Author's Note: Happy New Year, Everyone!

Chapter 19: Midnight Meeting

Killian had heard Leroy talking about issues he had been having with his boat, so the pirate offered his expertise. The dwarfs decided pretty quickly that they liked this new side of Hook, and elected to enlist his help to rehab a larger old boat. The dwarfs had actually amassed a decent amount of savings during their time in Storybrooke. They'd mostly been committed to more-work-than-play lifestyles, so they offered Killian a decent sum of money for the work he was doing.

Killian had requested Henry's help, and the boy seemed to be enjoying his time working and learning about ships each day. Every day that Henry chose to work with Killian, he received half of the day's earnings. Killian was hoping to build a reputation and find enough work to help pay for a home for his family. After all, no one was going to pay him for fighting the shadow, and the town didn't need any more sheriffs, even if he had wanted to be one. He and Henry were bonding as they worked together, and it gave them the chance to form their own relationship.

Henry seemed to be thoroughly enjoying his work with the man in his mother's life. The boy had returned each of the last few days with a glow from being outdoors, a smile, newfound confidence and a sense of exhaustion. On their third day working on the boat, they invited Emma to see their progress. She was hesitant at first when she saw Henry hanging a few feet above deck on a contraption Killian had rigged to allow the boy to safely work amongst the masts. She was about to protest when her son used the pulley to lower himself and proudly began to show her the work he and Hook and done, and Emma saw how good this project really was for her son. While she took the tour, she briefly noticed that one of the nuns had paused to talk to Killian, but at the time, Emma hadn't really thought much about it.

Late that night, after Emma and Henry were sleeping, Killian left Regina's. The nun who'd stopped at the dock where he had been working delivered him a message. Tink completed the project he had asked for her help on, so he made arrangements to meet her outside of Granny's at midnight. Emma had been sleepy in recent days as the first trimester of pregnancy sapped her energy, so it was easy for Killian to sneak off while she slept.

Tink was waiting for him outside of Granny's, just as she was supposed to be. She gave Killian a small black bag that contained the object he'd come for. He looked at the contents and said, "Tink, it's absolutely perfect. I –"

"What are the two of you doing, meeting here late at night?" Gold interrupted as he joined them.

"It doesn't concern you, Crocodile," Killian countered as he shoved the bag into his jacket.

"Perhaps it doesn't…but it might interest Emma. This little late night rendezvous certainly looks a little suspicious. What do you think she would say if she knew you were meeting a fairy in secret late at night?"

"We have nothing to hide," Tink interrupted. "There's no scandal here."

"Oh I'm sure it's all perfectly innocent," Gold retorted with disbelief, "but…"

The lights around them began to crackle, and the clear, starry skies hazed over as the gentle breeze that had blown became a gale. As soon as Killian looked at Gold, he knew the Dark One wasn't responsible for the disturbance around them. Gold, Tink and Killian began to look around for whatever was coming, and then everything went pitch black and deathly silent, like the calm before a storm. The winds died, the crackling stopped, and far at the end of the main street, one of the street lights flickered back to life.

They heard the crisp tap of hard-soled dress shoes on the road, accompanied by the thud of a staff on occasional steps. The footfalls echoed down the street as a tall, lean figure stepped into the light. As he came closer, lackadaisically approaching like he was on a Sunday afternoon stroll, each street light turned on while he walked past it, and then dimmed when he was no longer under its light.

"Who the hell are you?" Gold asked without any apparent fear, looking more annoyed by the disruption than concerned about the intentions of the intruder.

As the figure came closer, it was clear he was at least a foot taller than Killian. The figure had tanned skin and a toothy smile, and he was dressed in a tight suit that accentuated how tall and slender he was. The staff he carried had a purple globe at the top, and didn't seem to be necessary to help him walk. Standing right next to Gold, the figure leaned down and grinned in his face. With a voice that was deep, powerful and smoky, the figure said, "Who…me? If you must know…I will be your end."

