Hide and Seek Chapter 1: Espionage, an once upon a time fanfic

[A/N]: Hey guys! It's been a while since I posted anything! I really shouldn't be writing a whole different story, but this idea came to mind and I couldn't get it out of my head. It's a bit longer than my usual chapter lengths since it's the first chapter. I hope you enjoy!

Chapter One

Espionage

The sound of rain falling outside of the warehouse was loud and heavy. It was eventually drowned out by the deafening sound of bullets ricocheting off the rusty metal walls and cracking the concrete in the ground. There was a short gasp of pain from someone beside her and that drew her attention. Emma didn't get to see if Jones was all right before something crashed into the back of her head and her world went black.

Earlier that day…

Emma's POV

"Ma'am, you can't be serious." Emma was trying to reason with her superior, but was failing. "He's on probation, if that's so, why is he coming with me on an A-class mission?"

Agent Swan was currently in her small townhome, video chatting with General Lucas on her laptop, while she got debriefed on her next mission. This is ridiculous, She was one of the top spies in the east, trained and experienced since she was twenty. Back at the academy she had been in the top five of her class, scoring tens in all the required skills: Shooting, close combat, endurance, etcetera. The one skill she had gotten and eleven out of ten on was tracking.

Long ago, she had be recruited by the CIA and now she was positioned in Maine, taking up small missions here and there, but ultimately enjoying the time off. It wasn't until recently that she had more assignments, and she had to say, it kept her quite busy. Now, the general was making her a babysitter all of a sudden? Had she done something wrong on her last mission? Questions flew around her head while she stared at her superior officer, arms folded.

The woman sighed, "Agent Swan, you must understand that Jones is just coming back from being rogue [1]. We need to assess him, and I know I can trust you to do it well."

"But an A-class mission, General?" Emma was still very uncertain at this choice. Not only was this man a former rogue, but he was Killian Jones. Even though he was a very good spy, judging by his file, he had made some bad decisions, decisions that she did not ever want to be a part of. "We are talking about taking down Leden. He may be a large illegal arms dealer, but the CIA doesn't need to risk another field agent-."

"Agent Swan, you will be accompanied on this mission by Agent Jones to capture Leden and that's final. Despite his recent activities, he is still a skilled A-class agent like you. I'm sorry that it is an inconvenience to you, but I think it will be good for both of you to have some company." General Lucas said shortly.

Emma started, "What's that supposed to-?" The conversation was stopped abruptly by the sound of her doorbell.

"I assume that will be him."

"He's here right now-?"

"I give you permission to slap him around a bit if he gets… touchy," The older woman cleared her throat. "I expect a mission report by tomorrow night. Good luck, Emma."

With a sigh, she saluted to her superior, her expression softening a bit, "Thank you, Widow." Right when the chat shut off, Emma threw her head back into the pillows of her couch. This woman will be the death of me, she thought tiredly while standing [2].

Moving towards the door, she stopped when her hand reached the handle, inhaling deeply before swinging it open. The two agents met eyes immediately. His dark blue eyes bore into her light hazel ones as they stood in silence for a moment. Then, he smirked. "I found you. Gods, this place took hours to find. Though, I have to say it was worth it considering how beautiful-."

"Just get inside," she rolled her eyes at his attempt to flirt and stepped to the side to allow him entry.

The man just seemed to love twisting her words. "Oh, if you insist, love. I like a woman who gets down to business." He walked inside and she shut the door behind him, making sure to lock the door. Emma turned on her heel only to crash right into the other spy's arms. "What a nice warm welcome."

Instantly, she pulled out her gun from her back, making sure to point it straight in between his eyes. "Look, I'm the one assessing you tonight. I can easily say that you were incompetent and the CIA will throw back your probation even further. I want to get through tonight as smoothly as possible, so don't test me."

He chuckled and suddenly, she felt something press against her back, rubbing against the fabric of her shirt. It felt a lot like the barrel of a gun, "You're a slick one, aren't you, lass? That must come in handy when you get yourself into a pinch." He whispered into her ear. She glared at him through her peripheral view and he removed the gun, pulling away from her in the process. "Killian Jones, A-class spy."

The blonde lowered her own gun and threw it on her coffee table before saying, "Emma Swan, likewise. You're pretty bold for using an old Ruger like that. [3]"

"This thing has saved my arse more than once," Jones said, sounding offended. "And I wouldn't be talking with that Glock you have. What kind is that? The seventeen? Eighteen [3]? How mainstream."

"It's a quality gun!" She found herself defending the weapon. Emma then waved a hand as if to try and dissolve the current conversation by simply doing so, "Look, Jones, as entertaining this little gun chat is, we have work to do. I don't know if you know this, but Lucas will have my ass if I don't report to her by tomorrow eve. Let's get this done and we can move on."

