WILMA HAD GROWN to fear sleeping, but with her friends around her, and Killian by her side, she trusted that she, along with everyone else, could get some shut eye. It had been an exhausting day, and it was clear that everyone was in the need of some well-deserved resting, so even Wilma, although reluctantly, set her head down and tried to fall asleep, despite her initial plan that included lots of staying awake. But perhaps, this time, she could sleep and dream in peace, without any disturbing images popping up.

  At first, it was quite lovely, and rather ordinary too. With her red sunglasses protecting Wilma's eyes from the bright sunshine, the woman was driving Iron Maiden down Storybrooke's streets, an AC/DC song's catchy tune making her tap her finger against the wheel as she pressed her foot on the gas pedal. When she tried to dig through her mind, she found no actual destination, but that was a trivial detail that failed to pull her lips down from the genuinely happy, carefree smile. The wind played with her bouncy curls, and Wilma felt awesome, like nothing could ever weigh her down and make her frown.

  Until the dream took a turn, and gaining a more nightmarish vibe, Wilma suddenly crashed. Without even realizing it was happening, she drove her hot red Corvette right into a tree, the sturdy trunk stopping her and crumpling the front of the car, and with a violent jerk, Wilma flew from the seat — only then she realized she didn't have her seatbelt on, and the woman crashed through the front window, before her limp, lifeless body was left lying dead on the hood, on the cracking red paint. And the aftermath of the rought impact turned many heads, but none rushed to help — and just like that, Wilma was dead.

  She wasn't sure which part about it specifically, but something shook Wilma awake with horror spreading out in her chest, the image of her own lifeless eyes still imprinted in her mind as she tugged on her curls in frustration and started to rock back and forth on the harsh ground. Could she ever sleep in peace again? Could she ever have nice dreams? Could she ever again close her eyes without having to feel immense fear?

  The feeling of suffocation didn't really leave, no, not until a hand landed on her arm and the woman jumped at the unexpected contact. It was still midnight, and concluding from the moonlight illuminating Killian as Wilma turned to face the pirate, who lifted a finger to shush her, she had barely slept — and since it was so late, she hadn't expected anyone to be awake, so she was definitely surprised. But once she found herself staring into Killian's blue eyes, she managed to relax, and just like that, she ended up diving into his arms, burying her face into his chest and inhaling his comforting, familiar scent that was starting to, piece by piece, form the definition of a home for Wilhelmina.

  "Come on", Killian whispered, and gave a curt nod to Wilma so the woman would get the hint and stand up, like he did once she leaned away from him. "Let's take a walk", he suggested, as quietly as possible to avoid waking up anyone, and nodding in agreement, Wilma let Killian take her hand and lead her into the jungle — not too far, but enough so they didn't have to worry about being interrupted, or waking up any of their friends.

  Once they found themselves amidst tall trees, at a fairly open spot where the moonlight shone in a lovely manner, Killian halted, and turned to Wilma, who mirrored the faint smile his lips curved into. It was quiet between them for a while, clearly both of them were thinking about the things revealed in the Echo Cave, going over each other's words and reminding themselves what kind of feelings lingered in the thick air between them.

  Wilma was the one to break that silence.

  "I had another... bad dream", she informed with a low chuckle, unsure how to describe the nightmares she had been experiencing — how vivid they were, but she supposed bad dream was one way to do it. She wanted to trust in Killian's words, that seeing the future in Neverland was impossible, but truthfully, she was starting to grow uneasy and doubtful regarding what else it could be. Gulping, Wilma looked down when Killian then questioned what the dream was about, but not intending to lie, she pursed her lips, before replying. "It felt scarily real. I was driving around Storybrooke in my Iron Maiden, and then I crashed. And died", she shrugged, as her eyes looked back up at Killian, only to locate evident discomfort on his sharp, flawless features.

  "That won't happen", was his immediate answer, "I won't let it happen. I'll burn the bloody car, if it comes down to that", and Wilma lifted her hands in the air, laughing at the intense reaction.

  "If you do that, I'll turn your Jolly Roger into firewood to keep the fire going, love", Wilma teased, and Killian lifted a curious eyebrow as he took a step closer to her, his teeth taking his bottom lip in between and causing Wilhelmina's heart to jump to her throat in the process. The man neared her shamelessly, not even bothering to waste time anymore, and just like that, they were body to body in the moonlight, his arm slowly snaking around her waist to keep her close. Not that she had any intentions to sneak away, though.

  "Seriously, though, darling. Just know that I'll keep you safe. I won't let anything hurt you", Killian whispered huskily, smirking down at Wilma, who swallowed thickly in the fear that she was going to swoon or melt on his strong arms. His scent was breathtaking, overwhelming Wilma's senses, as she stared at him with adoration — his unbelievable beauty never failed to amaze her, and frankly, she could have stared into those blue eyes forever.

