WILMA WOULD HAVE lied if she were to claim she wasn't tempted to order lots of chocolate cake, but when she told Henry she was going to get them something to eat while they were on David-duty at Mr. Gold's shop, she meant something a bit more nutritious and hearty and therefore resisted her desire to tell Ruby to pack some cake to go. "Two sandwiches and some cocoa to go, I think. Is that what Henry likes?", was Wilma's choice finally, although a hesitant one, at that, but as her friend, Ruby relieved the woman of any distress she had over spending the day with Henry.

"Cocoa with cinnamon. That's his thing", Ruby smiled as she got to work so Wilma could make her way back to the pawnshop and keep Henry some company, as the boy had stayed behind to read his storybook to a very unconscious David — which Wilma thought was incredibly sweet. "Here you go. And, don't worry. I'm sure Henry likes you already", Ruby spoke kindly as she handed the sandwiches to Wilhelmina and flashed another smile at the woman, who nodded in response. She was grateful for the confidence boost, and she made sure Ruby knew by thanking her before heading out and making her way back to Mr. Gold's shop with some food with her.

She had learned the way there already, which kind of surprised her. She had merely been in town for a handful of days, yet it seemed she already knew her way around the town and had managed to befriend plenty of people, or at least something alike — she wasn't sure if Leroy counted as a friend just yet, but a few more shared breakfasts later perhaps he would. Nonetheless, she felt at peace in Storybrooke, like she was in the right place, and there wasn't a single part within her that desired to leave or do something to take that blossoming happiness away. No, she felt at home, even if it was all kind of confusing due to the fact that what Wilma had been used to call fiction, was almost too real in this town.

"I'm back! Heard you like cocoa with cinnamon", Wilma greeted Henry as she arrived in the shop, and sneaked into the back where she handed the boy his cup and sandwich. Happily smiling, the kid dug in, clearly hungry, and Wilma felt the same way so she followed his lead and started to eat once she was seated next to the couch where David was, in a rather deep slumber that was almost impossible to break. Almost — true love's kiss could cure him from the curse that he had willingly had set upon him, and right now, the two surrounding David were relying on the hope that Mary Margaret — and Emma — would return successfully and the man could be awakened.

That was all they could do, hope, but Wilma was used to doing so.

"So... Who's your favorite fairytale character?", Henry broke the silence between the two, and Wilma's eyes widened as she was caught by surprise. Swallowing the remains of the sandwich in her mouth, Wilma tried to gather some useful facts from the back of her mind, but in the end, it wasn't such a tough question and she broke into a smile as she nudged Henry lightly.

"Belle. She's always been my favorite. And, in some ways, I can relate to her", Wilma shrugged, finishing her cocoa, and with that, a mischievous smile crept to Henry's lips while he shut the book on his lap and set it on the bed.

"She's in town, too, you know. You should go and meet her some day. She's actually usually here, or at the library", Henry pointed out, which surprised Wilma to a point where she nearly swooned at the mere thought of meeting her favorite character. "I think you two would get along well", the young boy added, and the words managed to bring a genuinely happy, flattered smile onto Wilma's lips as she nodded in response.

In a way, it was odd to even imagine meeting one of the characters she was so overly fond of, just the fact that she was real was kind of overwhelming, but then again, it was also like a dream come true. All her life, Wilma had fallen in love with people beyond her reach, from silly crushes when she was a little girl to more intense affection during her adulthood, and amongst those many connections resided people she wished to befriend, just talk to, give a hug to — and there was no denying that Belle was one of them.

Before Wilma and Henry could chat any more, they both jumped at the sound of the entrance of the shop opening and then closing rather loudly, and a group of people stormed in — Ruby, and the dwarfs, all of them wearing looks of distress and frustration, but with a hint of determination that meant they were there for something, or someone. And before even giving Henry or Wilma to chance to ask what was wrong, Ruby had opened her mouth and a surprisingly angry tone boomed in the store.

"Where are they? Regina and Gold", she questioned, glancing around before setting her gaze on Wilma, who shrugged, causing the waitress to turn to Henry. "All the magic has been drained from the mines", Ruby continued, and in an instant, both Henry and Wilhelmina approached a state of sheer shock and disappointment, which caused their confused looks to turn into upset frowns and wide eyes. Wilma had learned that the magic the dwarfs had discovered was going to be used to get Emma and Mary Margaret back to Storybrooke — or at least that had been the plan, until now.

"If they're not helping Emma and Mary Margaret... That means my mom lied to me", Henry frowned, and with a sigh, Wilma turned over to the boy to offer some comfort, but he had already continued with, "We need to find her. We need to stop them. We need to help Emma and Mary Margaret!", a look of fear rooted deep in his eyes as he looked at Ruby and Wilma. Parting her lips in the uncertainty of what to say, Ruby glanced at the other woman, who just stared in response until she realized that she was responsible for Henry at the moment, tasked with taking care of the boy.