Agent Jones stared at her for a bit before he said. "Of course. Pleasant attitude, just like the rumors say."

She moved to the papers surrounding her laptop to find the floor plan of Leden's hideout. "Well, they know me. I live to please." While she was doing so, she didn't fully comprehend what she had said. A quiet silence had crept into the room as Emma's head slowly rose from the papers and began to realize the sick joke she had unintentionally made.

Jones laughed, "Well, if that's the case…"

"Touch me and I swear that pistol is going up your ass," Emma growled.

"That would require you taking off my pants," he said and shrugged, "It's a start."

The woman deadpanned.

The two took half of an hour trying to organize their game plan while pointing to different areas of the floor plan. At first, they simply wanted to divide the building; one person would enter from the east while the other from the west and eventually they would meet in the center of the warehouse. However, there was the matter of splitting up. Do I trust him enough for him to be on his own? Emma wondered to herself.

"It's the most efficient way to scope the area. If Leden is there, then there's a good chance his guards are too. The bastard… This place is huge," Jones commented while picking at his chin, staring down at the blueprint in concentration.

The woman objected openly this time, "How the hell am I supposed to assess you if you're halfway across the building? What if-?" The other agent cut her off.

"What if what?" His gaze stared into hers challengingly, "What if I jeopardize the mission? What if I make a mistake? What if I make an unwise decision? We may be spies, but that doesn't mean we are incapable of emotion."

She raised her head, "What emotion would that be?"

Now his eyes were searching through her own, "Trust."

They both stared at one another for the longest time. Emma couldn't help but meet his captivating gaze. She wasn't sure who this man was at all and he was simply asking for her trust? No, it would take much more than an exchange of words for her to have complete faith in him. Naivety like that had left her long ago.

Snapping out of her daze, she checked the small clock on her wall and rolled up the diagram, "It's almost eight." Throwing the floor plan on the ground, she then picked up her handgun. Cocking the pistol, she then tucked it into her belt, "Time to suit up."

Leading Killian up to her bedroom, she then paused near her nightstand. Behind her, she could hear the other spy whistle low, "You know Swan, I know a few enjoyable activities that we could currently be doing in a place such as this."

Emma mentally rolled her eyes and stretched her arm under the small bedside table. Patting around the sides, she finally found what she was looking for. "Too bad I'm not interested in your so called 'activities'." There was a faint click that went off and suddenly a segment of her wall slid away, revealing a tiny white room.

"Gods, the agency has been holding back on me, haven't they?" Jones said in awe at the sight. "They wouldn't give me this many guns unless I begged on my knees." Guns lined each of the plain walls while some were laid out tidily on glass pedestals. He stepped forward and walked into the chamber, peering at each and every weapon carefully. It may have been a small room, but it carried a big load.

The blonde walked in after him and leaned on the entrance. She crossed her arms proudly when she saw the other agent taking a liking into the sniper rifle that had its own wall in the very back. "The AWM, huh?[4] It's the only gun I actually own. You can take whichever weapons you like for this mission except for that one. If we lose that gun during the mission, the CIA won't replace it."

"I wouldn't dream of losing something like this," Killian grinned, "I have to say I'm impressed, lass. I can't wait to finally see you in action." With a short wink towards her, he then began to grab a few guns off the shelves.

Emma found herself smirk at the mention of her skill. For some reason, she felt a burning desire to prove herself to him. Normally, she could care less of what others thought of her. Though, Killian Jones was different. He may have come off as just another flirty guy, but she couldn't help but wonder if there was a different side to him. Despite his attempts to be casual and carefree, she saw something in his eyes.

Pain and loneliness. If anyone knew how those two emotions felt, it was her. That was something she felt in herself every day. I'm not like him, though, she thought. With a sigh, she moved next to her partner and picked up some guns and ammo for herself.

While she did so, her gaze couldn't help but wander towards the man next to her. He was an enigma; that was certain. He was a spy she couldn't trust, but he was also a man she couldn't solve, which was the first in a long time. Maybe it was just his spy skills, his ability to conceal himself and his motives, which made her cautious of him. Or perhaps it was because he was so similar to her, that she felt the need to keep distance between them. You are exactly the same, a voice in the back of her mind nagged. You just don't want to be.

Though she would never admit it, she knew it was true.

Killian

The rumors had proved to be true. Emma Swan was as sarcastic and guarded as the other agents had said. Killian's first impression of her had been beautiful, which also led him to believe she was also damaged. It had always been his belief that woman that were pretty like Emma could get almost any job. The fact that she was indeed a spy, one of the best, interested him. With this one, it's hard not to be, he concluded.

