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Astrid moved downstairs in the middle of the night, wearing blue plaid pajama pants and a black spaghetti-strapped tank top.

She couldn't sleep, but everyone else seemed like they weren't having any problem sleeping and were sound asleep in their beds still.

Astrid moved behind the counter and fixed her a glass of water just as she heard a chilling voice speak up from behind her, successfully startling her, "What's the matter? Not happy to be back home with this family?"

Astrid stiffened and quickly turned to face her dark double. "What— I-I thought-?" She breathlessly began.

Dark Astrid smirked, saying, "What? Got rid of me? Oh, sweetie, it's gonna take a lot more to get rid of me." She chuckled some.

Astrid looked over to where her parents' bed was in the corner of the apartment to find them still sleeping and glanced back at her evil double. "What do you bloody want exactly?"

"Besides your destiny being fulfilled? Hmm..." Dark Astrid remarked and pretended to think about it for a second, "Now, that you ask, I want you to be completely and utterly ."

Astrid tightly gripped the edge of the counter behind her with her hands, trying to even her breathing. "But you're me-"

"Yes, but I'm every bit of your darkness. And the more that you hurt or feel pain, the stronger I become." Dark Astrid explained, still with her smirk on her face, "So, when I get even stronger, I will come out and play again."

"No, you bloody won't," Astrid muttered.

"When I do, and I will, I'm going to kill every one of your friends and your precious little family-" Dark Astrid chuckled and continued, "One by one, slowly and ."

"Leave them bloody out of it," Astrid begged, "They have nothing to do with this!"

"On the contrary, they have everything to do with it," Dark Astrid replied, "After all, they mean everything to you."

"Please," Astrid whispered, her eyes becoming watery. Dark Astrid moved her mask back over her face and slid her hood back over her head before disappearing.

Astrid stood there and quietly cried, stifling her sobs to not wake anyone up by holding her palm to her mouth.

"Astrid?" A groggy male voice spoke up as he stepped into the kitchen also, "What are you doing awake?"

"D-Dad," Astrid let out in surprise before facing away from him to prevent him from seeing her tears, "I, uh, I just had to get a bloody glass of water."

"What's wrong?" David began, making her face him.

"Nothing that I can't handle alone," Astrid muttered, "I-I'm just gonna go and try to sleep."

"What have your mother and I told you before? You don't have to do anything alone anymore," David replied.

Astrid smiled a little and murmured, "I know, but it's best if I do."

"You remember, don't you?" David started while taking a step towards her.

"I don't know," Astrid sighed, "Like I said, everything is a jumble up here." She tapped the side of her temple and inhaled. "It's all so... confusing."

"Do you at least know how you're alive?" David carefully asked, "If we had found a cure or you know...?"

"I'm sorry," Astrid admitted, "I don't know."

David, Peter, Snow, and Astrid was gathered around a round table, flipping through different pages of books laying on top of it, trying to find a cure for Astrid's curse.

Astrid gasped some and stumbled backwards away from the table in pain; She had already lost her sight again and the pain was growing more and more. Snow gave her a sad/concerned look and softly asked, "You alright?"

"Do I look bloody alright!?" Astrid snapped, "I mean, I haven't slept the past week, I'm growing bloody weaker, I-I'm having terrible nightmares and seeing these bloody hallucinations of my fears during the day and I'm blind..."

The girl noticed all of theirs concerned and sad looks on their faces as Astrid sighed, letting out, "Sorry, Mom. I'm just tired, really bloody tired, and- and I'm done. Just- Just quit looking and let this go, let me bloody go..."

Peter started, fixing to grab her hand to stop her but stopped himself, "You know we're not going to do that. We find a cure."

David nodded in agreement and added, "You know we always find a way. Don't lose your faith now."

"Yeah? We didn't bloody find a way to be with Henry and Emma." Astrid scoffed, "And you find this cure because there bloody isn't one- just false hope— so I'm most likely going to die... I don't want anymore false hope. I can't bloody handle it. Please. Let me spend my final days with my family, being a happy, adventurous family just one more bloody time..."

Astrid turned and took off running out of the castle with them yelling after her, "Astrid, wait!"

She didn't listen and let out a wolf-like whistling howl just as she looked up and heard her dragon appearing through a portal and flying down beside her.

"Easy, girl," Astrid murmured while mounting on top of the dragon and now sitting on the saddle, "Let's go back to Berk, Stormfly."

The said dragon softly grunted some and leapt into the air, flapping her wings hard and gained altitude before circling fast and shooting straight at a mech speed, both being sent into a portal.

Astrid sat beside Hook in Granny's, both playfully nudging each other as they joked about eating Granny's meatloaf.

David watched the two from where he sat in the chair beside them with Snow on his other side. "Okay... Astrid, did you get any sleep last night?" He asked like a concerned father he was.

"Maybe," Astrid smiled sheepishly, "Maybe not." She folded her hands across her crossed legs and then looked from him to Hook while moving her hand through her hair.

"You know, a little discipline isn't a bad thing, Astrid," David pointed out as his teenage daughter remarked in amusement, "Oh, thanks, Charming, I'll ponder on that."

