Will Belle Have Rumple's Baby On 'OUAT'?

At the beginning of October, Once Upon A Time star Emilie De Ravin announced that she's expecting a baby with boyfriend Eric Bilitch. The news that the couple will soon welcome their first child together was a joyous occasion for those who love her on the show, but many fans have been asking a very important question: How will De Ravin's real life pregnancy be incorporated into Belle's storyline on Once Upon A Time , if at all? While we don't yet have an answer to that question, but executive producers Adam Horowitz and Eddy Kitsis did at least drop a hint during their panel at New York Comic Con this weekend, and it should give any Rumbelle 'shippers out there some hope!

Kitsis insisted that no decisions will be made one way or another about the possibility of writing De Ravin's pregnancy into the show until the second half of the season. However, he promises that "one way or another, something's gonna get done," while Horowitz jokingly added, "We’re very, very happy for Emilie, and the only thing we can say is that Eddy and I promise not to deliver the baby." While these teases don't leave us with much to go on either way, at least we know there's a chance for Belle to become a mother in Storybrooke.

Honestly, I'm a bit conflicted when it comes to how I feel about the possibility of a Rumbelle baby. After all, the last thing we knew, Belle had finally made a clean break from Rumpelstiltskin and had moved on to a healthier, more fulfilling (and far less evil) relationship with Will Scarlet. Then all of a sudden, Rumple's dark heart threatened to give out due to how terrible he's been for centuries, and she was right there by his side again. There are major issues with the Rumbelle relationship, and he'll first have to wake up from his magical coma if they're going to begin to work through them, but I do appreciate the whole "true love" thing and the fact that we can't help who we love, no matter how messed up they are. In fact, we love them despite their shortcomings and hope that our love will be enough to help the other person overcome them and become a better person. They have a deep connection, and that can't be denied.

There's no reason we should get ahead of ourselves and assume that Belle will soon be pregnant with Rumple's baby — a lot would have to transpire for that to even be feasible, and I think we learned from Baby Neal that babies on a TV drama can be more of a hindrance than a help in terms of plot and character development. However, it is on the table, and for any Rumbelle 'shippers out there, it's likely something they'd love to see.

Images: Jack Rowand/ABC; Giphy