"Just a quick trip." Hook mutters, eying his restraints with disdain. They took his hook almost immediately and he would be damned if he left this god forsaken castle without it. "In and out, easy as pie, I do believe you said."

He slants his narrowed eyes to his neighbor, slouched against the wall casually, legs folded at the ankle. Robin places his hands behind his head with a leisurely smile - split lip and bruised jaw doing nothing to chase away the mirth in his eyes - irons dragging noisily against the prison floor.

"It would have been in and out, if someone hadn't been distracted by jewels, pirate."

"Well, had the master archer not missed, perhaps we would – "

The door to the jail cell clangs open noisily, interrupting their argument. A large man with a rounded stomach bounds his way in heavily, a delighted grin stretching his (deplorable, really) features. Hook sighs and rolls his eyes to the ceiling, ignoring the way the motion pulls at the cut across his eyebrow.

"Back again so soon?" He fights his own smile at Robin's chuckle, tilting his head and staring at the man with wide blue eyes. "I told you I was growing on you."

The man scoffs heavily, storming forward with clumsy movements, pulling Hook close to his face with a grubby fist on his vest. Hook shifts with a grimace, the man's rancid breath washing over him in waves. He hears Robin chuckle somewhere behind him and sighs with exasperation.

"Who sent ye?" He pulls Hook up further and Hook chuckles, chained feet shuffling for a better position on the stone floor, body aching in protest. The man peers at him carefully, anger glinting in his beady eyes.

"No one sent us, you bloody fool. As we've said, we are merely travelers passing through."

"Passing through, eh? You just happened to be passing through our castle's war room? And you just happened to be looking over strategy maps?"

"Those were strategy maps?" He turns to look at Robin with a shocked expression on his face. Robin mirrors the look with a slight shrug, lips tilting up slightly. "Gods above, I hope that was a work in progress then. Your bloody strategy is weak, if I may be so bold as to – "

The man cuts him off with a loud growl, shoving him back forcefully to the ground. He chuckles in amusement, ignoring the pain radiating in his side. His wrist rubs against the metal of the restraints as he raises a pacifying hand. "Alright, that was bad form. I shall make no more observations of your kingdom's strategy."

Robin chuckles and sits up from his reclined position. "Speak for yourself. Did you see the battlement alignment? Positively dreadful. And –"

His sentence is cut off when the castle shakes ominously around them. Cold dread settles in Hook's stomach and his head turns slowly to look at Robin. Robin's expression mirrors his own, face set in stern lines, eyes harboring knowing resignation.

They've been discovered.

"What the-" The large man totters on his legs as another terrible explosion rocks the castle. Hook shuffles closer to Robin.

"Do you think it's them?"

Robin appears to be listening hard, head inclined to the small bar window at the top of the prison walls. There's a vicious shriek and then a very loud, very female, laugh. Robin sighs and his entire body deflates.

Hook frowns. "Bloody hell."

He turns over onto his back quickly, slapping his hand loudly on his thigh and arching a single dark eyebrow up at their captor. The man seems confused, eyes wide as the sounds of a battle begin clearly echoing throughout the castle.

"Alright, mate. We have a proposition for you." The castle shakes again and the man stumbles, almost falling completely forward. Hook winces and Robin scoots forward, as much as his restraints allow. He looks at the portly fellow eagerly, head bowed in concentration.

"You let us go, and we will get you to safety. As you are now aware, your castle is under attack."

The man furrows his eyebrows, lips frowning in confusion. "Why should I let you go?"

"Because we know how these assailants work. We can evade their attack easily."

Hook shoots Robin a pointed look and Robin scratches the back of his head. "Alright, not easily, but I think we can get away cleanly with them none the wiser."

"Oh, another brilliant plan, I'm sure." Hook rolls his eyes and begins to tug at his restraints in earnest. "I'm fairly certain it's a bit late for all that. They seem to be well aware we are here."

"We could always hide."

"Hide? Are you –"

He's cut off abruptly when the wooden prison door blasts open, Regina strolling in casually. Her head is held high, not even a single speck of dirt on her riding leathers and vest. She shoots Robin an appraising look and he visibly shrinks back against the wall. She points one well-manicured finger in his direction, tilting her gaze back to their captor, standing mouth agape in the center of the room.

"I'll deal with you in a moment."

She waves her hand and a cloud of purple smoke wraps itself around their guard before a shout erupts from beneath it. The smoke dissipates and a small squirrel is all that remains. Regina smiles a cold, calculating grin and bends at the waist, tapping the creature's head softly.

"Good boy."

Hope springs foolishly in Hook's chest as the castle silences around them but it's quickly squashed when Emma comes strolling into the small cell, sword carefully tilted over her shoulder. Her green eyes are smiling - the adrenaline of battle and fight coursing through her veins – but they stone abruptly when they land on him.

Regina looks over her shoulder, still petting the small captor- turned-squirrel. Emma sighs.

"Really? Did you have to turn him into a squirrel?"

Regina arches a brow. "And did you have to knock all those poor boys unconscious?"

Emma shifts, smile tugging at her lips. "Fair point."

Regina nods and stands with a heavy sigh, fixing her eyes on Robin. He tries to give her a grin, but it comes out more like grimace. He bows slightly. "My Queen."

Her lips settle into a deep frown. "Don't. Even." She waves her hand and the manacles disappear from around their arms and legs. Hook rubs his tender wrist gently, massaging feeling back into his forearm.

"Are you alright to handle the rest of this, Emma?"

Emma hums quietly with a nod as Regina steps forward and drifts her fingers along Robin's neck. He gives a nervous shudder and then the both of them disappear in a cloud of purple smoke. Hook's eyes drift back to Emma as she slides her sword back into the scabbard at her side. She's wearing her riding leathers and a thin tunic, the exertion of battle causing it to cling to her torso in an utterly delicious way. Her hair is knotted on top of her head, thin tendrils falling loose and tickling the skin of her neck. His eyes focus on a single bead of sweat, sliding down her collarbone, dipping into the hollow of her throat.

He coughs and shifts uncomfortably as he stands. Emma's eyebrow arches as she looks pointedly below his waist.

"Seriously?"

He shifts again and gives her an apologetic smile, leather pants far too tight. "Sorry, love. Can't be helped when you're like this."

She takes a step closer and he fights not to take one back. She has fire in her eyes and a sword at her side and in his very extensive experience - that is not a good combination.

"Is that why you decided to be an idiot and get yourself captured? So you could see me like this?" She takes another step closer, eyes blazing as her lips hover over his own.

His eyes dart rapidly between her lips and her eyes, bloody minx tempting him with her proximity.

"It was Robin's idea." His voice absolutely does not squeak.

"You're a three hundred year old man, Killian. You really expect me to believe Robin is making decisions for you?" She snaps as she grabs his forearm, nails biting into his skin. Her eyes drift over his face, focus on the deep cut over his eyebrow with a heavy sigh and deep frown.

"You could have been killed." She whispers and pain flashes in her eyes – quick and bright – but enough for him to notice. And enough for him to feel terrible. His free hand rises and brushes along her cheek.

"Aye, love. It won't happen again."

She presses a kiss to the palm of his hand before rolling her eyes and taking a step back. "Don't make promises you can't keep, pirate." She reaches into her back belt and tosses him his hook. He catches it with a grateful grin, already moving behind her towards the door and clicking his namesake into place. "And be happy you're not Robin. Regina was not pleased."

He shudders as he thinks of what the no-longer-evil queen has in store for his friend. Emma laughs at his look of horror.

(He makes it up to her later – at least four times. She wipes the smug grin off his face with a careful and pointed nip to his bottom lip.)