Without another word, the figure raised his hands to the sky, and demonic shadows like the ones Killian and Emma had faced when they had retrieved their talisman lifted out of the shadows on the ground and began to slither through the air. Gold casually flicked away the first several, but the shadows swarmed around him with such speed and ferocity that he became overcome. Gold's expression went from bored and confident to confused and terrified as he realized that whatever he was dealing with was more powerful than he had expected. There were just so many of them. And then he realized that somehow his powers had been temporarily lost, but he wasn't sure how or why.

Once Gold was restrained, his face contorted with fright, the figure strutted over to Killian and said with sleazy charm, "Good evening, my friend. I'm pleased we finally have the opportunity to be formally introduced. Doctor Facilier, at your service."

"What do you want?" Killian asked, his fingers wrapped around the hilt of the enchanted sword that he almost always had nearby.

"Now let's not be impulsive. Before you go slicin' and dicin' things with that lovely little sword of yours, you should take a moment to consider the opportunity I am about to offer you. I think you and I may be able to help each other…come to a mutually beneficial partnership. After all, with all of your years on the high seas, I'm sure you understand the value of knowing which way the winds are blowing."

Gold struggled harder, his face peering from behind a cloud of spirits so intense that it looked like he was covered in a thick black shroud.

"Come on," Facilier tempted, "are you really going to pretend like you haven't dreamed of having him in this position. Helpless. Frightened. Weak."

"But I know what you want from me," Killian answered. "And nothing you can offer me will convince me to give it to you."

"What is it you think I want?" Facilier smoothly asked. The tall, malicious man blew a powder at Tink and the fairy fell gently to the ground as if she'd fallen asleep.

"You want my children. And probably their mother."

"So dramatic. As if there are a finite number of children."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Killian asked, tightening his hand on his sword again.

"I know what you want…" Facilier said, waving a hand as a hazy image appeared. Killian saw himself with Emma as quick snapshots of a possible life flashed. There were images of Emma smiling and laughing, some of Killian sailing with Henry as Emma looked on while smaller children ran and played around them. "You want Emma for you own, am I right?"

"But I don't need your help for that."

"You have her for now, sure. But keeping her is another problem entirely, isn't it? Let's look at this realistically. Gold…Rumpelstiltskin...won't quit until he has what he wants. And what he wants is to make you suffer. And he wants power. If he can have both, well, all the better. Certain associates of mine…well, they won't quit until they have what they want either. You and Emma are going to spend every moment of your lives fighting these forces. And is that really any way to live? Sometimes it's worth paying a small price upfront in order to secure a long, happy future. It's like an investment."

"What exactly are you offering?"

Facilier beckoned for a few of the spirits with a flick of his finger, and he loudly announced, "Get me Rumpelstiltskin's dagger. Now," and some of them scattered while the others kept Gold in their web. "Now, Captain, I can offer you peace of mind…a life without all of these pesky annoyances. I can end Rumpelstiltskin, give you the revenge you've always truly wanted…dig deep, you know you still do. Or, if you prefer, I'll give you his dagger. You can control him. You can make him spin gold, shine your shoes and wash your dirty clothes for all I care. And, friend, I don't want all of your children, no, no! I'm not nearly that selfish…just two. We both know, those little bundles of joy will never be safe, and you're going to end up giving them to me anyway. If you do this now, you can start over sooner. You and Emma and that boy you seem to have taken under your wing…Henry…isn't it? I'll promise not to lay a finger on your lovely lady. You can comfort her after the unexpected devastation of losing her babies. Be the man she needs. Or, I can make her forget they ever existed. I could get your boat back. The two of you have plenty of time. Have seven kids if you'd like. And live the life you've always wanted. She's always wanted to run away from all of this…you can make her dreams come true, too."

"I already have the life I've always wanted," Killian angrily countered.

