Captain Hook (Once Upon a Time)

"I'm a survivor"

- Hook to Emma Swan

Killian Jones, better known as Captain Hook, is a pirate and the secondary antagonist of the second season turned hero and the love interest of Emma Swan in the show Once Upon A Time. He is portrayed by Colin O'Donoghue. He is also based on the character from the play Peter Pan with the same nickname.

Biography
As a young boy, Killian and his father planned to sail and explore other worlds on a ship. Unfortunately, he receives an emotional blow when his father, a fugitive, secretly disappears during the night to avoid capture and leaves him to fend for himself.

Killian grows up to become a lieutenant of a ship named the Jewel of the Realm and is invited along for a sea expedition with his brother, Captain Liam Jones. On orders of the king, they travel to an island and obtain a plant, Dreamshade, rumored to heal any affliction. On the way there, they are attacked from behind by two other ships firing cannons. To escape them, Liam has the sail released down, which is made of Pegasus feathers, and glides the ship to safety in the clouds. Once in Neverland's waters, they row to shore with a boat. They are surprised by a young boy, Peter Pan, who claims that Dreamshade is dangerous. The boy presses that the plant only leads to doom and exemplifies how easy it is to kill an entire army with poison instead of a messy onslaught. Killian begins having doubts, but Liam ignores his brother's fears and they go on to find the Dreamshade on Dead Man's Peak. In a misguided attempt to prove the plant is harmless, Liam cuts himself with Dreamshade and passes out from the spreading poison. Panic-stricken, Killian pleads for Pan's help until he allows passage to the island's remedial spring, though the boy warns they should not leave Neverland unless willing to pay the price of magic. Killian promises to give him whatever he wants and hurries to deliver the water to Liam, who is completely healed by it. He turns to repay Pan for his services, but the boy is gone. Journeying home, Liam proposes exposing their king's true nature to everyone, however, he collapses and dies after the Jewel of the Realm leaves Neverland's seas. Liam's death has a profound effect on Killian, who takes his place as captain of the ship and renames it the Jolly Roger. After revealing to the crew what type of man their king is, Kilian rallies them into deferring from the king's service and embracing the life of pirates "with honor" instead.

During his many adventures as a pirate, Killian and his crew stop in a town tavern where a woman named Milah frequents. They become acquainted and begin gambling and drinking together. Killian entertains Milah with stories of the lands he has visited. One day, they are interrupted by the appearance of Milah's husband, Rumplestiltskin. Rumplestiltskin asks Milah to come back home with him, though she refuses. Rumplestiltskin and Milah's son, Baelfire, who had been told to wait outside, comes into the tavern calling for his mother. Seeing her son, Milah forfeits her stay and goes home. The next day, Killian and his crew seemingly kidnap Milah, but in actuality, she goes willingly with them. Not knowing the truth, Rumplestiltskin goes to his ship to plea for his wife back. Killian references himself as a man with a code of honor, and if Rumplestiltskin can fight him and win, he will allow Milah to return home. When Killian throws the sword to Rumplestiltskin so they battle man-to-man, the latter backs out of the duel.

Several years later, Killian bumps into by a seemingly helpless beggar, whom he makes fun of by referring to as a crocodile. The beggar begins to laugh hideously, and casts off his cloak to reveal he is none other than the Dark One. Rumplestiltskin asks for Milah, and at first, Killian feigns ignorance, but then, he lies and states that she died many years ago. Rumplestiltskin takes his words as truth, and challenges him to a sword fight. Killian nearly has his heart ripped out, but Milah interrupts to stop Rumplestiltskin. Previously, she caught Rumplestiltskin's associate, William Smee on Hook's ship trying to steal a magic bean. She promises to give it to Rumplestiltskin if he will spare both her and Killian's life. Rumplestiltskin agrees to the bargain and will meet them on Killian's ship. Rumplestiltskin confronts Milah over her abandonment of Baelfire. When Milah spitefully claims to have never loved him, he moves to grab the bean, which she tosses to Killian, who catches it. Killian clenches his fist in shock as Rumplestiltskin tears out Milah's heart, and runs to hold her in his arms as the Dark One crushes the heart to ash and she dies. Afterwards, his refusal to fork over the bean causes Rumplestiltskin to take extreme measures by cutting off Killian's left hand clutching the bean, or so he believes. In actuality, Killian switched the bean to his right hand. A furious Killian grabs a hook and stabs Rumplestiltskin. Unaffected, the Dark One teleports away. In a rage, Hook takes the hook and replaces his left hand with it before burying Milah at sea. He takes out the magic bean and throws into the ocean. It opens a portal, to which the ship leaves the Enchanted Forest for a world where people remain young, a place called Neverland.

During the journey towards the island of Neverland, Killian and his crew members haul a boy out of the water aboard the Jolly Roger.

Hook learns the boy's name is Baelfire, and thus, this makes him Rumplestiltskin's son. When the Lost Ones of Neverland climb aboard searching for a certain boy Peter Pan wants, he hides Baelfire below deck in a vent. After the Lost Ones leave empty-handed, Smee chastises Hook for not handing over the boy them. However, Hook has a plan of his own to get close to Baelfire as a way of learning more about Rumplestiltskin and getting revenge. Despite this scheme, he develops a true friendship with Baelfire by teaching him how to steer the ship, and they bond over being abandoned by their fathers. Baelfire discloses how his father feared his magic powers would all be gone if someone stabbed him with a special dagger. This tidbit gives Hook knowledge of a way to kill Rumplestiltskin, which conflicts with his growing kinship with Baelfire. All this comes to an end when the boy finds a drawing of his mother Milah and demands answers from Hook. He tells Baelfire the true fate of his mother, who ran away to be with him because they were in love, but she died when Rumplestiltskin tore out her heart and crushed it. Hook tries to alleviate the betrayal of lying to Baelfire by bring up Milah's past desire to go back for her son so the three of them could be together. Since she is gone, he believes they can live out her dream and become a family. Baelfire rejects the notion and opts to go to Neverland. The renunciation crushes Hook, who strays back into darkened emotions as revenge becomes his main and only focus.

After finally arriving to the island's jungle, Hook is adamant that they find a way out of Neverland and back to the Enchanted Forest so he can put his plan of killing Rumplestiltskin with the dagger into action. Smee struggles to keep up with the walk until he is knocked out by an unknown assailant. As Hook goes to check up on him, a woman namedTinker Bell threatens him at knife point. He explains his reason for being in Neverland to find magic and return to the Enchanted Forest. Upon guessing Tinker Bell is fairy, he wonders why she won't help him find his "happy ending". She briefs him on having lost her wings and states that he'll have to figure out his "happy ending" himself. As Hook grabs his rum bottle, Tinker Bell mistakenly believes he is taking out a weapon and hastily pulls out another blade at him. They share the drink while Hook tells her about his quest for vengeance against the Dark One for killing the woman he loved. She is surprised that he'd go that far for something that might get him killed. Hook claims he would only risk his life for two things; love and revenge. While he lost his love, dying for revenge is well worth the sacrifice.

Sometime later, Hook returns to the Enchanted Forest. One evening, while gambling at a tavern, a blonde woman seductively approaches Hook. They spend one-on-one time drinking, though she refuses to tell him her name. By the end of the evening, he is completely drunk. Carrying her onto his ship, one of the crew members, Smee, is apparently shocked to see his captain and claims he just saw him come aboard moments earlier. Despite that Smee believes something is amiss, Hook commands him to leave so he and the lady can have privacy. Noticing the blonde has already gone below deck, Hook follows. As they kiss, he prepares to lay her down on the table, but then someone knocks him out from behind.
 * Alternate Timeline

Breaking into the Evil Queen's palace, he intends to procure information from one of the Queen's prisoners, Belle, on where Rumplestiltskin hides his dagger. She proves to be useless, so he knocks Belle out and prepares to kill her as the Queen, Regina, intervenes. She requests his assistance to kill her mother, Cora, by taking out her heart and in return, he'll be able to get his revenge on Rumplestiltskin once the Dark Curse is cast. Before he goes, the Evil Queen enchants his hook with the ability to remove a heart. She also requires that her mother's corpse be returned to the Enchanted Forest, so she sends a dead soldier with him. Via a magic hat, he ends up in Cora's palace in Wonderland. Hook fails at ripping her heart since it's already been moved and placed elsewhere. She begins tearing out his heart until Hook admits Regina sent him to kill her. Eventually, Hook is swayed into a partnership with Cora when he learns it will be impossible to enact his revenge on Rumplestiltskin once the Dark Curse is cast as everyone's memories will be wiped out. He promises to help Cora get close enough to Regina to take out her heart in exchange for immunity against losing his memories. Hook returns to the Enchanted Forest to present the body of Cora, who feigns being dead, to Regina. After leaving the two alone in the mausoleum, he comes back in after Regina has left to find Cora has changed her mind. Instead, they travel to an island where Cora casts a protection spell to keep herself and Hook unaffected by the Dark Curse for twenty-eight years until the savior breaks it.

