S8, E2: Prophesy's Borne

Exactly Sixteen Years Earlier...

Emma cradled Baby Hope in her arms lovingly. It was the night of Regina's ceremony and they were about to retire to bed.

"How's Hope?" Killian sat next to Emma in his night clothes.

Baby Hope gurgled, making Killian laugh. He gave her his finger, which she held on to tightly, like she will never let go.

"I must say...very unique name you have to your child, Pirate."

Killian felt shocked and confused. Why is Emma talking to me like that?, he thought. And we both named her so...

His thoughts trailed off until Emma whispered his name harshly. He finally looked up and saw the man he had tried to fight for hundreds of years.

"Rumple," Killian raised his hook, "Why are you here?"

"To give a gift to your newborn child," Wish-World Rumple smiled, showing his yellow teeth.

"Then, give it and be on your way," Killian and Emma stood up, looking menacing.

"Let me just look at her."

Suddenly, Baby Hope disappeared in a puff of black smoke, reappearing in Rumple's arms.

"Oh ho ho! Such. A. Beauty! Though, you shouldn't have named her Hope. Sad, sad, sad..." Rumple frowned mockingly at the two parents.

"Give her back, or I'll make you," Emma threatened.

Rumple's face suddenly turned into actual fear, "No no no, I just wanted to tell you..."

"Nothing!" Killian interrupted, "you will have nothing to say...once you leave."

"No!" Rumple screeched as he got pushed by Emma, who was trying to get her baby back, "It's about the prophesy!"

Emma stopped, "What prophesy. I thought my prophesy was complete. I defeated your mother, or our world's Rumple's mother." She rolled her eyes.

Rumple (finally) giggled, "No, dearie! The prophesy of your little baby!"

Killian's face dropped, "What happens to her?!"

Rumple giggled again and looked at his fingernails.

Killian rushed to Rumple, "What happens?!!!"

The crocodile smiled, "Now you're interested. But, oh well." Rumple approached a window he was going to jump from and quickly gave Emma Baby Hope back with magic.

"Why?" Emma yelled, "why won't you tell us?!"

Rumple looked over his shoulder, "I'd rather leave you hanging than bring you safely back down."

The crocodile jumpes out, leaving the two parents dazed.

Rumple has some explaining to do.

Exactly Sixteen Years Later...

"So...do you want to tell me about this prophesy-thingy?"

Hope was laying on her bed, looking at the ceiling. Emma and Killian watched her nod her head side-to-side, counting the seconds she spent laying down. 1...2...3...4...5...

Hope finally got up, "What is the problem of me knowing?"

Killian started to talk, "Because the prophesy...might kill you."

The hero-parented girl shrugged, "Who cares? I don't, and for that matter, I can know. Plus, I already know of its existence."

Emma sighed, "Your 'path' or 'fate', as Rumple told us, is changed by your loved ones. It can lead you to three main ones: light, dark, and..."

"Death." Hope could tell her parent's hesitance of telling her that she could die in any day, any time.

Killian suddenly sat next to Hope and put his hand on hers, "Hope, you know that prophesies sometimes can't be true. You know that you might not be..." Killian cleared his throat, "...dead."

Hope thought about this, "Okay, okay, I know. Let me just...sleep it off, probably."

"Okay," Killian kissed her forehead, "G'night, love."

"Byebye."

Emma gave her a kiss to and gave murmurs of goodbye. She turned off the lights and Hope layed down on her bed.

There were stars on the ceiling that lit up once the room lights were off. Hope then remembered about the myth about dead people representing some of the stars in the sky. If that is true, Hope thought, is Baelfire there? Ever since she knew about the man her uncle was named after, Hope always wanted to meet him once she had died.

Ha, she thought. Never thought that can be sooner than later.

"No matter what he has done to me, or even since I have another son with me, I will always miss him."

Hope got up to see the source of the voice.

"Rumplestiltskin," she said, getting up in front of him, "Why are you here?"

"For the prophesy, of course. Don't you want to know the rest of the prophesy."

Hope's interest peaked, but she remained guarded, as it could be a trap.

"Ah, yes. There is more to the prophesy you don't know. Especially about your true love..."

Hope froze, confused. Is Will one of the choise-thingies?

"I know you don't want to hear it right now. But if you do, you know where to find me."

Rumple approached a window.

"Wait. Why are you doing this to me?"

Rumple looked over his shoulder, "I'd rather let you safely down than leave you hanging."

He jumped out. Hope stood there, confused, dazed, sleepy.

And really, really sad.

About Sixteen Years Earlier...

"Well, well, well! I see two royals worried about their first child together."

Rumple clapped his hands in crazed glee. Emma and Killian walked over to the crocodile.

"Let's get this over with. We did a lot to get here," said a frustrated Emma.

"I know. Now, let's start with true love..."

"Wait, wait, wait. You predicted Hope's true love?" Killian asked, confused with one eyebrow raised over his eye.

"Yes. Hope's true live, including her parents, is one of the most influential people in her path to the lught, the dark, or death."

"What? She is going to die?!" Killian asked, bewildered.

"Yes. Didn't you expect? I mean, your wife almost died too."

"Anyways," Rumple walked to a crystal ball, "Would you like to know the person who might be the reason that Hope dies?"

Emma and Killian exchanged looks and nodded their heads. With a wave of Rumple's hand, the crystal ball filled up with grey clouds instantly. Rumple closed his eyes and chanted,

"Hope's heart will belong to a boy not born of true love, but of cruelty. He appears to be a careless being upon first glance, but he has a caring heart, deep inside and sleeping. Hope Swan-Jones will be the one to awake his wooden heart. He is not wooden himself, that Wilbur Booth."

Rumple opened his eyes to see Emma and Killian in shock.

"So...August..." Emma began.

"Has...a child..." Killian looked at Emma.

"Who will be our child's true love?" they asked together.

Rumple smiled.

"Wait a minute..."born of cruelty"..." When she realized what is could mean, Emma gasped, "What happened to August?" she asked Rumple.

Rumple smiled bigger.

"What happened?!"

Rumple began his minute-ly dose of giggles.

It is best left unsaid, until after the prophesy's borne.