A/N: A/N: Hello all and welcome back for chapter 2! This one is from Hook's perspective, but please don't go running to the hills just yet. This is Hook in mid season 2, before he became completely obsessed with Emma. Plus I think he offers a chance to get a unique perspective on the rest of our cast. Anyway, please enjoy!

(Edited and updated as of 10/30/2015)

A Gambit in Trust

Killian I

Killian cringed at the sound of wood crashing against wood with a violent thunder. "Sorry, Love," he muttered, reaching out a hand to pat the cabin wall in a soothing apology. He cast his eyes upward to the deck when another roar of destruction –this one glass - sounded. In any other circumstance, Killian would introduce whomever dared harm the Jolly Roger to a realm of pain few could withstand. Getting between Cora and her rage, however, seemed an unwise course.

He sighed and refocused his attention, testing his hook's point with his thumb. A ghost of pressure against the digit drew a droplet of blood. "She is a sight when angered," he said with a note of appreciation. "A perfect storm of destruction. I've seen typhoons less frightening back in our world; haven't you?" A muffled grunt answered him.

"I would not wish to be Swan when Cora decides to end this charade and truly reveal herself." Killian took a moment to savor the image of the savior brought down to her knees, her spirit broken. It would be a sweet sight indeed.

More grunts sounded behind him and he dismissed his fantasies for another time.

"But I reckon I can convince the witch to focus her rage on another, closer target in the meantime." Killian turned, deigning to look toward his guest for the first time. Wide blue eyes stared up at Killian with a mix of indignation and fear, his teeth bared over the rag serving as a gag, his face blotchy and almost as red as his thinning hair. He strained against the ropes binding his hands above his head.

Killian plopped down on the bench on the Jiminy Cricket's right, his arm draping over the bound man's shoulders. His hook came to rest just below the man's ribs with enough pressure to hint at how deadly the appendage could be. The cricket's breath hitched.

"You see, mate, thanks to Cora's handy little trick with the mirror, I learned something that I don't think she quite realized. Yet." He slid his hook up toward the man's neck at the pace of running molasses, leaving a tear in the man's clothes and an angry red line of irritated skin in its wake. "Swan kept going on and on about how you, my dear cricket, continuously came to the queen's defense." Archie's eyes became guarded and he remained silent behind the gag. Killian shrugged.

"So, one might come to the conclusion that all of this," he waved his arm in an all-encompassing gesture. "Is your fault." He put pressure on his hook just below his captive's collarbone, earning a pained grunt as the metal broke through skin. Barely a flesh wound, but enough to get his point across.

"Now, me?" He stood, granting a brief respite to his captive. "I could not give less of a damn about this feud between the queen and savior." He leaned down so he was on eye level with Archie. "But I'm sure Cora would love to take out her anger on something other than my ship." The shattering of glass sounded and Killian just shook his head.

When this was over, he was never going to deal with those who practiced magic ever again.

"To be frank," he said, cocking his head in a tilted nod to emphasize his point. "I'd rather she tear you limb from limb than continue hurting the Jolly Roger." Archie went deathly still, gaze intense. Killian resisted a grin, knowing he had won this little war of wills.

"Unless," He reached over and tugged the gag free with his hook. "You can help me with something I truly care about." He kept his eyes locked onto his captive's, who, to his credit, did not so much as flinch.

"And," the man said, pausing to lick his lips and clear his throat in a gentle cough. "What would that be?" The man's tone was gravelly, low, and cautious.

"I seek to kill my crocodile." He trailed off, seeing incomprehension in the man's eyes. "The monster you know as the Dark One." Red brows shot up.

"Rumplestiltskin? How could I help with anything regarding him," he spoke in disbelief. "Let alone killing him!?"

"Don't get coy, cricket." Killian's almost snarled more than spoke with a renewed sense of impatience. "I've known men like you. You are quiet. You listen. You observe." Killian leaned in until mere inches separated them. "You'll have a read on everyone in this forsaken town, so do not tell me you know nothing of the imp."

