A/N: Thanks for the support on Chapter 1! This curse isn't a photocopy of season 1's curse. There are little things changed, and some huge things. Sometimes living in the dark isn't nearly as painful as living with glimpses of light. At least in the dark, you're not living with the pain of knowing there was a light and you can't bring it back.

Six years passed since Henry left the enchanted forest, but he was no closer to breaking the curse than the day he landed in The Land Without Magic. He was put in what this place called foster care, being moved constantly between different families. None of them compared to his own family. No woman smiled quite as bright, and no man held him quite as tight.

But today, his foster Mother had told him to pack his bags, because he was being adopted. All of his belongings fit in his bag, it helped that the only thing he cared about in this world hung around his neck. It was a piece of silver on a long leather cord, the silver was engraved with a Swan and Hook. His parents had given it to him when he was very young, and he never took it off.

His social worker picked him up from the foster home early that morning, and they'd been driving for hours. Tall buildings and shops were replaced with forests and streams. Henry's leg had fallen asleep somewhere between hour two and three.

Up ahead, they could see a woman standing next to a sign that read "Welcome to Storybrooke." The closer they got to her, the more dread seeped into Henry. When the car came to a stop, he could tell this was it.

The social worker motioned for Henry to get out of the car, but every part of him was screaming the opposite.

"This is Regina, she's the one adopting you." His social worker said, sounding neutral.

"Lad, we're trying to protect you, Regina is evil." Killian said, trying to reason with Henry. They felt terrible about what they were doing, limiting his access to the outside world. He could leave the castle whenever he liked, but he had to be with an adult. Things weren't always like this, he could remember the days where he could go out and sit by the pond all day and no one would bother him. Now with Regina attacking their kingdom left and right, they couldn't be too careful.

"This is real." Henry said, breathless. If Regina was here, then his parents must be here as well.

"Of course it is, Henry. I'm your Mother now." Regina said with a bright smile, but Henry could see past the shiny white teeth. There was darkness in her and he refused to give in. He would save his parents.

"This is the sheriff's office, you've reached Sheriff Swan, how can I help you?" Emma asked the caller, leaning back in her chair. Storybrooke wasn't exactly exciting, small town life tended not to be. She could only guess it was one of her five most frequent flyers. None of them sounded appealing this morning.

"It's Ruby, we've got a code rum, backup is needed." Ruby huffed into the phone, and you could hear Granny shouting in the background over the phone. That woman always hated when the drunkards came into the diner during the morning rush. They were hard to control and took up valuable space.

Emma couldn't help but roll her eyes. Of course he was at it again. Killian Jones, the harbour master, has always been good at getting into trouble. Give him a bottle of rum and he'll wallow all day. They even have his face posted in every establishment that serves alcohol. Emma can't fathom where he's getting the rum from at this point, but every once and awhile, Killian surfaces drunk and almost always talking nonsense. Thankfully once he sobers up, the rambling ends and Emma sends him on his way.

"I'll be right there, if you can, fill him up with some coffee. I'll cover the tab." Emma sighed.

"Can do, Emma." Ruby agreed, letting the line go dead. On the way out the station door, she grabbed her leather jacket and prepared herself for another code rum.

Killian slumped in one of the booths at Granny's, ignoring the worried looks he was getting from Archie. The guy always wanted to fix him, but Killian felt he was just fine. Well, he wasn't fine, but he didn't have a drinking problem. He had a memory problem.

Every day, Killian woke up in Storybrooke, and most nights that's where he stayed. But every so often, he'd find his dreams taking him somewhere else. Almost like a past life that was breaking barriers. In that life, Killian had been happy. In real life, Killian was alone, and there was no happiness in that.

"Here's some coffee, the Sheriff is on her way. I can get you something to eat to bring with you, because it looks like your day will be spent in the station." Ruby said, looking sympathetic.

"I'm alright, but thank you for the coffee." Killian said with a lack of emotion. He was exhausted, he couldn't tell if it was from the rum, or the fact that his dreams woke him at three in the morning.

This time, he'd woken from a happy dream. Those were always the hardest. Being ripped from a pleasant false reality and set back into the real world always messed with his head. Rum at least stopped him from remembering. The dream left a smell burned into his nose, something that he could never quite place. Every breath made him feel like he was at home, comfortable and safe. Whenever he closed his eyes, he saw streaks of gold and green. He could hear laughter bouncing off the walls, and when he opened his eyes, he saw nothing. The dreams were a cruel reminder that he was alone.

The bell over the door rang as Emma entered the diner. She was visibly disgruntled, when she looked over to Killian. He was resigned to his fate, it wasn't like spending the day with Emma Swan was a severe punishment. If anything, it was enjoyable. Though it was obvious that she felt differently. Sometimes, Killian will intentionally get himself dragged in, just to spend a night with someone. Emma was the best choice, among the Storybrooke police force.

Emma placed money on the counter for Ruby before attempting to even speak to Killian.

"Can you walk to the station on your own or do I need to get a wheelbarrow?"

Killian contemplated for a moment. The walk to the station wouldn't be horrible, but he wasn't sure he could trust his legs at the moment. He felt like he was at sea, despite the solid ground beneath him.

Emma rolled her eyes, and grabbed around his bicep, "I wasn't being serious, get your ass up, Jones."

"Alright, take me away, Sherriff. It's not like I've got anything better to do," Killian said, his eyes were droopy, barely open. But that didn't stop him from seeing the brown haired boy passing the diner alongside the mayor.

Killian looked to Emma, who still looked annoyed and bitter, but in that moment he could see another side to her. Almost heavenly. He looked back to the boy, the boy from his dreams was here.

"Henry?" Killian whispered, before vomiting on Emma's shoes.