S8, E12: Dealing with Love and Magic

At Rumple's Castle...

"Focus, Hope!"

Hope Swan-Jones was concentrating on lighting a candle. Her eyes were closed, her eyebrows furrowed, her hands hovering over the candle. In within a few seconds, the candle had a little ember on top of it.

"Bravo, bravo!" Wish-Rumple clapped his hands. "Excellent! I guess I was right- you are better than your mother at magic."

Hope didn't take pride in that but asked politely, "May I learn another lesson, please?"

"Yes, yes, but you need to rest! You just arrived my dear and we need to treat our guests!" Rumple giggled and walked away.

"I must say, I was impressed," Finn said. "Magic is supposedly very tricky."

"Thanks." Hope shrugged.

"Now that that is out of the way right now, I must say I remember a little something you said to me at your room?" Finnian looked at her, smug.

"Yeah and that was true. Now, what do you need?" Hope raised her eyebrows, her hands in the pockets of her jacket.

"You." Finn leaned in for a kiss-

"Hope? Asher?" a polite voice asked for them. Finn jumped back and looked at who it was. Standing at the doorway was a young woman wearing a blue and white maiden dress, her sliky brown hair tied with a ribbon.

"I set out snacks for you guys."

"Thanks, Belle." Hope smiled, "And nice to meet you." Belle was someone Hope wanted to meet. The girl wondered if her wish-step-grandmother (she agrees, her family tree has a LOT of branches) can help her to solve her questions.

Belle gave a sweet smile, "And you too. Now come, the freshly-baked cookies will get cold!"

Finn grinned; freshly-baked cookies was something he didn't have for a long time.

At Belle's library...

"So..I kinda saw what happened back there with Asher?"

Belle and Hope were searching for any information about prophesies, true love, or other such. As Belle said that, Hope's eyes widened

"Yeah...Finn- who you call Asher -kinda likes me? It's the true love thing." Hope commented.

Belle turns to Hope expectantly, "Do you believe it's true love?"

"I don't know what to feel, since my other possible true love is the one I need to "defeat"." Hope said as she flipped through a book absent-mindedly.

"Look." Belle took the book out of Hope's hands and held them. "Look, if you think, right here, right now, that Ash- I mean Finn, is the one, then go for it! Don't think about that it wasn't fair for Will to not be the true love because you spent more time with Finn during the prophesy. I am sure you spent more time with Will before you knew about it and you didn't fall in love! Follow your heart."

Hope thought about this. It was true. Before the prophesy, she spent more time with Will than Finn, since he used to disappear time to time. And she didn't fall in love when there was many embarassing or serious situations that tested their relationship. And in both times in spending with one of the boys, Hope was still with her walls. Both boys broke them in different ways, but for the same reason. And she knew, that she didn't want someone that loves power. Or wants anything to do with it.

"Okay. Okay. I will...think about that. Thanks, Belle." Hope said. "Thanks for everything."

The woman smiled, "Glad to help."

"By the way..." Hope said, flipping through another book, her smile growing mischievous, "...how about you and Rumple?"

"Be quiet!" Belle hushed, smiling.

"Wait." Hope shut the book and looked at Belle with the same expectant eyes that Belle gave her, "He doesn't..."

"No, no, yes he does...he is just...taking it slow?" Belle said nervously.

"Just talk to him. Or I'll give him a full lesson for that." Hope suddenly remembered, "Oh! Speaking of lessons, let me see if Rumple is done eating cookies."

With a goodbye, Hope walked out of the library and turned a corridor until she reached a door where she did her lessons with Rumple. Hope was about to open the door until she heard voices at the other side.

"The deal we made never came to this...why the torture of...

That had to be Finnian, who is the one Hope was suspicious about his knowledge of Rumple's castle.

"I just gave an extra something in the deal, which, yes it is immense torture, but it can come to..."

That was Rumple. But the voices got so muddled, that she couldn't hear the end of that sentence.