"He wasn't exactly a regular appointment." The man leaned back, seeming unperturbed. He tilted his head to the left, studying Killian. "You've come a long way for this, haven't you," the man said more than asked. "What happened between you two to give you so much hatred?"

A memory both familiar and hated flashed in his mind and Killian felt Milah's dying breath against his cheek in an echo of sensation that irritated an ancient wound. He leaned toward his captive, invading his personal space. "I did not come here for your conscious, Jiminy Cricket." His voice was a whisper with the promise of death. "Tell me what you know of Rumplestiltskin or I won't bother to leave you for Cora."

Sweat beaded upon pale skin, but the cricket's voice betrayed nothing but calmness. "I don't know much. He never sought me out under the curse."

"Surely you've seen something in the last decades? Or are you completely useless to me?" The cricket grimaced and remained silent, a hopeless sort of defiance in his eyes. Killian let out a frustrated breath, his patience teetering on the edge.

"I'm sorry," the man began, but Killian was on him, hook pressing under the man's chin. Archie sucked in a surprised gasp through his teeth as his jaw clacked shut. Killian's frustration prevented him from taking joy at breaking through the man's calm exterior.

"Why do you protect him?" He asked, noting the strain entering his voice. "Do you have any idea of what evil that monster has left in the world?"

The cricket gulped and his voice began to tremble as he spoke, "I know exactly who he was and what he did."

"Then speak to what you know of him in this land." Killian ordered, tone approaching a yell. He let up the pressure on his hook.

"I know he's trying to change." Killian blinked, dumbfounded. Of all the idiotic responses…

"Mate, if you believe the Dark One can change his ways, you're a bigger fool than I give you credit for." Killian shook his head, swallowing the familiar, bitter taste of impotent disappointment.

The balding man swallowed thickly. "This town was brought here by a curse, but it gave us all a gift as well." Killian backed away from the man, not wishing to hear a lecture. "It has offered everyone a second chance to be whatever they want to be. It could be the same for you, if you cared to try." The man spoke with such earnestness that Killian almost felt guilty.

Almost.

He rushed forward once again and thrust his hook's point into the man's neck just hard enough to draw blood. Archie froze in place, breaths becoming choppy. Killian leaned down to whisper in the man's ear, close enough that he could hear the pounding of his captive's terrified pulse.

"I have had dealings with men of your like before." Killian reminded him. Archie trembled as he spoke, his brave face faltering. "Talking your way through life with your soft demeanor and gilded tongue. But." He leaned around to meet his prisoner's terrified eyes. "I've conned my fair share as well." He pulled his hook away, watching as a trail of crimson ran down ashen skin. "So I ask again, speak to what you know about my crocodile or his dagger, or you will become intimately familiar with his gift to me."

His hook caught the dim light just right, highlighting the contrast between clean steel and the blood staining the tip. Archie took a shuddering breath, and Killian sensed his victory.

"I don't know anything about any dagger," he said, voice quiet and resigned. Killian could see the truth of that in his eyes and frowned.

"You best know something," Killian said while thumbing his hook, letting the threat hang in the air unsaid.

"Th-there is…" The cricket's voice faltered and he looked as if he had swallowed something vile. After seconds of deafening silence the man hung his head, eyes closed. "There is someone who will know more. Gold does not confide in anyone but one person."

"Speak to a name and do so quickly."

The answer came ate barely more than a whisper. "Belle…" The familiar rush of hope at a newfound lead flooded Killian's heart even as he recognized the name.

"The Dark One's pet was cursed as well." She had been of little use to him before, but the situation had changed. "Where will I find her?"

Killian grinned as the man slumped down, supported only by his hands bound to the grate above him. He spoke of a library beneath the clock tower at the center of town that Belle had made her own. The pirate ignored his prisoner's quiet sobs and turned to take his leave.

"I thank you for your aid in this, cricket. I shall see to rewarding you once the Dark One lays dead at my feet."

The man did not deign to reply.

