The Blonde Woman and Hook…there they were, just as the Seer had dictated they would be. They stared up at his castle across the water, unaware that he stood behind him. The woman was dressed in a cloak and muttering something or other about the past to her companion. Dressed in black, dark hair, a posture of arrogance he would never forget, Captain Killian Jones was every bit the man he once knew with one difference. Instead of a hand, there now sat a hook; a hook that he recognized as it had once been plunged into his chest by the man wearing it now. Captain Hook. Jefferson had told him ages ago that was what he went by these days, but he had yet to meet him in that manner. The last time he'd seen him he'd had that very hook in his own chest, payback for killing Milah; his wife, but Hook's lover. A sneer curled under his nose. When had that interloper returned to this world? He was certain he would have known when he chose to return from Neverland and seek his revenge, though perhaps that was what this was. He had to say, with a woman at his side, he didn't particularly think that he needed it. Obviously, Milah hadn't been as important to him as he claimed.
"Might be best if I stay back. The Dark One and I have a rather complicated past. I'd wager he want to kill me on sight," the Captain suggested to his companion.
His sneer grew into a smile. "Oh, I'll take that bet!"
The pair turned a for a brief second he saw in the face of his old nemesis fear. It was far different than the ridged anger he'd seen on him last they'd met with Milah's body between them, but he'd take it. He clapped as he let out a laugh that silenced the wildlife and had them all running…as the dear Captain should have.
"I can't tell you how long I've been looking forward to this. Oops. I suppose I just did." He used his magic to reach out and wrap invisible fingers around his neck. Then he tightened his grip. The sounds of choking filled the air, there was perhaps a word or two that he couldn't quite make out as his face turned red and he sputtered about helplessly. His vision clouded red. The vision of his son fading away was far from his mind, the Seer's words disappeared as he held his stance and watched Hook struggle for life. He forgot about the reason he'd left Belle alone in the castle as only one thought replaced it all. Finally, justice.
But Hook's companion didn't see it that way. She cried out, "stop!" and made a step as if to tackle him. Brave girl. But foolish as well. She had magic, powerful deep magic that called out to his own. He ignored it. Her ignorance allowed him to ignore it. All the power she held, and she thought to use brute force?
It took only a small wave of his hand to sweep her off her feet and toss her aside. He was saving her. He didn't know whose wife she was but perhaps with temptation removed she'd return to her family. "I don't know who you are, dearie, but why don't you run off and let me enjoy my killing in peace."
"He's not gonna hurt you," the girl begged as Killian Jones' body shook, desperate for breath. It wouldn't be long now. "You have to listen to me!" the girl pled, getting to her feet and taking long quick strides over to him.
"And why would I listen to you?" he questioned.
"Because if you don't, you'll never see your son again."
He could count on one hand the number of times he'd felt his heart stop, truly stop since becoming the Dark One. Once when he'd lost his son, once when the Seer had given him his power, once when he caught Belle falling from a ladder, once when he'd been sitting at breakfast and had a vision of Baelfire slipping through his fingers, and now...
He glanced at the woman, quickly so as not to take his eyes off the criminal before him. He sensed magic on her. Great magic, that was what had drawn him to her after all. But for someone like her to know about his son, to make a promise like that…
His vision of the future came back to him quickly, the warning that the Seer sent him shrieked in his ears! The Captain was nearly dead, it would only take a couple of seconds to finish the job, but for Baelfire, for any future he might have with him, he was willing to do anything. Had he not proved that yet?
With a small flick of his wrist, he let Killian Jones go, allowed him to fall to his knees gasping for air and turned his attention to the girl; blonde hair that was nearly white and hazel eyes. There was something familiar about her. But at the moment what was most familiar was her mention of one very important person no one alive in this realm should know about…save the brute before him. What had Milah told him? What had he told her? Who else had he told? What had he done?
"What do you know of my son?"
