Summary: Killian raised an eyebrow at her. "Captain Hook's a girl?" he asked dryly. "I'm all woman, as you can see, love," she said with an accompanying wink. CS AU, Killian!Savior, Hook!Emma.

A/N: I've been dying to do this for a while. A lot of the dialogue is similar and if any of it is the same it doesn't belong to me it belongs to A&E and the Once writers. Hope you all enjoy!

The World Turned Upside Down

x and y
the land, sea, rivers, trees, the stars, the sky
that and this
we're part of a bigger plan
don't know what it is
don't know what it is

~ coldplay

Part One

Killian was the first one to see her. A wriggling hand amongst the debris and bodies, it only took a second for the four of them to converge on the spot.

"Please, don't hurt me, please," a thin voice cried, and finally they moved a body aside to reveal a young woman, her long blonde hair tangled and pale skin smudged with dirt. Neither did a thing to diminish her beauty, however, and Killian couldn't explain the shiver that ran down his spine when her wide, green eyes darted over to him.

"You're safe with us, dear," Mary Margaret said soothingly. "Killian, help get her over to those tables."

He only paused a moment before doing as she asked, gathering the girl up into his arms gingerly, noting the heavy cloak she was wearing. She stared up at him, her expression the picture of relief and gratitude.

"Oh, thank you so much," she babbled, one of her hands clutching at his leather jacket. It was then that he realized she only had the one, her other arm ending abruptly in what looked to be some sort of brace. "I don't know what I would have done if you all hadn't stumbled upon me. I shudder to think," she said, and she actually stopped speaking and shuddered, tears sparkling in her eyes.

And Killian didn't know why, but he just didn't buy it. He'd seen his fair share of fake cries in his life; Mave had been able to shed a tear at the drop of a hat and had used that skill many times to get them out of a bind. He shook his head slightly, trying to focus on the girl in his arms and not his dead girlfriend. She noticed his eyes on her and gave her a watery smile which he didn't return.

"There, there," he said, albeit a little awkwardly, and set her down at the end of one of the tables. "Stay right here. I'm going to get you some water."

She caught his sleeve as he turned away. "Thank you, thank you again—" she trailed off and prompted him with a hopeful look.

"Killian," he supplied hesitantly. "Killian Jones."

She smiled brightly. "Killian," she repeated, giving him an adoring glance. "My hero."

He gave her a small upturn of the lips before striding away. He didn't know how, but he knew she wasn't some helpless victim. Her eyes held a steeliness and determined look to them that he'd seen before in some of his marks. Killian shared his thoughts with Mulan when she joined him by the water sprig.

"You must have seen her around camp before," he said, as they started back slowly. "What's her story?"

"She's a seamstress," Mulan told him. "She joined us about a month ago, saying that she'd lost her hand in an ogre attack. You think she's lying?"

"Maybe," Killian shrugged, although he was almost 100% certain she was. "I just don't think Cora's the type of person to leave any stone unturned. She's tricked us once. What's to stop her from doing it again?"

They quit their discussion as they came back to the girl, and Killian set a cup of water before her, which she eagerly snatched up.

"How can I ever repay you all for your kindness towards me?" she asked them. "I must be the luckiest lass in all the land."

Killian resisted the urge to roll his eyes. She really was quite the little actress, and one look at Mary Margaret and Aurora made it clear that they were just eating it up. Well, he hated to burst their bubble, but he needed answers, and he didn't particularly care how much of a bastard he had to be to get them.

"Want to tell us how you were the only one who managed to escape?" he asked, ignoring the admonishing glance Mary Margaret sent his way.

She wove quite the emotional tale, her voice wavering as she told them of how she crawled underneath the bodies of others to hide from Cora's wrath. Killian could read her, though; she licked her lips nervously as she spoke, but her eyes remained cold and calculating throughout.

"I had no choice, really," she told them, defending her cowardly actions. "I did what I had to do to survive."

Killian gazed down at her for a moment before leaning his elbows down against the table so that they were at eye level. "I just want you to know," he said quietly. "You may have the others fooled with this little charade, but to me, you're somewhat of an open book, and the writing's not quite lining up here."