"You know, this is usually the part where someone gives fatherly advice," Snow spoke up while looking at the pirate beside their daughter and back at her husband.

"Oh, no," Hook laughed sheepishly some, "No, it's not my place." He stood up from his seat.

"Go ahead. What advice you got for me? I can take it." Astrid commented.

"Oh, come on! We were having such a good morning." Hook started, "Can't we just leave it at that?"

"What's the matter?" Astrid remarked while standing up and looking at him.

She hit him in his stomach lightly while exclaiming, "Boom!" She lifted her hands up and looked at him in a challenging way, saying, "You don't think I can take it? Go ahead. Ping!" She hit him in the chest and hit him in the same spot, "Go ahead. Pong!"

Hook chuckled some as did Snow and David as Astrid repeated the action, letting out, "Ka-blam!" She jumped behind him, saying, "Come on, let's do this! Tell me to get a proper night's sleep or to eat healthy or whatever."

She continued to pretend to hit and kick the one handed pirate while adding, "Maybe I will just do it. You don't even know it. Come on! Let's do this." She playfully punched him in the chest, saying, "Come on. You got something for me? Out with it. I dare you."

"No. No. No. I have this wonderful instinct for going too far. And we have arrived there." Snow spoke up with a shake of her head.

"There is nothing he could say that would bother me." Astrid shrugged while looking over at her mother.

"It's not going to happen," Hook commented as Astrid smirked and looked at him while she mimicked a chicken clucking. "Oh, right, right, because chicken noises work on a grown man." She continued to make that sound as he sighed and gave in, "All right. You want one piece of fatherly advice?"

"Sure. Give it your best shot." Astrid replied, her hands folded in front of her.

"I think you should dress differently," Hook commented in a serious tone.

Astrid's smile fell as she asked him, "What did you just say to me?"

"Oh. You see... You asked me for advice. I told you... but you pushed." Hook stammered out and noticed tears come to her eyes as he pointed it out softly, "Are you crying? I made you cry? Astrid, you asked me for advice, and I just told you how I was feeling. Why are you crying?"

"Because no one's ever cared enough to say that to me," Astrid replied and hugged him as he hugged her also.

She began sobbing as Hook looked over at Snow and David and said, "Make it stop. Can we make it stop? How do we make it stop?" She continued to cry in his embrace as he let out, "Uh, how about I buy you some new clothes?" Her sobbing stopped abruptly then.

"Okay then," Hook nodded as she stepped back and grinned.

Emma tapped on the diner door as Granny let her inside and they started their discussion on what to do with the Wicked Witch and Rumplestiltskin.

Astrid sat down in a booth and missed part of their conversation when she noticed Dark Astrid leaning against the counter, watching all of them with a smirk on her face.

Astrid's jaw flexed somewhat as she glanced down at her folded hands on top of the table in front of her.

Dark Astrid sat in front of her and now just watched her, speaking up in amusement which startled Astrid who quickly looked back up, "You know, you're not alright and they know it, but they ignore that. They really don't care about you and definitely don't need you like you need them."

"Shut up," Astrid muttered under her breath, glancing over at her family still talking about Rumplestiltskin and the Wicked Witch.

Dark Astrid grinned, saying, "You died. Of course, there's gonna be some side effects of coming back to life. And unwillingly, might I add."

Astrid narrowed her eyes and looked at her dark double and replied, "How did I die and come back to life?"

Her dark double simply tapped her fingers on the table and deviously grinned at her, saying, "All will be revealed soon. Maybe."

"-Astrid!"

Astrid's head shot up as she looked at Emma wide eyed and replied, "What?" Everyone gave her concerned/sad looks as Astrid sighed and rubbed her eyes, saying, "Sorry. I didn't get any sleep at all."

"It's alright-" Emma lightly started.

"With all due respect, we have bigger issues right now than who brought Astrid and Gold back," Regina pointed out, "Like the fact that they were both in the Wicked Witch's basement-- and how Astrid was under her control to name some examples. I, for one, want to know what Gold was cooking up with her."

Snow nodded and inquired, "Well, the best way would be to ask Gold and Astrid, right? But Astrid doesn't even remember-"

Astrid spoke up, wanting to help her family with this problem, "I might not bloody remember, but I know who does... Though, she's dark..."

David furrowed his eyebrows as he looked over at his teenager, asking, "Who?"

"You've faced her before," Astrid quietly murmured with a small shudder, "My dark double or whatever she is..."

"No," Peter argued, moving over to stand beside his girl, "Absolutely not. We just got you back, and we're not going to lose you to that darkness again."

Dark Astrid laughed from behind them, only being heard by Astrid, her dark double adding, "How protective of him. I know who to take out first."

Astrid winced some and pointed out to them, "No, I mean, I'll still be here but she'll also be here- like a, uh, projection or whatever."

"Absolutely not-" Hook objected as Peter also replied in unison with him, "Don't even."

David nodded in agreement and said, "I agree with Peter and Hook. There's no need to put Astrid in anymore pain than what we have to put her in, so we'll focus on Gold for now. If we find him, we'd possibly be able to find out who the witch is and track her down."