In the present day Enchanted Forest, Hook stands by a seashore near the small island hamlet where the survivors of the Dark Curse live. Cora approaches and shows him the ashes of the wardrobe. They talk about using the ashes to get them to the other world. Hook says that Cora will get to meet her daughter and he will get to skin a crocodile, referring to Rumplestiltskin.

Some time after this, Cora enchants two of her bracelets for herself and Hook to use for climbing up a beanstalk. There, they intend to retrieve a compass for reaching Storybrooke. Rather than wait for Cora, Hook decides to align himself withEmma's group. Pretending to be a survivor of Cora's attack on the Safe Haven, Hook quickly gains Aurora's sympathy. He introduces himself as a blacksmith who lost his hand in an ogre attack, but Emma doesn't believe him. He refuses to tell the truth, so Emma ties him to a tree as bait for ogres. When she whistles to draw the ogres near and leaves him there, Hook finally admits his actual identity as a shocked Mary Margaret pulls his hook out of his satchel. Hook admits working with Cora, but offers to join forces with Emma and her team as he knows a way to get to Storybrooke. Most of all, he wants to go to Storybrooke to get revenge on Rumplestiltskin for taking away his hand. Emma decides to cut him free. Then, he leads them to a giant beanstalk stretching up into the sky, and explains there is an enchanted compass at the top, but first they must deal with the giant guarding it.

Since Hook possesses a counter spell to allow himself and only one other person to journey up the beanstalk, Emma joins him. During the climb, Hook prods Emma about her past, but she is reluctant to talk about it. He turns the conversation to her son. Hook can tell she is an orphan, just like the Lost Boys of Neverland, since he spent time in their company. He also guesses Emma doesn't want her son to grow up like she did. When he asks if she has ever been in love, Emma denies it. At the top of the beanstalk, Emma and Hook arrive in the realm of the giants. She suggests they use the poppy dust to put the giant to sleep. As Hook passes the powder, she notices the tattoo with Milah's name on it and assumes he must have really loved her. Hook lures the giant out towards Emma, who manages to knock him out by throwing the dust. They wander through the giant's lair, with Emma looking for the magical compass, while Hook seems to have more of an eye on the treasure. Emma notices a tripwire and stops him in his tracks by grabbing his arm. He jests that she likes him, which she strongly refutes. They spot the compass on a top of a golden bird cage, but before retrieving it, the giant storms in. Large stones bury Hook underneath, though Emma later comes to show him the compass. As Hook reaches for it, she tucks it away and entraps him; claiming he can't be trusted.

Escaping from the giant, Hook makes his descent from the beanstalk. At the bottom, Cora confronts him about taking her bracelets and climbing up the beanstalk without her. The pirate claims he intended to take the compass for the both of them. Noting his failure, she asks who had beaten him to it, to which he admits Emma did. Deciding Hook is no longer trustworthy, since he used the bracelets without her consultation, Cora severs ties with him. Ultimately, she decides to leave him in the Enchanted Forest with his vengeance unfulfilled. In anger, he tries to stab her with his hook, but she teleports away; leaving him face-down in the dirt. Realizing he will not get to Storybrooke alone, Hook returns to the ruins of the Safe Haven, where Cora is keeping Aurora captive, and rips out the girl's heart while she is unconscious. He then puts the heart in a pouch and shakes Aurora awake. Pretending to be on her side, Hook explains he is freeing her as a means to ensure Cora's plans fail. Before the girl runs off, he asks her to deliver the message that his deal with Emma, to help her return home, still stands. Later, in the cell, Cora accosts him for helping her prisoner escape. However, all is forgiven when he gifts her Aurora's heart. Using it, he and Cora listen to Aurora and her three companions speak. They learn about the foursome's next journey to Rumplestiltskin's old cell to find squid ink, which will entrap and render Cora powerless. Cora congratulates him on taking out a heart, to which Hook proposes they leave for Storybrooke together.

With Aurora's heart in hand, Cora manipulates the girl into triggering a switch to lock all four of them in Rumplestiltskin's old cell. Out of the darkness, Hook and Cora make themselves known. When the three women attempt to confront Aurora over her "betrayal", Cora unveils Aurora's heart from beneath her cloak and squeezes it as a test. Hook confronts Emma about leaving him atop the beanstalk. She tries to make him reconsider helping her, but Hook is not interested and shows Emma a "souvenir", a magic bean, which was procured from the giant's neck. Tauntingly, he affirms she is very much like the bean as it was once magical and full of hope, but is now "dried up, dead, and useless." Hook makes it clear he's done with her, and leaves with Cora for Lake Nostos. Once there, Cora has Hook dump the wardrobe ashes into the lake, and create a portal. They are stopped at the last minute when Mulan fires an arrow to knock the compass out of Cora's hand. While he and Emma fight for the compass, Cora nearly drops Aurora's heart into the portal. Hook catches and returns it to Mulan, who then hurries back to Aurora. He and Emma continue their sword duel until she is pinned down by him. While throwing her an innuendo, Emma reveals the compass in her hand and promptly knocks him out cold. He wakes up only after Emma and Mary Margaret have left in the portal. Though Cora is disappointed, Hook suggests they restore the withered magic bean with the lake's waters. This idea works, and they sail into Storybrooke's waters on the Jolly Roger.

At the Storybrooke harbor, they discuss Hook's desire for vengeance against Rumplestiltskin, which is now more difficult to execute with the presence of magic in Storybrooke. When a local resident sees the ship, Cora hides the vehicle with magic and then turns him into a fish, to which Hook kicks into the water. Sometime later, he and Cora observe Regina leaving the diner alone after her talk with Emma. Cora sets Regina up for the murder of Archie and kidnaps the man aboard the ship for Hook to use for interrogation.

Below the deck of the Jolly Roger, Hook demands Archie for knowledge on the dagger. Archie pleads ignorance on the topic, and Hook sees he is telling the truth. However, Hook knows Rumplestiltskin must have a weakness, and threatens to "dissect a cricket" if Archie does not talk, which he agrees to do. He learns Rumplestiltskin, who goes by Mr. Gold in this land, has a beloved named Belle. He goes to the library and corners Belle inside the building. When he threatens to kill her, she hastily seeks shelter inside an elevator. In truth, this is just a ploy to force her to call Mr. Gold for help, therefore drawing him out of the pawnshop so Hook's associate Smee can steal Baelfire's shawl. Hook disappears back onto his ship with the shawl. He catches Belle rifling through the lower deck for the shawl after freeing Archie and grabs her gun. He reveals the truth to her about Milah and how she died, though Belle believes Mr. Gold has changed. After Hook is knocked in the head, she runs away to the deck, though he arrives there first. Suddenly, Mr. Gold approaches and begins beating Hook, who openly taunts his cowardice. Belle convinces him to stop as Hook is left in a battered bloody mess when the two leave the ship. At nightfall, Hook shoots Belle as she is bidding Mr. Gold farewell while both are standing on opposite sides of the town border. This causes Belle to fall across the town line and lose her Enchanted Forest memories. While Hook is reveling in causing Mr. Gold pain, a car speeds into town and hits Hook.

Shortly thereafter, Mr. Gold is so enraged at what has unfolded and hurts Hook further by crushing his already broken ribs, though David and Emma stop him. Hook is taken into the hospital as a patient. Emma interrogates him about the location of Cora, but he deflects her questions with flirtatious remarks. In frustration, she pokes him in the ribs until Hook admits he has no idea where Cora is. Even in his wrecked physical state, he is pleased to have damaged Mr. Gold by harming Belle and finds it well worth it since his nemesis started everything by killing Milah.

Having recovered from his injuries, Hook is taken out of the hospital by David, Leroy and Mary Margaret for questioning about Cora's plans. He takes them aboard his ship to show them a giant, Anton, who Cora shrunk and kidnapped from the Enchanted Forest. He denies knowing anything about Cora's intentions and suggests they ask the giant. Mary Margaret lets Anton out, but the giant is worked up into a rage when he sees David. During the commotion, Hook escapes into town to attempt contact with Cora by using a Queen of Hearts card. Instead, Regina appears to tell him Cora is laying low from the public to avoid repercussions. She still blames him for failing to kill Cora, even though the two have now made amends. When she asks about Cora's things on his ship, he specifies that the giant has escaped. From this, Regina devises a plan to use the giant to her advantage to cause trouble in town.

Hook discovers Mr. Gold is no longer in town, which could make it easier to kill him as there is no magic outside of Storybrooke. Cora promises him that much, but first, he teams up with them to find the one thing capable of controlling Mr. Gold--the dagger. They scour the library after Regina retrieves a call number for a book from Belle's purse. In place of the missing book, there is a treasure map. Previously, Hook placed it there himself to fool Cora and Regina. After he outlines the area on the map where the dagger is located, he passes out when Cora flings him into a book shelf.