Killian stepped out into the light of day, wincing at the site of refuse and debris littering the Jolly Roger's deck. Cora stood at the bow with the shattered remains of her scrying mirror at her feet. Her face seemed impassive as she had her eyes toward the town with an unfocused gaze. Killian let out a breath of irritation, but suppressed his annoyance as he crossed the deck to stand beside the witch.

He watched as a group of men worked along the docks. Their rituals seemed familiar and foreign all at once. Men hustling about with arms loaded down with cargo was nothing new, but the tools they used were alien to him, and the complete lack of women waiting around to entice land bound sailors threw him some.

And they all seemed to be giving the Jolly Roger a wide berth.

He shook his head. "The cricket knew little about the Dark One's dagger, but he spoke plain about much else." Cora remained still, her expression unchanging. "What will you do now that your own scheme has been foiled?"

A flash of anger flickered across the witch's features before falling back under a mask of indifference. "All hasn't been lost just yet." None of her rage translated into her voice and she turned to him with a small smirk upon her lips that left Killian ill at ease. "I'll have my own answers from our guest." Poor sod, Killian thought.

"Well, he's already been broken in for you." He reached for his hip flask and took a deep swig, grateful the rum's burning warmth cut against the evening chill.

"How thoughtful of you." She laid her hand on his arm and squeezed. "Your help has been invaluable to me, Captain." Killian was thrown by the unusual display of gratitude.

"Think nothing of it," he said with a strained, toothy grin before taking another drink and pocketing the flask. "But now I have a crocodile to skin." She nodded and turned to head below deck.

"Do try not to die." She spoke the words as she disappeared below, leaving Killian with nothing but an awkward sense of being out of place on board his own vessel. With a sharp shake of his head he turned his attention to the task at hand, observing the dock workers to try to spot an opening from which he could slip off the Jolly Roger unseen.

The gods seemed to favor him as just as he understood the pattern of the workers' movements, the echoing sound of a stricken bell rang across the town five times. Almost as one, the dock workers dropped what they were doing and all headed in the same direction, solemn demeanors replaced by joking and camaraderie as they joined with another group leaving a building alongside the docks.

"Who's up for the Rabbit Hole tonight?" A portly man called over the rest of the group's voices. "First round's on Herman boys!" A cheer rose from the gathered men at the expense of one pretesting youth and Killian grinned. At least some things remained the same no matter the realm.

Killian did not waste another moment, slipping down the Roger's boarding ramp and away from the docks with quick, quiet steps. He stuck to the alleyways between buildings, avoiding the main roads filled with those roaring metal deathtraps these people used for transportation. Those few he did pass paid him no more than an odd glance, and one sharp look from him sent all scurrying about their way.

The way to the town center was simpler than he feared. The clock tower acted as his guide, growing ever larger as the sun continued it's slow decent across the sky. The tower stood taller than any other building in the town as far as he could see, and, when he had his first clean look at the building, it stood in a prime position along a crossroads.

A crossroads that was alive with people scurrying about to and fro. "Bollocks," he muttered, cursing his luck for choosing to run out at such a moment. He judged he could cross the way in mere moments and, seeing no obvious threats among the townsfolk, decided to risk it and joined the throng of people. None gave him more than a single glance. Just as in his world, people here seemed to rather mind their own business than invite trouble into their lives.

Killian slipped through the double doors standing on the corner below the clock tower, finding a library just as the cricket had claimed there would be. He let the door whisper closed behind him and strained his ears for any sign of activity within, hearing nothing but silence.

"This is far too simple," he said to the room at large, at once relieved and uneasy. He wandered around the stacks, fingers trailing along the spines of books bound by aged leather. Many were old, few were new, but all seemed well taken care of as much as Killian could surmise. Yet nothing stood out to him until he came across a small room almost hidden in a back corner of the library.

It was bare but for a desk covered with a book that lay open, taking up nearly all of the surface. Interest sparked, he spun the book toward him and skimmed through its contents. He sighed in frustration moments later, slamming the book closed with a massive thunk. Rather than a book of accounts, it spoke only of nonsense. What even was a library card? And why did this 'Leroy' need his revoked?

