I don't have time to proof-read this before heading off to work, so hopefully it came out alright. I have tomorrow off, so I'll spend more time writing.

For readers of Twice Cursed, I have a dilemma that only you can help solve: Emma/August or Emma/Neal? I'm not gonna lie - this has kept me from writing, because it is truly bugging me. Any thoughts or opinions would be greatly appreciated.

Same goes for this chapter ;) See you tomorrow.

Chapter 14: I Wish I Were Dreaming

"You asked me to come, Ms. Swan and now I'm here. I still don't understand why." Regina stood irritably outside of Mary Margaret's hospital room. Emma had called her twenty minutes earlier saying something about an emergency call from the Sheriff's station and could she please come as quickly as possible. Nothing more had been explained.

"You were my only option. Dr. Whale is bringing Mary Margaret out of her coma soon, but I have this emergency call to deal with. Someone needs to be here when she wakes up."

"And you didn't think to call anyone else?" Regina asked with annoyance.

Emma sighed. "I did, actually. Ruby's tied up at the diner, Granny's with her, I couldn't get ahold of Mother Superior, and Leroy and his gang are apparently out at the mines. I couldn't get ahold of any of them."

"You can't have Dr. Whale delay waking her up until you're back?"

"He thinks that it's better not to leave her for longer than necessary. Since there's nothing physically wrong with her, he doesn't like keeping her under. He almost didn't agree to do it in the first place. It took some...convincing...on Mary Margaret's part."

Regina raised an eyebrow. She actually had to say she was a little impressed. She knew that by 'convincing', Emma meant Snow had threatened the doctor into doing what she wanted. Impressive, but also irritating. It seemed the woman still possessed the ability to make people do whatever she wanted them to.

"Please, Regina?" Emma asked after it had been silent for a while. "He wants to wake her up, but I don't want her to wake up alone. Especially not with him," she added as an afterthought.

"Well, I can't blame you there," Regina said. "Alright, fine. Just...try and be quick about it, Sheriff."

"Thank you," Emma said sincerely. "I'll try my best."

She was out the door swiftly, off to resolve whatever issue one of the townspeople was having now. After a moment's hesitation, Regina walked the few steps to the entrance of the room and placed herself just inside the door.

The room was empty except for Mary Margaret lying on the bed in the middle. Regina cautiously moved forward. She looked as if she were simply sleeping peacefully. Regina wondered momentarily if this was how she'd looked under the sleeping curse just before James had woken her up.

She jumped when Dr. Whale's voice suddenly came from behind her. "Regina?"

"Dr. Whale," she addressed him coldly.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"Emma had to leave. She asked me to be here when Snow wakes up."

"Mmm. Well, I'm about to wake her now." Even after speaking, he simply stood there, staring at Regina.

"Well..." Regina said. "Get on with it, then."

Snapping at him didn't faze him, but he did nod and walk toward the bed.

Regina didn't watch Whale; she walked to the window instead and stared out into the trees outside. No matter what she tried to do, it seemed she'd always be dragged into this family's mess. She supposed it was unavoidable if she wanted to keep Henry in her life. She frowned. More like, if the Charmings' permitted her to continue seeing her own son.

"I have other patients I need to attend to," Whale said, anxious to leave the queen's company. "She should be waking up slowly now. She'll be confused and disoriented for a while but there shouldn't be any other problems. If there are, have a nurse page me."

Regina nodded, but didn't say anything in response. Once Whale was gone, she pulled up a chair and sat next to the bed, eyes on Snow. It didn't get past her how strange this situation was. After all of the years of fighting, trying to kill one another and cause each other pain, here she was sitting at Snow's bedside, waiting for her to wake up from a coma. She could see the starts of Snow stirring.

At first, it was just like any other person waking up. Some movement, a few mumbled words. Then it changed. Snow began whimpering, her face creasing into a frown. She turned her head, squeezing her eyes shut more tightly and her whimpering grew louder. Regina sat up a bit, unsure if she should call Dr. Whale. It looked like Snow was in pain.

Right before standing to fetch the nearest nurse, Snow muttered her first coherent word. "James."

Regina stopped her movements. This seemed to have something to do with what had gone on in the dream world, not any physical problems Snow might be having. She wondered, however, what could have caused that much agony. Regina's stomach suddenly tightened with horrible thoughts. If something had happened to James, Henry would be crushed. And he'd most likely blame her. She leaned forward.

"Snow."

Snow's eyes relaxed, but she still didn't open them. "James."

"Snow," Regina said again, a little more forcefully this time.

