Killian Jones checked his compass. He was heading in the right direction and was probably not far from his destination. He probably had only a few minutes left to mentally prepare for this encounter he wasn't really looking forward to. Riding his light chestnut horse through the forest, he slowly got closer to a secluded cabin. The man he was looking for was right there, sitting under the porch with a bottle in his hand. Killian knew what to expect so he wasn't surprised. For J.J. Sneed, however, this was a complete shock: when peacocks started screaming, he looked up and momentarily stared at the newcomer, then glanced at his bottle of whiskey.

"Seems I had too much of this."

Killian got off his horse and stepped closer. "Don't blame it on the alcohol."

Suddenly, J.J. got to his feet and drew his gun.

"Put that down, I'm not here to be shot," said Killian. "Why the hell are there peacocks in a cage?"

"Who the hell are you?" asked J.J., still pointing his gun at Killian.

The peacocks kept screaming.

"Who the hell are you and why do you look like me?" asked J.J. more threateningly.

"Long story, you probably won't believe me. Put that gun down and we can talk. I have an offer for you."

J.J. looked him up and down, judging his leather coat, vest and pants, his hook and his stubble. Finally, he lowered his gun. "Who are you to wear such things?"

Killian raised an eyebrow and glared at the outlaw, but thought it best to let it pass; there were more important matters to discuss. "Most people call me Captain Hook, I–"

J.J. scoffed. "Captain. I ain't calling you that."

Killian rolled his eyes. He had underestimated the unpleasantness of this encounter.

"Ain't you going to tell me why you're wasting my time like this?" asked J.J..

"I will if you let me talk," Killian said shortly. "I'm in search of a certain stone contained in a chest otherwise filled with gold and possibly jewels. You can be my partner."

"I ain't interested," said J.J. as he went back to sit on his bench and gulped down some whiskey.

"Why not? Isn't gold what you're after?" asked Killian.

"It is. When I make the plans. And I usually partner with the other kind."

"The other kind?"

"A more feminine kind of partner." J.J. shook his head and glanced at his bottle again. "Why ain't I waking up?"

"Because this is real."

"That ain't possible."

Killian rolled his eyes and sighed. "Your world is one of many realms. I come from another one. I can't explain why we look alike, I just know doppelgangers aren't uncommon."

J.J. stared at him, confused and also maybe a bit worried. "Alright, let's say this is real and you're real. Why would I want to partner with you?"

"Did you miss the part where I said the chest was filled with gold and jewels? I have no interest in it, it can be yours. All I want is the stone."

"What's this stone to be more valuable than gold and jewels?"

"It would be of no use to you."

J.J. looked him up and down again. "Ain't you a pirate? Why wouldn't you care about a treasure? This stone must be extremely valuable for you to come all this way and be interested in no gold or jewels."

"It's not valuable here, you wouldn't get anything out of it." Killian didn't want to talk about that; he felt like the less the outlaw knew, the better.

"How can I know you're telling the truth?"

"You can't," Killian said curtly. "You'll have to trust me."

"Precisely. And our issue here is that I ain't trusting anyone. You'll have to be very convincing if you want me as your partner. Why do you even want that? You're a pirate, finding a treasure should be no problem for you."

"A captain usually has his crew, or at least his first mate; working solo can be unwise. You know this land better than anyone and you may know the guy who stole the chest, his name is Arthur Morgan."

"I know that fella."

Killian brought out of his pocket a leather pouch that he threw to J.J.. "That's just a taste. You'll get more if you help me get the stone."

J.J. put his bottle aside, opened the pouch and emptied some of its content in his hand. He gazed at the rubies, then looked up at Killian. "You say I'll get more of those?"

"Plenty more. Besides the gold and jewels contained in the chest."

"Alright, I'll help you. I know where to find Arthur Morgan. It's barely an hour's ride from here."

Killian was relieved. For one thing, the earlier he'd get rid of the outlaw, the better. If they were truly just an hour away from the stone, it also meant that he'd be back in Storybrooke before nightfall. "Let's not waste any more time, let's go now."

Killian went back to his horse and grabbed his flask in the hopes that rum would give him the courage he needed to deal with this mission.

He looked back at the cabin. J.J. was not under the porch anymore. There was no sight of him. Killian instantly got on the horse and took his hand to his gun, ready to draw if J.J. proved to be as unfaithful as he seemed to be.