Awakening, Hook takes matters into his own hands by going to the Storybrooke jail, where he attacks David, steals keys and uses them to open a drawer where his hook is kept. Reattaching it as his missing hand, he leaves and sails theJolly Roger to New York. Tracking Mr. Gold to an apartment complex, he knocks Emma out of the way to stab Mr. Gold with his hook, which is coated in Dreamshade, stating he took Milah and his happiness from him, and now Rumplestiltskin's life is his. Emma manages to knock Hook out before he can hurt Mr. Gold any further. Neal runs down the stairs and sees the scene, recognizing Hook. To keep Hook from harming anyone else, Emma locks him in the Neal's storage closet while they make plans to sail back to Storybrooke on the Jolly Roger.

Later, Neal notifies Emma that when his fiancée, Tamara, went to get her bags from the storage closet, Hook was not there. In truth, though Neal and Emma are under the impression Hook somehow escaped, he is actually taken hostage by Tamara and Greg. They sneak him into Storybrooke via hiding him in the back of a truck, and want to use him for their own means.

On the top level of the clock tower, Tamara and Greg tie Hook to a chair. He guesses they are going to interrogate and torture information out of him, and laughs at the situation. Hook doesn't care about following their rules as he believes he has already accomplished his life's goal of killing the Dark One. Tamara and Greg show him the truth by easing his chair close to the clock tower's face and handing him a telescope. Hook uses it to peer down onto the ground level of the town, and becomes enraged seeing Mr. Gold alive and well walking beside Belle. Greg makes him see he cannot win against the Dark One unless he has help, and if they help him, he must also do as they want. Greg wants Hook to get close to Regina under the pretense of becoming her ally, which he agrees to do.

Hook comes to Regina in her office and pretends to spill Tamara and Greg's secret plan of wanting him to become aligned with and betray her later on. He gives his condolences upon hearing of Cora's death, and pulls at Regina's heart by talking about the one thing Cora wanted for her daughter was to see her win. Regina lets Hook in on her escape plan from Storybrooke by using magic beans to go back to the Enchanted Forest. Before she leaves with Henry, Regina wants to activate a "fail-safe" that will eradicate the whole town and its inhabitants. Hook asks if the "crocodile" will also perish, which Regina confirms.

Hook and Regina travel down to the basement level of the clock tower where inside a cave hides the "fail-safe". Hook grimly talks about how revenge is all he is living for, and once his vengeance is fulfilled, he'll have nothing to live for. But, Regina believes otherwise; that after vengeance is a fresh start. She notices Hook is wearing her mother's armband, and demands it back. Inside the cave, Regina explains the "fail-safe" is guarded by Maleficent, and the magic in the cave prevents her from dying so she can continue to keep the "fail-safe" from intruders. Hook becomes Maleficent's bait and distraction after Regina pushes him into her pit. Despite stabbing Maleficent, she regenerates and reforms into a bigger version of her current self. Using unknown means, Tamara and Greg save Hook from her.

Hook is waiting in the library by the time Regina makes her way back up from the cave to the ground floor of the clock tower. She is astounded he survived, but he states that's the thing he's best at. Hook reveals he felt a genuine connection when she spoke of starting over with a new life after vengeance, and it almost made him put a stop to his "plan". Upon further inquiry, he unveils it as Tamara and Greg's plan, and they walk into the room to face off with Regina. Despite Regina's attempts in using magic against them, it does not work as the armband is designated by science to cancel out magic. Hook lets Greg take the lead in speaking to Regina, and watches as Tamara, on Greg's orders, puts a bag over Regina's head and take her to an unknown location.

Greg has Regina tied up with the intentions of torturing her until she admits where his father is. He asks Hook to give him a hand, "preferably his good one". Hook refuses, telling Greg that he will only help them when they're interested in killing Rumplestiltskin, before walking off.

Hook is incredulous Greg and Tamara plan to use the trigger to bring about the destruction in town and murder everyone just to get rid of magic. With his own safety at risk, too, he aligns himself with David, Emma, Mary Margaret and Regina. The trigger can't be stopped, but Regina can slow it down. David suggests the delay will give them more time to steal back the remaining beans from Greg and Tamara, use them to open portals, and travelling to the Enchanted Forest. Emma points out no one knows their current whereabouts, though Hook chimes in he knows. To keep the pirate from betraying them, David goes along with him.

Outside the cannery, they witness Greg burning documents. Inside the building, David threatens to pull the trigger unless the beans are handed over. As Greg pulls out a small clear bottle containing them, Tamara ambushes from behind and shoots, though David manages to dodge while getting grazed by the bullet. Hook tackles Greg to the ground; causing the bottle to break on the floor. While David chases after Tamara, Hook wrestles for the beans and eventually grabs one while Greg makes off with the other.

Hook catches up to David, who was just bested by Greg. David is upset at their failure, but Hook shows him the bean he was able to get and puts it into his belt container. This does little to cool David's anger at letting Greg and Tamara escape, but the latter attempts to calm him down. Rejecting Hook's words, he grabs the box containing the bean and stalks off.

Returning to the diner, where some of the townspeople are grouped, David gives Emma the news about the procured bean. Henry questions where his adoptive mother is, and Emma tells him that she is in the mines slowing down the trigger, but will not be able to make it out. This cause anger on Henry's part since Regina will basically be left behind as everyone else escapes to the Enchanted Forest. He points out this situation isn't any different from the Wraith attack, which gives Mary Margaret the idea they can use the bean to send the trigger to another dimension. After much debate, Mary Margaret sways Emma into getting Regina out safely. As David tosses the boxed bean to Emma, Hook snatches it in mid-air. Not settling for wasting time and energy on saving someone who clearly wants to die so others can leave the trigger's catalyst, Hook declares he is leaving alone. Emma reasons that he's only ever known to rely on himself as she has, but they are going through with the plan whether he is a part of the group or not. Impressed by her speech, Hook forks over the bean, or so he makes it appear. In actuality, he gives back the box, but hid the actual item for himself. Then, he asks the real reason she's going out on a limb for Regina. Emma tells him Henry's father is now dead and vows to not let her son lose his mother. To Hook's surprise, he is finding out for the first time that Neal, who was known to him as Baelfire, is Henry's father.

After this conversation, Hook gets back on his ship and plans to use it to save himself from the trigger that is destroying town. On deck, he notices the wood indentation on deck where he carved "S" for starboard and "P" for port when he taught Baelfire how to steer the ship. He is reminded of the genuine affection he had for the boy and how he once cared for someone, and decides not to use the bean to make his getaway. Confronted at the docks by Emma, Mary Margaret, David and Regina, he forfeits the bean. Emma still has the impression he has only ever cared for himself, but Hook says he needed some reminding of his own capability to care for others. He allows them to board to start a journey in travelling to another world to find Henry, who has been kidnapped by Greg and Tamara and taken to another land.

Aboard the Jolly Roger, Mr. Gold directly asks Hook if he's done trying to kill him. Grudgingly, Hook responds affirmatively, and the two trade glares. Then, Mr. Gold uses the globe to track the realm Henry is currently in—Neverland. After Hook casts the magic bean into the water to open a portal, he, David, Emma, Mary Margaret, Mr. Gold and Regina set sail for the land.

As they sail towards the island of Neverland, Hook talks to Regina about how embittered he feels having his sworn enemy, Mr. Gold, on his ship, especially after spending a lifetime trying to leave Neverland and seek revenge on him. From this, Regina is reminded of something Greg said, which is that villains like her don't get happy endings. She asks for Hook's opinion on it, though he hopes Greg isn't right or they've wasted their lives. Later, Mr. Gold announces his intent of getting him back on his own and proceeds to list off reasons why Emma will fail in this mission; not believing in her parents, in magic, or even herself. Below deck, Hook gives Emma a weapon that used to belong to Neal. Then, they have a toast in Neal's honor. Suddenly, mermaids begin slamming against the ship. Hook attempts to maneuver the ship into outrunning them to no avail. Emma and Mary Margaret catch one on the fishing line while Regina scares off the rest with flame. She then teleports the caught mermaid on board. Hook is disgusted and warns mermaids absolutely cannot be trusted. As they discuss what to do with the sea creature, the mermaid sounds a conch shell and threatens them all with death if they don't free her. Thunder begins brewing in the sky; giving the impression that the mermaid called the storms to arms. Regina decides to freeze the mermaid, which only speeds up the storm. Hook and David begin a fistfight as Mary Margaret and Regina trade physical blows. He is so caught up in his animosity towards David until seeing Emma deliberately jump into the sea and get knocked out by a fallen rigging rope pulley. As David ties a rope around his waist and dives in to save Emma, Hook, Regina and Mary Margaret team up to pull the both of them up, causing the storm to halt. When they reach the shoreline of Neverland, Emma gives everyone a pep talk by admitting the best thing is to not believe in magic, but in each other. She doesn't expect friendship, but cooperation is necessary to save Henry as well as the handiness of each person's skill. Hook follows as David and Mary Margaret trail after Emma into the jungle.

