Just a little backstory in preparation for the next chapter

Partners

"Mac? Your new partner is here." Mac looked up from the paperwork he'd been staring for the past hour, his head still pounding from a massive hangover, his eyes bloodshot from the lack of sleep.

He studied the man standing in front of him: tall, dark hair, blue eyes, a 3-day scruff, a confident stance. Mac made a conscious attempt not to look at the left hand, as it would be a shitty move to blatantly point out your new partners' missing hand. Underneath the confidence his new partner was showing, he could see the cracks in the mask: the hair was disheveled, his eyes were bloodshot, and his right hand was fidgeting.

Takes one to know one.

Killian stood there as his new partner observed him and took his time to read the man with whom he'd be working side by side. All these new memories and knowledge had been hard on him the first few weeks and for a moment he thought he was going to lose his mind; that he wouldn't survive. But above all things, Killian Jones was a survivor. So here he was, ready to start yet a new life and reinvent himself. Ready to put the past behind. Ready to forget her.

He noticed his partner's stare, the air of someone who'd drunk too much the night before, the stance of a man being hunted by demons. He could recognize that look; it was the one that looked at him back in the mirror for over three centuries. A man seeking revenge.

Mac got up sighing and extended his hand. "Mac Sanders, welcome to New Jersey."

"Killian Jones." Killian said as he shook his hand.

"Come, let me show you your desk and put you up to speed." Mac said as he pointed to a desk nearby.

On the second day of the job, Killian was seriously rethinking this entire ordeal as he mentally calculated how long it would take him to get to the docks, steal a vessel and set sail to the unknown. His new partner had said little to nothing at him the day before and he was now looking at the paperwork piling up on his desk. He sighed and turned his attention back to the case he was reading. It was about a drug major player in the area and this was the drug bust that had gone wrong and had caused the life of Mac's partner, from what he could read on the file. The spot that became available and that he took due to the resourcefulness of the Evil Queen. He read the file over and over, memorizing each detail that could lead him to find a solution.

"Jones!" He heard someone calling and raised his head to find Mac standing next to him, securing his gun and grabbing his jacket. "We've got a lead on the case. Let's go." Mac said.

Killian nodded, grabbed his jacket and followed his partner towards Mac's car.

The ride was silent and Killian could feel Mac's apprehension as they were getting to where they've told the guy was hiding.

"Are you sure this is a good idea? Shouldn't we call for backup?" Killian asked. It was what the procedure was supposed to be according to the rule books Regina had imbibed in his memory.

"If we wait, we risk losing him. And I cannot lose this fucker a second time." Mac replied as he speed up the car.

When they were getting close to the location, they saw a man darting on the street, escaping.

"Fuck! He's getting away!" Mac screamed before hitting the brakes and stopping the car abruptly. He got off the car and starting chasing the guy.

Killian didn't waste a minute to get out of the damn vessel and reach for his gun as he followed Mac. And the he saw it, the guy had turned around and Mac was in the direct line of fire. He quickly raised his gun and fired as he yelled "Mate! Take cover!"

Mac stopped in his tracks, startled by the yell and Killian didn't hesitate to push him to the side, as they both took cover from the coming shots.

After a few minutes without hearing any shooting, Killian ventured to take a look at the street. It was deserted. He took a deep breath before turning around to look at Mac, who was still resting by the wall.

"Are you bloody insane, mate?" He spat. "You could have died!"

"Why do you care?" Mac spat back. "You've just met me, partner."

"I might or I might not care, you bloody idiot; but if I recall correctly from your file, you have a wife and children waiting for you at home. I am pretty sure they care."

Mac sighed deeply, sitting on the sidewalk and running his head through his hair. "You wouldn't understand…"

"Why? Because you think I haven't lost anyone?" Killian replied darkly. "Trust me, mate. I understand. I've lost people that mattered to me." His mind drifted to Liam, Milah. He sat next to Mac. "But a blind chase to get revenge it's not going to make it better. It won't bring them back, it won't make you miss them any less. But you do have something to live for: you have a family that is waiting for you each night when you get home, you have that warmth and love waiting for you each day, to help you move on…" He sighed.

Mac scoffed at him. "Aren't you full of rainbows, sunshine?"

Killian chuckled. "Quite the opposite, mate… I've lived in the darkness long enough to know it's an empty path." He looked up at the street, a sad smile on his face.

Mac reached for the pocket inside his jacket, pulling out a cigarette package.

"Do you smoke?" He offered the package to Killian.

"Sure, why not?" Killian said as he took one cigarette.

Mac lighted both cigarettes and took a puff, exhaling the smoke.

"So, sunshine, what do you suggest we do now?" He asked looking at Killian.

"I have the perfect solution right here." Killian said, holding the cigarette in his lips as he took out his old flask, "Rum?"