Storybrooke Maine

2015

Hope Gold had to use the potty...badly. Unfortunately, she was in the mall with her big brother Bae and she didn't like going in the public potty because she'd heard her parents discussing how filthy some public potties were. They were in the Disney store and Bae was telling her to pick out something she wanted for her birthday. She couldn't decide whether she wanted the Little Mermaid shirt or the Belle shirt. She'd been fascinated with both fairy tales for as long as she could remember and. She didn't know how she knew but she knew her Mommy was the Belle from the story, only prettier and her Daddy was supposed to be The Beast. He wasn't a beast, except when he got mad and most of the time people made him mad because they did something stupid.

Hope was getting worried. She still couldn't decide what she wanted but she really had to go and it wasn't going to wait until she got home. Remembering that her father sometimes poofed into purple smoke, Hope concentrated until she did it herself and she was in the bathroom at her father's shop.

Rumple and Belle had just finished signing for new shipments to their shop when Rumple's cellphone rang. It was Baelfire and he was frantic.

"Papa...I...I can't find Hope!" he cried.

"What?!" Rumple exclaimed. "Bae...where are you?"

"I'm in the mall. Papa, I swear to God I only took my eyes off her a second and she was gone. I'm looking for her and I called Wyatt. He and Emma are on their way over here to look for her now. Papa, I'm so sorry."

"Rumple...oh my God...we have to find her!" Belle cried.

"We will, sweetheart, we will," he assured her although he was terrified himself. Storybrooke grew in the years since his daughter was born bringing refugees from the other realms and there were some of them he didn't trust, especially with his precious children. "Bae, I want you to call me immediately if you find her!"

"I will Papa."

Rumple grabbed his coat and he and Belle were about to leave the shop when they heard the commode flushing in the backroom, both confused as they were the only ones on the premises. They went to the backroom to investigate and were shocked when their daughter walked out of the bathroom.

"Hope!" Belle sobbed and threw her arms around her daughter and Rumple embraced both of them.

"Hope, sweetheart, how...how did you get here?" Rumple inquired.

"I had to poof," the child answered.

"Poop?"

"Not poop...poof. Poof!" she corrected. "Y'know...like this," she said and vanished into smoke, then reappeared. "I poofed like you do." she declared proudly.

"Don't do that again. You have your brother worried sick!" Rumple scolded. "Why did you vanish like that?"

"I had to potty and the public potties are nasty. You and Mommy say so."

"Next time young lady, you go to the potty where you're at...and have someone put one of those covers on the seat. No more poofing! Understand?"

"Mommy..."

"You heard Daddy. No poofing," Belle said sternly.

A police siren was heard outside and Bae entered the shop followed by Wyatt and Emma.

"Hope?" Bae gasped when he saw his sister and hugged her. "H...How did you get here?"

"I poofed," she announced.

"She what?" Wyatt said.

"Y'know Mister Cain...I poofed like you, DG, Az an Archie." she said.

Wyatt glanced over at Rumple. "Poofed? Ummm...what does she mean by that?"

"She teleported using magic. Which she will not be doing again. Isn't that right, Hope?" Rumple demanded.

"Uh huh."

"Now you apologize to Sheriff Cain, Emma and Bae," Belle instructed.

"Umm...M'sorry Mister Cain, Emma...Bae." she said nervously.

"Rumple, you really do have your hands full now, don't you?" Emma teased.

"Don't remind me," he muttered.

"If your child can do that at her age, I don't even want to think about what my kid is gonna do!" Wyatt cried. DG was six months pregnant with their second child and the child was likely to be like they were.

"Be prepared, dearie, because a magical child will keep you on your toes. Trust me...I have two of them and two others who can use it when they want to...plus my grandson."

"And Dottie and I have dragon blood..." he moaned.

"Oh God, Papa, is this what I have to look forward to with any more kids I have?" Bae groaned.

"They would be Strogoffs so yes." Rumple reminded him.

"I need a drink."

"Make that two. Emma, you're in charge for the rest of the day...we're going to The Rabbit Hole," Wyatt informed his deputy and the three of them left.

"Vile joint," Rumple muttered under his breath. "Come on, let's go home." he said as he picked up Hope.