S8, E13: The Secrets Untold

Third Trip is A Charm...

She sat on top of the table, eating the cookies from the plate next to her. Finn wasn't there for her. He wasnt for the last trip, since he spent all his time talking with Wish-Rumple.

"Became best buddies, didn't they?" Hope muttered angrily as she concentrated on lifting the whole table with magic. "Finn the scared-y cat whenever I spoke of Rumple. Now they became best friends. The Duo of the Day. Utter swine..."

Last trip Hope had been at the door of the room Finn and Rumple were in, listening in their conversation. However, she couldn't hear anything and she blames it on magic. So, Hope thought of practicing her magic more so she can lift the spell.

"Ah...Hope?"

Hope opened her eyes and realized how close her head was to the ceiling. She looked down to see Alice standing, looking up with a cheerful yet shocked smile. Suddenly, the table dropped and landed on the floor next to Alice.

"Well, you need to work on that right on! At least there weren't any broken bones...or broken table legs." Alice inspected the long brown table after saying that.

"Alice." Hope called and Alice looked up from her crouched position; her head was the only thing Hope could see. "Why did you call me?"

"Oh, well, I just wanted to check on you...where is your cheeky tall friend?" Alice asked, getting up and looking around for Finnian.

"Rumple and Finn are talking...about something." Hope said uncertainly. She didn't know if she can trust her "Wish-World" half with the secrets that she has been keep to herself.

"What is it?"

No answer.

"You can trust me!"

"Are you sure, Alice?"

"Definitely! Cross my chest and hope to die with your secret!"

Hope tilted her head as Alice imitated what she said.

"Okay. Fine."

Alice came closer excitedly, waiting for Hope to finally spill the tea.

Or the bottle of rum, Dad always said. Hope thought, considering her decision.

"I overheard Rumple and Finn talking about a deal they made one day. I don't know exactly what it is, but I know it has to do with me, and Will, possibly the prophecy? From what I heard, something happened to Finnian that wasn't what they agreed to." Hope blabbered in one breath. Alice looked at her with wide, curious eyes that she was famous for.

"Curiouser and curiouser..." Alice muttered her even-more-famous line. She thought for a minute and then gave a smile that Cheshire Cat would've been proud of. "Hope, I have an idea!"

Hope raised an eyebrow, "What is it?"

"I have a feeling Rumple put a border from magic like yours: light magic. But the magic at Wonderland is different; it's full of mischief. So, we can use the shrink potion and go sneak up on them. I am sure they won't notice!"

Alice looked at Hope with pure excitement. Hope knew that the plan had some problems; big ones, but it was worth a try.

"Sure. Let's do it. I don't have another plan better than that one," Hope shrugged and got off from the table.

But what those two should've learned (I mean, that is one of the main messages in stories, duh) was that when you don't have a another plan as good as the proposed, it means you shouldn't go through with it.

After all, what happens if you're screwed and you don't have a solid Plan B?

The Corridor where Rumple's Office is Located...

Alice took out her cooki- shrinking potion, Hope remembered. She broke it in half and gave one to the swashbuckling princess, who reluctantly took it. But there was no going back from here now.

We can do this, Hope thought as she ate the cookie. Suddenly, blueish purplish magic swirled around her body until the mist went away and she found that the door is a million time bigger than she was...or that she was a million times smaller than the door.

Alice laughed and spun around and around, "Oh old memories! How you drown me with your waves of nostalgia! Lets hope (do not think) that you won't wash away as I go through this new adventure!" She ended with a giggle.

"Alice," Hope hissed, "Remember what we were supposed to do?!" Alice got the hint and quickly slide under the space under the door. Hope took a deep breath and followed Alice through the space.

And what Hope saw was so interesting. She had heard stories of how big the before-normal-sized surroundings were, and even had seen pictures describing. But the actual feeling of being the smallest human in the world, realizing how abnormally huge everything was is an experience you can't actually sympathize with just hearing stories.

Let's just hope (no) that we don't get stepped on, Hope thought. Until her ears suddenly throbbed because of the loud noises around her.

I guess stories should have also told that noises are also bigger in sound. Using Wonderland magic should come in safety panels.

"You know this is crazy. I can't do this," Finnian's booming voice said.

"Shush, shush," Alice whispered, "They are talking."

"Why are you whispering then?" Hope said normally.

Alice widened her eyes and pointed to Wish-Rumple.

"What?! We are small, so our voices are small!"

Alice shook her head vigorously.

"Can you-!" Hope started to say and then realized that Wish-Rumple and Finn were talking.

"Asher, you can do this!," Suddenly, W-Rumple fingered a broom next to him, "You just need confidence and more...friendship...with Hope!" He suddenly looked around and gripped the broom harder.

"It's not th- What- are you doing?" Finnian put his hands on his hips as Rumple suddenly swept the floor.

"Ah, nothing! Your name made me realize that there is a lot of ash around here! Please, go on."

Finnian raised his eyebrow, but still opened his mouth to tal-

Whack! Suddenly, both Alice and Hope were hit by a certain broom. They look up to see Rumple with a menacing grin.

