Okay, I now know where I'm going and have a vague idea of when I'm gonna get there! Yay! So, hopefully no more surprises that surprise both you and me.

Song of the Chapter: That Girl by the Noisettes.


"So, what's wrong with him? Is it a curse, is it a spell gone haywire?" Snow asked nervously, gently biting her lip. Regina, Gold, and the Blue Fairy were all examining Henry, trying to figure out just what it could be. Snow and David looked over the scene in their worried grandparent-y way. Killian just stood there awkwardly, not really sure what to do. What role to play in this situation.

"It's definitely magic. Dark magic, very dark. But it's very strange," Astrid answered, brow furrowed in concentration and confusion. "The magic is so complex, I think there's more than one spell that's been placed over Henry."

"What do you mean?" A pit had dropped in Killian's stomach and was getting heavier with every passing second. "There's someone who placed at least 2 spells on him? Who would do that to Henry? Honestly, who would want to hurt Henry?" Rumplestiltskin gave Killian a pointed look, which he ignored. He had expected it, he supposed. All the hateful glances and uncertainty. It was expected, but not welcomed.

"That's very good question, one we don't have an answer to," Astrid replied. Killian groaned, placing his face in his hands. "There's no way to find out who did this. But I think we can all agree that whoever cast the spells on Henry is very far away. In a different world, maybe the Enchanted Forest. It's hard to track who cast a spell normally, forget when the castor is in a different world. It's impossible."

"Is there a cure? Do we even need a cure or do we just wait? Is he okay?" David asked, fiercely protective of his grandson.

"We can't tell. The magic is so complex, who knows what would happen if we even cast a simple healing spell." Mr. Gold's thumb rubbed the top of his cane anxiously. "I've never seen anything like it."

"What about True Love's Kiss? Wouldn't that heal him?" Snow suggested. Regina, Astrid, and Gold all exchanged a look, talking to each other in hand movements and eye signals. Never good.

"Spit it out," Killian ordered, gesturing with his hand angrily. He was frustrated, and having information kept from him would be one step closer to punching a wall. Or Mr. Gold. Either would suffice. They exchanged one last glance before Regina spoke up.

"Well, there are a few problems there. Finding his True Love, for one thing. Who knows how long it would take? Having every single girl in Storybrooke kiss him is not only inefficient, but time consuming. And we don't know the long term affects of Henry's predicament. It's worth a shot, of course. It is the 'cure' for every curse, well, almost every curse. We just need the time and the information. That's the problem," Regina explained. "And if True Love's Kiss isn't the cure, he will die. True Love's Kiss either breaks the curse or kills the person under the curse. There are only few curses like that, but who knows. This is something else. Something that involves pure dark magic. And what if one curse's answer is True Love's Kiss, and the other isn't? It could leave him in this state forever, or do who knows what to him." Regina twisted her fingers, and Killian remembered that she was Henry's adoptive mother. She cared about him, actually cared. Surprise, surprise. Ms. Evil Queen actually had a living, beating heart.

At the word 'dark', Killian's head snapped up. That was it! It was the Darkness doing it. His stomach twisted with the realization. He could probably do something, fight the Darkness for Henry. Try to get him out of the strange coma. "Everyone out," he ordered, startling everyone. He knew he could do something, and he knew no one would like it. Plus, it would be easier to work without every single person breathing down his neck and asking 'What are you doing?'. Very annoying, and Killian did not need that right now.

"Killian, what are you-" Charming began, but Snow but a hand on his shoulder. He shut his mouth, nodding. "Come on, everyone out."

"Are you going to listen to him?" Gold asked incredulously. "He could kill Henry, for all we know! Leave and never look back. And you're leaving him alone with Henry?"

"Yes." With a dark look from David and the utter amount of seriousness in the single word, Gold sighed and walked out. He didn't even look back, didn't even slow his normal pace. The ominous sound of the cane echoed in the room, giving Killian a bad feeling.

"If he kills Henry, I refuse to be held responsible." Killian winced slightly. He almost yelled something back, but figured it wasn't worth the trouble.

