Someone asked what Captain Hook looks like since he and Killian are two different people in this story. So he would look like he did as Blackbeard in season 3 and more like this in Storybrooke. So essentially think of actor Charles Mesure, who played Blackbeard, in costume in the Enchanted Forest and out of costume in Storybrooke.
This time, it was Killian leading his brother, running as fast as they could towards the docks. Luckily, he was stronger now than he was as a child and didn't have any trouble rushing the four blocks to the waterfront.
He stopped abruptly at the edge of the docks, his brother pulling up to a quick stop next to him, and their eyes began to scan the faces of the workers on the docks. Most of them seemed to be in shock, too surprised by the curse breaking to know how to react. Killian and Liam may have looked the same way if it weren't for the fact that they had a specific purpose as they scanned the boats in the harbor.
"Do you see him, Killian?" Liam asked.
"Not yet," he replied. "Remember that he hasn't aged so he'll look just like he did when we last saw him."
"Really?" Liam said, a hint of surprise in his voice.
Killian just shrugged. "It's all part of the curse. Whoever was here hasn't aged since it began 28 years ago."
"This is all so bizarre," Liam said with a note of awe in his voice, his eyes continuing to check the bay.
Then Killian spotted him. The captain was sitting on the bench Killian had rested on those many weeks ago, his head down as he stared at his calloused right hand, worn by years working on the deck of a fishing boat. His left hand, however, was an unassuming prosthetic - nothing flamboyant or expected for someone who used to answer to the name Captain Hook. His attire also wasn't very pirate-like. Killian remembered the black pants, embroidered vests and long black leather duster his father often wore as he stalked the deck of his ship, the Jolly Roger. But this man before them was wearing denim overalls and rubber boots.
And yet, even with the unassuming clothes and the simple prosthetic, his face still looked the part of a pirate. His skin was tan from being out on the water for extended periods of time. The scruff on his cheeks and wrinkles around his eyes gave him a rough look that would make any sailor fear him - but only if he wanted them to. If you were on his good side, that look was inviting and charming and made anyone want to have a drink with him at the local pub.
Next to him was Smee, his father's first mate, who was wearing the same damn red hat that he wore as a pirate in the other realm. Killian couldn't figure out how he had that hat in both this realm and their home but figured it was just a style that was so ingrained in the former pirate that it couldn't be limited to one land.
"Do you see them?" Liam whispered.
He was standing right next to him and was sure they were both looking in the same direction at the same man. But like Liam, it was so strange to see their father in front of him that he understood why his brother was still not totally believing the whole thing.
"Let's go, brother," he replied simply.
Killian began to walk purposefully towards the pair on the bench as Liam matched his brother's strides next to him. They were careful not to walk too fast in hopes that they didn't scare the pirates or just in case it all really was just a mirage. But as they got closer and closer, the men's features became more defined. And then they heard the captain's first mate speak and knew for sure these were the men they were looking for.
"Captain," Smee said with a strong and serious tone. "I promise we will look far and wide if we have to, and we will find your sons."
Killian smiled. It was just like Smee to make sure he and his brother were protected.
Liam cleared his throat and the pirates immediately turned to see two young men walking towards them. "No need to send out a search party, Mr. Smee," Liam said lightly.
A smile teased at the captain's lips as tears of joy began to stream down his face. He stood and staggered quickly towards them, pulling his now grown boys into his arms and holding on to them with all the strength he had. "You found me, boys" he said quietly.
The three of them stood together quietly, holding tightly on to their family as if they were expecting to be pulled apart again soon. But this time, they stayed together. He could feel his father's scratchy beard rubbing against his own scruff and he couldn't help but smile. Even after all these years, after years of not even knowing what had happened to their father, even after all of that, Killian still seemed to have inherited his father's disdain for a razor.
There was a sniffling sound behind his father and Killian opened his eyes to see Smee trying desperately to wipe his tears away from his cheeks with the back of his hands. The young man motioned for his father's first mate to come closer so he could join in, and Smee quickly accepted the wordless invitation. Killian took a deep breath, inhaling the smell of Smee's wet wool hat that always reminded him of his home on the Jolly Roger.
Home.
They had never spent any time together as a family in Storybrooke. They hadn't been together as a family in decades. And yet, despite all that, as Killian stood on that dock holding on to these people he loved so dearly, he couldn't help but feel he was at home.
His father finally pulled away from the brothers, placing the palm of his hand on Liam's cheek and his fake hand on Killian's shoulder.
"I see we need to get you your hook back," Killian said teasingly.
"No need," his father replied with a smile. "I have everything I desire right here."
"But admit it," Liam replied. "It would be cool."
Hook laughed. "Even after all these years adjusting to life without it, I wouldn't turn it down," he said. "But enough about me, lads. You have to tell me everything that's happened to you."
The four men wandered over to the bench where the pirates took their place back on the bench. Liam found a nearby rock to sit on while Killian took a spot on the grass near his father's feet, leaning back to rest the weight of his body on his elbows with his legs outstretched in front of him.
Hook asked the boys about how they fared once they got through the portal and they told him about their adoptive parents, the Joneses, and how they had warmly welcomed them in. Jane and her husband didn't have any children when the brothers arrived, but they treated the boys as if they were their own. And the boys mourned their deaths - Mr. Jones when they were teenagers and Jane only a few years ago - as any child would mourn the loss of a parent.
Hook seemed particularly pleased listening to them talk about their adoptive mother after they had lost their mother - Hook's wife - before the curse arrived. Liam and Killian remembered that their mother had died after a fever had swept through the Jolly Roger. It was one of the bitter memories they had to relive along with the sweet ones now that the curse was broken.
And so it went for another hour or so. The captain talked about his life in Storybrooke as a fisherman. And in exchange, the boys told their father about their lives now - Hook was particularly pleased that they owned a ship.
"And what about Wendy? Did you ever get to meet her?"
Liam smiled. "You made a good choice sending us to her," he said. "She was the best grandmother ever."
"Grandmother?" Hook asked, a smirk forming on his face. "I guess I keep forgetting that time gets messed up when Neverland and a curse are involved."
"Wait, how old was she when you knew her?" Killian asked.
Hook laughed a bit. "Oh, I would say she was just a girl of 10, maybe 12 years old," he said. "Even then, she made quite the impression on me."
"I remember her as well," Smee said. "She was such a nice girl - at least better than those ragamuffins that made up the Lost Boys."
The four of them sat quietly, listening to the waves lap up against the boats as they all tried to take in this new life they were now living together. It was just so strange and bizarre and yet so comfortable. It was almost as if they had never been away from each other.
"So," Hook finally said, breaking the afternoon silence. "After all of that, how did you bloody find me?"
Liam laughed. "It was Killian. He broke the curse."
All three men turned to stare at Killian. "How did you break the curse?" the captain asked.
Killian just glared back at them. After diverting his attention to his father, the shock of his actions at the sheriff's station came rushing back to him, rendering his thought process useless.
"Killian?" Smee asked, trying to encourage him to find his words.
But it was Liam who cleared his throat and finally spoke up. "Killian kissed the savior," he proudly replied on his brother's behalf.
Hook stared at him, a smirk beginning to tease his lips. "Really?" he asked. "So you're the true love of Snow White and Prince Charming's daughter?"
His son could only sheepishly nod in response.
"And am I to assume that she kissed you to break the curse?"
Killian swallowed hard and sat up, taking a deep breath. "Aye. That's how it happened."
The captain gave his son a teasing grin before turning to his first mate. "Well, Smee," he said matter-of-factly. "I didn't expect that fairy tale ending. Did you?"