"What cause would I have to lie about this?" she said desperately, and Killian studied her for a moment, noting the tensions in her jaw and the fierce gleam in her eyes.

He simply smirked at her before turning away.

"We should head out in case Cora decides to return," Mulan urged them.

"And we should start looking for a way back to Storybrooke," Mary Margaret added. "I only got a few moments with my husband. Not to mention my granddaughter."

"Aren't you a bit young to have a granddaughter?" the girl asked in an attempt at friendliness, and Killian looked at her sharply, her interest in Victoria raising all sorts of alarms in his head.

"It's a long story," Mary Margaret replied, favoring the girl with a smile.

"Please, allow me to assist you all on your journey," she said, looking around at them all earnestly, and behind her, Killian decided he'd had just about enough. "It's the least I can do. I know this land quite well. I could help guide—"

Before she could finish her sentence, he'd gripped her shoulder firmly, leaning down, mouth close to her ear. "I don't think so, Blondie," he growled, pulling back slightly so that he could look her in the eye. "Now, I'm only going to ask this nicely once, who the hell are you?"

The girl had maintained her story: she was a simple seamstress from the countryside who had taken refuge at the campsite when her small village had been attacked by ogres. Seemed simple enough, and yet Killian just couldn't shake the feeling that she was lying to them. He didn't know how or why, but he felt connected to the young woman and nothing she said rang true. So, he had to resort to extreme measures. He wouldn't let anything or anyone prevent him from returning to his daughter, not when he'd only just gotten to know her.

"Why are you doing this to me?" the woman cried as Mulan finished tying her to the tree. "I thought you were good people. I've told you, I'm nothing but a simple seamstress."

"I seriously doubt that," Killian said. A long time ago, he'd been a good man, a man of honor. Lieutenant Jones would have been horrified to see what he'd become today, but right now, Killian couldn't bring himself to care. He needed answers. He whistled sharply, and the answering roar of nearby ogres told him that they had little time. "The ogres I've met so far haven't been much for conversation, but perhaps you'll prefer them to us."

There was another furious roar that made them all flinch, and he motioned for the ladies to follow him.

Behind him, he heard the girl struggle against her bonds. "You can't just leave me like this!"

"What if she's telling the truth?" came Aurora's timid voice.

"She's not," Killian said curtly. He was sure the girl would prove his gamble right in 3, 2…

A harsh chuckle sounded behind them, stopping him in his tracks. 1.

"Quite the clever boy, aren't you?" the girl said, effortlessly shedding the damsel-in-distress tone and adopting a coy, mocking one. "It appears I've met my match. Who knew it would be in the Savior?"

Killian's eyes narrowed at the 'S' word, and he marched back to the tree even as the ogre's growling grew louder. "You seem to know who I am, and yet, you still haven't introduced yourself. That's bad form, sweetheart. Now, who are you?"

"Sweetheart, I like that," she simpered, batting her eyes at him. When he didn't take the bait, she sighed dramatically. "Emma Swan, but most people know me by my more colorful moniker." At Killian's questioning look, she simply supplied: "Hook."

"Hook," he heard Mary Margaret breath in surprise.

Killian raised an eyebrow at her. "Captain Hook's a girl?" he asked dryly.

"I'm all woman, as you can see, love," she said with an accompanying wink. "Hook's in my satchel, if you don't believe me."

Killian turned away from her to see Mary Margaret dive anxiously into the satchel, before pulling out a gleaming, silver hook and holding it up in alarm. There was another burst of roaring as the ogres drew closer to them, and Killian glanced back to the Swan girl calculatingly. He would have to be a fool to trust her now, especially if she was the real Captain Hook. It was ridiculous, but then again so was being the son of Snow White and Prince Charming. Swan may have lacked the perm and waxed mustache of the Hook he was familiar with, but there was an air of danger around her that made him think she was probably just as ruthless.

"Those ogres sound hungry," Killian told her in a low voice. "So, unless you want to be dinner, I suggest you tell us what we want to know."

She narrowed her eyes defiantly at him before her lips twisted into a smirk. "Cora thought I might be able to gain your trust, that you would tell me about your land, this Storybrooke, so that there would be no surprises upon her arrival," Hook told them.