"Sorry about, well, him," Belle sighed. "You know how he is." She gave a quick smile to Killian and placed the books down on Henry's nightstand. "For when he wakes up," she explained. Killian nodded as she left. She trusted him. Belle trusted him. Well, that was an unexpected development. It made him smile. Regina then cleared her throat, directing the attention to her.

"Killian, are you sure you can-"

"No. Now leave." Regina opened her mouth, glaring. She turned to Snow and Charming.

"And this is the man we're trusting to take care of Henry?" she said, eyebrows high. Snow nodded.

"He's usually more, how shall I say, put together, than this," she answered slowly.

Regina faced him, face hard. "Just... Just take care of him, okay?" Her sheild broke for a second, and Killian saw all the pain behind her eyes, the pain she had endured. She then brushed past him to get out the door.

Astrid quietly left, slinking out the door. "I'll be in the lobby," she called, her blue scarf hitting the door frame. Snow and Charming left right after her, trying to linger a little bit. Snow left, leaving just David.

"Be careful, okay? Whatever you're planning to do... Be careful with him."

He closed the door behind him. Killian then observed the hospital room. There was a sink, towels, a full cabinet of medication, a couple surgical instruments, blankets, basically everything a doctor could need to save a serious injured patient and then some. Killian grabbed a glove and bit down on the edge. He slipped his hand inside of it and then sterilized his hook. Although whether he would need it or not, he wasn't sure. Better to be prepared than sorry.


Henry was once more in the place with white fog. But this time, it was different. It was slightly less foggy and he could barely make out the outline of... Something. He didn't know what it was, just that it was there.

The air was salty and cool with a slight wind blowing the fog about. It reminded him of Killian showing him how to sail, but without the water. He chuckled slightly. Henry decided to walk towards the outline, even though he suspected that the longer he walked, the farther away it would get. It would be impossible to get to, at least in this state. Whatever state he was in.

He knew that he had been sick. That the Darkness had sent him there. That he had been there before in a dream. The voice that had called his name, the one he couldn't identify. That's where he was. Was it Heaven? Hell? A place that wasn't anywhere?

This time, however, the world didn't disappear into a black world where he would be stabbed with pins, no, he was stuck there. Henry figured that this option was better. At least he wasn't in pain this time. That was nice.

He sometimes heard the shells of voices, echoing from above. Or so it seemed. Flashes of phrases were heard every so often, but not often enough. It was too quiet, far too quiet. Henry hated it, he hated the quietness of it all. It was a smothering sort of quiet, covering everything in its uncomfortable atmosphere.

Henry kept walking around, anxious to do something. There was nothing to do except walk. He hated the utter simpleness of it. It was painfully simple, and he hated it. His mind was dull, everything was dull. Numb. That was the word for it. Numb. And that was almost worse than the needles had had last time. It was too simple, and his head felt like it was going to explode from the boredom.

"Help." The word just barely reached his ears, twirling around in the wind. "Help me." The voice sounded young and male. Henry started running towards the voice, panicking slightly. "HELP ME!" It grew louder and louder, soon to the point of screeching. Henry tried to find his way around the mist, but he didn't know where he was going.

Eventually, Henry reached a break in the fog. A tall, lanky teen stood with his back to him, wailing. The break in the fog was a circle with the boy exactly in the center. Henry raced towards the boy, grabbing his shoulder and turning him around.

It was Henry. Except, it wasn't. This Henry had nothing on his already slight frame, his bones painfully visible. His entire body could easily be mistaken for a skeleton, not just because of the visible bones. His skin was a sickly-bluish-white. His clothes hung on him, far too big for him. He was smiling, like he hadn't been screaming just moments before. That wasn't even the worst part.

Henry's hazel eyes were black voids. No cornea, no iris, no pupil. His eyes were just large black holes. Henry's younger double smiled, revealing pointed, bloodied teeth and a forked, black tongue.

"Nice of you to finally join the party," he said, cracking his knuckles. "I've been waiting for you, Henry."

"What the hell are you?" Henry heard himself say when he got his vocal cords to work. The smile on his double's face grew, splitting his cheeks raggedly and going close up to his ears.

"I'm what's inside of you."