"His name is Baelfire," she whispered feverishly. "You're planning to enact a curse in hopes of reuniting with him."
The first was information the hooked pirate could have told her, that last little bit…there were a very few select individuals in this realm that would know that, but not Hook. He needed to know which had told her. Friend or foe? "Who told you that? What are you? Some kind of witch?"
"No," she answered as Hook got to his feet. "I'm not a witch. I'm the one who breaks the Curse so that you can find him. I'm the product of true love."
Another heart-stopping moment. Two within minutes of each other and yet…something familiar. Blonde hair, hazel eyes...he recalled the images he had of the Swan, those that the Seer had given to him. It was close, but not exact. That was something that could easily be explained away by time and clothing, not so easily explained were her words when paired with the magic practically rolling off of her.
"That's speculation. Part of my plans. But I haven't done it."
"You will, and you will succeed."
"Will". Now that wasn't so much an important word as an important tense. If she was telling the truth and she was the Swan, then…
"If that's true, then that means-"
"We're from the future, mate," Hook stated in such an obvious tone, as if it happened all the time. Maybe it had in their world. But here? Now?!
"But time travel hasn't been done, mate!"
"Yeah, well, someone's cracked that code. We need your help."
"Help?" he laughed. They knew enough to come to him for help? Well then, they'd be familiar with the cost! All magic came with a price, especially if they were from the future. "You need my help? Then answer me one question: Do I find my son?"
The girl was a confident one. Her straight posture and immediate answers suggested nothing less than confidence and yet…suddenly she cast her eyes down to the forest floor, she opened her mouth, waggled her chin about as if she was going to say words, but no sound came out.
"Answer me!"
"Yes," she shrieked, jumping at his aggression.
His heart stopped again.
"Bae…" he muttered, feeling suddenly more jubilant than he'd felt in two lifetimes. Oh, it was as if the sun had just come out. It was like he was holding his son again for the first time, seeing his face again. It was as if…as if…
He knew what it felt like. It felt like he knew it would on the day the Curse was finally cast and all his plans, every hope and dream he'd ever had in these last wretched hundred years finally succeeded. "I find Bae." Reassurance from the Swan herself, the very person that was meant to lead him to Baelfire. It couldn't get any better than that. Or could it?
"How? Don't tell me!" he shouted almost as soon as he'd asked the question. He had a future in his head already, he had a plan, he had to think things through. The Swan and much to his displeasure the infamous Captain Hook of Neverland had come into the past, but it was his present. There were different rules with the pair of them than others, and those rules had dangerous consequences if they were broken. This was a kind of magic that didn't exist yet in practice, only in theory. The less he knew, the better. "If I succeeded, I don't want anything in my head that might throw it off," he announced half for himself, half for them. They needed to know what they were capable of every second they stayed here.
"It might already kind of be thrown off," Emma muttered sadly. Her confidence gone, the fear of a child evident in her eyes…it didn't take much to put two and two together.
"You've changed things. What have you done?!"
The Swan looked back over her shoulder at Hook, who looked just ask guilty as she did when she looked back at him. "We interrupted my parents' meeting."
Alright, so, enter the Swan and the return of Captain Hook. For the record, I actually really enjoyed writing this episode, but I hated the way a lot of these scenes had to divide out. Because of the way Rumple acts as a guide instead of actually getting out there to do stuff himself, there are a lot of 3x21/3x22 chapters and they're all either average or shorter than average. It's just the way it works. There were a lot of natural places to cut scenes and I went with it. Sorry about that.
Thank you, thank you, thank you Spunkymouse, Jennifer Baratta, Grace5231973, and Alarda for your reviews. So good to hear from you and listen to your responses. This is a pretty straight forward chapter, the next is also pretty straight forward, but the next is a lot of reflection on what's happening and I really like that one. Especially since the reflection includes a certain comment Dear Rumple will hear in the next chapter! Peace and Happy Reading!