Whimpering left behind, Snow progressed to a full-blown wail. "Nooo. James." She began to cry, even as she appeared to still be sleeping.

Regina glanced out the window to see if anyone was watching. There wasn't anyone in sight for quite a distance, so Regina moved forward. She didn't want her actions to be misinterpreted as something malicious. She gripped one of Snow's arms in her hands, giving it a gentle shake. "Snow, open your eyes. Come on. Wake up."

Snow obeyed, but her eyes didn't focus on anything. She opened them slowly, blinking heavily and looking around aimlessly. She continued to cry and started shaking her head. "James. James." She went from a wail to a whisper and her pain was haunting. Regina wasn't sure what to do.

"Snow, what is it? What happened? Did you find out why David didn't wake up from the sleeping curse?"

Snow finally rolled her head over to look at Regina. For a moment, she just laid there, tears streaming down her face. Finally, some flicker of recognition crossed over her features.

"Regina?"

"Yes, Snow, it's me."

"Why'd you take him from me?" Snow asked dazedly. She still seemed extremely tired and was fading in and out on her level of awareness.

"He asked me to put him under the sleeping curse," Regina told her, assuming Snow was once again blaming her for David not waking up.

"No," Snow wailed in frustration. She was trying to form the right words, but it was so exhausting and her thoughts kept swimming around. It was difficult to catch them.

"No?" Regina could tell Snow was trying very hard to focus. "Here, why don't you sit up a bit? It might help." Knowing Snow would be incapable of raising herself up at this point, Regina hesitantly sat on the side of the bed. She reached down, using one arm to lift Snow's shoulders slightly and the other to tuck the pillows behind her so that she could lean back against them and be slightly elevated.

The contact seemed to renew Snow's grief, and Regina almost worried that she'd caused physical harm.

"Why are you being nice after what you did?" Snow was starting to sound a bit clearer, though it was obvious she was still a little confused. She looked around her, having an easier time taking in her surroundings. "Why am I in the hospital? What happened?"

Before Regina could answer her, Snow continued. "I fell. I must have hit my head." She reached up, but felt nothing.

"Snow, don't you remember? You're here because you asked Dr. Whale to put you in a medically-induced coma. You were going to try to find a way to wake David."

Snow suddenly jumped, as if she'd been shocked by electricity. "This is real?" she asked, though it sounded more like a statement to Regina.

Answering anyway, Regina said, "Yes, it's real. What happened? Did you find David?"

"I did." The sudden flatness to her voice actually managed to concern Regina. She'd rarely heard the girl use this tone and it indicated nothing good.

Snow dragged her eyes up to meet Regina's. "I can't wake him up, but you can."

Regina was caught off guard by the sudden ice in her voice, but shook her head. "Snow, I'm sorry that this has happened, but I've told you again and again - there's nothing I can do. It's out of my hands now."

"You don't understand," Snow told her. "I can't wake him because I'm not his true love anymore. The kiss won't work."

"What do you mean you're not his true love anymore?" Regina asked, shocked.

"He fell in love with someone else in the world the curse created for him."

Regina stood silent, considering this statement. She supposed it could be true. While whoever he'd fallen in love with was not an actual person, the idea of them was real, and David's love for them would certainly be real as well. It would follow, then, that the love between him and Snow could be superseded by this new love. Still, it hardly seemed possible. The sleeping curse created a world formed of a person's regrets; it hardly seemed an ideal place to fall in love. Besides..."But it's only been two days," she said to Snow.

"I know!" Snow said angrily. "I don't understand!" She started to slip back into her own world, shaking her head and looking on the verge of tears again.

"You saw him, then? He told you this himself?" Regina wanted to try to get the information out of her before she fell apart. It seemed more and more likely every second as Snow grew more distraught.

"Yes!" Snow snapped.

"Alright..." Regina didn't bother to hide the irritation in her voice. She thought she was being remarkably kind and patient, especially considering who she was talking to. "So is this a person who lives here in Storybrooke? Someone who could perhaps help us wake him?"

"Yes." This time it was a weak whisper. Snow was all over the place. She didn't know how to feel. She'd lost the ability to think, to reason, almost to breath. She didn't have much strength left in her and she was feeling a powerful urge to just sleep. She was so, so tired.

This was like pulling teeth. Regina understood - Snow was upset - but wouldn't it be easier to just spit it out and get it over with? "Who is it?" Regina prompted, growing impatient.

Snow let out a sob and turned herself over so that her back was to Regina. The word that came out was so quiet and so muffled by crying, that Regina almost didn't hear it.

"You."