"I don't think you really understand the power I have. I'm giving you a chance to benefit from this situation. Because I hate to tell you, mon ami…I'm going to get what I want whether you like it or not. But, you don't know me, do you? And this is an awfully big decision to make without any time to think about it. So how about this…I'll give you a present, a gift, just to show you what a great guy I am."

"I don't want anything from you."

"Are you sure about that?" Facilier asked, walking around Killian. "It could be our secret. I'm going to give you what you want, and you don't even have to do anything. My demons will drag Rumpelstiltskin down to the netherworld, where they can torment him for the rest of his immortal days. You don't have to do a thing. Now I know you have that sword. And me…well, I can't even touch it. All you'd have to do is use that sword and you could free your archenemy. But why? I'm not asking you to hurt him yourself, you don't have to lift a hook, you can simply do nothing. You watch while my demons overcome him, and believe me, they will, and let him receive the punishment he's obviously earned. You're blameless, innocent. But he…he won't be a problem for you anymore. That evil little imp that has cast a dark pall over so much of your life will be a distant memory, and you can have the joy of knowing that he is suffering for the rest of his life. You don't have to do much right now. All that I'm asking…is for you to think about what I've told you. That's not so much to ask, is it? A few thoughts, a few moments of your time…and in exchange, I will destroy the man who has brought you so much pain, finally give you the revenge you deserve. What do you say?"

Facilier held out his hand to wait for Killian to shake on the agreement. Killian looked at Gold, at the fear in the man's eyes that made Gold seem like the man who'd been too cowardly to fight for his own wife. For so long Killian would have done anything to have his nemesis in such a position.

Facilier seemed to think that Killian was about to accept the deal, so he reached his long fingers toward the pirate and added, "No one would have to know…"

Killian turned to the much taller man and replied, "I would know."

Just as he finished speaking the words, Killian grabbed the enchanted sword and began cutting through the demons who kept Gold trapped. Shrieks came from the spirits as they darted away, sinking into the shadows that lined the ground as Facilier screamed with rage, "You idiot! Do you have any idea what you're up against? You don't want me for an enemy."

Gold dropped to the ground, weakened and weary, and Tink rose from her imposed slumber. Killian faced Facilier and said, "Hear me. You cannot have my children. Not any of them. Perhaps you are the one who does not know what he's up against."

"You'll regret this," Facilier said as his limbs seemed to vacillate between flesh and shadow before he disappeared.

Henry rushed to his grandfather's side. Killian didn't know when the boy had come, but when he saw Emma coming toward him, he realized Facilier had probably wanted her to witness the exchange. The evil man had probably hoped that Killian would have ridded the world of Gold on impulse, and that Emma would have seen the man she loved doing something she'd have trouble forgiving.

Henry helped his grandfather to his feet. Emma, eyes full of worry, asked Killian, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," he replied.

Gold looked at Killian with a look of utter confusion and said, "Why did you refuse that opportunity? Why help me?"

Killian glanced at Henry before looking back to Gold and answering, "I didn't do it for you."

"I made no agreement, you made that decision on your own, so, technically, I owe you nothing," Gold immediately argued.

Emma scowled at Gold and said, "Really? You can't even say 'thanks for saving my ass, Hook'?"

Gold brushed his suit and walked up to Killian and said, knowingly, "And then there's the matter of your little secret."

"Nothing is going on between Hook and me," Tink defended.

"That wasn't the secret I was speaking of," Gold said before he looked over Emma and then said to Killian, "I heard your conversation with our visitor. Are you sure there's nothing you'd care to tell me?"

"Leave them out of it," Killian argued. "If you hate me, fine, direct your vengeance at me, but leave my family alone."

"Why would that…being…be so interested in your offspring?" Gold asked.

"They have magic," Emma interjected. "A lot of it."

"Belle and I got married recently, so I've been a bit preoccupied. Clearly I haven't been paying enough attention to what's going on around here," Gold noted.