Surprised, Wilma cleared her throat and turned to face Henry, knowing that it would have been the smartest to suggest staying in Mr. Gold's shop, but at the same time, Wilma couldn't just sit aside and let Henry not do it. "If anyone can turn Regina's head, I suppose it is you. I'll stay here with David. Just be careful", she sighed, giving Henry a stern look to confirm that she meant it, in the knowledge that if anything were to happen to Henry while she was supposed to keep an eye on him, she was going to make enemies quite quickly. Or at least one — and the Evil Queen was someone she would rather stay on the good side of.

Henry wasted no time, he ran outside quickly and Ruby shot a grateful look to Wilma before following the boy to ensure his safety, and soon enough, Wilma found herself alone with David. With a sigh, the woman turned to the man and picked up the book Henry had left behind, flicking open the right page to carry on what the kid hadn't been able to finish, and softly smiling, Wilma shot a smile to the sleeping man.

"Guess it's just you and me now, Sleeping Beauty."

———

THE SHOP REMAINED calm and quiet as Wilma had lowered the storybook a while ago and had settled for holding David's hand as the man continued to slumber — although it was more so to comfort herself and give hope and belief in that eventually, he would grip hers in an equal manner. Over the short time they had known each other for, Wilma had grown quite fond of David, or Charming, although not in a romantic way but she was interested nevertheless, resembling perhaps a bond between what could one day be best friends. And truthfully, to Wilma, losing David despite being so new in his life wasn't even an option, and if Mary Margaret would fail to show up and save her husband, the woman would riot.

And just as Wilma had succumbed to that poisonous thought of a reality where David wasn't going to open his eyes again, someone burst into the shop and the woman was startled by the arrival of someone new, someone strange — and a whole bunch of dwarfs.

"David!", the woman gasped, and Wilma instantly moved away, just feeling it — this was Mary Margaret, or Snow White, with whom she shared quite a lot of resemblance, actually. Prince Charming's wife, his true love, the one that was going to break the sleeping curse and wake the man up. And that she did — pressed her lips onto David's, and as she lovingly kissed her husband, a burst of magic erupted and floated through the room, before the prince woke up gasping, his eyes flying open and his body jolting up.

It was quite adorable, to be honest. Something that Wilma dreamed of having one day.

David looked around for a while, glancing at Wilma too, before directing his gaze at his wife. "You... you did it", David whispered, holding his hand on Mary Margaret's cheek and keeping her close to him, which made the woman smile, as Wilma did the same. The love they had in their eyes when they looked at each other was so deep and intense and impossible to strip away, it was beyond belief, it was like magic lingering between the two. It was genuine happiness. It was, well, true love.

Smiling, Mary Margaret leaned closer to him. "Did you ever doubt I would?", she questioned, and David chuckled fondly.

"No", was his simple answer before pulling her in for another kiss, which eventually broke, giving him the chance to speak up again. "Though the burning red room did give me pause", he continued, causing Mary Margaret to laugh as they leaned in for a third, sweet, caring kiss, which made Leroy groan. Laughing softly, Wilma threw her arm over Leroy's shoulders, which made the grumpy dwarf glare at her but instead of wishing to squirm away, he just stood there and allowed the woman to keep him close.

Then, surprising Wilma, David gestured for the woman to come closer. "Snow, there's someone I'd like you to meet", he cleared his throat, nodding towards Wilma, who awkwardly moved to the princess and flashed a smile that, really, gave away all the immense enthusiasm she had about meeting Snow White herself. "This is Wilma Barton, she's new in town. But she can be trusted. In fact, she's been very helpful and kind, and I bet you two will get along perfectly", the man explained to his wife, who then took Wilma's hand and held it tightly, surprising the woman, but she had no intentions to pull away. She could never.

"It's— it's, really, a great honor to meet you", Wilma breathed out, unable to grasp the fact that Snow White was holding her hand with immense kindness radiating off of her and the bright smile on her lips, causing Wilhelmina to shiver and shake as she stared into the kind eyes with an equally happy, friendly gaze shining within hers.

"The pleasure is all mine, Wilma. It is truly wonderful to meet you", Mary Margaret nodded her head, making Wilma feel so special — she was on the path to becoming friends with an actual fairytale princess. Not very many could say that, could they?

Clapping her hands together once, Wilma broke into a wide smile as she looked around the people surrounding them, her usual optimism breaking through instantly at the realization that the people Storybrooke had lost were back, and well. "So, all is fine, then?", the woman suggested, beyond happy that the time for worrying was over, and now, perhaps they could all go over to Granny's for some cake. And people agreed, in the belief that the struggles were over, and they had earned the opportunity to spend time with loved ones and just breathe, feel the relief of not having any worries weighing down on their hearts.

They just didn't see the nearing pirate ship in the horizon, sailing right towards Storybrooke.

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ahhhh i can't wait to share the next chapter with you guys!! things are finally escalating... hope you like it so far! (: x