This world's customs played his patience toward the edge, and if this was just another—

A bell chimed, cutting through the silence and stopping Killian's internal rant in its tracks. He wasted little time in slipping out of the office and behind a shelf of tomes that stood across from it. He pulled a pair of books off the shelf, leaving just enough of a gap to try to catch a glimpse of his target.

A woman's voice reached him before she came into view. "…were just accusing him of the crime a few hours ago." The voice was accented in an enticing way Killian recognized only from their previous encounter, her words almost lazy and drawled out. "Now you need his help?"

"We may have been … quick to judge," a man's voice answered. Killian rolled his eyes, supposing his luck could not be that perfect. A buxom, auburn haired woman came into view, shaking her head and casting an incredulous look behind her. She was every bit as comely as he recalled. Killian lamented it had been wasted on the Dark One.

When the man entered his line of sight, Killian honed in right one the gleaming metal badge he wore on one hip – the same he had seen on Swan's in Cora's scrying glass - and a sheathed sword on the other. Killian's hand twitched in preparation. "But with the chance that Cora could be in Storybrooke, we need all the help we can get," he said. The man's earnest, boyish features sparked a twisted familiarity in Killian's gut.

He hated hero types.

"Is she in league with Regina?" Belle asked, and Killian suppressed a laugh at the thought. Oh how Cora wishes. Her companion grimaced, running a hand through his short blond locks.

"We actually think that Cora may have framed Regina entirely." He trailed off as he spoke and Belle shot the man an incredulous look.

"Going on what proof? We saw Regina kill Archie." Belle stopped to face the man, arms crossed and her big brown eyes shrewd. Killian grinned. There was a fire in this one he had not seen in their last encounter.

The man rubbed the back of his neck, clearly unnerved. "Emma's instincts and Regina's word." Belle laughed a harsh sound that was more disbelief than amusement.

"Rumple had to jump through hoops to convince you he had nothing to do with this, but you take that woman's," the way she spat out the word sent a chilled tingle down Killian's spine. "Word for it?" She still held a grudge against the Evil Queen it would appear.

The angrier Belle grew, however, the calmer the man became. "Only with Emma's backing, and this matches Cora's M.O." A frown tugged on Belle's lips, eyebrows furrowed in consideration. "Please, Belle."

Belle searched the man's eyes for a long moment before lost her aggressive posture with a shake of her head. "Fine, David, I'll call Rumple." Belle turned and continued on to her office, David close behind wearing a wide smile. "But I can't promise he'll be willing to help."

"I don't think he can refuse you anything," David said with a hint of humor. Killian noticed a smile appear on Belle's face before she turned into the office. His stomach wrung in disgust even as David leaned against the office's doorframe, his back to Killian.

Killian did not hesitate at the opportunity presented to him. He was behind David in three quick strides, arms locking the man into a choke hold before he could so much as turn his head. Killian leaned back, pulling his weight against the man's neck, and kicked out the back of his knees so David could have no leverage. Belle stood, wide eyed and slack jawed, even as David's arms were striking at his. The angle made the blows sting no more than a child's would.

"You're going to want to put that down, love." Killian said with a grin, nodding toward the thin black rectangle the women held. He had no idea what it was, but no point in taking risks. Belle dropped the device without hesitation, hands raising in a placating manner.

"Easy," she said with a small smile that failed to hide her growing panic. Her eyes flicked between his and the man in his hold, a spark of recognition in them. "We don't want any trouble." The man's blows grew weaker with every passing moment.

"I'm afraid what you want is little matter to me."

"What is it you want, then?" Belle kept her composure, eyes now staying on his.

"You," he said with a grin and a flick of his eyebrows. If his declaration surprised her, she didn't show it. She glanced down at David, whose feeble attacks had stopped altogether at this point, and nodded.