"He wants to consume their souls so he can absorb their power," Emma continued.

Gold's face wrinkled a little with disapproval and he shook his head. Belle rushed over, hearing bits of the story from onlookers and pulling Gold into her embrace. She was trying to take him home after the encounter, and succeeded in bringing him along for a few steps before he extricated his hand from hers and walked back over to Killian. "You protected me because of Henry?"

Killian agreed, "In part."

"And because it's what Bae would have wanted?"

"Perhaps," Killian answered, although he looked away.

Gold began to leave again, but came back, "You understand you had your chance for real revenge, Captain? You won't likely have such an opportunity again."

"Not who I want to be."

Gold carefully considered his answer for a few moments before he said, "No harm will befall your children at my behest. You have my word."

"I thought you said you didn't owe me?" Killian questioned.

"I don't. This isn't a deal, it's not an exchange. It's what I'm choosing to do, and I'm simply making you aware of it," Gold said before he and Belle began the walk back home.

After the small crowd that had gathered dispersed, Killian, Emma and Henry walked back to Regina's. Once they were standing in the foyer, Henry lunged at Killian and quickly hugged him. "Thank you," the boy said, earnestly, pulling away as unexpectedly as he'd approached. As he went up the stairs, Henry added, "What you did tonight…my dad would have loved that."

Killian leaned against the wall near the stairs, grabbing his flask and taking a drink while he tried to let go of the stress that still surged through him after the fight was over. "Guess we won't have to go hunting for him…he's here," Killian began to comment.

As he lifted away from the wall, Emma thudded his chest with her fist, not violently, but enough to push him back against the wall, "Are you fucking nuts, Killian?"

"Perhaps a bit," he smiled roguishly.

"No," she argued loudly, "I'm not joking and I'm not playing around right now."

Regina came to the top of the steps and asked, testily, "It's late. I'm trying to sleep. Is everything okay?"

"Sorry," Emma answered, putting a hand on Killian's back and gesturing him out the back door. She paced a few times in the yard, clearly frustrated, and finally said, "I want to know what you're thinking, meeting up with that man on your own. You didn't tell me? I thought we agreed to make decisions like this together, to work as a team."

"We did—," he started but she interrupted immediately.

"So why, Killian? Why did you decide to do this on your own? How many times do I have to tell you that I need you? I need you alive, with me. I cannot lose you."

"It wasn't my intention to meet him," he explained. "I was as surprised by his presence as you were."

Emma looked confused, shaking her head as she asked, "So you didn't decide to go face him on your own?"

"Of course not, love. As we've agreed, we're a team."

She looked relieved and then more worried, "You didn't leave a note, you didn't tell anyone. You left alone. Henry noticed when you left and he woke me up and told me you were gone. He was worried. We were both worried. What if it went wrong and you didn't come back?"

"I always come back," he answered simply. "I've proven that to you."

"But what if you hadn't? What if that…man…decided to direct his demons toward you instead of Gold? I never would have known what happened to you. I'm not sure how many ways I can tell you how much this family needs you. You know how I feel, but look at Henry. He already lost Neal, and he's really bonding with you. He likes you. You matter to him now. What do you think that would do to him if you disappeared without a trace just when he was really getting close to you?"

"My plans weren't exactly risky. I'd assumed that you never would have noticed I was missing. But I came back. I'm here. I told you, I always do."

"You may not have thought the situation was risky, Hook…but it was. Now that the shadow or Facilier or whatever he is, is here, everything we do is risky." Killian took another swig from his flask, and she asked, "What were you doing out there tonight?"

"When I was captaining my ship, certain things were easy to come by. Jewels, necklaces, gold…I could have given you things, gifts, treated you in the manner you deserve to be treated."

"I don't care about things like that."

"Which is good, since I'm practically a pauper. I have no ship, I'm no longer pirating anyway, and I have little left to give you."

"So…you're taking a night job?" she guessed.

