"It was blackness," Henry explained from the cot as Regina rushed about the backroom finding a cloth and soaking it in some water at his pathetic water closet sink. She was keeping busy, trying to help the burn on his arm, Henry had other things on his mind, and he and David listened intently to the little information he had that he could convey bravely through the pain. "Aurora kept looking around, asking if I'd heard something, but there was nothing. I thought it was nothing, that she was confused cause she didn't have…you know…" he motioned to the necklace.

He nodded. "It very well might."

He had never been to the Netherworld, only read stories and theories from scholars, but Henry's description of what had transpired in the Red Room to Aurora certainly sounded familiar. If he was right, it sounded as though someone might have woken Aurora from the dream unnaturally. It sounded as though someone had pulled Aurora from it...purposefully. That was disconcerting. Aurora and Henry had talked, Henry had told them. He did not doubt that by now, Aurora had told the others. They would have put it together by now, just the same as they had on this end. If they had gone in to get more information from one another then there was no reason Emma or Mary Margaret would have pulled Aurora from her sleep unless there was some sort of danger in the area. In their still Cursed land, he knew of only one…Cora.

It was the only explanation. Even if they were out in the woods, Snow White had been a skilled hunter, and Emma's instinct would have been to fight, not take flight. If it hadn't been a wild animal, then it would have been a person. Anyone else, and Mary Margaret and Emma would have dealt with it and kept Aurora in as long as possible. But with Cora, Mary Margaret at least would have recognized the danger.

"First things first," Regina muttered, taking his former seat and wrapping the cool rag around his burn.

Henry winced as she did it but allowed the action and kept his gaze firmly on him. "What does it mean?" he asked through clenched teeth. "Does that mean she can't come back? That she's gone? She was looking for me, they wanted us to find each other, no one would wake her up early-"

"Henry, stop squirming," Regina ordered, looking the wound over.

He sighed. Regina sat there with a wet rag, trying to soothe Henry like he was a small boy, and she was an ordinary woman instead of a very talented, very powerful, witch. They didn't have time for this. Belle might not welcome his help when it came to her injuries, but Henry…

"Here. Let me take care of this," he muttered gently, allowing his hand to go purple and pushing healing magic into the wounds. Magic against magic. It fought him, but it too was Dark Magic, and his own was stronger, easily overpowered, easily healed.

"What caused this?" Regina asked.

"When you venture deeper into the Netherworld instead of away, there are risks," he explained. "Someone woke Aurora before her soul was ready to return. The violence of that act tore her away and injured Henry. We're lucky it wasn't worse. He's going to need some time to recover before he can be sent back."

"Out of the question," Regina spat at the same time David roared, "Not a chance in hell! We'd be monsters to even consider risking his life again."

Monsters…he wanted to talk monsters...as if he knew monsters better than the Dark One?

"Careful with your tone, Charming," he warned as they rose from their seats and met each other's gaze. "I understand your concern for the boy, but I know Cora. Without our help, Snow and Emma will soon be dead. And then…a true monster will be on her way to Storybrooke."

That shut David up quickly. But Regina…

"Aurora is gone," she stated, leaving Henry's side. "Why do we need to send Henry back to that fiery inferno with no one there to receive our message?"

He had no answer to that. She was right. He hated to admit it but damn it, she was right. They were essentially playing telephone with operators, like in the olden days of this country. Give a message to Henry, he gives the message to the girl, and she gives it to the women. But last time, Henry made it clear that he and Aurora had made plans to meet up, give, and receive the messages. With Aurora torn away before the message could be given, they likely had no time to make further plans. And without anyone on the other side to receive the message…it was like talking to a deadline. Of course, they could chance it. They could wait a while, send Henry back. They could hope that whatever danger pulled Aurora from her sleep passed and she returned. But there was no guarantee. It was like-

"Because someone will be there," David breathed suddenly before he had the chance to figure out an answer.

"Who?" Regina asked for him.

"Snow," the False Prince stated with confidence he wished he possessed. He knew what he was thinking, what he was assuming, but it was naught but an assumption, a big one, not one he was willing to hang a hat on, much less Belle's safety.

"Well, that's an awfully big assumption," Regina argued for him.

"No," David responded. "No, it's not. She was there once before. She can go back. She can find a way. She will. I know it. And I'll be waiting."

"You're going to this Netherworld?" Regina balked.

"I faced you. How bad could it be?"

"It's not as simple as that," he interrupted before David could get too ahead of himself. "You can't get there. You haven't been under a sleeping curse."

"Well, then put me under one."

"If we do that, there's a chance you might never wake up," he pointed out. If they failed and Mary Margaret never returned, then he'd be there forever, all the rest of his life.

"Sure I will. When I see her, she'll kiss me, and I'll be fine," David argued without losing a shred of his confidence.

Determination. Complete and utter determination. It was a risk for him, for someone who did not have that kind of faith or confidence but for someone who did have it…that kind of love could move mountains. He thought about how he would feel if the situation was different. If it was Belle there and he was here, and this was the option. He couldn't say that he'd do it because he liked to think he'd think of another way, but if it did come down to this, if this was the only option…yes, he'd do it. And he'd have every faith that Belle would wake him too. They might just stand a chance.

"Now, put me under," David ordered. "I've spent far too much time looking for my wife. It is time to bring her home."

Another familiar scene that just needed a bit of framing to get us into it.

Peace and Happy Reading!