"Ready?" asked J.J., appearing on a liver chestnut-colored horse from behind the cabin. "It's this way."

The two men rode side by side and Killian wondered if the reason why J.J. was not taking the lead was that J.J. distrusted him so much that he would not turn his back on him. That would be stupid as Killian needed J.J. to find the stone – Killian was the one who needed to be cautious.

"The pirate and the outlaw," said J.J.. "Sounds like we're in the same line of work."

"Aye, I guess we are."

"How long have you been a pirate?"

"Longer than you can imagine." Killian thought he could pretend to take an interest in J.J.'s life, but he really didn't care.

"What happened to your hand?" asked J.J..

Killian concealed his annoyance. Did the outlaw abhor silence that much? "It was taken by a crocodile."

"Sounds wild," said J.J.. "But I was talking about the other hand. It looks like a wedding ring."

"Oh, that!"

For the first time since he'd met J.J., a smile lit up Killian's face as he looked down at his hand. Emma had advised him to leave his wedding ring at home because they both knew a fearsome pirate would convince an outlaw more easily than a redeemed man, but he had refused to take it off.

"It is a wedding ring. I am married to the most stunning and brilliant woman in all the realms," Killian said proudly. "She's a hell of a pirate."

"You have a weird life."

Killian cast J.J. a judging look. The outlaw was irritating, but Killian also felt sorry for him because he obviously didn't know what true love was.

J.J. spent the rest of the ride blathering about being an outlaw. The two men agreed on one point: freedom was the best thing about this type of life with no ties. Killian held back from mentioning how much he loved that patch of dirt he called home and how he actually didn't miss living without ties. Somehow, he managed to convince J.J. that they were alike.

"You and I ain't good persons and we ain't apologetic. There ain't no rules and life's good."

"Aye, that's what freedom is about." Killian didn't believe in these words; he was not that man anymore, but he had to maintain the illusion he was like J.J..

When they were close, J.J. detailed his plan to Killian – they had to follow his plan since he was the one who knew the land and its habits, and the one Killian had asked for help. He explained in the minutest detail how they would approach the house without being seen, how he would go in first and how Killian would then join him.

"Do you realize you don't need to explain distraction to a pirate captain?" asked Killian.

"Can't be too careful, I ain't aware of your methods. Remember, it's all in the timing."

Killian restrained himself from rolling his eyes once again. "I know."

"It's over there. Let's leave the horses here."

Down the tortuous path, they could discern a wooden house.

"Another secluded cabin in the woods," said Killian. "Do you all live like hermits?"

J.J. glared at him. "The place where you found me is not mine, it's Reverend Riggs'."

He didn't say anything else on the subject. Quietly, they got closer. Soon, they reached the porch. J.J. drew his gun and shot at the lock. The door flew open. J.J. went in while Killian waited outside, leaning back against the wall and peeking inside.

"Stick 'em up!" J.J. told a man Killian couldn't see from where he was standing.

Pointing his gun at the man, J.J. stepped sideways in a semi-circle, compelling the man to follow his move and go around. This was part of the plan; with this trick, the man had his back turned to the door, which allowed Killian to enter unnoticed. The man was younger than Killian expected, probably just in his late twenties.

Killian silently stepped closer, pointing his gun at the young outlaw who was pointing his at J.J.. "I wouldn't do that if I were you."

The young outlaw instantly looked back at Killian and blinked. His gaze quickly shifted back and forth between J.J. and Killian.

J.J. took advantage of the man's surprise and confusion to close the distance and disarm him, then stuck his gun in his ribs. "You stole a chest, we want it back."

The young outlaw stared at J.J. without saying anything, then screamed with pain when J.J. shot him in the foot.

"Next one goes into your head. Where is the chest?" J.J. asked menacingly.

The man was trapped. Wincing, he pointed at the cupboard under the stairs. "One of the floorboards is removable."

Keeping his gun stuck in his ribs, J.J. indicated to Killian to go and check if the chest was there. Killian opened the cupboard and easily identified the removable floorboard. With his hook, he quickly got it out of the way, and uncovered a very ancient jewel case.

"Got it!" said Killian, showing it to J.J..

"A jewelry box? You said a chest. This can't contain much." J.J. turned to the young outlaw and held his gun higher, now pointing it at his head.