While treading through the jungle upwards to a cliff ridge, Hook stops David from using his sword to cut through a bush of thick thorns, and schools them on the black substance coming out of it, Dreamshade, which is very deadly, even mentioning it's the same thing he used on Mr. Gold. Though Hook advises they go left, David ignores him and goes right. Up ahead, the ridge allows them to get a view of the island, but too much has changed since Hook was last in Neverland and he can't tell the difference between anything. They can't comb the jungle, either, because Hook advises it's not safe to travel through. They take a rest for the night, though everyone is awakened with news of Emma's encounter with Panin the jungle and the map he gave her to find Henry. The catch is Emma must "stop denying who she really is" and only then will the map unlock for her. Regina would rather try using magic on the map, a move Hook highly disagrees with, as does everyone else. Emma makes the effort to unveil the map by stating facts about herself, with encouragement from her parents, but nothing works. Tired of playing games, Regina snatches the map and casts a locator spell on it, which leads them straight to Pan, who then sends the Lost Boys to engage them in combat. During the battle, Hook duels withFelix, which quickly ends when Pan assembles his Lost Boys and leaves. Shortly after, Emma manages to unveil the map. With a strategy planned to travel towards Pan's camp, the group breaks apart to assemble for departure. Hook offers Emma some rum and asks how she got the map to work. Emma briefs that she just followed Pan's instructions. He's curious about who she really is, but Emma isn't interested in sharing that information. Hook presses further, though she simply walks away.

Heading north by following the map, the plan is a failure once when they notice Pan's camp location keeps changing, making their journey fruitless. Hook considers a fairy named Tinker Bell who Pan trusts and can likely get them into the camp with pixie dust. Despite that David is trying to keep up, Hook sees he is clearly beginning to feel the effects of the poison. He gauges, from accessing the wound, that David has days or weeks at most, and pushes him to tell Mary Margaret the truth. David decides not to; hoping the problem can be easily fixed by Tinker Bell's pixie dust. Regina stays behind to rest while everyone else goes to Tinker Bell's empty tree house, which strangely has a ladder, even though fairies have wings for flying. David finds a white cloth, which is Regina's and they rush off to rescue her. They corner Tinker Bell outside a cavern, but an unharmed Regina attests to the fairy's innocence. Regina tells them that Tinker Bell lost all her fairy powers a long time ago and can't help them infiltrate Pan's camp. Though Tinker Bell has the capabilities to get into Pan's camp, she wants to know what's in it for herself. Emma and Mary Margaret offer her safe passage to Storybrooke as a new home, to which Tinker Bell agrees and goes back to camp with them.

At the camp base, Hook listens to Emma go over the strategy for entering Pan's headquarters from the back after Tinker Bell talks her way in through the front. Briefly, Tinker Bell warns them about Dreamshade, which they already know about, but the topic makes David uncomfortable as he catches Hook's knowing look. Before they put the plan into action, Tinker Bell wants to know their escape route off the island, but no one has a clear answer. She stresses that no one ever leaves the island without Pan's permission. To show them just how dangerous Pan is, she proves to them that Greg and Tamara were murdered by him. Tinker Bell weighs the risk as not worthy unless they have a way to leave Neverland and she makes off for her tree house. Emma sees reason in Tinker Bell's words, and recalls what Neal once taught her that it is "unwise to break into a place without knowing the way out." The group talk about how Hook left Neverland, which was through a special one time deal with Pan. The only person Hook can think of who managed to escape on his own is Neal. They set off for a cave Neal once inhabited as a boy, where David pulls up a vine with Hook to gain access to the entrance, even though he is getting weaker. Hook prompts him on when exactly is he going to tell his family about the wound. David sees the situation as hopeless, to which Hook remarks that the one thing he’s learned from “hero” types is hope never dies and there is indeed a cure, but it's too far away to reach. He orders Hook not divulge their conversation; lest it sidetracks the mission to get Henry back. From searching the confines of the cave, a coconut half with holes is discovered to be a perfect match for Emma's candle holder. After the light is snuffed out, the two halves combine to make a star constellation map with an escape route. However, despite that Hook taught Neal how to navigate using the stars, he also coached him that all map makers never reveal their secrets. This renders the map useless since only Neal can read it.

Returning to the cave, everyone searches for something that might be useful. From Emma's observation of Neal's tally marks on the wall, she recognizes that he stopped counting the days due to losing hope of leaving, which is the same thing Pan wants for Henry. In the hopes of sending Henry a message, Mary Margaret comes up with an idea and files out to show them. Before Emma exits, Hook expresses sympathy towards her about losing hope since he has experienced it as well, though Emma rejects his attempt at bonding with her and walks out. Disheartened, Hook moves to leave, but David reenters to confront him about his growing interest in Emma. At camp, the group make a vine net to capture a Lost Boy. David, returning from gathering vines, insists Hook come with him to get more. Only when Emma chimes in, the pirate finally agrees to go. Privately, Hook suggests they find a cure for Dreamshade, and after David passes out, he puts his own brother's military insignia in the dirt. When David finds the badge, Hook lies about his brother's satchel on a peak that contains a sextant for decoding the star map, which is just a ploy to get him to the cure. After notifying the others about this, the pair head there. Hook learns David had a brother as well and the two reminisce over how their siblings remind them of each other. As Hook climbs up first, Pan offers him his old job back and asks as proof of acceptance, he must kill David at the top of the peak. At the peak cliff, Hook is accosted by David, who overheard Pan's deal. Hook owns up to his lie about the sextant, but David still attacks him. After knocking him out, the pirate procures water from the peak and offers it to David. He warns that the cure's price means being bound to the island forever, though David drinks it and is healed. Returning to camp, the two lie about Pan getting the sextant first. Grateful for Hook's help, David publicly thanks him by making up a story in which the pirate protected him from a Dreamshade arrow when they were ambushed earlier. This is a stretch from the truth, but Hook plays along. They each take a sip of Hook's rum, except Regina, until it passes into Emma's hands. When she and Hook are alone, Emma gives him a sincere thanks for saving her father's life. As he flirtatiously asks for a different kind of thanks, she pulls him into a kiss. Pulling away, Emma states it's a one time thing, and she requests him to fetch firewood, which he does. Later, Hook boasts to Pan that Emma is finally coming around to him, however, the devious Lost Boy proclaims Neal is alive and in Neverland. Conflicted, Hook must decide whether to tell Emma or not.

Deciding against hiding the truth, Hook informs David and Mary Margaret how Pan kidnapped Neal from their campsite to be put in a cave. David is curious why Pan chose to let them know about this, but Hook has no answers. Mary Margaret catches sight of a snapped branch near the brush as well as footprints resembling a struggle. She plans to tell Emma, but both Hook and David convince her not to. They agree to prep a cover story in order to search for Neal themselves, which falls apart when Hook and David give different excuses after Emma asks them where they are going. Neither are able to come up with a response to her suspicions, so Mary Margaret blurts out to Emma that Neal is alive. While Emma is on the fence on about the possibility, Regina cannot stand that everyone is falling for Pan's trickery and leaves the group. They follow the footprints to a cavern known as the Echo Cave; where Hook states only way to rescue someone from within is for each person to reveal one of their deepest secrets. Once inside, they are at a dead end while a caged Neal lies on a separate strip of land in the distance. With much reluctance, Hook confirms he and Emma shared a kiss. He goes on to explain his inability to forget his first love, Milah, or believe his future could be with someone else until meeting Emma. Mary Margaret tells David about her longing for another child while he finally tells her about the price of the Dreamshade cure. A bridge forms for Emma to cross over to Neal and after disclosing her own secret to him, he is freed. When they reach the outside, they decide to regroup with Tinker Bell first and then continue the mission. Hook heads back with the rest of the gang, but purposefully lingers behind to eavesdrop on Emma and Neal's conversation. He hears Emma express guilt about what she told Neal earlier and is sorry her feelings can't be changed. Neal disagrees and doesn't think she has anything to apologize for after everything he put her through. Then, Neal tells Emma his own secret; he won't ever stop fighting for her, which causes worry on Hook's part.

Neal familiarizes the group on a tactic for flying off the island using Pan's shadow. Since the Shadow is mostly solitary, they can capture it without going near Pan. Emma steps up on "shadow duty" with Neal as Hook enlists himself as well. They all agree to meet back at Tinker Bell's tree house once the Shadow is nabbed. Hook, Emma and Neal They all agree to meet back at Tinker Bell's tree house once the Shadow is nabbed. Hook, Emma and Neal revisit the Lost Boy cavern. While Emma goes off to fetch the star map, Hook accidentally discloses the kiss he shared with her, which Neal was unaware of until now. After obtaining the star map, they go in search of Dark Hollow; a place home to all captured shadows. Emma lends Neal her sword to cut through the tall grass. He recognizes it as his old cutlass, so Hook admits giving it to Emma as a memento of Neal. To this, Neal angrily snips at him and stomps away. Left little choice, Hook admits to Emma what he said to Neal, and had hopes the kiss meant something to her as it does to himself. Instead, she is grateful that he did not keep quiet about Neal's alive status. Hook explains the reason Pan tested him, which was to see if he'd pick his friend or the woman of his dreams. Though Emma isn't taking it seriously, he is invested in winning her heart fair and square and points out she'll have to choose him or Neal somewhere down the line. All she cares about is Henry's safety, but Hook warns after she's accomplished that, he won't be holding back. Eventually, they head into Dark Hollow. Neal briefs on drawing the Shadow in by lighting the candle and trapping it by putting the lid on. He and Neal end up fighting over the lighter when three shadows show up to attack just as Emma grabs the coconut halves. Both men are thrown against trees and begin having their shadows ripped out. Emma saves the day by using magic to light a flame on the candle and entrap the Shadow inside. On the journey back to Tinker Bell's tree house, Emma settles the competition between Hook and Neal by stating the only person she is choosing is Henry. After showing Tinker bell proof of the Shadow as their ticket off the island, she agrees to do her part in taking down Pan.