It was impossible to break the barrier that the Darkness had encased Henry in. Killian had tried every method he knew, every technique he could do to coax Henry out of the Darkness's spell. It was obvious he wanted to talk to Henry. He slammed his fist on the wall, frustrated. Henry was getting paler and paler with every passing minute. He had to get Henry out of this soon or he would die. Probably. Not one to try the chances though. Killian racked his brain for every possible solution. Magic might help, but it could also hurt. Either way, he didn't have any. The remedy he had used to get Henry from the Darkness Fit he had tried. Four times.

"I can see you've done nothing." The Crocodile's smooth voice caused Killian's head to jerk up. Killian tried not to look, so of course he looked. There he was, the Crocodile himself, leaning on his cane. "What are you doing, anyways? You're no doctor, nor are you a wizard. So what are you doing? Trying to kill him?"

Killian said nothing, trying to ignore the jab at him. Gold walked over to Henry's bedside, something close to worried being played across his features. He took in the blood-red rags and sheets, the bowl of water, and the various other instruments Killian had used.

"I have no clue as to what you're trying to do," Gold admitted, frustrated. 'Join the club,' Killian thought bitterly. "This is like no spell I've ever seen. And none of what you've done here has ever been used as a remedy- or a curse. At least, not to my knowledge. So, please enlighten me as to what you're doing." They were both staring at Henry, not daring to look each other in the eyes. Instead, they looked at each other out of the corner of their eyes.

"If I told you, Henry might die." Gold's face paled. He leaned onto his cane for more support, trying to stay standing up.

"You're joking," he accused, his accent thickening considerably. Evidence he was shaken. Killian allowed a bitter smile to grace his features at his reaction. "You don't have that kind of power. Or are you just threatening to kill him yourself?"

"I don't have that kind of power," Killian agreed, nodding along. "And I would never, ever, hurt Henry. But what's wrong with Henry will. And I know what he's going through. I've tried all the remedies I know of to get Henry out of the coma. I've never had anything like this happen before. It's complicated, okay? And you need to accept that I'm not the core of your problems. If we can keep from killing each other, then we may actually be able to help Henry. So, help me? Or kill me?"

Rumplestiltskin looked at his grandson, lying in the hospital bed practically dead. "We'll be able to help him?" His voice was distant. "He'll survive?"

"I can't guarantee anything. But the chances would be admittedly better if we tried," he replied pointedly. Gold nodded.

"What do you need?"


The second Killian crossed the threshold of his ship, he doubled over, a pain in his chest. It had been 4 years since he had first met Alexander, and he had just been boarding after a visit with the boy. He was growing into a fine young lad, one who craved the sea. Killian said he would take Alexander on his ship when he was old enough, but he was nervous for him. He wasn't sure how the lad would react to life at sea.

The pain was excruciating. It started right at his heart, spreading like roots to the rest of his body. He fell to the ground, spasming. His limbs jerked themselves and he couldn't control his body. "Captain!" someone shouted, and then everything went dark.

When he awoke, a new set of thoughts accompanied his normal ones. Dark, twisted thoughts. Killian sat up and threw up, chest heaving and eyes watering. Everything in Killian's stomach emptied itself in the bucket that had been placed next to his bedside. It was a mixture of red and black blood, crawling up his throat every second. It was like he had an endless supply of whatever it was that he was throwing up.

It went on like this for hours, and as time went on he could clearly hear the new thoughts in his head. They weren't his, maybe just a hallucination, but they hurt. It was like his brain was on fire. The voice wasn't always clear, but when it was, it hit Killian in sore spots.

'Your mother left you, your father hated you, your brother wanted to kill you, why would anyone want you?' It screamed. And it hurt. The words hurt him, hurt him hard. But at least he had the vomiting to focus on. Not much better, but still better.

"Cap'n?" A small voice asked, entering the room quietly. "You alright? We set sail hours ago, you were unconscious for a while." It was the newest member to his crew, a boy barely 13 years old. Tiny thing, looked no older than 8.

Killian could do nothing, for the blood was still rushing out of his mouth. He shook his head, amazed that the boy even had to ask. The boy, Aldric or something, came in, lugging behind him a bucket filled with water. He kneeled next to Killina and gently patted his back. He did this while taking a rag dipped in the cold water and swiping it across his sweat-covered forehead.

