“Has anyone ever mentioned that you tend to be a bit impulsive?”

“If by ‘impulsive' you mean charming, then yes.”

Chris rolled his eyes in a combination of exasperation and fondness.  “Don't you ever consider looking before you leap?”

“C'mon, Chris, you can't tell me you didn't want to come back here just as much as I did.”

“Maybe.  But I would have liked to have a chance to think things through, first.”

“What's there to think through?  This is the happiest place not-on-earth, right?  I mean, it's where we fell in love.  There's literally magic in the air.  What more do you need to know?”

“Well, for starters, where exactly are we?  How are we supposed to find the Enchantress, let alone defeat her?  And what are we going to do for provisions, since we got whisked away before we had a chance to snag any of those snacks Zach gathered up?”

“Minor details.  We're together, and that's all that matters to me.  I've missed you like crazy these past three days.”

Chris's eyes and tone softened.  “I've missed you, too.  But that's another reason I'm not thrilled about being here.”

“Wha'd'ya mean?”

“Were you paying any attention while Sir Burt and Mother Goose were talking?  There's a curse over the entire Land of Stories.  If we kiss, we'll fall asleep and never wake up.”

Darren looked horrified.  “Oh my god!  I hadn't thought of that!  That's terrible!  We've gotta go back — now!”

Chris laughed.  “Too late, baby.  You'll just have to keep your lips to yourself until we can find a way to neutralize the curse.”

Darren put on a pouty face.  “This is so not fair.”

“Come on,” Chris cajoled, “it won't be that bad.”

He held up their still-linked hands and began to sing:

Oh yeah, Ill tell you something

I think youll understand

When I say that something

I wanna hold your hand

I wanna hold your hand

I wanna hold your hand

Darren took the second verse:

Oh please, say to me

Youll let me be your man

And please, say to me

Youll let me hold your hand

Now let me hold your hand

I wanna hold your hand

Placing their joined hands against Chris's heart in a move reminiscent of Blaine with Kurt in The First Time, Darren continued:

And when I touch you I feel happy inside

Its such a feeling that my love

I cant hide

I cant hide

I cant hide

Chris came back in for the final verse:

Yeah, youve got that something

I think youll understand

When I say that something

I wanna hold your hand

I wanna hold your hand

I wanna hold your hand

I wanna hold your hand

Darren smiled into Chris's eyes.  “You know, every time you sang that song on tour last summer, it gave me goosebumps.”

“Really?”

“Really.  And it only took me a year — and a trip to the fairy tale world — to figure out why.”

Darren brought their intertwined fingers towards his lips.

“STOP!” shouted a familiar voice.  “Don't kiss him!”

Chris jerked his hand away from Darren, suddenly remembering the curse.

“Froggy!” Darren cried.  “Thanks, man.  You just saved me from screwing things up big time.”

Chris turned toward the new arrival. “Froggy???  I thought the Fairy Godfather turned you back into Prince Finn.  What happened?”

“When the Enchantress put the Fairy Godfather to sleep, all of his magic lost its effect.  So I guess I'll be stuck in my amphibian form until someone can rescue him and wake him up.”

“I'm sorry, man.  That's a bummer,” Darren sympathized.

“Actually, I think it's for the best.  Rachel — I mean, Queen Red Riding Hood — and I have gotten a lot closer since the last time you were here.  The fact that she's kind of repulsed by me in my current form has turned out to be a blessing in disguise, since it means that there's no chance of us getting carried away and accidentally kissing.”

“You and Queen Red, huh?  How's that working out?  I mean, aside from the whole ‘her being repulsed by you at the moment' thing?”

“Pretty well, actually.  It was hard, at first, ‘cause she was still hung up on Blaine for awhile.  But since he's been on the run with Kurt Hummelocks all this time, I think she's finally given up on him.  A few months ago I moved into her castle, and we've been really happy together.  But my current… um, condition… is putting a bit of a strain on our relationship.  I just wish there was a way to break this curse.”