"Whoa! What are you doing?" asked Killian, instantly getting back on his feet.

J.J. was so surprised that he stood still. "Finishing him off."

"There's no need, he gave us what we came for," said Killian, quickly joining the two men.

Seeing that J.J. was ready to kill the young outlaw, Killian did the only thing that could save him: he hit the young outlaw in the face with his hook. The man collapsed.

"There," said Killian. "He's knocked out. No need to kill him."

"Why do you care?" asked J.J.. "Ain't you a pirate?"

"Pirates live by a code, I do not kill unnecessarily. Not anymore anyway."

J.J. examined the man on the floor and finally put his gun away, then followed Killian who opened the jewel case. It was full of gold coins, gemstones and, in a corner of the box, the stone Killian immediately identified as the one he was looking for: a rainbow moonstone. It was a beautiful gleaming white stone with blue reflections.

"It doesn't look like a stone with no value to me," said J.J..

Killian put the stone in his pocket. "It's much more valuable to me than you. That's all I need, the rest is yours."

"I always say best split is no split."

Words barely had time to sink in before Killian heard the clicking sound of a gun being loaded very close to him, and he understood. He didn't need to look to know that a gun was pointed at his head. Betrayal was part of J.J.'s plan.

Clenching his jaw, Killian swiftly turned around and twisted J.J.'s arm, making him drop his gun that he pushed away with a kick. He pinned J.J. against the staircase railing.

"Foolish move, mate!" said Killian.

Immobilizing him with his own body, Killian glanced around. The railing was made of bars of oak. He knew what to do.

"You picked the wrong team. You could have won if only you'd trusted me."

Killian kept talking to distract J.J. while he took out of one of his pockets what he needed. He knew perfectly well what he was doing. The outlaw might be ruthless, but it was not enough to equal centuries of piracy; Killian had faced much worse enemies in the past. J.J. struggled but, with the tip of the hook threateningly pressed on his throat, all he managed to do was to nudge Killian in the ribs, which was far from enough to stop him. When Killian stepped back, J.J. was tied to the staircase railing with two pairs of handcuffs.

"My wife taught me that one," boasted Killian.

Consumed with rage, J.J. kept struggling. "Why's a pirate even carrying handcuffs?"

"Oh, did I forget to mention I'm not that pirate anymore? I'm now deputy sheriff. Now, just one last thing before we part." Killian searched J.J. and, from an inside pocket, retrieved the pouch filled with rubies. "Thanks!"

Killian checked he had the stone, which was the only thing that mattered to him, but also took the jewel case and left the house, leaving J.J. swearing and vainly trying to free himself. He went back to his horse – a horse that he had borrowed from a stable in a little town and that he intended to return. Luckily, they had ridden past said little town and J.J. had been talkative enough to mention it; Killian knew how to go back.

The little town was even closer than Killian expected, maybe because time was going by faster now that he didn't have to endure the outlaw's company. He easily found his way back to the stable and found the woman who had lent him the horse.

"Thank you! Actually, I'd like to give you this." He checked there was no one around and handed her the jewel case. "But be careful with it, keep it in a safe place as it's quite valuable."

"But you paid already," said the woman.

"It was not enough. Thanks to you, I got something which is so much more valuable than all of this. Something very important for my family."

"Still…"

"This jewelry box comes from a faraway land, it doesn't belong to anyone, not even to me. You can have it. But you have to decide now because I really have to go."

The woman finally accepted the jewelry box and thanked him repeatedly while he left.

Killian made one last stop at the Sheriff's office to leave a note indicating where J.J. Sneed could be found and mentioning that another man there was hurt. Then, he headed back to the forest, clutching in his pocket the moonstone that would help his two-year-old daughter control her magic; a few weeks earlier, Hope's magic had revealed itself. It was beautiful, but also unpredictable. Though delighted and in awe, Killian and Emma were also worried. They had asked their friend Elsa from Arendelle for help and she was the one who had talked to them about the moonstone – a stone that would protect Hope from any unexpected outburst of magic by storing any excess of power and keeping it safe for a later use. The stone would help her control her magic without depriving her of it.

Once in the forest, Killian stopped in a small clearing and looked around. He was far enough from town to be out of sight. This place would do. He took out of his pocket the second most valuable object he was carrying: a magic bean, which he used to open a portal that brought him back to Storybrooke, and back to his family.