"I'm gonna head back to that farmhouse," Regina replied while standing up, "There's a possibility this witch may have left some trace of potion or a special ingredient."

Peter nodded and also stood up from his spot next to his love, saying, "I'll also go back there." He kissed Astrid's forehead as she smiled some and softly told her, "Don't do anything stupid while I'm away, alright?"

Astrid slowly nodded and replied, "You too." She kissed him on the lips before settling back in the spot where she was previously sitting at in the booth.

Emma spoke up to Regina and Peter, "Just... be careful you two."

Regina chuckled, sliding her gloves on, while replying, "She's the one who needs to be careful. She invaded my space-"

Peter cut the dark haired woman off, "And hurt what's mine. And when I return the favor, she'll have wished she never touched Astrid."

Astrid smirked a little and commented to Regina, "Good luck." Regina sighed some and followed behind Peter out of the diner door with Astrid watching them leave.

"You sent him to his death, Charming," Dark Astrid remarked in amusement with a chuckle, "If he does die, it'll be less painful than when I do it."

Astrid clenched her fists under the table and plopped her head down on top of the surface with a small thud.

After a few more minutes of talking, everyone else also began to disperse. Astrid caught up to Hook and now walked by his side, starting curiously, "Where are you off to, Hook?"

"Decided to go visit Baelfire," Hook admitted while glancing over at the girl, "Whereas you will be going home to rest. You need sleep, A."

Astrid lifted an eyebrow and folded her arms across her chest, objecting, "I'm fine."

Hook gave her a pointed look and replied, "No, you're not. You don't think I notice you staring off at something that's not there or you talking to yourself or you not sleeping or not eating?" Astrid's eyes watered somewhat as she continued to listen to him, "I noticed, Astrid. Since you came back to your family, you've been more distant, more quiet, more secluded, and- and... You're hurting, A. So, just listen to me this one time and go home and get some rest."

"Fine, alright? I'm not fine or better or whatever. You bloody got me." Astrid admitted with a crack in her voice, "But I can't sleep! She's there all of the time, just waiting to take bloody control again." Astrid unfolded her arms and looked away. "I was better off dead. I don't want to bloody live like this... Being constantly afraid that I'm gonna hurt my family or bloody worse- kill them. If she gets out, she will hurt and kill all of you. I'd rather die than let her bloody loose..."

"We will figure it out. We always do." Hook reassured her, "Just lay low from the Wicked Witch and rest. It will get better. Trust me. You do still trust me, don't you?"

Astrid nodded, saying, "Yeah." Hook smiled a little and nodded for her to go home, which she did and began walking down the sidewalk.

Astrid hopped off of her dragon and took off running towards Hiccup's hut by memory and her other senses and stopped in her tracks in front of the door. "Hiccup!?"

"Astrid!" Hiccup let out in relief and raced over to her, spinning her around in a tight hug. "What are you-- I thought you wanted to be with your family."

"I have to make things bloody right before I die," Astrid murmured in his neck as her arms around his shoulders tightened slightly.

"Die? You- You're dying?" Hiccup began as he looked her in the eyes, now holding her arms in his hands.

Astrid sadly smiled a little and began to explain herself, "It's known as the Curse of Darkness. It's rare, and from what I've found out about it- It's hard to cure, impossible even... True Love's Kiss won't even bloody work."

Hiccup looked down at the ground and glanced back up at her, saying, "Well, that's bad and also kind of a good thing." Astrid furrowed her eyebrows and looked at him to elaborate what he meant. "Good because True Love's Kiss won't work... Bad because not True Love."

"How did you know?" Astrid softly asked.

"You never were mine to begin with," Hiccup answered with a sad smile, "Your heart belonged to another after you were away a lifetime ago. I hope you two are happy, though. I really truly do."

Astrid nodded, saying, "Yeah. Peter Pan. Funny thing is, you were one of the reasons why I left him the first time. Well.. that and finding my family..." She let out a big sigh before adding glumly, "And now, I'm losing it all again."

Hiccup moved his hands down her arms and now held her hands in his, making her look in the direction of his face, him looking in her now pale blue eyes and knew she was blind now. He replied, "Astrid, you're alone."

Astrid smiled a little but frowned, wincing from another overwhelming round of pain throughout her body.

"You're Astrid, strong and invincible," Hiccup began.

Astrid scoffed some while Hiccup gazed in her pale blue eyes as she let out, "Not anymore. What if this is it, Hiccup? What if the rest of my life is like this? What then?"

Hiccup held her arms in his hands again and assured her, "Then we'll deal with it. Just because you're blind, doesn't make you helpless. Or you dealing with a very dark curse, doesn't make you powerless."

"That's exactly how I feel," Astrid pointed out.

"Astrid, you and I have been through a lot together- and I'm sure your family also has too. You don't think we can handle ?" Hiccup started, "Astrid, you have me, no matter what. Okay? Whatever that means, whatever you want it to mean, I'm with you. There will always be a Hiccup and Astrid. Always."