“Well, that's what we're here for,” Darren said enthusiastically.  “If anyone can fix this mess, it's Chris.  And I am totally on-board to be his sidekick in whatever way he needs.  Especially if there are costumes involved!”

Chris shoved him playfully in the shoulder.  “Should I start calling you Robin?”

“Ooh, you'd make a sexy Batman!”

“And we all know what went down in that bat-cave…”

Darren laughed, then put on his best Nick Lang impression: “Look, Batman — a dog!”

It only took Chris a split second to remember the next line from Team Starkid's Holy Musical B@man:  “Quick, Robin — pet it!”

Darren began to sing, “How could it all have been so…”

Chris chimed in with, “Lonesome and hopeless, I know…”

The two continued singing “Dynamic Duet,” until they were interrupted by a loud cough, as though someone was trying to clear a frog from his throat.

“Um, guys, could we get back to the part about you saving the Fairy Godfather and lifting the curse?”

“Sorry,” Chris replied sheepishly.  “I guess we got a little carried away, there.  But we're definitely here to help, and I've got a few ideas up my sleeve.”

“That's great,” Froggy said, sounding relieved.  “How about you come back to the castle with me, and we can make a plan.”

“Sure.”

…

As he walked through the woods with Darren and Froggy, Chris tried to make sense of his reaction to being back in the fairy tale world.  It was strange in its lack of strangeness.  He kept thinking that he should be feeling disoriented and off-kilter, but instead he felt oddly at home.  In fact, it was the past three days on his book tour which seemed remote and unreal, in contrast with his current situation.

Darren swung their linked hands, practically skipping down the path to keep up with Froggy's long-legged stride.  Chris grinned at him, and Darren beamed back.

“This place is just as awesome as I remember.”

Chris nodded.  “Yeah.  These may not be the ideal circumstances, but I have to admit that I'm glad to be back.”

They soon found themselves at Queen Red Riding Hood's castle.  Chris was pleased to note that the wing that had been damaged by the fire during their last visit had been completely rebuilt.  

The guards greeted Froggy warmly as they entered the castle.  Chris looked around, not surprised to see that there were even more paintings of Rachel (I have to remember to call her Queen Red, he told himself) lining the walls than ever.

Froggy led Chris and Darren to the Throne Room, where they found the queen practicing scales.  She did a double-take when she saw them.  

“Oh my!  What familiar faces you have.  You're Chris and Darren, right?  For a moment there, you reminded me of two outlaws, who shall remain forever nameless.”

Chris and Darren glanced at each other.  On their previous visit, they'd been pleasantly surprised that no one had seemed to pick up on their uncanny resemblance to Kurt and Blaine.  They figured the lack of recognition was due to their different clothes and mannerisms, as well as to the fact that they were significantly older than their Glee/TLOS counterparts.  If a year had passed in the fairytale world during the three days they'd been gone, though, the age difference might not be so pronounced anymore.  Chris hoped there wouldn't be any awkward questions if they did happen to run into Kurt and Blaine this time around.

“It's good to see you again, Queen Red,” Darren said, stepping forward.  “Your voice is just as lovely as I remembered.” 

“Why, thank you,” Rachel said, ducking her head in false modesty.  “It's always so nice to have a discerning audience.  Do you have any requests?”

“Actually,” Chris said, “as much as we'd love the honor of hearing you sing, we're here on a mission.  We're hoping to be able to find a way to rescue the Fairy Godfather and defeat the Enchantress.”

“Oh my!  What a dreadful curse we've all been living under.  And my poor Prince Finn has been cast back into this most unfortunate condition.  If there's anything I can do to help, just say the word.”

“I was hoping we could look in your library.  Something tells me that you may have a book that holds the solution.”

Rachel seemed a bit puzzled by this request, but she quickly acquiesced.  She led the way through the portrait-lined hallways to the library.  As she preceded them through the arched doorway, Chris heard her gasp.

“Oh my!  What are you doing here?!?”

Following her into the room, Chris and Darren spotted two very familiar faces.  Sprawled out together on one of the overstuffed sofas were none other than Kurt and Blaine themselves.