The second the vomiting stopped, Killian passed out. He was tired, his mouth felt dead, and his stomach was reeling. He craved sleep. So, he slept. He slept and slept and slept until sleep became bleak and stretched out and boring.


Henry's mind felt like it was about to explode. That thing was inside of him? That awful, horrible thing? Is that who he was? Is that what the Darkness turned him into? He resisted the urge to... Do something and tried to remain calm.

"Scared, aren't we?" He smirked, drawing closer, closer, closer, until the two were mere inches apart. Henry could feel his double frozen breath on his skin, causing him to shiver. "You were always so easy to scare, to frighten in submission." Henry 2 disappeared, startling him. He took a step back, stunned. Henry turned around, looking for his dark double. "Boo." The word was whispered into his ear, causing him to jump. A chilling laugh followed soon after. Henry looked over his shoulder, finding his face looking back at him. Like looking into a fun house mirror. Except this was no fun house, and the thing in front of him was no mirror. "You see?" he laughed, delighted. "You are so easy to scare! It's almost adorable!"

Henry felt small, small and young. "What do you want?" His tone was panicked, shaking, and he hated that his fear, his nervousness showed. Again, his double smiled, and Henry wanted to slap him. Or curl up in a shaking ball of fear. A grin almost identical to the Cheshire Cat's smile flickered across Henry 2's face, and Henry resisted the urge to shiver.

"If I told you, I wouldn't have any fun!" Henry 2 clapped his hands together. 'Mad,' Henry thought. 'He's mad.' "Come, I have so much to show you!" For a second, the black eyes shimmered red before resuming to the normal. "If you don't come with me, I'll drive you insane!" And then he let out a giggle, spinning around with his arms extended. "It would be so much fun!"

His eyes widened. He silently followed him through the fog, parting enough to see inches in front of Henry 2. A cold pit of fear had nestled itself in Henry's stomach, and he tried not to turn around and run. "Remember," his double said softly, turning his head back slightly, "I'll drive you insane." The grin on his face, the pure happiness, the innocence only comparable to a child's, sickened Henry. Frightened him. He turned frontwards once more and continued on the path he had set out, like nothing had happened.

Henry's fingers found themselves, knotting them together and cracking one another. A bad, nervous habit. He was terrified, as ashamed as he was to admit it. He was following the Darkness, or some manifestation of the Darkness to who knew where. Who wouldn't be afraid? But nonetheless, Henry was ashamed. He was a strong person that had been broken. And now, only one thought raced through his mind, setting off flares and warnings.

Henry 2 was mad. Completely and utterly mad.


"Isn't this supposed to be the part where he wakes up?" Gold's nervous voice reminded Killian that he actually did care for Henry. That they were related by blood. It hit Killian in a sore spot, one he didn't know existed.

"It could take some time," he answered, although he was just as concerned as Gold, perhaps more so. Why wasn't it working? And that's when it hit him like lightning. "That's it!"

Gold looked at him, slightly worried. "Are you alright?" he snickered, bemused.

"Of course," Killian murmured, turning to the wall and piecing things together. "He wants to talk to him. He won't release him until he's gotten his message across. He would never kill him. I just hope Henry obeys..."

"What are you talking about?" The pure confusion on Gold's face stopped Killian cold.

"Henry is fine. Well, he won't die. We just need to wait until he's done talking. Then Henry will be fine." The Darkness was talking to Henry, possibly trying to destroy him. So, technically, Henry wasn't fine. He would live. But who knew what state he would be in? Killian just hoped that he wouldn't go mute again. The look of pure happiness in his face when he got his voice back... He couldn't have Henry loose it again.

"Are you positive? That he'll be okay?"

"No. But it's our best chance. It doesn't matter what we do, he won't wake up until he's done."

"Who's done? What are you not telling?" Gold was furious. That much was obvious. But Killian didn't care.

"Everything. Again, if I tell you, I don't know what will happen. Just, trust me, okay? He'll wake up. Eventually." The nervousness in Killian's tone was not missed by Gold, yet he remained quiet.