While moving ahead to Pan's camp, a rustle from the jungle causes the entire group to assemble for battle, but it turns out to be only Regina and Mr. Gold. Regina tells them about the power of Pandora's Box while Neal's distrust in his father causes him to blurt out Mr. Gold's objective to kill Henry and prevent a seer's prophecy from coming true. Subsequently, Hook and everyone begin regarding Mr. Gold as an enemy by drawing their weapons. Things cool down only when Neal forces him to hand over the box Some time later, Hook is approached by Emma about an alternative to removing David's ties to the island because of the Dreamshade cure. He concludes that nothing can be done, but then Mr. Gold steps in to offer his potion-making skills to concoct an elixir cure for David. Emma agrees to his bargain, though in return, Mr. Gold wants a favor of equal value. Neal puts a full stop to his asking price by demanding that he help for the right reasons rather than personal gain. After Tinker Bell gains access into the perimeter of the encampment and the Lost Boys are put to sleep by Regina, neither Henry or Pan are found there. Instead, Neal frees a young prisoner, Wendy, and brings her back to camp to inquire about Henry. Forced to act on Pan's wishes, Wendy lies to them, but with some encouragement, she yields and tells the truth. Emma gains insight on Pan's real reason for needing Henry's heart, which is to save himself from dying and then become immortal. As a trade, Pan lives, but Henry will die. Hook stays behind at camp while Emma, Mr. Gold, Neal and Regina set out for Skull Rock to stop Pan. After Henry sacrifices his heart to Pan, Hook feels a powerful wave of magic gust through Neverland.

Hook returns to the Lost Boy camp and learn from Emma that Henry gave up his heart to Pan and Mr. Gold is trapped inside Pandora's Box. Regina casts a preservation spell on Henry to last one hour until they can track down Pan. Emma manages to get some of the Lost Boys to open up about Pan's current location at his "thinking tree" in Pixie Woods after promising to bring them off the island. While Emma, Mary Margaret and Regina go to find Pan, Hook and the rest of their party plan to regroup aboard the Jolly Roger. The three women come back in time to place the heart back in Henry as he gasps to life. With Regina's power, the Shadow becomes the ship sail and flies them homeward.

Following a safe journey out of Neverland to Storybrooke, Mr. Gold seals the box in his pawnshop to keep Pan at bay. Hook informs Neal that he will back off from chasing after Emma so Henry's parents have a fair chance of getting back together. Even so, Hook craves a distraction from Emma and unsuccessfully tries to offer Tinker Bell a drink, though she knows he obviously wants more from her than just that. A scream from outside interrupts the chat, so they rush out to investigate and are joined by David and Emma. When Emma has the suspicion the two of them are now involved, Tinker Bell immediately denies it, though Hook begs to differ. The foursome catch up in time to witness the Shadow ripping away Mother Superior's shadow. After regrouping with the others, it's suspected Pan is behind the attack. Hook, Neal and Tinker Bell go to fetch the lighter and coconut halves from the ship in case they need to catch the Shadow again. They attempt to enter the vault where Regina took Henry to keep him safe, but the door is locked. Belle, Emma, David, Mary Margaret and Mr. Gold bring back a released Pan, who is actually Henry, since the two switched bodies. When Mr. Gold breaks open the vault, it is discovered Pan took the scroll for the Dark Curse.

Mr. Gold shares with everyone of the only viable way to stop Pan's curse is for Regina, as the original caster of the Dark Curse, to undo it by destroying the scroll, though there will be a steep price for this. They plan to switch Henry back to his own body so he will be in possession of the scroll and bring it to Regina. Mr. Gold can perform the spell, but needs a strong outlet in order for it to work. Tinker Bell has knowledge of a powerful Black Fairy wand that Mother Superior kept, so she, David, Hook and Neal ask the convent nuns for the item. The Shadow bursts in as the group take cover behind the church pews. Hook volunteers to distract the Shadow, citing his own life is at stake, but fails when the creature knocks him away. He takes a hard hit while David pulls him to safety. Tinker Bell uses pixie dust to light a flame on the coconut half and flies into the air to trap the Shadow; disposing the being for good by burning it in a fire. Afterwards, Tinker Bell recognizes Hook's reason for risking himself earlier was for Emma. With the Shadow gone, Mother Superior returns alive and hands the Black Fairy's wand to them. The three men arrive at the pawnshop with the wand. Once Henry's spirit returns to his own body, everyone except Mr. Gold runs off to find the boy. With Granny's tracking skills, they reunite with him. Regina passes out after taking the scroll and awakens with knowledge of the price for stopping the curse. They are accosted by Pan as he steals back the scroll and freezes them in place. The showdown ends when Mr. Gold summons the dagger and stabs Pan as well as himself with it; killing both of them. After this, Regina admits the price is all former Enchanted Forest inhabitants will be sent back to their old world while Storybrooke will disappear out of existence. To keep Henry from being alone, Emma will leave town with him and Regina rewrites new memories for both of them so they forget everything. Before this, Hook offers Emma parting words; saying that he will think of her often. As the two cross out of Storybrooke, Regina stops the curse from taking over as everyone inside the town is sent back to the Enchanted Forest.

While the others lead to the Queen's palace, Hook decides to go back to his life as a pirate. He and Prince Charming talk about his plans and Hook leaves in search for his ship. Snow White balks at the idea of him returning to living a pirate's life now that Emma is gone, but Hook remarks that he has never actually changed from his old ways.

His search for the Jolly Roger leads nowhere, though Hook, with his old crew mates such as William Smee, successfully pilfer treasure from a travelling man. That night, they celebrate at the tavern. Hook is gifted a prostitute, but he only pretends to accept; leading the wench out the back door and paying her off with money. After she is gone, he is blindsided when attacked by Ariel, who accuses him of kidnapping Prince Eric onto the Jolly Roger. However, Hook is equally stunned since thus far he hasn't reclaimed the missing ship. Upon seeing the letters "BB" engraved on the weapon she has, he realizes both the ship and Eric must've been taken by the pirate Black Beard. While travelling on foot, Hook rejects Ariel's assumption that he's changed into a hero since rescuing Emma and her family from Neverland. Once the ship is found, he distracts Black Beard with a duel while Ariel and Smee sneak aboard. The fight is cut short once Ariel interrupts to announce her beloved is not on the Jolly Roger. Amused, Black Beard agrees to hand over Eric only if Hook gives up on reclaiming the ship. Though Ariel pleas, he believes getting rid of Black Beard is best to keep her from searching endlessly for a lost love. Hook throws Black Beard to the sharks; causing Ariel to berate him as someone who will never find love or be happy.

After taking back the Jolly Roger, Hook resumes travelling at sea. He receives a messenger bird, attached with a vial of memory potion, as well as a note, unknowning from Neal Cassidy, asking him to seek out Emma. While the new curse approaches, he abandons his crew and sails the ship as far as he can outside the curse's purview. Now that the curse has been cast, transportation between worlds is possible again, so Hook trades the Jolly Roger for a magic bean and opens a portal to the Land Without Magic.

Hook shows up at Emma's New York apartment to tell her that her family in trouble, though she does not recognize him or understand anything he is saying. He attempts to give her true love's kiss, but it has no effect and she kicks him away. Though he tries to explain, she slams the door closed.

On another attempt to shake some sense into her, he ambushes Emma while she is out on a date and her boyfriend is away from the table. He gives Emma a written address of a New York apartment that she must see in order to know the whole truth about her family, who desperately need her help. Before leaving, Hook asks her to find him in Central Parkwhen she is ready to talk. Later, Emma shows up to confront him about the camera strap she found at the written address—Neal's apartment—which has Henry's name on it. He tries once more to talk about her parents and the curse, but she brushes it off as nonsense. Hook exemplifies the camera strap as proof Emma was once at Neal's apartment a year ago except she doesn't remember it. She demands answers, so he offers a potion to restore her lost memories. Instead, she cuffs Hook and has him arrested for assault and criminal harassment. While jailed, he is bailed out by Emma, who presents him with copy of the photo from the camera, which shows herself with Henry in a town called Storybrooke. He pushes Emma into taking the potion, despite that she will have to give up her life in New York, because knowing the truth is important. She ingests it and regains her memories. That night, Hook explains that her family has been re-cursed by someone powerful. When Emma's boyfriend, Walsh, shows up, she goes onto the rooftop with him. Hook hears a scuffle, rushing up to help, but finds Emma alone and Walsh gone. The next morning, Emma introduces Hook to Henry as a client from work, rather than admit the truth, since things are complicated as it is. The three arrive in Storybrooke via Emma's car.

