difficult to breathe. The blood was pounding in her ears and it took her a while to register the sound of a car engine coming from behind the ice wall. It stopped and she thought she must have imagined it in her despair to save David.

"Dad?" It was Emma's voice. "Regina?"

"Emma," Regina shouted in response, jumping to her feet.

"Regina, are you alright?" Emma's tone was full of concern.

"Emma, quick! You have to melt the ice. Now." Regina tried not to pay attention to the desperation in her voice and hold on to hope.

Within seconds the blonde made a hole big enough for them to get through into the ice. They managed to take David out of the ice cage and called 911. An ambulance arrived shortly, taking both Regina and David to the hospital.

Regina was a nervous wreck the whole time, not knowing if David would be alright. She snapped at Whale every time he tried to ask her something while he was checking her condition. After twenty endless minutes she managed to annoy him enough for him to give up and let her go even though he thought she had to rest. She was a bit weakened from using up that much magic but she immediately went to find Emma.

The blonde gave her a reassuring smile when she saw her approach. "He'll be fine. Don't worry."

Regina nodded even though she was visibly worried and Emma's words didn't do much to help her relax. They both looked at David through the glass that separated them from his bed. His skin had returned to its normal color since they had started warming him up in the ambulance.

"He should wake up soon," Emma spoke as she squeezed Regina's upper arm in an attempt to calm her.

Regina let out the breath she was holding and looked away. He was better but that didn't change the fact that she was guilty for everything that had happened.

"Hey, you did great," the blonde's eyes found hers. "You kept him warm and awake long enough."

Regina shook her head. "It wouldn't have been long enough if you hadn't shown up. He would have-"

"He wouldn't have," Emma interrupted her, taking Regina's hand in hers. "You were there with him."

Regina pulled away as if Emma's touch had scalded her. "He was there with me. It was my fault we were trapped and I couldn't do anything to save him."

"Apparently, that's not true because otherwise he wouldn't be looking at us right now," Emma said with a smile.

"What?" Regina looked through the glass and her heart stopped when she saw that David was looking back at her.

He gave her a grateful smile and then his eyes moved to Emma, who waved at him. He waved back weakly and mouthed 'I love you' and Regina's heart melted. He would have many more opportunities to say it to his daughter and that was the only thing that mattered.