Determined to discover what was really happening, Chris headed for Zach's dance studio.  On the way, he ran into Zach himself, laden down with enough snacks to feed an army - or, at least, the leader of an army from the fairytale world.

“Chris!” Zach called out, sounding relieved.  “You're here!  What's going on?”

Chris sighed.  He realized that he should have spent part of the drive formulating a plausible cover story to use with Zach, but it was too late now, and he was too jet-lagged to think on his feet.

“I'm not sure,” he replied honestly.  “Why don't you let me talk to this guy and see what I can find out.”

They made their way to the studio together.  Chris held the door open to allow Zach, whose arms were full, to pass through ahead of him.  Before Zach could step across the threshold, however, he was nearly bowled over by a curly-headed blur streaking past him.

“Chris!” Darren cried, swooping him into a bone-crushing hug and spinning him around.

Any remaining doubts Chris may have had about whether he'd simply been imagining their romantic relationship were immediately put to rest as Darren drew back from the hug just enough to place both hands on Chris's face and pull him in for a kiss.

A wolf-whistle from Zach reminded Chris that they weren't alone.  Reluctantly, he broke away from the kiss, feeling his cheeks flush with a combination of embarrassment and the lingering heat from Darren's hands.

“Awww…  You two are adorable,” Zach cooed, wrists crossed up under his chin in a way that would certainly give Chris and Darren a run for their money in a ‘who's more adorable?' contest.    

Sir Burt cleared his throat, looking pointedly at Chris.  “I'm sorry to interrupt, but this is an emergency.  The Fairy Godfather has been kidnapped by the Enchantress, and Mother Goose sent me here to persuade you to rescue him.”

“Mother Goose?” Darren blurted.  “Cool!  Is she really a talking goose?”

Chris was about to explain to him that the Mother Goose in his story was an old woman who got that nickname because she rode around on her giant pet goose, but Sir Burt responded with a snort.

“I wish!  Everyone calls her Mother Goose because once she's knocked back a couple of drinks, she starts pinching buttocks left and right.”

Darren was clearly even more delighted with this version of ‘reality' than he'd been with the idea of an actual talking goose.  He let out a bark of laughter.  “Man, I can't wait to meet her!”

“Well, you won't have to wait long.  She should be arriving any minute.”

No sooner had Sir Burt finished speaking than Mother Goose herself literally popped into the room.  Given Sir Burt's description — and the fact that every character from his Land of Stories books seemed to have been mashed-up with a corresponding character from Glee — Chris wasn't surprised to see April Rhodes standing (unsteadily) in front of them.

“Well hello there, Sir Burtie.  Have you been gettin' down and dirty?”

Trying valiantly to maintain his dignity in the face of April's lascivious wink, Sir Burt responded, “I've been engaged in the mission you set for me.”

“I see that you've found Darren and Chris.  Did you tell them about the accursed kiss?”

“I haven't had a chance yet.  Chris just got here, and I was about to fill him in when you arrived.”

April's attention was suddenly caught by Zach, who was standing off to one side, looking shell-shocked.

“And who's this cutie over here?  I think he's got a mighty fine rear!” she cackled, taking a swig from her flask.

Zach squeaked as she goosed him.

Sir Burt stepped forward and placed one hand on her shoulder.  “Mother Goose, do you really think this is an appropriate time to be drinking?” 

April's answer was to break out in song:

They tried to make me go to rehab

But I said, No, no, no

Yes, Ive been black 

But when I come back 

Youll know, know, know

I aint got the time 

And if my daddy thinks Im fine

He's tried to make me go to rehab 

But I wont go, go, go

Chris decided it was time to intervene.  “Mother Goose, I'd be happy to help in any way I can, but what exactly is it that you want me to do?”

“The land of stories has lost its glee, and only the co-creator can set us free,” April slurred.  

Chris turned to Sir Burt, wordlessly asking for help in interpreting Mother Goose's drunken rhymes.

“Maybe I'd better start at the beginning,” Sir Burt said.  “But is there somewhere we could sit down?  It's a bit of a long story.”

Zach pulled himself together enough to lead them to a room with comfortable chairs and sofas.  Chris and Darren plopped down together on a loveseat, fingers intertwined.  Sir Burt sat in a chair opposite them.  April collapsed onto a sofa, while Zach — keeping a wary eye on her — took a seat in the far corner of the room.

Once everyone was situated, Sir Burt turned to Chris and Darren, and asked, “Are you familiar with the history of the Sleeping Kingdom?”

Chris nodded.  “Yes.  The Enchantress cursed Sleeping Tina to die when she pricked her finger on a spindle, but the Fairy Godmother —”  Noting the confusion on Sir Burt's face, Chris amended, “I mean, the Fairy Godfather, modified the curse so that she only fell into a deep sleep, from which she was awoken by a kiss from Prince Mike Charming.”

