Will Hook And Emma Break Up on 'OUAT'?

There's no such thing as an easy relationship in Storybrooke, and the blossoming romance between Emma and Hook on Once Upon A Time is no exception. The pirate and the savior's relationship could arguably be the one that fans obsess over the most, but that doesn't mean this 'ship is destined for smooth sailing. Sunday night's episode "Shattered Sight" may not have been the most "Captain Swan"-centric of Season 4, but it did have some scary implications for the future of this newly-minted couple. Now that Rumple has control of Hook's heart and made it perfectly clear that Hook's death is imminent, it's only a matter of time before everything hits the fan. So will Hook and Emma break up? Sorry, Captain Swan shippers, but we should all expect some tough times ahead — and maybe even the worst outcome of all.

Hook is incapable of telling Emma about Rumple's plans, which is particularly challenging because they involve Rumple kidnapping her son and shortly afterwards murdering the pirate himself. But while Rumple may be threatening death, I'm not so sure that's what will send the 'ship to a screeching halt. What might actually do it are all of the problems associated with Rumple's evil plan. Here's what could ruin Emma and Hook's relationship — at least, temporarily.

Emma Finds Out About Hook's Involvement with Rumple

Would Hook kidnap Henry on his own accord and give him to a potential sociopath with a murder-y streak? No, of course not. But that doesn't mean that Emma has to see it that way. If Rumple takes Henry, Emma will have a hard time forgiving Hook for his involvement — even if she knows that he had very limited control over the situation. Emma has a hard enough time trusting people as is and often pushes people away rather than working on forgiveness. If Hook was involved in Rumple's plan, Emma will have a hard time forgiving herself for bringing Hook into Henry's life.

Hook Fakes his Own Death To Escape Rumple's Wrath

Let's just say that Rumple is pretty serious about this whole "murder" thing — what better way to escape death than to have Hook pretend to be dead the entire time? A magical spell could help Hook escape Rumple's wrath by faking his own death, but it would also mean giving up a chance to spend his life with Emma. And if Emma ever finds out that her boyfriend didn't actually croak? Well, you better believe that she won't forgive him for that.

Hook Returns To the Enchanted Forest

Realm-jumping is one way for Hook to escape Rumple, but the ultimate cost would be giving up on Emma. It's not like the long-distance thing could work — the Enchanted Forest doesn't exactly get the best cell reception.

Hook Dies

It's a possibility — the showrunners did hint at a "major character death" this season. And while Emma losing Hook doesn't exactly mean that they "broke up," I wouldn't be surprised if Hook tried to spare Emma's feelings by breaking things off before he was murdered by the evil sorcerer. He may be a pirate, but the dude is a gentleman — let's hope he doesn't need to be.

Images: Jack Rowand/ABC; Giphy