"No. I gathered a few things I still had and enlisted Tink's help," he explained as he dug into his pocket and produced the black bag that Tink had returned to him.

"Enlisted her help for what?"

"She's a tinker," he said as he loosened the tie around the bag and poked his hook through the opening. He removed something, but it was dark outside, so it was hard for Emma to see. Killian continued, "So I took a few of my possessions, and I asked her to use them to make this for you."

He approached and held out his hook, dropping something small and cold in her hand. She held it up into the moonlight and gasped at the item's beauty. It was a ring made of bright, polished gold. A clear bluish diamond was set in the center, and surrounded by smaller, faceted black gems that made the blue seem so much crisper and clearer. "It's…it's amazing. It's one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen," she admired.

"I'm glad to hear that," he said as he took the ring from her, and held it between his fingers. "Would you like to wear it?"

Emma nodded, holding out her hand while he slipped it on her finger. "Tinkerbell made this?"

"Aye. The gold comes from a coin I stole from the giant's lair. It seemed fitting as that was our first adventure together. The black gems came from our time in Raina's kingdom. I found them in the sand while we were exploring the jungle near the sea. I liked the look of them and they came from the place where you finally accepted our love. While we were back on the Jolly Roger, I gathered a few small items to bring with me. The blue diamond was one of those objects. I've had it for quite some time."

"From your plundering days?" she asked, curiously.

"From those days, yes, but that item wasn't stolen. It was given to me as a token of gratitude. It is beautiful, but that's not the only reason I wanted you to have it. I showed someone some kindness at a time when I had little time for kindness. And that man, a good and decent man, is the man I want to be for you and our family."

"What was the act of kindness?"

"The details are unimportant," he said, hoping to let the topic die.

"You're so cocky about so many things but you're shy about this? Are you seriously not going to tell me?"

Killian reluctantly explained, "A few of Blackbeard's crew kidnapped a girl. She was beautiful, very young, innocent. I heard her pleas for mercy. Those who'd kidnapped her were arguing over who would have the privilege of her company first and, while they were distracted, I kidnapped her, dressed as an ordinary sailor to disguise my identity, and returned her to her home."

"Kidnapped her? You mean you rescued her?" Emma smiled.

"I removed her from the situation. Taking advantage of a girl, especially one so young, is in horribly bad form. I couldn't allow it."

"Why disguise yourself?"

"A pirate's reputation is important, and I certainly didn't want to be thought of as the type to be rescuing maidens. Anyway, her mother didn't have much, but she insisted on giving me something to show her gratitude."

"This diamond?"

"Precisely. I told her it was unnecessary, but she said that one day, when I had children of my own, I'd understand why she was so appreciative. Of course I left their house and went right back to my normal life as a pirate, that is, until you. Seemed fitting you should have it."

"I love it," she said while the fingers of her other hand touched the ring. "Thank you."

"I'm glad," he answered, pulling her into his arms.

They began to sway, almost like they were dancing to music in their heads. Her hand was against his chest, and she was looking at the gift he'd given her and she said, "I hate to change the subject, but this guy, Facilier, overwhelmed Gold…Rumpelstiltskin. This situation is dangerous. We really need to be careful. We need to find out how to defeat this guy…and sooner rather than later."

"Agreed. Tomorrow we'll apprise Regina of the situation."

"I know you aren't going to like this, but Gold knows about the babies now," Emma said, hesitantly. "So maybe it's time to ask him if he knows anything about this guy. And then we can involve Belle…have her check the library."

"Alright," Killian agreed. "But don't harbor any misconceptions, the Crocodile still hates me. We haven't made peace, he's just agreed not to harm our children. That's the extent of this accord. The man…is every bit as dangerous as he always was."

"We'll be careful. Okay? It's time to pull out all of the stops. Facilier's here, and we need to deal with him before it's too late."

"Alright, love. Tomorrow, we'll talk to the Crocodile and his bride."