As Emma is brought up to speed on the effects of the new curse, which have wiped out everyone's memories of the last year, Hook confirms to David and Mary Margaret that the undoing of Pan's curse did indeed bring them back to theEnchanted Forest, and that the last he saw of them prior his split from their group, they were all headed for the Queen's old palace. Once Happy and Leroy report two more dwarves missing, Emma decides to conduct an investigation. When another resident goes missing, Hook goes along with David and Emma to the town line where Robin Hood and the Merry Men describe how Little John was kidnapped by a winged beast. He, David and the Merry Men search for Little John; eventually finding finding the unconscious man with a sustained bite wound. After whisking him to the hospital, Little John rapidly transforms into flying monkey and takes off. Reporting back to the apartment, Hook, David, Emma, Mary Margaret and Regina conclude that the Wicked Witch of the West cast the new curse.

While Regina keeps Henry company, Hook, David, and Emma search the mayoral office for any evidence the Wicked Witch left behind. David discovers a holly berry in the room and pinpoints the plant's location in the northwestern region past the Toll Bridge. He is called away due to a phone call from Mary Margaret requesting him to come to the apartment and meet their new midwife, Zelena, and promptly leaves. As the remaining pair comb the woods near the holly berry bushes, Emma, believing Hook is hiding something, pries him about what happened in the Enchanted Forest, but he refuses to say. The pirate asks if she was seriously considering marrying Walsh. Emma confirms she was, due to being in love, but disappointingly, as usual, the guy of her dreams had secrets and broke her heart. Hook is pleased, remarking that if her heart is broken, it means she is still capable of love, to which Emma throws him an unsure look. They reach a farmhouse and deduct that someone is living in it. Hook advises her against breaking open a locked storm cellar and believes they'd be safer with Regina's magic as back-up. As Emma prepares to phone the mayor, she plays a voice message from David, who believes he has cornered the Wicked Witch. After picking up Regina, they meet up with David in the woods. He recounts fighting a version of himself created by the Wicked Witch's magic and killing it with his sword hilt, but both disappeared afterwards. Altogether, they investigate the farmhouse cellar, which is now mysteriously open. Inside, the cell's occupant is gone, but a spinning wheel with strands of spun gold litter the floor; evident proof that Mr. Gold is alive.

In a morning meeting at the closed diner, Hook and his allies discuss searching for Mr. Gold while Regina opts to search the farmhouse alone for evidence. Hook mentions that Neal, while in the Enchanted Forest, wanted to bring back Mr. Gold; hoping he could have been a link to reaching Emma and Henry. At the pawnshop, David and Emma inform Belleabout Mr. Gold's alive status and ask her to research how he could've been revived. Hook stays behind with Belle, which she balks at, but he intends to make amends after previously trying to kill her twice. As he is helping her take books off the shelf when a noise erupts from pawnshop's front door. Hook follows Belle to the door, where the door is being rammed open from the outside, but instead of Mr. Gold, Neal bursts in and collapses. They take him to the hospital to recuperate and call David and Emma. After a strange marking is found on Neal's palm, Belle begins looking in it. Hook keeps Neal company and expresses disapproval that he tried to bring back the Dark One. Refusing to be cooped up, Neal attempts to leave, but is blocked by Hook. Unexpectedly, the pirate gives him an affectionate hug; recalling the brotherhood they had when Neal was still just a boy. He apologizes for being at odds with him due to their shared feelings for Emma, and then allows Neal to depart from the hospital. Soon after, Belle discovers Neal's palm marking is a symbol from a key to the vault of the Dark One and realizes he must have used it to revive Mr. Gold. Consequentially, she also learns reviving the Dark One will cause the demise of whoever uses the key. Though Neal should be dead, he is still alive due to inhabiting the same body as Mr. Gold up until Emma magically separates them. Inevitably, Neal passes away. At the pawnshop, Hook and Belle receive the bad news from David and Mary Margaret.

Hook attends Neal's funeral to pay his respects. Afterwards, at the diner, he receives Emma's permission to take her son to the docks and help the boy know more about Neal. They go on a boat and later make a campfire by the beach where he gives Henry a pamphlet to learn how to make ship knots. Once nightfall hits, Hook shows him the sextant he once used to teach Neal to navigate the seas by looking at the stars. He has hopes of instructing Henry how to use it too, but the youngster asks for real, solid information about Neal in order to come to terms with his death. Henry learns Hook taught his father how to sail when Neal, as a boy, had just lost his own father. Hook comforts him with the knowledge that Henry and his father aren't so different. After dropping off Henry, he tells Emma that her son deserves the truth about Neal, but she brushes off his advice.

Hook is approached by Smee, who wishes to know why they aren't crew mates anymore and what he is hiding from the missing year in the Enchanted Forest. On Emma's request, Hook spends the day with Henry when David and Mary Margaret show up with an old acquaintance, Ariel, who he guiltily remembers from the missing year. Hook pretends not to know anything when Ariel asks if he knows Eric's whereabouts, but is urged by David and Mary Margaret to help. He and Ariel go to the pawnshop looking for an old belonging of Eric's. Hook finds the prince's cloak, but lies about how he recognizes it. Belle uses a locator potion on the item, which leads Hook and Ariel to its owner. Sadly, the cloak lands in the dock and sinks underwater; leaving Ariel to believe her lover is dead. Overridden with regret, Hook admits what transpired between himself and Ariel a year ago; hoping that reclaiming his ship could fill a void left in his heart from having to leave the woman he loved. As proof that his belief in love remains, Hook swears it on Emma's name, but only then "Ariel"'s true colors is revealed when she places a curse on his lips. Exposing herself as Zelena, she fills him in on the real Ariel's happily ever after with Eric and explains her intent in cursing him so he can kiss Emma and destroy her magic. She warns, should he fail, Emma's loved ones will die. Regrouping with the others, Hook tells them about Ariel's reunion with Eric on Hangman's Island, which everyone gets a glimpse of when Emma projects an image of the lovers in the same location. Before leaving, Emma informs him that she no longer cares about what he is hiding from the missing year.

After Zelena successfully steals Regina's heart, Hook reports for a group seance to open a portal to the land of the dead by using the now defunct candle to talk to Cora about her first-born child's origins. Hook, Emma, David, Mary Margaret and Regina link hands as the portal opens, but Cora refuses to appear. Hook accidentally severs the link and causes the gateway to close. Shortly after the failed experiment, all leave except Mary Margaret, who stays to help Regina clean up. Distractedly, Hook pays little attention when Emma is showing off her increasingly powerful magic to him. However, when she teleports away his hook, he reacts grumpily without disclosing the real reason for his bad mood. Once Belle figures out what spell Zelena is intending to cast, everyone returns to Regina's house just after Mary Margaret was briefly possessed by Cora's spirit. Mary Margaret reveals Cora, already pregnant with another man's child, was once engaged to Leopold, but Queen Eva deliberately wrecked it. In turn, this caused Cora to unwillingly abandon Zelena after birth. As for the ingredients of Zelena's spell, as Belle explains, they are for a time spell to alter the past; namely to kill Eva and keep Cora from abandoning her first-born child.

Though Hook planned to show up for a group meeting with David, Emma, Mary Margaret and Regina, he is kidnapped by Mr. Gold, thrown into a car truck and taken to Zelena. She pushes him to get a move on removing Emma's powers or Henry will die. Determined to protect the boy, Hook stops Henry leaving town alone in Emma's car all the while claiming he has a better way. On a trip to the docks, he introduces Henry to Smee and states his friend will bring him out of Storybrooke on a boat. Before the plan is set into motion, several flying monkeys attack. While Henry and Smee flee, Hook kills many of the beasts with bullets until running out of ammunition. Fortunately, Emma arrives to take out the last one. Henry regains his lost memories after touching the fairytale storybook, but Zelena interferes by proceeding to choke him and blames Hook for not doing what she asked. Emma magically scalds the witch; forcing her to flee. In the aftermath, Regina bestows Henry with true love's kiss and breaks the new curse. Hook confesses Zelena cursed his lips and ordered him to remove Emma's magic by kissing her. He admits trying to take Henry out of town since Zelena threatened to harm him. Annoyed at his secrets, she tells him off; believing it should be her responsibility alone to protect Henry. David and Mary Margaret also accuse him of lying about the supposed note he received from them that led him to find Emma. Hook insists someone sent it, but he doesn't know who.

Hook follows Emma and her parents, David and Mary Margaret to the hospital in preparation for the delivery. After Emma enacts a protection spell to protect them, she rebuffs Hook's desire to help and is still distrustful of him since learning of his lie. She wishes to face Zelena alone, but surprisingly, David convinces his daughter that Hook must go with her. During the face-off, Hook is nearly drowned by Mr. Gold on Zelena's order; forcing Emma to choose—save him and lose her magic or let him die. She gives him mouth-to-mouth resuscitation—a "kiss"—and has her magic drained away. With Emma's magic gone, the barrier around the hospital room disappears; allowing Zelena to steal the newborn baby for atime spell. Due to Henry's belief that Regina possesses light magic, she uses it to defeat Zelena once and for all. Rather than condemn the witch to death, Regina spares her sister's life and imprisons her in a jail cell. Following a speedy family reunion at the hospital, Hook thanks Emma for saving his life at the cost of her own magic, though he is disappointed that she still wishes to return to New York. Unseen to them, Mr. Gold kills Zelena; accidentally triggering magic in her pendant, which activates the time spell.

