William Smee

William Smee is a supporting character on Once Upon a Time. A known a procurer of hard-to-find objects, he encountered Rumplestiltskin in a bar where he offered to find him a magic bean in exchange for eternal youth, and, after altering the deal, Rumple accepts. However, after finding the bean, Smee is kidnapped by pirate Killian Jones who holds him hostage and uses the magic bean to blackmail Rumple. But soon enough, Rumple murders Killian's true love and cuts off his hand. The pirate then replaces it with a hook, thus becoming Captain Hook, and swears eternal vengeance on Rumplestiltskin with Smee as his right hand man, who vows servitude to his captain when they sail through to Neverland, where they will never age. After the Dark Curse hits, William Smee becomes trapped in the town of Storybrooke, Maine with a new identity, and after the curse is broken, Smee is once again confronted by Rumplestiltskin, who turns him into a rat, thus parting him from his beloved red hat.

Before the Curse
Mr. Smee encounters Rumplestiltskin in a bar and tells him that he will procure for him a magic bean in exchange for immortality. Rumple tells him that only the Dark One has life eternal, making a new offer of turning the clock back so that Smee is a little boy again. He tells Rumple that that's close enough but the Dark One tells him that if he fails to deliver, he will turn the clock forward and Smee will be reduced to dust. Smee is later kidnapped by Captain Hook and his crew and they take the magic bean he has procured for Rumple, making a deal with the Dark One themselves. After they trick him, Rumple ends up walking away with nothing, but Smee is still among Hook's crew. He talks to his new captain to ask what will become of him, Hook tells the man that he shall join his crew. Smee asks him how that's fair and Hook makes clear that they're going to Neverland, a land where he'll never age again, meaning that he will gain the eternal life he's always wanted. Smee is happy with this and asks Hook for his hat back, Hook takes it from one of his crew members, reuniting with with Smee before setting sail to Neverland, using the magic bean to do this.

When young Baelfire is flown to Neverland by "the shadow", he refuses to be taken and lights a match to scare the shadow off, causing it to drop him into the ocean. He falls unconscious as the shadow flies back to the island that is Neverland and as Bae floats of to the surface, a light is seen dawning over him, before mounds of rope. These ropes belong to a pirate ship and pull the young boy on board as he coughs up all the sea water he swallowed. The ship captain tells him that that's good, encouraging him to get all of the sea out of his lungs, and Bae looks up to see Captain Hook standing next to William Smee, his right-hand man, who's carrying a lantern. Hook introduces himself, welcoming the boy aboard the jolly roger.

Smee sees Hook admiring a picture of Milah and comments that she was quite beautiful, assuring his captain that they will avenge her. Hook asks about the boy that washed up on board and Smee tells him that he's resting below the decks, and should live. Hook goes to talk to him when he discovers that he's in fact Baelfire - the son of Rumplestiltskin. Smee tells Hook that the Lost Boys are probably looking for the boy and suggests that he's one of those that Peter Pan brings over from the other world. He argues that they should turn him in to them, but Hook refuses, even when the Lost Boys search his ship in order to find Bae. Due to a good hiding place, they remain unsuccessful, but it isn't long before Bae finds a picture of Milah and believes Hook to be the pirate that killed her. Hook tells the boy what really happened and that he and Milah had planned on taking him out to sea, but Bae refuses to stay with Hook, asking to be dropped off on land. The Lost Boys return to the ship and take Baelfire, allowing Hook to get back to plotting against the Dark One, with Smee at his side.

Season 2
Mr. Smee approaches Belle on the street corner where the clock tower is located, he asks her if she has any spare change but she tells the man that she hasn't any money, he proceeds to ask if she's meeting anyone and she replies negatively, wondering why he wants to know. Smee tells Belle that he just wanted to make sure, proceeding to drag her away, kidnapping her. He ties her to a chair and explains that his job is to procure hard to find objects, in this case, her, before revealing that his current employer is Moe French, her father. The two reunite but he is furious to learn that she is in love with Rumplestiltskin, and so he hatches a plan to send her across the town line, thus losing her memories, via the mine tunnels. Smee handcuffs Belle to a mine cart, telling her that he left the key in the bottom before the cart begins to move and Smee leaves, however, Belle is saved by Rumple and his magic. Gold later kidnaps Mr. Smee and ties him up, having found his red hat in the mines. He asks him the whereabouts of Captain Hook but Smee explains that he has yet to see the pirate in Storybrooke as for some reason, the curse left him behind.

Smee is shown to still be a hostage to Mr. Gold who drives the servant to the town line in the trunk of his car. Smee begs not to be sent over the town line, calling it a cruel fate to have to lose your memories. Gold reminds Smee that it was a fate he was more than willing to bestow upon Belle. He takes Smee's hat, which is a treasured object to him, and pours a potion on it, he then puts it back on his head and kicks the red-hatted man over the town line - Smee retains his memories. Gold's experiment having been a success, he lets Smee go. Mr. Smee is later reunited with Hook in Storybrooke and made to steal Baelfire's shawl for him, which would have allowed Rumple to leave town. When Gold encounters Smee, he pins up to the wall by his throat, stopping him from leaving town. Smee admits to not know anything of Hook's whereabouts when asked and Gold renders this typical as Hook knows exactly what Smee is: a sniveling rat. At this, Gold turns Smee into a rat with magic and tells him to scurry off. His red hat is left discarded.