Chapter Eighteen: Captain vs. Captain

"So it's just…in here somewhere?" Emma asked Hook while surrounded by the impressive collection of gold within the lair of the giant. Everything from gold coins to even a gold birdcage was there.

"Allegedly," replied Hook as he stood by the birdcage, spotting something at the top. "Give me a boost, would you, love?"

"So I can't see what you're pocketing?" A doubtful Emma rhetorically asked while joining him beside the birdcage. "No way. Give me a boost."

"Try something new, darling – it's called trust."

She saw the sincerity in his eyes as he recommended this, prompting her to give the idea of trusting him a try.

"That's a lot to ask for, Hook."

Their heads turned and their eyes darted all about, searching for the speaker, who was well hidden in the gold collection. Finally, they heard footsteps coming in one direction and saw a familiar figure step out – Jack Harkness. He drew his gun, aiming directly at the head of Hook. Emma's eyes grew wide with amazement. "Jack! Is it…is it really you?"

"Yeah, it's really me."

"How did you get here, Harkness?" Hook inquired.

"Well, there was a beanstalk and my name just happens to be 'Jack,' so…you do the math on that one. Of course, my version will be a lot better than his." He gestured to the skeletal remains of the other "Jack" that lied some distance behind him with the sword that bore the giant killer's name still gripped in what used to be a hand.

Observing the exchange between the two captains, Emma seemed amazed over one thing: "You two know each other?"

"Unfortunately," answered Jack, who didn't take his eyes off of Hook since he stepped out. "That Weeping Angel sent me back a hundred years in the past of this world. Your great-great grandmother says 'Hi' by the way."

"A hundred years?" Emma exclaimed.

"One hundred and twenty…I rounded." Harkness admitted. "Got to know more about this place – the people, the food, the currency – I've learned who to trust and who not to trust." He glared at Hook on the last part of his statement. "What lies did you tell her, Hook?"

Hook confidently smiled. "Merely the truth – that I hope to find the Doctor to get revenge on Rumplestiltskin. And since she's going the same place he is now, the only way to do so is by obtaining the compass, which we were just about to grab before you so abruptly interrupted us."

"I see." Harkness calmly remarked. "But I also see that you conveniently left out the part where you're secretly working with Cora, who sent you to Emma and Mary Margaret to gain their trust and use them to get the compass, betraying them after you did."

Hearing this, Emma furiously looked to Hook and yelled, "What?"

Hook attempted to plead his case until the sound of thunderous footsteps and a quaking sensation that caused the gold around them to clatter interrupted the confrontation. The three looked to the door, all knowing what was approaching. "I'd suggest we belay this squabble and get under something…NOW!"

Following Hook's advice, they began to scatter about the room, just as the giant leaped his way in, causing the very foundation of his lair to shake violently. The monstrous movements loosened stones from the ceiling and landed atop of Hook, burying him. Meanwhile, the giant finally caught up with Jack and Emma, reaching down and picking Harkness up. The giant proceeded to squeeze the life out of Jack in his massive hand, which consumed Jack's body from the shoulder down and pinned down his arms.

Emma watched helplessly. "Jack!"

"Emma…" Jack gasped. "Get it…Get it…"

"I can't just leave you to die!"

As his body was being robbed of air, he managed to whisper one word: "Immortal."

Emma felt like a dunce for forgetting that crucial detail. Quickly, she ran for the birdcage, only to realize as she approached it that she still needed a boost to reach where the compass supposedly was. Before she could look for an object to aid her, she heard a sickening crunch and looked up to see the giant drop Jack's lifeless body out of his hand, causing it to land on a pile of gold coins. He glared down at Emma, who was his next target, and she ran for her life. The giant screamed furiously and stomped monstrously as he chased after her, causing towers of gold coins to collapse into piles much like the one Harkness landed in.

When Emma reached a trip wire that she and Hook came across earlier in their journey, she leaped over it and went for the sword of Jack the Giant Killer. As the Giant neared her, Emma swiped at the wire with the sword, triggering the large iron trap that it was meant for. It fell directly on the giant and pinned him to the floor. Emma nearly fell from the massive quake that followed from the giant's enormous body hitting the ground under the weight of the trap.

She approached the large cage that the giant was contained in and pointed her sword between two big bars at the eyes of the giant. "Nice security system. Efficient."

Jack reawakened with a loud gasp; he never been happier to find breathe again after the way he just died. His resurrection process made Emma jump in surprise as she was crouched beside him. Still haven't gotten used to that, she thought while checking on the immortal captain. "It's okay, Jack. We're alright."

"The giant," uttered Jack, looking rapidly around the area. "Is he…?"

"He's letting us go."

"What?"

"I could've killed him with Jack's sword…the other Jack, not you, I mean…so he chose to let us go in exchange for sparing his life."

"All of us, including…?"

There was a loud groan heard beneath the stones that buried Hook, signifying that the pirate had survived. His groaning was a reminder for Emma of his betrayal. "I wanted to trust him. The look on his face was so sincere when he asked me to trust him. All this time…working with Cora?"

"He's a conman, Emma." Harkness said. "And if there's anyone who knows a thing or two about cons, it's me. I used to be as bad as him." As he mentioned this to Emma, he went to the rubble and looked underneath it to find Hook. Once he found the pirate captain, he dragged his unconscious body to a nearby pillar that he manacled him to.

Emma watched him do the deed with a sense of uncertainty. "Jack…I know I asked this before, but I've gotta ask again…is it really you?"

Jack turned and looked to Emma, chuckling. "You're actually going to ask me that after seeing my body crushed under the might of a giant and returning back to life. Who else do you know can do that?"

"Someone with magical capabilities…someone like Cora."

Jack now saw where she was going and it made him uneasy. "Emma…you have to trust me." He then heard a click and suddenly found himself staring down the barrel of his own gun, which was in the hands of Emma. "We both know that's not going to do either of us any good."

"You had this gun with you for a hundred years, yet somehow it's managed to still be in excellent condition and carry a crapload of bullets. Why is that, Jack?"

"It's a long story. One that I'm willing to share as soon as we get outta here."

"I'm giving you a chance right now to prove to me that you're Captain Jack Harkness before I make you chain yourself up and leave you here with Hook and the giant. Tell me something that only Jack would know – something that Cora didn't have to spy on him to know in the hundred years he's been trapped in this world."

"Emma…"

"TELL ME!"

Jack sighed, feeling pressure on himself to have to think hard about something that he only knew about. It then hit him – the one thing that he had to do to convince her. Without warning, Harkness stepped in very close to Emma, bypassing the gun in her hand, and kissed her squarely on the lips. Emma's eyes enlarged from the unexpected physical contact from Jack Harkness; she dropped his gun as her arms went limp, taking in the magnificent kiss. After what felt like an eternity, Jack finally moved his lips away from Emma's and said, "I love you, Emma Swan."

The extremely baffled Emma stared into Jack's eyes, seeing the truthfulness in his words, which both relieved and shocked her. "That must've been one helluva millennium."