At a diner celebration welcoming David and Mary Margaret's newborn son, Hook and Emma overhear Henry reading thefairytale of how Prince Charming and Snow White met. When Hook openly hints that Emma desires to leave town, Regina questions her further. Emma hastily exits while Hook, armed with the storybook, insists to her that book is proof she has family. However, Emma believes she will only stop running when a true home is found. Noticing the time spell is activated, they investigate the portal and are sucked into the past Enchanted Forest. They are forced to hide when theQueen arrives to a nearby village where a prisoner, Marian, is hauled out. After finding new clothes for Emma, they cause the first meeting between Prince Charming and Snow White to not happen. Reaching the Dark One's castle, Rumplestiltskin chokes Hook, but stops when Emma reveals future circumstances that will lead him to Baelfire. They gain his help in finding Prince Charming and Snow White's locations. In order to keep the past unchanged and ensure the future, Emma distracts past Hook while future Hook boards the Jolly Roger to secure a deal with Snow White. He convinces her to steal Prince Charming's ring from King Midas' castle. When his past self tries to have a rendezvous with Emma, Hook knocks him out. Borrowing magical disguises from Rumplestiltskin, Emma and Hook present themselves as Prince Charles and Princess Leia to blend in the castle. They help Snow White flee from the Queen's knights, but the ring is left behind, which Emma takes and she is imprisoned by the Queen for assisting the bandit. Hook explains the circumstances to Prince Charming, and Snow White agrees to help infiltrate the Queen's palace. While she sneaks in alone, the two princes are aided by Red Riding Hood into the castle jail. Emma, since freeing herself and Marian, regroups with them only to witness Snow White's execution at the Queen's hands.

They later discover Snow White turned herself into a bug to elude death, and she reverts to human with the Blue Fairy's help. Fearful that Marian, who was sentenced to death, will alter the future by existing, Hook and Emma decide to take her to the future with them. Prince Charming notices Snow White stole his ring and takes off after her. Soon, the past is set back on track as the ring is returned and the prince and bandit part on better terms. Returning to Rumplestiltskin, Hook and Emma learn a special wand can replicate magic, but the portal has to be made by someone who traveled through it. Since Emma cannot, the Dark One intends to "protect the future" by entrapping them in his vault. While there, Hook attempts to find anything of use and pulls out a vessel. Emma, having an epiphany from watching her mother die, realizes Henry brought her to Storybrooke to find her family. With that, her magic is restored and a portal is opened. Arriving in the present, Hook later reveals to Emma that he traded his ship for a magic bean to find her in New York. Finally, she reciprocates his feelings and they kiss.

Since returning to present time, Hook witnesses a heated confrontation ensue as Marian, having been introduced to Regina by Robin Hood, can only recall the woman as the Evil Queen. To complicate things further, Marian is also Robin Hood's wife. After being called a "monster" by Marian, Regina retreats and Emma attempts to follow, but Hook advises to give her space. The next morning, Emma sends Hook to scour the vault in search of Regina. He returns to report that she is not there. Noticing Emma is distant, Hook questions if she is avoiding him. In private, she reasons that her hands are full at the moment with the Regina crisis. However, Hook believes it's best to live in the moment or she'll miss out. Just then, Leroy and Walter inform them that something magically froze their car last night. Noticing ice tracks on the ground, he and Emma follow the trail to a warehouse. Inside, a snow monster forms and chases them out, so they regroup in the forest with David, Little John, Marian and Robin Hood. Emma's attempt to counter with magic only angers the monster, who knocks her away and blows everyone off their feet. Unexpectedly, Regina intercepts the battle, saving Marian's life, by obliterating the being. Afterwards, Hook shares a moment with Emma. Following a tender kiss, Emma asks him to be patient while she sorts things out with Regina.

After a mysterious ice wall blocks the town exit and the power goes out, Hook goes to investigate. Armed with a lantern, he approaches David and Emma when they arrive as well. Hook explains that the barrier surrounds Storybrooke and the wall itself brought down several power lines, which caused the blackout. While David checks on a radio call in the sheriff car, Hook jokes to Emma about forgetting to bring champagne to their "second date". Noticing a wall opening, Emma goes in alone. David, wary of the pirate's intentions with his daughter, questions him. Hook confirms his feelings are real, and that whatever their relationship evolves into is his and Emma's choice. Venturing into the cave, the men find Emma with a woman dressed in blue. Though Emma insists against it, Hook and David advance as the intruder counters with icicles. The woman, frightened by David's gun, causes an avalanche that traps herself and Emma on the other side. In desperation to save Emma, Hook feebly claws at the caved-in den. Via walkie-talkie, Emma tells David about the woman, Elsa, who believes her sister, Anna, is in town after finding her pendant in the pawnshop. Not willing to compromise, Elsa threatens to freeze the townspeople if they do not find Anna. At the pawnshop, Hook and David confront Mr. Gold. However, David discovers he once met Anna, who went by the name Joan. Recalling that Anna was once branded with a shepherd's crook by Bo Peep, they track down the villainess, steal the item and return to the cave after Hook hears Elsa radio that Emma is freezing to death. There, David persuades Elsa, with past advice Anna gave him, to melt the ice. Retreating to the apartment, everyone, including Elsa, helps to warm up Emma. Elsa uses the shepherd’s crook to find Anna, whose heartbeat they hear. Tired from the ordeal, Emma rests as Hook cradles her in his arms.

With Elsa, Hook and Emma confront Mr. Gold about the urn. As Emma recalls, he had it in his vault, but Mr. Gold has Belle command him, with the dagger's will, to tell the truth. Mr. Gold then professes to no knowledge about Elsa, Anna or that someone was in the urn, though Hook secretly believes the dagger is a fake. Arriving at the mayoral office, they discover Marian has been afflicted with a freezing spell, but it's not Elsa's magic. Before Emma leaves to find the culprit, Hook tries to accompany her, but she tasks him with hiding Elsa at the sheriff's office. He argues against it until Emma pushes him into listening to her for once. Rather than follow Emma's instructions, he takes Elsa to the pawnshop. As part of a deal, Hook promises to keep silent about Mr. Gold's lies if he assists Elsa with tracking down the spell caster who hurt Marian. Elsa shows Mr. Gold a strand of white hair from Marian, which he reverts to a magical form. When released, the snowflake patterned magic flies off to its owner. While following it, Elsa advises Hook on Emma's nature; as she and the blonde both know what it's like to have the weight of the world upon them and be distrustful even when other people mean well. When they spot the magic wielder, Hook leaves Emma a voice message, but she doesn't show up. As they search for her, the Snow Queen freezes his feet in place and chats with Elsa about their forgotten past. Believing all people eventually fear magic users like them, the Snow Queen prepares icicles above Hook, intending to kill him, so everyone will blame Elsa. At Emma's arrival, the Snow Queen lowers the icicles, but the savior magically shoves David and Hook to safety, to which their opponent disappears. That night, Hook talks about Emma's distrust of him. Instead, Emma reveals that, out of fear of losing him like with everyone else, she has kept her distance. Hook assures her of his survival skills, and the two kiss.

While scoring darts at the diner, Hook becomes concerned that something happened with the Snow Queen when Emma approaches him. Instead, she asks him out on a date, which he happily agrees to. Before nightfall, Hook asks Mr. Gold to reattach his lost hand so he can embrace Emma with both hands instead of one. Again, he threatens to tell Belle about the dagger. Mr. Gold warns him that the hand, once reattached, will reignite his old personality, but Hook believes he is bluffing. Regaining the hand, Hook begins his date with Emma at a restaurant. Just then, a man bumps into a waiter carrying wine, which spills onto Emma's dress. Hook menaces the man for an apology, but Emma brushes off the accident. Shocked at his own behavior, Hook pulls back just as Emma recognizes the man as a thief named Will Scarletand almost pursues him before deciding against it. Hook silently mulls over his own previous actions until Emma pulls him out of his stupor. After the date, Hook apologizes for his overreaction at the restaurant and then asks her out on second date, which she seals with a kiss. On the street, he sees a drunken Will breaking into the library. Hook tries to make him go home, but Will pushes his hand away twice. An irritated Hook then punches Will repeatedly until realizing what he's done. After threatening Will to keeping quiet about the incident, Hook agrees to make another deal with Mr. Gold so he can be rid of the hand. The following day, he helps subdue a old man, who Mr. Gold absorbs into a hat. Only then, his hooked hand is restored. However, Mr. Gold blackmails him, with a security tape from the old man's house, which implicates Hook. Even more so, Mr. Gold erases himself from the tape, and he reveals the hand was never cursed, so Hook's fits of anger is his darkness coming to light. Later, at the sheriff's station, Hook sees Emma questioning Will about who bruised his face, but the latter reveals nothing. After some research, David announces the Snow Queen's residential name, Sarah Fisher, is not in the town censuses, so she did not come to Storybrooke due to a curse.