She was not a difficult puzzle to solve. Sure, she was different, but he could see straight through her façade, for he had a similar one. Something obviously happened in her past that hurt or scarred her, but she kept her exterior impassive, like all spies do. He knew the secret though. The eyes never lie.

Though, Emma kept proving her difference by denying his flirtatious attitude and expressing her love for guns. He had never met someone exactly like her.

"Agent Jones?" Swan's voice snapped him back to reality, "Ready to go?"

Killian slid a clip of bullets into the gun he was holding, nodded, and gave her a cheeky grin, "I am if you are."

"You know, most men would take your silence as off putting, but," Killian turned to her. "I love a challenge."

Emma glanced at him from the corner of her eye, "I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm a bit busy," the car stopped at a red light, "Driving." She finished while taking her eyes off the road to look at him.

The two of them were on the way to the warehouse in his black Mustang [5]. He refused to drive in Swan's yellow Volkswagen, and she wouldn't let him drive. It took them a good five minutes to compromise and in the end, his partner was the one that got to drive. "We're spies. Multitasking is one of the many things we can do."

The woman simply huffed and continued driving as the light turned green. Silence filled the car once again and the only thing that could be heard was the sound of the humming engine. The night lights filled the car occasionally every time they went under a street light or passed a brightly lit building. It was a nice sight, however, he hardly found this entertaining.

"So what is it with you?" He suddenly asked. It wasn't exactly a proper question, but he was curious and the quietness of the vehicle was getting to him.

He saw Emma raise an eyebrow, "What's what with me?"

Killian expressed his belief, "A woman like you could have done anything. Modeling, acting, but instead you choose to be a spy."

Her eyes were still on the road when she answered. "Why do woman join the army? It's the same reason."

"Not exactly, love. As spies, most of us cut off all ties or relations and that's how we keep our loved ones safe. Being an agent means no family or friends unless you consider other spies as 'friends'." He elaborated. "You don't seem like the type to abandon family."

"Do I seem like a woman who would be abandoned then? If I do, then you've hit the mark, Jones," she muttered quietly. "Kind of hard to cut off ties when there's none to cut."

So she is damaged, he thought. That was just another thing for him to add to the list of how they were similar. Unlike Emma, he actually had a taste of parental love. When he was young, his mother died of illness. After that, he and his father lived on, moving from place to place. It was a hassle, but exciting at the same time. One day, when Killian was sixteen, his father left him, without a trace and he was left to fend on his own.

At that moment he wondered what was more painful, never having parents, or having parents, only to have them abandon you.

Emma

Only a few minutes later did they reach their destination. It was in the middle of nowhere, and the only community had been five miles away in suburbia. They parked a block away from the actual hideout, not wanting to be seen, but the warehouse was still in sight despite their location. It was then when Emma realized that the blueprint had been accurate. The place was the size of a mansion, and though run down and abandoned, the two agents could still see light coming out of the large windows.

Emma was the first to speak, but she did so in a light voice, "Okay, we'll go in as planned. I'll cover the back," she was saying all of this while screwing her silencer onto the tip of her gun.

With a nod he said, "Meet you in there then, Swan. Try not to die."

"Not planning to," she replied.

Both of them exited the car stealthily, and went into action. After jumping over the fence, they split up, Emma ran to the back of the building while Jones entered the front. Along the way there, she knocked out two guards before she finally got inside the building.

Her boots made no sound as she crept along the empty corridors. The walls all had shelves upon shelves of guns and weapons. If she had more time, she would have actually taken the time to look at some of them. The sound of footsteps alarmed her and she hid behind a rack of AK-47s. Two guards had walked into the room, wielding the very same gun that was in front of her face.

The two of them were chatting animatedly about time after their shifts and smoking. The cigarette smoke wafted into the air and drifted over to where she had concealed herself. Making a face of disgust, she covered her nose, hoping that the two would soon go away.

Emma watched them closely and took her chance when they had finally turned their backs on her. Pew, pew, the silencer made the bullets sound like pebbles hitting the ground as they went through the two guard's hearts. The bodies fell to the floor and she stepped out of the room and over them.

The woman looked back at the men before moving on. She hated killing. Even if it was a terrorist of some sort, or a murderer, a war always raged within her before pulling the trigger. It was always the internal battle against what was right and her given orders.

This man killed twenty one people.

But if I kill him, doesn't that make me just as bad?

You have orders; these were always the words that echoed through her mind.