"You know I never wanted this! Why did you pick me so? You knew I was never..."

Never what?

"You are the perfect person. It must never be Will..."

Will? Hope thought. Why should Will be whatever they are talking about?

Hope quickly knocked on the door. The voices on the other side stopped.

"Who's there?" Rumple called.

"It's me, Hope. I was wondering if you're done...having a break?"

There was a pause and then,

"Yes, yes. I'll be coming shortly. Just meet me in the main room, with the long table."

"Yes, Rumplestiltskin." Hope made sure they hear her footsteps walking away from the door.

What were Finnian and Rumplestiltskin taking about?

Going back to Hope's home...

Finn was quiet the whole way through the journey. Hope was too, since Finn wasn't talking. But she's hoping (ugh, she can't not think about her dad's joke about this.) that she will get him to.

Hope is honestly worried.

"So, are you okay?" Hope asked lightly, peering at him. Finnian shrugged.

"Yeah."

That was weird. Usually, Finn would make some charming or seductive comment while he says that.

"I don't think you are honestly." Hope shook her head.

"Why?" Finn asked blankly.

"Cause...you're being so quiet. It's not what my Finn would do." Hope shrugged.

Finn looked at the sky, "It's turning night. We should make camp."

"With a person who wouldn't talk about what the bloody hell is wrong with him? Best not." Hope said, taking her stuff and moving it away from him.

During midnight and he can't sleep...

"Witt a person who wouldn't talk about what the bloody hell is wrong with him? Best not."

Those words hurt Finn. So much that he couldn't sleep.

And also the fact that his brain is being filled with screams.

And that are going louder at that very moment.

Finnian looked around, his eyes narrowed, until a boy with a black hoodie appeared.

"Finn! What a lovely surprise!" Will sneered.

Anger overcame Finn, "You killed innocent people!" he yelled. Finn lunged at him, but he got pushed back with a flick of Will's fingers.

"You know that never changed her to come into the dark. She felt bad," Finnian said. Will loomed over the man, who was flat on his back.

"Yeah...but she is suspicious about you. I think she heard about your deal with Rumple. She's been suspicious ever since you lead her to the castle." Will picked at his nails, "Smart lass, you would say. I am surprised you didn't think that her observant eyes will pick up on that fact anytime soon."

Finn's eyes widened. No, she can't, he thought. "But how do you know?"

"I can see everything, well, not at the castle at least. But, you were a bit obvious. Though, neither me nor Hope know what the deal was. Hope might know some details that I don't, but she didn't piece everything together, or she could've chose me!" Will laughed.

She heard the parts of the conversation between me and Rumple, Finn thought.

Well, luckily she doesn't know everything.

"Anyways, I really think Hope would have fallen for you without the little details she overheard." Will smiled.

Finn looked at Will, the little boy who was his friend, "How can you be like this? Manipulating people? Killing innocents?"

Suddenly, Finn saw a little spark in Will's eyes. As if Will had just awoken and saw what he had done. But it went as it came, replacing with malice, "I am just someone who has the motivation to put of every desire to do what is necessary."

Will disappeared and Finn was left thinking. He looked over to Hope's small camp a few yards away from him.

Then he realized.

Is Will being used?


Hello!

Sorry for the long wait! I was going to write this chapter, but I just had another idea for another story I can write. If you like the Hunger Games, you can read it!

Tell me if you guys have any questions or comments. You can PM me or sent a review with the questions!

Yeah...I have nothing else to say...at least right now.

Oh, btw, someone PMed me to add in Wish-Belle to the story (I was trying to find the user, but the PM is not working for me right now. Curses! and I am sorry!). She is here!

Yeah...see you later, mate!

-AConfusedCrab

-A

PS: I still feel bad about not remembering the person who PMed me for Wish-Belle. I again will say sorry. If my PM box finally loads or works, I'll mention him/her in the next chapters!

PPS: I didn't know what to do with the title. Sorry.