As Emma requests, Hook takes files from the mayor's office and brings them to the sheriff station where she and Elsa are continuing to look through records. Before leaving for sailing run with Henry, he asks Emma if there's anything else she needs him to do. Still locked up, Will watches a warm exchange between the couple and loudly comments that Hook is trying to be on good terms with the son, Henry, so he can do the same with Emma. Annoyed at the outburst, Hook warns Will to keep his opinion to himself. After giving Emma a kiss on her cheek, he then leaves for his playdate with Henry. After the day is over, Hook returns to the sheriff station where Emma opens up about a part of her past she has kept hidden until now. Turning on the television, she plays a camera recording of her younger self goofing off with another girl. The tape then cuts to other footage, which Emma doesn't recall, of herself in a new foster home as a boy toys with the camera. Suddenly, the foster mother, revealed to be the Snow Queen, approaches to turn the device off, as Hook and Emma look at the screen in shock.

As Belle, David, Henry, Mary Margaret, Mr. Gold and Regina gather at the sheriff station, Hook is present as the assembled group watch the footage Emma previously showed him. With only the Snow Queen's ice truck left to search, he searches the west of town along with Emma and Regina. After Robin Hood discovers the truck near his campsite, the trio enter and find a freezer, which Hook breaks open with his hook. Within it, Emma uncovers a newspaper clipping detailing how she was found by Pinocchio as an infant; proving the Snow Queen has been watching her from the start. When Emma looks through the whole file and discovers her old paintings and essays that the Snow Queen apparently kept, he speculates perhaps the two of them were once close. Of the most alarming item, there is a scroll written in ancient text. Arriving back at the sheriff station, Elsa shows Hook and Emma a pictorial family tree of the royals of Arendelle. In it, the Snow Queen is named as Ingrid and is Elsa's maternal aunt. Equally as surprising, Elsa's mother and Ingrid had another sister, Helga, who resembles Emma. Noticing the scroll, Elsa deciphers the message on it, which is that the savior, Emma, will become Ingrid's sister. Judging from the family tree, they realize Ingrid means to make Elsa and Emma her sisters. Belle reveals a past meeting with Anna, who was then captured by the Snow Queen. She also relates knowledge about Ingrid's mirror, which is key for casting a spell of shattered sight that will make everyone turn on each other.

From a spell Belle deciphered, Emma successfully binds Ingrid's magic after catching her put a mirror in the clock tower. While Ingrid is taken in by Emma for questioning at the station, Hook, David and Elsa examine the mirror. Belle warns against looking into the reflection since it will brainwash them, but she suddenly notices it's not the same one in the Snow Queen's lair. Realizing they have been duped, the group rush to Emma, but the station door has already been frozen shut by Ingrid. Storming into the pawnshop, the group once again request Mr. Gold's assistance, and he only agrees after much imploring from Belle. As they exits, Hook purposely stays and suspiciously regards Mr. Gold's calm demeanor about the Snow Queen's presence. He suspects wonders if they have history together, but Mr. Gold states that's solely his own business. Joined by Henry and Mary Margaret, everyone arrives to the station as an explosion tears open a hole in the building. A shaken Emma explains the Snow Queen got away, but she herself caused the combustion. Fearing her powers are out of control, she refuses to allow anyone near. However, when Hook and David attempt to help her, she accidentally collapses a streetlight. It almost falls on Hook, though David pushes him out of the way and takes the hit. In the heat of the moment, Mary Margaret reprimands Emma, who is visibly hurt by her mother's response. Upon seeing her daughter's expression, Mary Margaret retracts her anger, but a frightened Emma flees and drives off in her car. That night, Hook, David and Elsa search for Emma to no avail.

Despite an all-night hunt, Hook, David, Elsa and Mary Margaret return home without finding Emma. Henry, having sneaked out to look for his mother, returns with an injury Emma caused. He explains finding her in the woods with her powers are still out of control. Mary Margaret receives a call from Emma, who insists on getting rid of her powers. Hook, lying about leaving his phone in David's truck, goes to fetch it, though he actually goes to chase down Emma. Believing she is going to Mr. Gold for help, Hook arrives at the empty pawnshop. Via phone, he warns Emma about Mr. Gold's motive to absorb her into a hat and take all her magic. Hook also outs the secret he's been keeping from her due to wanting to be a good enough man for her. Seeing Emma's hand print and a map circled with a location, he promptly rushes to the destination; a remote manor. Before Hook can burst in, Mr. Gold antagonizes him about his voice mail message, which he has already erased from Emma's phone. Mr. Gold then shackles Hook against a fence, but surprisingly, Emma doesn't go through with stripping her magic. While Hook relishes at the Dark One's failure, Mr. Gold reveals what he actually requires to be free of the dagger's will, which is the heart of a person who knew him before he acquired his powers. Thus, Mr. Gold rips out Hook's heart with intentions of using him as a puppet. For the time, Hook is allowed to leave, to which he reunites with Emma and her family. Trouble brews again, however, when Elsa and Emma notice ribbons on their left wrists, which begin absorbing their magic into Ingrid's ribbon; allowing the Snow Queen to cast the spell of shattered sight.

In the clock tower, Hook and his allies witness the cloud formation of Ingrid's spell, which will take effect by sundown. At first, they try to flee town by scaling the ice wall, but the barricade is too powerful. A fissure in the ice reveals Anna's lost necklace, which Elsa retrieves and she believes is a sign they will defeat Ingrid. Emma sends Hook to the docks for a possible escape plan by boat. As he looks at the sea with a scope, the ice wall rises from beneath the waves to block off any exit routes. Mr. Gold tasks Hook with using the hat on the nuns, who are currently working on a counter spell to ward off Ingrid's curse. Hook criticizes him for killing the cure that could save everyone while Mr. Gold only cares about Belle and Henry; both of whom he intends to leave town with once the curse arrives. Belle, assisting the nuns, insists on staying to help them, despite that Mr. Gold needs her at the pawnshop, which is a lie to get her out of the way before Hook uses the hat. Emma, her parents and Regina arrive to turn in the necklace to make the counter spell, but they realize too late that Elsa duped them and kept the real pendant to continue locating Anna. After Anna has been found by Elsa and Emma, Belle departs with Mr. Gold, and Hook absorbs the nuns, including Mother Superior, into the hat. He later confronts Mr. Gold about choosing Belle's love over power. Mr. Gold claims he can have both, and takes back the hat. When Hook asks if they are done, Mr. Gold ominously promises his life will be over once morning comes. Knowing his end is near, Hook meets with Emma, though she assumes he is saying farewell due to the curse. They share a goodbye kiss, and he goes to chain himself down at the docks.

When the curse infiltrates town, Hook finds himself surprisingly unaffected by it since he is without his heart. Mr. Gold, making preparations to take Belle to the town line, asks Hook to do the same with Henry. Hook investigates the mayor's office where Henry, from inside, hurls insults at him. Using a magic item, Hook brings down a barrier around the office so he can go in. However, he falls into Henry's rigged trap, to which the boy quickly runs off. As he attempts to follow, Will blocks the door and tries to give the pirate comeuppance for previously beating him up. After knocking Will out, Hook pursues Henry without finding him anywhere. He reports this to Mr. Gold, who still believes his intent to leave town will happen as planned. Desperate to keep Emma and the townspeople safe, Hook asks him not to hurt them. Mr. Gold professes that the residents have nothing to fear from him once he crosses the town line if they do not get in his way. However, he makes no such promises for the people outside of Storybrooke.

At the town line, Hook witnesses Elsa tear down the ice wall. Even so, some of Ingrid's magic remains and this prevents those who leave Storybrooke from re-entering. To return home, the Arendelle natives rely on Emma to find a portal. As his heart is squeezed by Mr. Gold, Hook tells him about the current situation. Knowing Belle's past affinity with Anna, Mr. Gold wishes for his wife to remain ignorant of her presence. Catching on, Hook recalls Anna is also familiar with the sorcerer's hat. Mr. Gold orders him to keep Anna away from the pawnshop. The two men are later led by the apprentice's broom to an abandoned mansion. On the way there, Hook vows, in his next life, he'll make Mr. Gold pay for enslaving him. Inside the mansion, he learns a powerful sorcerer once brought Ingrid to this land by portal, and now, the apprentice's broom is leading them to it. Once the portal door is unveiled, Mr. Gold assumes controls Hook via his heart and has the pirate inform Emma about the new development. She senses something amiss, but he, unable to disobey Mr. Gold's commands, reassured her nothing is wrong. Upon departure, Hook rebels by briefly grabbing Emma's wrist. At night, he is taken to the clock tower where the stars in the sky sync with the stars in the hat. Emma and Mary Margaret attempt to intervene just as Mr. Gold begins crushing Hook's heart. Armed with the real dagger, Belle forces Mr. Gold to drop the heart before commanding him to bring himself as well as her to the town line. In the aftermath, Emma restores Hook's heart and the two embrace each other with a kiss.