Now she continued through the many halls and rooms of the warehouse, making sure to take down each and every guard that she came across. Coming closer and closer to the center of the building, she made sure to be extra cautious. It was then that she noticed how quiet the warehouse was. The only sound that could be heard was the creaking of the ancient rusty metal walls of the building.

Leden's office has got to be around here somewhere, she said mentally. Walking passed one of the halls, her eyes widened as a hand reached out from behind her and pulled her back. Reacting instantly, the heel of her boot dug into her captor's foot and a hiss of pain sounded from behind her.

Wait… she thought. One of Leden's men wouldn't try to stifle their shouts of pain. It would just alert the other guards. Which means… Emma whipped around to see Jones leaning against the wall in pain, eyes clamped shut. He clenched his teeth while whispering, "Damn, Swan, try holding back next time."

"Do you really think I would do that?" She said quietly, "You're lucky I wasn't wearing heeled boots. You should know not to sneak up on a spy!" Her false anger was just to hide the guilt she was actually feeling.

Sucking in another painful breath he stood up straight and said, "No matter. I took down at least fifteen of his men on the way here, but I haven't caught a peek of his main office."

"You think he's here?" She inquired.

"Not exactly," a voice sounded from above them and she and Killian looked up. There stood Leden, wearing all white with guards all around him. "Ken Leden, at your service. Now, tell me who you are and who you work for or I'll have them shoot you."

Red dots were pointed at both of their chests and she glared at the man. We made sure to disable all of the cameras around and in the building, how did he know we were here? Swallowing a lump that had formed in her throat, she glanced at Jones and he did the same. In the brief seconds that their eyes met, they came to a mental agreement.

"No? Well then, I'll have to-." Emma and Killian both dashed out of the line of fire from the guns, the bullets barely missing them as they separated and took cover. "Get them!"

The shoot out started. For every time she poked out from behind the wall that guarded her, ten shots were made at her. One man, exactly at the twelve o'clock, she said mentally. Taking a deep breath, she pulled the trigger twice, and sure enough she hit her target.

From across the warehouse, she could hear the Jones shooting off a couple guards as well. The two spies quickly picked off Leden's men and soon the sound of bullets stopped. Peeking out from behind her shelter, she gasped as a rather large man stood right in front of her, aiming his gun to her face. In order to dodge the bullet, she had to roll out of the way, but that didn't keep her safe for long.

Her attacker approached her again, but she kicked the gun out of his hand while he also disarmed her a second later. Fists flew then and he managed to punch her on the cheek, breaking her lip. The taste of blood filled her mouth, but she continued to fight, kicking him in his groin. The man bowed his head in pain and Emma took this chance to knock him out by bringing her foot down on his head.

Catching her breath, she lowered her stance and picked up her gun before running over to where Killian was. She found him panting as he loaded another clip into his gun. They barely got a break when he suddenly took her hand and pulled her down, "Duck!"

They both sunk down to the floor as another barrage of bullets came crashing down from behind them. Killian flipped over a table and they used it to cover themselves. "They keep coming," Emma growled while one of her shots found its way to its target. It was complete and total chaos.

Killian

Killian awoke when he was given a slap to the face. The first thing he felt was a burning sensation in his right arm and the painful throb of his head. Now the sting of the slap made his cheek go slightly numb. Shaking his head, he tried to throw off the bleary feeling he still had. Finally his vision cleared and he looked up to see another one of Leden's men in front of him wearing a smirk.

How many henchmen does this man have? He asked himself grudgingly. He was tied to a chair with wire and gagged while he sat in the middle of the warehouse. It wasn't until then that he realized his head brushing with someone else's behind him. Swan. So they were both captured and vulnerable. Bloody fantastic.

His attention was then caught by movement in the corner of his eye. Leden stepped out of the shadows with his hands behind his back. A sinister smile grew on his lips, "Well, well, well done, truly. You two managed to take all of my men except for these four here," he pointed to the man that stood before Killian and other that must have been positioned in front of Swan or behind him. The man walked around them and that was when he realized how short Leden was. "Take their gags out. I want them to talk."

The rope was pulled out roughly from his mouth and Killian let his tongue regain some of its moisture back before speaking, "We aren't telling you anything," he told Leden with a glare.

"Tell me who you work for and I might let you live," the arms dealer demanded. The room was silent. "Not talking? I'll make you talk. Starting with her."

Swan's voice sounded from behind him, "Get the hell away from me."

Leden chuckled, "I like this one. Feisty. Give her the shot."

Killian struggled against his bonds as a small gasp came from his partner behind him. The wire rubbed against his skin, causing it to become irritated. Feeling around the sleeves of his jacket, he prayed that they hadn't found his flat knife.