"Fine." Killian blinked in surprise. "Just let David go." Bell took slow, deliberate steps toward him with her hands still raised and empty. The man had fallen to complete dead weight, supported only by Killian's hold around the neck.

"A fair proposal," he allowed, grimacing as he held David upright. "Turn around." She did as he asked and faced toward her desk. He would have to find some way of binding her hands…

Killian moved to shift his hold on David, but the moment he did so a sharp elbow drove into his stomach, stealing the air from him. The room filled with the sound of two wheezing men and Killian had not attempted to take two breaths before something heavy whacked against the top of his skull, leaving the rushing boom of thunder in its wake.

His vision blacked out, and the next moment Killian could comprehend found the walls lined with books had turned into the ceiling. He blinked. When did I get on my back? His head pounded and he tried to roll to his side and gain his feet, but a heeled boot pressed its weight onto his chest, holding him in place. His eyes trailed up to see Belle looking down on him, auburn hair haloing her face and a smug grin upon her lips.

Any other circumstance and Killian would have welcomed such a sight with open arms.

He winced as his head throbbed in pain, feeling a sticky wetness on the back of his skull that he suspected might have had something to do with the gigantic ledger the woman had decked him with.

"Bloody hell, woman," he groaned as his wits returned. "Is that any way to treat a gentleman?" Belle let out an unladylike snort and did not see fit to reply. David crossed into his line of sight, rubbing his bruising throat with one hand with his sword held in the other. Gone was the genial charm he had worn with Belle, replaced by a steely anger that turned his features harsh.

Some people were just quick to wrath, Killian supposed.

"Have any rope, Belle?" His voice had been replaced with something akin to gravel, and Killian chose to take that as a small victory.

"Oh, plenty." His attention snapped back to Belle, noting the smirk on her face that could have given even Cora pause on a good day. Killian groaned and let his head fall to the floor.

It looked to be a very long night ahead; one most certainly not of the fun variety.

"You know," Killian said, propping his up against the metal frame of his cell's bed. The mattress was hard and the pillow flat, but Killian could not get over the fact that there was a comfortable place to rest in the first place.

It was a far cry from how he treated his prisoners, not that he could complain. "Staring at me with those baby blues won't compel me to talk, mate." He spared a glance between his crossed feet, finding one of his captors leaning against a steel desk outside the cell, glare still firmly in place. Just as the case was on the way from the library over to this prison, David did not speak.

Killian wondered if the man truly thought the silent treatment would unnerve him.

"They'll be here in a few minutes," Belle's voice drew David's attention away as she stepped next to him. "But I can't get ahold of Rumple. Tried three times." Killian let himself relax at that news. Belle glared at the black rectangle in her hand which he had yet to understand how it acted as a communication device.

"I'm sure he's fine," David placed a hand on Belle's arm and offered a smile. "If there's anyone in town capable of holding their own against Cora's magic, it's Gold."

"Or." Killian interrupted, thrusting himself off the bed and ignoring the rush of lightheadedness that came with it. "He's off making a victim of someone fool enough to strike a deal with him." The fury that lit up Belle's face was tempered only by a hint of anxiousness he caught in her eyes.

Killian smirked. Perhaps the Dark One's lover was not so blind after all? "What's the matter, love, don't trust your dearest Rumplestiltskin? A shame."

David crossed in front of Belle, a tense hand resting on the pommel of his sword. "Hold your tongue, pirate." The man snapped the word out like a curse. Killian grinned.

"Can't fault a man for being honest," he said with a shrug. He moved forward and rested against his cell's bars. The cold metal did wonders for his pounding skull. "And who even are you, mate? Someone who fancies himself a hero?'"

The man stepped right up to the cage, close enough that Killian could have lashed out with his hook if it would have gained him anything. He wore a grin that Killian longed to wipe off with one solid blow.

"Not a hero, no," he said with a quiet laugh. "Just someone who knows what's good in this world, and what's." He glanced Killian up and down. "Not."

Killian brushed off the brief bout of indignation. He'd been called worse by better men. "Yet you throw in your lot with the likes of the Evil Queen and Rumplestiltskin." That caused David to falter out of his cocksure attitude.