Oh shoot.

The duo tries to run as fast as they can to the door as the "whacks" of the broom follow them like a cat seeking two mice.

But in this story, the two mice escaped the angry cat. After getting out of the room, they quickly hid at a corner of another corridor. They knew Wish-Rumple wouldn't chase after them since he's supposed to be in a deep conversation with Finnian.

Few very long minutes later, the two girls found a safe room to turn back into their normal self.

"Goddamn it!" Hope whisper-yelled, "We could've known their convo!"

"Yeah...but you were being stubbornly angry at me and not listening like we were supposed to." Alice said mater-of-factly, as if she had no idea that her statement made Hope about to spell her back into a small human an-

No dark thoughts, Hope reminded herself.

Hope smiled at Alice, told her thanks for trying, and walked out of the room. It was 3 o'clock, the time they were supposed to leave. Hope rounded the corridor when suddenly she bumped into Finnian.

"Finn?" Hope asked, bewildered.

"Yeah..." He avoided her eyes and quickly walked away without saying anything to her.

"What the heck.." Hope muttered. The only thing she remembered hearing was Rumple's suggestion for Finn to be normal. But he isn't right now, Hope thought.

Does that mean that Finn is scared to try anything, even though he specifically came to Rumple for this?

How surprisingly cowardly he can be, Hope thought bitterly as Alice came from behind, put an arm around her, and cheerfully walked with her through the corridor.

So cowardly that he would want this silence between.

Hope's Room...

She just got back to home after the fifth trip to Rumple's Castle. Traveling has gone hard on Hope's energy, but she is immensely improving on her magic.

However, she's not improving on her friendships.

Finn has not talked to Hope directly since Hope crashed into him after he had the mysterious conversation with Rumple. It was about a deal...involving Will and most likely Hope herself.

Finn himself was being suspicious. He wasn't going on the trips anymore, saying that "he needs some time off" after the third trip. Both Emma and Killian understood, however they didn't know what the initial cause might be.

But Hope knows but she doesn't want anything to do with it.

Instead of Finnian, August himself has been accompanying Hope on her journeys to the castle and her home. And the smart man knew that something was up since he visited Hope at her room as soon as she got back home.

"Hey, Hope," August said as he leaned on the room's door. Hope was in front of him, unpacking and packing things for her journeys. She pushed back a piece of her black hair and said without looking, "What do you need?"

"I need to know what's going on between you and Asher.." August looked at Hope with the same expectant look everyone has been giving her when talking about either Finn or Will.

Hope sighed and sat on the floor, surrounded by many clothing. "He said he needed some time off and I respected that. That's it." She shrugged and then began packing and unpacking stuff again.

"Yeah...but while I talk to you about Finn, you were more closed off than you usually were about him." August raised a cocky eyebrow, "What actually happened?"

Hope said nothing.

"You can trust me, Hope."

"How can I?" Hope looked at August with guarded brown eyes.

August started laughing, "You act just like Emma, yet you have Neal's eyes instead. Oh, or should I say Baelfire?"

"Doesn't relate to anything." Hope shrugged and looked away, trying to focus on pack and unpacking unless the whole floor would explode with clothes and most probably magic.

"And Baelfire would never hide his love for Emma from me. Your eyes are just like his; they can't hide feelings. And your eyes show immense pain. Confusion. Guilt."

Hope finally stopped everything she did and looked at August, who smiled triumphantly. But August didn't know how wrong he was to say that.

Hope looked at him with a talented poker face, "All you need to know are in my eyes. You see them already. You know what I feel. You win. Now go call Mom or whoever the bloody hell you want to give me their talks that will waste my bloody time to figure out what is happening." She raised her eyebrows and walked toward him, passing him and going right toward the door.

Hope looked back, seeing August shocked, "And by the way, don't bother to come with me to the trips. Help my mom and dad find out where your son is."

"He's your friend."

Hope looked away, "I am going to my friend now, to see what's up. But that person that killed innocent people. He's not mine. Now see where your son is before that beast takes him."

Hope ran out the palace, searching for Finn out of anger. While August was triumphant. He wanted Hope to go to Finn. He wanted to see Hope be in grief because of Will, because he knows this is what will protect her.

Finn will help her out, hopefully.

Goddamn it, there it is again.

Where you think Finn always would be...

Finnian looked at the sea. He was at another part of the beach, away from the tattered village he had once called home. So then he doesn't have to feel sadness of that situation.

He is hurt already.

Keeping the secret from Hope was pretty tough. Of course, she will be pretty sad or mad when finding out, but according to Will, she doesn't know the secret yet. But somehow Will knows.

This is dangerous.

He knows that he should've told Killian and Emma about this, but he knows he has to fix this. He himself. Maybe- maybe if he just stays away, nothing will happen. Everything will be okay. The prophesy will exist like it did about 16 years ago.

"Finnian!"

Am I imagine her voice or she is actually here? Finn turned around and saw the ebony-haired beauty herself in front of him.