  "Promise?", Wilma answered eventually, and nodding, Killian gave her the answer she was expecting.

  "Aye. I promise", he confirmed, still staring at her, before adding, "bloody hell, you are beautiful", his eyes looking at her long eyelashes, her tempting lips, her flawed, yet soft skin, and the loose curls resting on her shoulders. And then, finally, after so many close calls and attempts, Killian could no longer contain himself or resist how truly magnificent Wilma looked in the moonlight, and with that — he crashed his lips onto hers, leaning down enough for the long overdue collision to happen. It was soft, at first, with the both of them testing their boundaries, but once they understood how perfectly their lips fit together, how it had always been meant to happen, Wilma let her hand sneak into his dark, soft hair and grab a handful of the tousled mess and Killian tilted Wilma down just enough to make it easier for him to control the moment.

  The innocence of the kiss soon disappeared, and they moved with desire for more, and the raging passion that had always been there finally unloaded, leaving both of them breathless when they finally broke apart. But even though their lips disconnected, their bodies didn't, and with her other hand still clutching Killian's shirt and her fingers grazing over the area where his chest was bare, Wilma closed her eyes and leaned close to him, trying to catch her breath. Her heart felt like bursting of joy — frankly, she had been waiting for this moment for ages, and it felt downright blissful to finally know the feeling of his lips on hers, the taste of him, the fulfilling happiness that followed the kiss, that was almost too good to be true.

  Chuckling slightly, Killian bit his lip, almost as giddy as Wilma, and carefully, he lifted his shiny hook to move the eager curls away from the woman's eyes. She shivered as the cold metal came in contact with her burning hot skin, but instead of flinching away, she only leaned closer, until her head ended up resting against his chest. And in that moment, as pure bliss descended onto her, and wiped away all the worries she had ever felt, for that short while, she laughed too, wholeheartedly and genuinely and happily.

  "What took you so long?", Wilma breathed out, finally pulling away to look at Killian, who grinned in return.

  "I may have a way with the ladies, but I could tell you wanted to take it slow, so I went with it, even though it was only a matter of time", he winked, "I cannot tell how long I waited for this to happen, though. You're incredible, love", which made Wilma smile. Even with all the flirting, he managed to be sweet, and it made her heart flutter. God, she loved him so much — although she wasn't brave enough to say the words to him yet.

  When they returned to the camp, Wilma's heart was still racing, but once she settled in for another attempt at sleeping, she tried to calm down. It was as if nothing had happened, like nothing had changed — everyone was still sleeping soundly, but instead of falling asleep with fear in her heart, Wilma was now in Killian's arms, and as she closed her eyes, there was a smile on her face. And the last words she heard him say, was a promise to keep the nightmares away, and Killian proceeded to hold her throughout the night.

  And miraculously, for the rest of the night, she slept well.

———

ONCE EVERYONE HAD rested, it was time to proceed with their initial plan — saving Henry, and frankly, Wilma was feeling good. Now that they had Neal in their group, he could help them, as he was the only one to ever successfully escape Neverland, and eventually, he explained that in order to do so now, they needed to capture Pan's shadow. At first, it sounded like an insane idea, and even as someone who had experienced things that few did, Wilma thought she was being ridiculed and pranked with the seemingly impossible plan. But it turned out, it wasn't so unbelievable, after all.

  "Pan's shadow is rarely with him. It's an entity unto itself. It can carry out his will from miles away", Killian explained, with a look directed at Wilma, just after the brunette had questioned Neal's sanity. Knitting her eyebrows together in confusion, Wilma looked over to Neal, who was sitting next to her, but before she could ask for details, Charming interjected, clearly equally puzzled and unsure what the plan was, or how to proceed.

  "We can get his shadow without having to be anywhere near Pan... as long as we know where to look", Neal spoke up, and met Wilma's confused gaze, before adding, "I know where to look."

  And that was basically step three thousand and one in their plan — Neal and Emma were on shadow duty, and once Killian insisted that his experience on the island could only benefit them, Wilma intervened, wanting to join as well. Partly because she definitely wanted to spend more time with Killian, but also because Neal was back, and she didn't want to miss a second — and catching Peter Pan's shadow sounded like something from her childhood dreams. And then there was also the fact that Snow and Charming weren't on the best of terms yet, due to him hiding his near-death experience from his wife, and Wilma deemed it only reasonable to let the two go alone to find Tinker Bell, who was yet to keep her promise. She did not want to third-wheel that awkward journey.

