Manhattan

Can I get a "Called it!  I totally called it!" x3 over here?!

1.  Rumpelstiltskin is Henry's paternal grandfather.  (This one I knew, at least on a subconscious level, since the early episodes of Season 1.)
2.  Baelfire is Henry's father.  (This one I was, at least, considering since his character was introduced in 'Desperate Souls'.  He reminded me a lot of Henry.)
and, 3., the big one, Neal is Henry's father.  (As soon as I knew his name, I knew that this whole theory was going to be riddled out, even though there was a chance all the Dearies could be wrong.)

Have to say though,  "Rumpel, how could you dare to think of killing your own grandson?!"  Sure, I know the blind Seer said he would be your demise, but he is blameless in transgressing against you.  This is obviously because Regina raised him, both as his adoptive mother and his step-great-grandmother.   Snow and Charming are trying to come to grips with the weird family relationships we've already riddled out... and are still trying to accept.

*sigh* Bae was never without a father in the physical sense, but when Rumpel crippled himself, he made sure his son would never have the father he wanted to be for his child, abandonment in the figurative sense.  To hear he was abandoned by his own father... that hurt.  And to see Mila before Bae was born, and to know that she was, eventually, going to leave and betray her husband and her child... that hurt too, but not as much as the abandonment thing.  And to see Henry dealing with abandonment, and lies, better than either his father, his mother, or his grandfather, did... oh gods, the feels!

To see Rumpel interacting with a fellow magic user, during his early days as the Dark One, was intriguing.  I have been saying in my writings for a long time that since Rumpel wasn't born a magic user, he needed a teacher (i.e. Morgana le Fay), or two, to help him learn how to harness his powers and use them for his own ends.  The Seer was one of those teachers, and, just as I have seen concerning the future in Greek myths (Think Oedipus.), manga (xxxHolic, R.G. Veda, and other works from CLAMP), and other literature, the future was a very messy, uncertain, hard to read thing.  The only thing that surprised me about OUAT's interpretation of it is how well Rumpel was able to use his prophetic powers once he acquired them.  Hmm... years of practice, or just natural genius?  Maybe a bit of both.

Can't wait for the next episode, even though it might hold the promise of the Mills family, and Hook, finally killing the Dark One.  If Cora gets her mitts on his powers... I don't want to think about that!  Damn the fact that the Seer said Henry would be his undoing.  I will protect that boy with my life!  Then again, I don't want any hand, except for Rumpel's own, to take his life as it would spell trouble, not only for Storybrooke but for our world as well.

I leave off these short musings with a question:  What would happen if the Dark One took his/her own life, utilizing the one true means by which they could die?  This, I think, is the question that all the Dearies, Evil Regals, Charmings, all the OUAT fans in general need to consider over the next few episodes, if not for the rest of the season.