"She has a way to get there?" Killian asked immediately. "How?"

"Why, the same wardrobe that sent you there," Hook said, raising her eyebrows at him.

"That's not possible," Mary Margaret said. "The wardrobe was destroyed."

"Aye, it was," Hook agreed. "But the enchantment that lay upon the wood still remains, and Cora has the ashes. She's going to use them to open up a portal."

Another bout of growling made them all jump again, and Killian exchanged a look with Mary Margaret. The ogres couldn't be that far away now. They didn't have much time left.

"Now, I enjoy a little bondage as much as the next girl," Hook said. "But I think it's time for us to take our leave."

"No," Mulan objected fiercely, eyeing Hook with distaste. "We should leave her here to die, to pay for all the lives she took."

"That wasn't me," she snapped, displaying the first sign of agitation he'd seen from her so far. "That was Cora."

"Why should we believe anything you say?" Killian asked bluntly. He didn't want to leave her, but he would in a second if he thought she would in any way prevent him from getting back to Victoria. It was a sobering realization to say the least.

"Because, you and I want the same thing," Hook said, looking at him and only him now, her green eyes piercing his. "To get to your land, and just like you, I'm willing to do anything to achieve that. I made a deal with the devil when I had limited options, I admit it, but now that I've seen what you're capable of, I'll offer you the same deal."

With increasing uneasiness due to the loud roars of the monsters closing in on them, Hook explained the magical compass that Cora needed to obtain in order to find Storybrooke. Killian studied her as she spoke, and found that despite her nervousness, she seemed to be telling the truth.

"It seems too good to be true," Mary Margaret said uneasily.

"Only one way to find out," Hook retorted.

The loudest of the growling caused them all to look anxiously into the woods, and they pulled out their weapons. Killian only had one more question. He withdrew his sword from his scabbard, the object still feeling foreign in his hand, and pointed it threateningly at Hook. The time for cordiality had passed, and judging by the steely expression on her face, Swan had realized it as well.

"Answer me one thing," Killian whispered urgently, edging closer to her. "What's there for you? Why does Captain Hook want to go to Storybrooke so badly?"

Hook's expression darkened noticeably, her eyes filling with an intense rage. "To exact revenge on the man who cut off my hand and destroyed my life," she snarled. "Rumplestiltskin."

Killian inhaled sharply. He hadn't expected that, though it was somehow reassuring to know that Gold had enemies no matter what realm they were in. There was no love lost between himself and the pawn shop owner, especially after the man had left him in that elevator shaft. There was something else though; it wasn't just hatred that glittered dangerously behind Hook's eyes. It was loss, not for her hand, but for someone, maybe? He saw his own desperation to get back to Storybrooke mirrored in her gaze, and he wondered if it was only Rumplestiltskin that she was trying to get to.

"Killian, honey," Mary Margaret warned, bow and arrow raised taut and aimed towards the woods.

He let out a frustrated sigh before moving quickly to the ropes holding Hook against the tree, and loosening the knots Mulan had made.

Hook tried to smile at him encouragingly, her relief palpable. "You won't regret this, I swear."

"See that I don't," Killian hissed, and he forced her around in front of him as the group fled in the opposite directions from the ogres. He kept an unyielding hand on her arm, though he had a feeling that if she wanted to escape, it would be only too easy.

"Hmm, a firm grip," she murmured coyly, looking down at his hand. "I appreciate that in a man."

Killian ignored her. "Which way?" he asked as they came to a fork in the path. One led into the forest and the other, towards some hills.

Hook nodded towards the forest, gesturing him down the path. Killian mirrored her nod. "After you."

She smiled, all amusement now that she wasn't tied to a tree. Killian didn't know if it was because the clouds had parted to bath her in sunlight, but he was suddenly struck by her wild beauty: the fullness and curvature of her lips; the gold of her hair as it lay tousled across her shoulders; and those enticing green of her eyes.

"As m'lord commands," she said, with a little mocking tip of her head, and that's when Killian knew he was in trouble.

A/N: I have lots of plans and it's definitely not going to end the way you think. please review! :)