"Rumple has changed, become a better man," Belle said. Killian let out another laugh. Such a ludicrous idea suggested twice in the same day. What was wrong with these people?

"The Dark One does not change." He leveled his best glare at the diminutive beauty. The librarian did not balk. "He has been around for centuries causing nothing but pain and misery to all those who cross his path."

"You have not met him since he's known me." Belle's tone was both confident and dismissive. Killian could not fathom the arrogance of the woman.

"I don't care how skilled you are between the sheets, love. No one woman could change the Dark One." Belle just quirked a brow with a half smirk of someone knowing something other's did not.

It churned his stomach that it reminded him of Milah in some perverse way.

"As fun as it is to listen to your taunts," David spoke, rubbing at his temples. "Please shut up until the others get here."

"And what is to happen when they arrive? You already know why I've come to this forsaken realm."

"Maybe we should gag him again?" Belle suggested.

"Will you hit me with another bloody book first?"

"Only if you keep talking." They locked gazes for a moment, and Killian could see just how serious she was. Cheeky lass…

"It sounds like you're having fun here, too." Killian turned his attention to the end of the room, finding Snow White striding through the passage that led out of the building. She was trailed closely by Swan and the Evil Queen. Killian began to feel like he may have been a tad outnumbered.

"Welcome to the party, ladies." The lot of them ignored him, Snow White going up to David and giving the ponce a chaste kiss before speaking with him in tones too low to hear. It at least that explained who the cocksure man was, Killian mused.

"Has he said anything useful?" The queen asked, arms crossed and glaring at him with one of her disdainful glares. Killian noted the dark circles beginning to form under the woman's eyes alongside the pasty skin. It was a sight far removed from the days an entire kingdom lived in fear of her. Killian judged her the weak link.

"Not in the slightest," David said with an exasperated sigh. "I think he's still delirious from Belle knocking him unconscious." Belle did not respond to the address. She was too busy glaring at the queen with more emotion than she had spared Killian all day.

Interesting, he thought.

"You were defeated by that?" Regina gestured at the librarian without sparing the girl a glance. Belle took a step toward the queen and Killian readied himself for a show.

"Enough," Swan spoke for the first time. Killian frowned, turning his attention to the blonde. As did everyone else, halting their courses. Killian hid his surprise at the role reversal. It seemed Swan would be his key player in all of this. "I'm tired, hungry, and just about out of patience for all this bullshit." She had looked to each member of the party in turn, silencing arguments before they could begin, before settling her gaze on his.

He almost felt entranced by the aura of annoyed determination about her.

"How did you get here, Hook?"

"Magic." He quipped. Swan's face did not so much as twitch.

"Where is Cora?"

"No idea." The queen scoffed and Swan frowned, glancing back at Regina. The older woman rolled her eyes and looked away.

"When did you last see her?" Killian shrugged and yawned. Interrogations were so boring without the promise of bloodshed.

"It has to have been some days now, back in the Forest."

"You're lying," Swan said without hesitation. Killian laughed softly.

"Is that your dreaded superpower?" Swan grinned, but did not rise to the bait. He seemed to be losing his touch lately.

"Why are you protecting her? She almost killed you back in the Enchanted Forest."

Killian raised a brow. "As did you, love, or did you expect me to survive being chained up in an angry giant's lair?" The assembled 'heroes' shot Swan stunned looks and Regina looked mildly impressed, but the savior held up a hand before anyone could speak their questions.

"Call it a preemptive strike."

"Call it whatever you like. Doesn't change the fact that you left me to die. Alone." Swan's jaw tightened, and Killian counted it as a point in his favor.

"This is getting us nowhere," Regina's clipped tone set off Killian's fight or flight instinct, but not before the witch crossed the distance between them. Before he could back away, her left hand had latched onto his hook with an iron grip, keeping him stuck on the bars.