"Now we wait. Don't let anyone in, okay? I doubt they will respond well to the 'wait' tacit well. We just need to keep them out, and eventually he'll wake up. Pull up a chair. We have a couple more hours, most likely."

Reluctantly, Gold pulled up a chair besides Killian and looked at the scarily scrawny teen. His face was a contortion of pain and terror, continuously moving. Killian's stomach churned, and he reached for his hand. "It's okay," he whispered. "Just do as he says."

Killian could feel Gold's eyes burning into his back. He knew that he should tell him what was going on, but what if the Darkness did something to Henry? Cause him to completely and utterly self destruct. For now, it was best to keep it a secret between the two of them.

Henry's fingers closed around Killian's, like he was trying to make a fist. "What is he doing to you?" he murmured. His heart broke for Henry, knowing what he was going through.

The Darkness knew everything about you. It was you, it became you. It knew how to take you down with a single sentence, no, a single word. He knew just how to cause someone to self destruct. You never got a break, for it was always inside of you. Ripping you to shreds with ease. And he enjoyed watching you squirm, watching the pain he caused.

Henry's fist suddenly became unbearably tight, squeezing so hard Killian could feel the bruises forming. It was so tight Killian couldn't wiggle his fingers out. "Little help?" he asked, showing Gold his predicament. As the two grappled themselves with the unbelievably hard task of freeing Killian's hand, Killian noticed Henry blinked.

His eyes were black. Completely, entirely black.


"Where are we going?" Henry asked, unable to hold his tongue. They had been walking for what seemed like hours, yet it may just have been a few minutes. Time was strange in the misty-world. Henry 2 ignored him, just giggled and kept pulling Henry through the mist. "Do you have a name?" Once more, he was greeted with silence. "Is there anything you can tell me?"

"Call me Daniel. That's your middle name," Daniel said suddenly, very matter-of-factly. "Henry Daniel Mills. Henry after Regina's father, and Daniel after her first and only love." Henry blinked slowly. He wasn't sure how Daniel knew all of that, but didn't ask. What he was wondering was why he choose to be called his middle name. And why he even answered his question.

"Anything else?" Henry said slowly, trying to process his thoughts. It wasn't working.

"He wants to talk to you. Just talk to you, as long as you behave." Daniel said this with his head facing straight forward, and for the first time since Henry had met him, he sounded sane. Normal. Calm. Slightly sympathetic, if he had put an emotion into the voice. He seemed concerned for Henry, truly. But then Daniel turned his head and smiled a child's smile- also known as the psychopath's smile on anyone above the age of 6.

"That's good, I guess." Henry tried to remain calm, but his nervousness showed. Daniel chuckled, causing Henry to freeze. "What?" Henry asked, stopping short. He wouldn't move until he got an answer, he decided. No matter what the cost.

"Nu-thing," Daniel sang, spinning around on his heel, evidently giddy. "Nu-thing at all." His carefree face then morphed into one of ice and chill. "Now hurry up, or he'll be mad. And you don't want him to be mad."

Henry remained silent, not even wanting to ask the unspoken question. He didn't want to know the answer, and Daniel clearly knew how uncomfortable he was. What he was thinking about.

"He'll destroy you, if he's mad. Not before torturing you first, of course."


Writer's block. I have a block, that I am slowly wearing down. The next chapter won't be for a little while, but I'll try to get it up ASAP. I'm trying to finish up my other work-in-progress, and that has one or two chapters left. Also, September isn't an easy month for me, so the next chapter might be a bit... Disturbing? Emotional? Gory? Something along those lines.

This chapter I kind of just said, 'Okay, let's just end it here before someone begins to start a mob to come and find me.' I think 4,000 will be the average, but I am determined to write a 10,000 word chapter... At some point in this story. Probably more towards the end. On the bright side, my second favorite number is the next chapter! (My first favorite number is 39, 3 x 13, 3 times the unlucky) So, I'll probably give you guys a treat... Or a treat for myself. Either way, I'm gonna have loads of fun writing it.

If you have any theories for the story, please tell me! I really enjoy reading them and seeing who gets closest... :) See you guys next chapter!