  They returned to Neal's cave to grab the pasta coconut — yes, Wilma was officially calling it that — which, apparently, wasn't a star map, but what they were going to use to catch Pan's shadow. Wilma had been iffy about returning to the cave, but as soon as she entered it, she realized it didn't feel so grim and upsetting anymore, probably because Neal turned out to be alive, and it was no longer a memory of someone Wilma used to know. Now, it was the former home of her best friend, and she got to hold the hand of that friend as they walked in, which relieved the anxiety within her. Only then she really realized how relieving it was to have Neal back, to not deal with all the pain she sucked at processing despite facing it quite often.

  "So...", Neal begun as he, Wilma and Killian were standing on the other side of the cave, and Emma was a few feet away, for which Wilma was grateful, because the conversation Neal had kicked off was embarrassing. "Just what are your intentions with Wilma?", the man continued, looking up at Killian with a doubtful look, trying to seem threatening as he stood next to Wilma.

  "Oh, no, please don't", she begged, unable to handle the embarrassment she quickly felt spread out within her, painting her cheeks red as she covered her face with both palms.

  However, Killian merely grinned, more than willing to deliver an answer. "You needn't worry, mate. My intentions are nothing but good", he assured Neal — and as a reassuring smile took place on his lips, curving them upwards, Wilma found herself sinking her teeth into her bottom lip, the memory of a moonlit kiss sneaking its way to her mind. Frankly, she could still vividly remember the pressure of his lips on hers, the taste of rum on the tip of her tongue, the raging rush of desire and love kicking in all at once and making her dizzy and unable to fathom just how perfect the moment had been.

  Until Neal's threats snapped her out of her thoughts.

  "Good. Because if you hurt her in any way, you'll lose the other hand, too", he looked at Killian, not afraid to make his point, and concluding from the suppressed smile and the curt nod, the pirate heard his warnings loud and clear. But instead of being flattered by the attempt to protect her, Wilma merely groaned — yes, Charming had taught her that loving someone meant protecting them, but the thought of Killian ever doing anything to hurt Wilma sounded absurd. At least after everything he had done to keep her safe and away from trouble.

  "I think he's taking this whole brother thing too far", Wilma rolled her eyes as Neal walked away over to Emma, but she couldn't hide the smile that eventually crept to her lips, nor could she blame Neal — she wanted to protect him too, especially now, especially after all that had happened to him.

  Chuckling, Killian stepped closer then, licking his lips and sending Wilma's heart on a course over the moon in the process. "To be fair, I wasn't completely honest", he pointed out, and as Wilma gulped, she looked over to him with a lifted eyebrow to question the meaning behind his words. "My intentions are good, but there might be some... bad, too", he teased, biting his lips as he shamelessly flirted with Wilma, making it a true challenge for her to breathe, to maintain her balance, and her heart rate at reasonable numbers.

  Wilma's eyes widened, and for a moment there, she lingered in some unclear space between the present and her daydreams, but eventually she gathered the necessary courage to speak up and smile softly.

  "I'd be worried if there wasn't", she pointed out, and in return, Killian lifted his eyebrows with a seemingly surprised expression on his face — as if he hadn't expected Wilma to flirt back, and for that, she felt just a little bit proud.

  Eventually, once the halves of a coconut were obtained, the group made their way to Dark Hollow, which surprised Wilma with its literal darkness. It was quite depressing, really, and the woman wholeheartedly with Emma, who had earlier wondered why the places in Neverland could never be something along the lines of Rainbow Cove or Sunshine Valley.

  "You sure about this?", Emma asked, possibly in a collective manner, and before the two men could offer some words of relief and assurance, Wilma glanced from ahead of Killian and directed a confident nod towards Emma.

  "Listen, damnit, we will win", Wilma nodded bravely, lifting her determined fist into the air, but instead of granting her the moment of confidence, Neal snorted from the front and turned to face his best friend with a look of incredulity.

  "Did you just quote Metallica?", Neal laughed, and with a betrayed look on her face, Wilma stopped for a second to stare at the man — but there was also disbelief and shock on her features, as she then proceeded to gasp, although it was quite fake.

  "First of all, I can't believe you would sell me out like that", Wilma pointed out as she picked up the steady pace again to keep up with her friends. "But more importantly, I can't believe you recognized a Metallica lyric. I've taught you well, bro", she nodded approvingly, and now, it was Emma's turn to roll her eyes, which reminded Wilma of the task at hand, the priorities in the current situation.

  And with a chuckle, she nodded. "Right", she remembered, "to catch Peter Pan's shadow!"

»»»

OHMYGOD the first kiss has happened, i rePEAT THE FIRST KISS HAPPENED

*cries* my babes