Bloody hell. He quickly started to walk away.

"Finn! Wait!" He heard the footsteps growing louder and he knows that she's getting closer. Then Finn started running too.

"Finnia- freaking- ASHER!" Finnian then stopped and turned around. Hope had never said his real name since they had first met over three years ago. Just her nickname to him, the special one, Finnian or Finn.

It suits you well than Asher, considering you're-

Finn quickly brushed away that memory. He didn't want to hear her say that. The pain.

He saw Hope looking at him with sharp eyes. "What's wrong with you!?" She yelled, trying to fight back tears. "You know what I heard!"

"I-" Finn suddenly got blown back by what he heard. You know what I heard!

She knows!?

Hope took his shock as him hesitating, "What the heck is wrong with you! Keeping a secret involving me, Will - and God knows - the freaking world!" She threw up her hands violently.

"I-" He regained his composure, "It was for your own good-" He put a hand up before Hope protested at his cliche answer, "-and everyone else's. You guys didn't need to know. It was better you didn't, so I can pretend everything was normal, which I was working to become a reality."

Hope put her hands on her hips, "Well, the cat is out of the bag, or whatever absurd expression is used for this situation. Cats don't go in bags, as far as I know anyway. You know it, i know it. Just tell me!" She yelled at the end.

Finn sighed and...walked away.

What the-

"ASHER!" Hope screamed. "You can't escape from your future forever. You know that! We know that!"

Finn still moved toward the forest at the very long end of the beach. It was hard to do this (for obvious cliche reasons), but it was for the best. For him, Hope, Will, his parents who would probably disagree, and the world.

Duh.

What do you know? It's night in the beach.

Hope stayed in the beach for a long time. For as long as she knew Finn, the arguments they had always ended with Finnian running back at night and apologizing to her or/and Will.

I guess he broke tradition, Hope thought as she kicked the sand. The sand engulfed around her, dusting the moon's brightness.

"How poetic."

Hope turned around and saw Wi- no, the Dark One, Hope reminded herself.

Will raised his hands, "Hey, I am not here to fight you. It's just me." Suddenly, Will gave a wave of the hand and turned himself to normal Will with his kind brown eyes. "See?"

Hope relaxed, which surprised her. But she didn't have time to register why she was shocked, because he started talking again.

"I heard the fight between you guys. I can help, you know, tell you. Since I know part of the deal they had."

"Tell me or I'll put my guard up and fight you."

Will smiled, "Then I guess I should tell you, magic pirate."

It did, really, sound like him, Hope thought. But she remembered about illusions and stayed put.

"Finnian himself didn't make the deal: his parents did when he was a child; or rather his mother did it while the father was a timid guy that just follows his wife. I don't know what exactly was the deal, but his place in the prophesy was definitely unexpected, so maybe that is not what they bargained for."

"...what." Hope said, looking down. There was no question mark indicated at the end. Just a plain statement.

"Yeah, what are you gonna do about it, little Hope?" Hope looked up to see Dark Will in front of her.

"Are you gonna cry and slump about it until one of your adults take action, like you've been doing all along. I know from Will that you've the guts to do what is necessary." Will turned his back on her, "Just thank me later for the marvelous idea."

He disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Great.

Hope sat back down, dazed. Goddamn Will, she fell for a trap. What the heck was she supposed to do?

And why can't I not be a damsel in distress for once!, Hope thought.

"You know what?" Hope thought, "Dark Will is right, but he's wrong. I can still ask for help, but I can be my own heroine. I think I know what to do." She looks left at the forest and then right at her home far away. "I just hope- bloody hell -fingers crossed that it'll work."


Hi-lo! Sorry that is has been a lonnnngggg time since I last updated. I am still trying to write and upload as best as I can!

Note that the bold writing is me in this chapter. Just letting you know.

Also this chapter was originally supposed to be two chapters (if you guys read this chapter before I updated it to this, you know what I mean. The end of the scene where Finn bumps into Hope was gonna be the end. It was called "Silence Between"), but I decided not to. At least I gave you a big chapter! The last half of the chapter I wrote (named the now current title of chapter, which is hilarious to me since I know what is gonna happen in this fanfic.), I was unexpectedly listening to "Dream" by Imagine Dragons...it was a sad experience.

Sorry for the writing slump. My creativity went down due to the bad things in the world but I got it back in by watching BookTube videos, listening to music, and reading books. During the writing slump, I was writing the two (now one) chapters. However, it was kinda a good thing since I figured out Finn's backstory and how it will affect the story! But still, I have a lot to figure out.

If you have any suggestions or questions, please tell me! I'd love your thoughts. I found the person who suggested Wish-Belle by PM! It is jamiewankenobi (sorry, I couldn't add the dots in between, it didn't let me). Thanks for suggesting and sorry for the VERY late credit.

Again, updates might (I said might) be slow again! Can you tell me if you like these long chapters, please!?

See you later? I ho- fingers crossed?!

-AConfusedCrab

-A