He yanked with all his might, but could not get the leverage to break free. Her right arm reached back in a way that filled Killian's gut with dread even as the Charmings yelped their protests. He held his breath and screwed his eyes shut, waiting for the hand to dig in his chest.

Seconds ticked by and Killian's heart remained in its proper place.

He popped an eye open, finding Regina trembling, her arm caught in the savior's grasp. The blonde was whispering something to the queen that Killian could not make out, and Regina was just shaking her head, eyes closed.

The moment the woman's grasp slackened, Killian bolted away from the bars and tried to catch his breath. His heart thundered in his chest and he was simply grateful that it remained in in his chest.

"You made the right choice, Regina." Swan said, releasing the queen. Regina looked torn between resignation and indignation.

"It would end this idiotic charade and we could have this solved tonight." There was no iron behind Regina's words. It was as if she had spoken just for the sake of it.

"Maybe." Swan allowed with a nod. "But he wouldn't want you to do it like that." Regina gave a sharp nod.

"So what would you suggest we do, Miss Swan?" She gave Killian a withering glance before turning her full attention on the sheriff.

Killian noted that both Charmings seemed shell shocked by the turn of events while Belle was eyeing the two women with the smallest of frowns.

Killian noted the group's dynamic seemed fledgling. Untested.

"Go about it the old fashioned way." Swan spared him a glance. "But do it tomorrow. He's locked up and that means there's one less thing on our plate. Even if he's determined to be a useless pile of leather." Killian scoffed at the description, but was ignored by all. Swan turned to Belle. "And you say Gold will be willing to help?"

"He wouldn't want Cora here any more than the rest of us." Belle had not taken her eyes off the evil queen. "That's if she is really here."

"She is," Swan assured before Regina could rise to the bait.

"Then we'll help, of course."

"Good. I say we call it a night before any of us does something we'll regret. Go get some sleep and we'll regroup in the morning."

"It has been a long day," Snow agreed. David stood behind her and rubbed the length of the woman's arms, an absent-minded gesture affection that once again brought Milah to Killian's mind. He bared his teeth as if to frighten the memories off.

"And who is going to stay with him?" Regina asked. Nobody volunteered.

"Nobody," Swan said with a sigh. Wait, what?

"What!?" The echo of incredulity matched Killian's own. He studied Swan, trying to figure out her game. The woman just shrugged.

"He's not getting out without help, and the only one that would help him is Cora, who's desperate not to reveal herself, and doesn't know we're onto her." Killian felt a cold dread. Being alone, locked in close quarters, without a witness to act as a deterrent?

He would never pass up an opportunity like that, and he knew the Dark One could not either.

"And if the Dark One decides to pay me a visit?" He asked the room at large, staring down Swan. She met his gaze without flinching.

"Then we'll know who to arrest tomorrow if you're not breathing." Killian's jaw dropped despite himself. She was leaving him to die.

Again.

The nerve of her!

Without another word, Swan spun on her heel and strode from the room, not looking back. Regina trailed after her moments later, a contemplative look on her features. He turned his eyes toward the remaining three, willing them to see reason.

It was Snow that took pity on him. "You're sure Gold won't do anything?" She asked, casting a wary glance back at Belle.

"Absolutely," the other woman replied while gathering her things. Snow nodded, apparently satisfied.

"And you believe her?" Killian asked, incredulous, but they ignored him as they too took there leave. He didn't bother to call after them, knowing the battle lost.

The artificial lighting clicked off, leaving Killian alone in a strange land with nothing more than his thoughts and the murky light of dusk for company.

E/N:

A/N: So what do you lot think of seeing the world from Hook's perspective? Good? Awful? Should he be a PoV character in the future? Let me know via review!

Next chapter is a Regina PoV, so even if you didn't care for Hook, you do have that to look forward to! Not to mention the new episode of Once tonight, which is supposedly going to be some nice Swan Queen fan service. So yay for that!

In any case, please leave a review telling me what you thought - good, bad, or otherwise. Feedback is what keeps us writers going!

(Edited and updated 10/30/2015)