S8, E7: Finning Away...
The next morning, at a village near the sea...
She really needed someone to talk to.
Hope had avoided everyone to tell them about her feelings about everything. The goddamn prophesy, Will, Rumple, everything. She knew there will be time to tell them, but not right now.
She needed to see Finnian.
Hope didn't want to see Alice because she knew that the cheerful girl wouldn't understand what she was going through, for the love of Robin by her side. She need someone to confide with that does understand fully.
But, Finnian saw here first, finding her for the same reason.
"Hey, Hope," Finn was sitting on the sand in a secluded area of the beach, looking at the sea and wearing a very loose shirt. He was calmer now, since the waves of the sea calmed him, Hope thought. His hair, now brown to the roots and dirty-blond to the tips because of the daylight, blew to the direction of the air.
"Hi," Hope sat next to him, gazing over the ocean. The sky was cloudy, making the beach less crowded. No one was in sight, which was why this was their favorite type of weather at the beach.
"We both want to talk about it. The incident that happened, don't you?" Finn said lightly. For some reason, his calmness was worring to Hope. It was like the Finn she knew was sailing away, ever since Rumple's castle.
"Finnian," Hope said, trying to get his attention.
He didn't look at her. Instead saying, "Hmm?"
"Finnian.." Her voice was going louder. His dismissive tone was starting to get worring.
"Finnian!" she shouted, "Look at me, in the eyes."
Hope took his face in her hands, making him turn to her. His sea greenish-grey eyes were calm, but they were hurting inside, making his eyes look dead.
Hurting? Why?
Hope released him, "What's wrong?"
Finnian broke from his calm stance. Now his face was contorted with sadness and anger, "What wrong with me?! What's wrong is that my only friend is going to go dark...because of Will."
"Why do you think it's Will?" Hope said lightly. She wanted to know how he knew.
"Rumple. He came to me last night. I...I need to talk to you about it." Finnian turned his whole body toward Hope. His whole face looks sad.
"He came to me last night... At that time, I wasn't sleeping well because of voices in my head...I hear screams of torture.." He cleared his throat and continued, "He, Rumple, told me that the voice was the person I love more than anything. I needed to save her... before the Dark One gets too close...but the voices grew louder...I think he already has..."
Finnian's voice broke. Hope, feeling so bad for her friend, pulled him into a hug. She had never knew the prophesy had affected him in such a cruel way.
"Wait a minute," Hope pulled away from him, "who's she? And what does it have to do with Will?"
Finnian smiled sadly, "That's why I need to talk to you. Just...be careful with Will, whenever you're around with him, okay?"
Suddenly, the things he said and did floated in her brain and formed into one big puzzle. About the person he loved to be close to the Dark One, about he being thankful and she should be too in the future, about the way he broke through his drunkenness and became so sane and passionate toward her.
Finnian loves Hope.
Hope was about to say something when a bottle floated past her in the sea. But it wasn't any bottle.
It was an empty bottle of rum, with a message inside it.
She looked at Finn, who noticed it too. He took it carefully in his hands and opened the bottle. His sad eyes turned into confusion as he read the note.
"Hope, I think I know what it means... but I don't know why it was sent..."
Finn handed her the note, which contained a familar handwriting...
Anchor!
Sail ways have struck overboard! Trust the wails of watching sails.
Careful is not careful, lest you walk the plank with a bottle of rum on your head!
Roger is yours,
H. L. Sinker
Hope laughed. This was a code both Wish Hook and her own father came up with in a sign of danger. Finn was told a well, as a sea-loving mate.
"Why are you laughing?" Finn whispered.
"No drawing attention." Hope said, still laughing.
"Ahoy, mates! May you join me in watching the sails for me as I run business?"
It was a voice behind them. They saw a men who's arms were ridiculously dressed.
Hope smiled and hooked an arms around the stranger's own, "Roger that." She held out a hand for Finnian, which he surprisingly hesitantly took. As soon as their fingers meet, she soon realized why the seducive Finnian would have hesitated because of their conversation earlier. However, Finn held her hand tight, as if he will never let go.
As soon as the trio entered The Good Queen's castle, home to the Good Queen and her family, the stranger quickly removed Hope's hand and took of the ridiculous-ness on his arms.
"Sorry, mates for the atrocious-ness of my disguise." said Wish-Hook.
Hope looked confused, "Why are you here?"
Wish-Hook gave a smile, "Your father thought I'll handle it quite well. Now, let's go."