“That's right.  We all expected them to live happily ever after.  Of course, everyone thought the Enchantress had been killed long ago by the Evil Queen.  But apparently, she's back, and this time, she's targeting our whole world.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, it seems that she was furious that her original curse had been broken by a kiss.  So now, she's cast another curse, and this one is much, much worse.  It started in the Sleeping Kingdom, and at first, people didn't realize what was happening.  Ever since your visit to the palace last year —”

(Chris and Darren exchanged a look.  Time must be passing differently in the fairytale world, since they'd only been back in this world for three days.)

Sir Burt continued, “King Mike Charming and Queen Sleeping Tina had been following your suggestion — teaching their subjects how to dance to help them stay awake.  And it was working splendidly.”

“Awesome!” Darren said.

Sir Burt looked grave.  “A few weeks ago, though, there was a sudden resurgence of folks sleeping during the day.  In the beginning, no one paid much attention.  Within a few days, however, half the kingdom had fallen into a deep sleep.  

“The royal advisor, Artie, went to speak with the king and queen.  As he approached them, he saw them lean together for a kiss.  The instant their lips touched, they both fell to the ground, unconscious.”

Chris and Darren gasped.  Mother Goose snored.  Zach sat silently in his corner, mouth hanging slightly open, a dazed look in his eyes.

“Artie rolled his chair over as quickly as he could, and was horrified to find that neither Queen Sleeping Tina nor King Mike had a pulse.  However, both of the rulers were still breathing, although faintly.  Neither he nor the royal physician, though, could find any way to rouse them.  

“Further investigation revealed that all of the victims were in the same condition.  After being kissed, they had fallen into an unbreakable sleep, without even their heartbeats remaining.  The only hint that they were still alive was a slight whisper of breath.  

“Artie was the first to grasp the significance of the situation.  The Enchantress had returned, and she'd found the most ironic way to exact her revenge on those who had foiled her original curse.

“Gathering the members of the palace guard who were still conscious, Artie sent them out to warn all of the citizens to avoid kissing.  They returned with disturbing reports from the folks who lived near the borders.  Unlike the original curse, which only affected the Sleeping Kingdom, this curse seemed to be gradually expanding out to neighboring territories.     

“Mounted on their fastest horses, messengers rode out to all of the other kingdoms, sounding the alarm.  For the most part, they were able to outrun the spread of the curse, saving countless people from falling victim to it.  

“Unfortunately, they were too late in arriving at Quinderella's palace.  Princess Beth, now a year old, had awakened in the night and called out for her mother.  The queen went to comfort her, and the moment her lips touched her daughter's forehead, the princess fell into a cursed sleep.”

“Oh no!” Darren cried.

Chris squeezed his hand, remembering the beautiful infant they'd seen just a few days before, as time was passing in this world, and trying to imagine her  a year older.

Looking more closely at Sir Burt, Chris could see the pain in his eyes.  He guessed that, as the head guard at Quinderella's palace, Sir Burt must have been close to the princess.

“I feel responsible,” Sir Burt said with a sigh.  “It is my job to protect the Royal Family, and I have failed in my duty.”

Chris tried to comfort him.  “Don't blame yourself.  There's no way you could have known, and nothing you could have done to prevent this.”

“Be that as it may, the princess lies still and unresponsive, the king and queen are devastated, and the entire Charming Kingdom is in despair.  I had hoped that the Fairy Godfather could find a way to lift this curse, but when I sought him out, I discovered that he, too, has fallen victim to the Enchantress.”

Mother Goose chose this moment to awaken with a start.  “Did I hear you mention the Enchantress?  Do you know how to clear up this accursed mess?”

Sir Burt turned to her.  “I've explained about the curse, but maybe you'd better tell them what happened to the Fairy Godfather, since you're the only one who witnessed it.”

“Oh, the Fairy Godfather is such a great guy.  What happened to him almost made me cry.  The Enchantress snuck up and kissed him, like this —”

As she was speaking, Mother Goose had been gradually making her way toward Zach's corner of the room, and she suddenly grabbed him and pressed her lips to his. 

“And of course he collapsed, because of that kiss.”

Zach looked as though he was about to collapse, as well.

“The Enchantress just laughed at him there as he lay.  Then she scooped up his body and dragged him away.”

“Mean people suck,” Darren muttered.

“Oh yes, the Enchantress is mean as can be.  And that's why we need you to aid us, you see.  The Fairy Godfather mentioned, a year ago now, that if he couldn't help us, then Chris would know how.  And that's why we've come here, to beg and to plead, that you'll return to assist us, in our time of need.”

Darren leapt up from the loveseat. “Of course we'll help!”

Then he glanced down at Chris, who was still seated, looking pensive.  “C'mon, Chris, it'll be great!  I can't wait to get back to the fairytale world!  Didn't we have the best time when we were there?”

When Chris still looked unconvinced, he added, “Plus, we've gotta save Ryan, right?”

“Yes,” Chris answered, “but —”

There was no time for Chris to finish his sentence, however.  The moment he uttered the word “yes,” Mother Goose waved her flask, which seemed to act as a magic wand, opening a portal between the worlds.  Darren took a step forward, and suddenly he and Chris were sucked through to another dimension.