Luckily, he managed to grasp it in between his two fingers and began to saw away at the wire that was wrapped around both he and the blonde. It had gotten through the first and second strip. Their captor inquired again, "Now, tell me who you work for." The third wire was gone.

He could hear Emma's deep breathing, obviously trying to work against whatever drug that they had injected into her. "Swan, don't." he warned as the fourth and fifth wires broke. The woman sounded as if she were going to hyperventilate.

"Tell me!"

"Swan!" Breaking free of their binds, they sprung into action, disarming the guards first and then tearing the wires that had them by their feet. Killian punched one of the men numerous times before he was out. He then moved on and choked out the other. Turning, Jones saw the two other men on the ground, but Leden was not.

He had a gun pointed straight at Emma's head as his arm was wrapped around her throat tightly. "Move and she'll get it, pal. You're going to drop your weapons, now."

Killian made eye contact with the blonde and her glare said, "Don't listen to him." And he knew it too. Leden wasn't going to give either of them mercy. Once he dropped his guns, the man would shoot them both and run.

I'm going out on a limb here, he saw that Leden's knee was exposed, however it was right next to Swan's. He had one shot. "Do it now!" The man yelled and a bullet went straight into his knee.

Emma then elbowed the arms dealer in the face as he was in pain. Turning quickly, she brought Leden's skull to her knee and he dropped to the floor, limp. Killian let out a breath that he didn't know he was holding.

The woman than turned to him, "You didn't think that shot actually worked on me, did you?"

"Sodium pentothal [6]? Not a chance. The CIA wouldn't have let you on the field if you weren't immune. It was a nice distraction, though," he grinned at her and held up his Ruger pistol, "I told you. It's a lifesaver."

She scoffed and bent down to check Leden and the guards for a phone. "I'll call the retrieval crew so stay here with these guys… And Jones?" She turned her back to him. "Thanks."

Killian grinned and called after her, "So now that I've saved your life, are you still not interested in those activities I mentioned earlier?"

"Not in a million years, Jones." She said simply.

The next day…

"Good work you two, Leden, has been locked up and his weapons have been confiscated. It turns out that he had more than just guns, though. Our crew found some dangerous missiles in boxes, ready to be shipped off to different countries. It's a good thing you caught him." General Lucas reported via Swan's television.

"Ma'am," Killian said with a slight bow. Both he and Emma were currently getting debriefed on their job-well-done. Although the two were a bit scuffed up, they stood proudly.

Emma nodded, "Just doing our job, ma'am. I will await your next assignment-."

"Wait a moment." Both agents exchanged a glance before their attention returned to their official. "Jones, Agent Swan has given you a very good scoring on your assessment, and you are hereby released from probation."

"Thank you, general," he said while glancing at the woman beside him with a slight smile. She simply looked at the television screen contently.

"So we have decided to make the two of you partners."

"What?" Emma asked, shocked.

Lucas provided, "You two work efficiently and seem to get along well. Agent Jones, your living arrangements have been sent to your phone. That will be all; your next assignment will come shortly. Until then, Agent Swan, Agent Jones." The woman logged off and the two stood quietly.

Killian broke the silence, "Well, lass, it seems that we'll be seeing much more of each other. Maybe then you'll come around," he winked at her and Emma simply glared back.

He picked up his things and exited his new partner's home, feeling content for the first time since he came back from being rogue.

[A/N]: Yup! So that was the first chapter! A lot of other things will be explained in the next couple chapters such as why Killian was on probation and more about their past. Lots of spy lingo in here so check out the footnotes and I'll try to cut it down so there aren't so many next time! Also, the names that are bolded and underlined after each divider is the whose point of view it's in. Anyways, this ended up being a monster chapter with over 5000 words. The next chappies will probably range from around 2000-3000. I hoped you guys liked, tell me what you think! ~ Xelbie

[1] Rogue - When a spy stops following orders or goes off the radar. Normally, this is punished more forcefully, but here, it's slackened for the sake of the story.

[2] Widow Lucas - AKA Granny. She's awesome okay? She babysits with a crossbow, I think that just screams badass. I wanted Emma to have a kind relationship with General Lucas. They both know when to be professional and when it's okay not to be.

[3] Ruger and Glock - Both pistols. While the Ruger is an older model (it looks like the gun Hook shot Belle with), the Glock is much more modern and is used widely. (Models range from 17 to 21 I think?)

[4] AWM - Accuracy International AWM is a top of the line sniper. One of the best there is, acutally.

[5] Mustang - A really cool car with a horse logo on the front.

[6] Sodium pentothal - AKA the Truth Serum. Used a lot in interrogation.