While they went through the many corridors, Hope realized Finnian had never let go of her hand since the beach. She looked at it and saw his hand laced into hers. Finn, who was looking at Hope the whole time without Hope realizing, gave Hope the charming smile that he gave when talking about Alice and their relationship at the woods. Seeing that Finn is trying to be optimistic, Hope gave him a matching one. Finn finally let go when they entered the Good Queen's chambers, to avoid any looks. Suddenly, Hope felt weird, like she wanted to hold Finnian's hand again and never let go.
No, you are confusing yourself, Hope thought. And then her walls finally went up when Emma spoke to the gang in the room, Regina, Henry, Killian, Wish-Hook, Alice, Snow, David, August, Hope, and Finnian.
"We brought you guys here because of our suspicion of Wilbur...being the Dark One."
Gasps went around the room until August turned to Hope, "You are Hope, right? You look more like Hook."
Blushing, Hope nodded.
"Wilbur was suspicious?"
Hope nodded again and said, "I'm sorry, August."
"Yeah, hearing what Hope said, we all thought that Will had the Dark One dagger when he was with Hope." Regina said.
"And," Henry added, "I wrote about the meeting between Hope and Wilbur at the woods and I drew this."
Henry pulled out a newly written page and the storybook and gave it to Hope. The beautifully crafted painting had Hope's back turned to the reader. You can see a little bit of Will's face...and the dagger. Since the painting was frozen in time, Hope can see the detail on the knife and the curves at the edges. Hope flipped through the storybook and saw a painting of the Dark One's dagger. It had the same exact edges at the top that the so-called carving knife did.
Hope took an intake of air and then said, "Will is the Dark One."
"Oh, Hope," Henry said and gave her a hug, "I'm sorry."
"It's fine." Hope said. She looked at Finn as Henry held her. Finnian gave her a frown, his eyes creasing sadly.
"But you can stop it," Alice said excitedly. Before Finn or Hope can shush her, Alice continued, "With true love's kiss."
"Wait, how do you know?" Emma asked. "The only people that know are me, Killian, and August."
Hope was about to speak before Finnian said it before her, "The trip we took together, Alice, Hope, and I, was to Rumple's castle. He appeared to Hope in the night saying to visit his castle. We joined in because we knew where to go."
Alice added, "And it wasn't Hope's idea to go their with us. She didn't even tell us Rumple visited until we left. It was my idea, I am sorry."
"Okay, so you know Will is her true love, right?" Killian asked.
"Um...the answer to that actually changed, We do know, but their is apparently another person who also qualifies," Alice said. To Hope, the idea of "qualification" sounded like a job interview, and she didn't like it.
"Who is the other person?" Emma asked.
Hope was going to say something, but in the fear of her saying what only Alice knows, Finn said, "It's me. Rumple indicated last night to me."
Hope didn't know why he interjected. Why did Finn say himself?, Hope thought. The more she thought about it, the more it made sense for the second person to be him.
"I didn't know," Alice said. Hope said the same thing.
"Okay...we'll figure something out," Regina said.
"This is awkward..." Killian said, giving Finnian a wink. Surprisingly, because of the intense situation, Finnian gave him a wink back. Then, Killian looked at Hope and gave him a look that said It better be him you choose, love.
Hope didn't really know honestly. She didn't need to think about it, though. She needed to know how to defeat and save Will.
When the meeting was adjourned, Finnian asked if Hope can walk with him to his "home". Killian was alright with it; he liked them together already.
The village near the sea...
Hope and Finnian sat near the sea again. It was nighttime, so everyone had gone asleep. They were alone.
"Why did you say it was you?" Hope asked.
"Since Rumple's appearance last night, and my feelings...yeah." Finn said. He didn't need to explain.
"Finn, you know I don't love you like that..."
"Yet." Finnian interjected. He moved closer to Hope. All he can see ahead of him was her eyes, sparkling in the dark.
"But I still would like to give myself hope. After all, you gave them to me," Finnian said with his seductive smile and loose shirt. He was leaning in...
"Not yet though," Hope quickly moved away from Finnian. "I need to go. See you tomorrow."
"Tomorrow it is. At least you aren't pushing me away completely." Finnian called.
There Finn layed as Hope made her way to home. He saw the way her ebony locks floated in the breeze. The way Hope supported him still, even though she knows it will be awkward tomorrow.
Even though she is finning away...he thought.
And then he thought that she will always finn back to him during their shared misery.
He would have selfishly wished the misery lasted long enough until she loves him.
No, he wants her to be happy.
Even if she had to finn away from him.
