WILMA DIDN'T KNOW what she had expected, but when Killian kissed her, there was no magic eruptions, no sparks — well, not more than usual, at least. Therefore, she wasn't sure if Zelena's spell had worked, or if it was specifically meant for Emma, but she decided that all they could do was wait and see. Once the long and tiring day was over and the next morning rose, Killian and Wilma headed to Granny's for some breakfast fries, or in other words, fries for Wilma and rum for Killian. Nonetheless, the two were seated in one of the booths in the quiet diner, just the two of them in peace.

  "Are you feeling better, love?", Killian questioned then, offering his flask for Wilma who was munching on some french fries, and for a second, she thought about her options, only to settle on the latter — taking a swig to wash the potatoes down. It ended with a grimace, as Wilma was yet to get used to the grim taste, but it gave her the kick she needed to take on Killian's question and ponder about her answer. Did he mean surviving the car crash? Or possibly the fact that Neal had died? Or everything that had happened to her?

  Still, whatever he meant, she flashed a confident smile. "Yes", Wilma answered, and at last, she meant it wholeheartedly, speaking nothing but the devout truth as she assured Killian that she was doing much better now, that she was kind of okay. Physically, the pain was almost entirely gone, excluding a few nasty bruises still reminding her of what had happened, and mentally... Well, she was taking Dr. Hopper's advice, and focusing on the positive. Instead of drowning herself in all the sorrows she could have easily chosen to do, she allowed herself to be happy and let the good moments be more than a fleeting luxury. She was happy, and her enamored, racing heart confirmed that as she handed Killian his flask back, causing their fingers to meet in the middle.

  "Very well. Fancy a game of cards, m'lady?", Killian proposed then, nodding towards the stack of cards on the counter of the diner, and lifting her eyebrow in curiosity, Wilma turned to look at the pirate, her eyes twinkling with excitement.

  "Depends", she cleared her throat, "what do I get if I win, hm?", and in an instant, Killian's eyes lit up with enthusiam and even surprise, as if he hadn't expected Wilma to respond to his challenge. But frankly, it had been too long since Wilma had done something ordinary, something kind of boring but enough to entertain her, something mundane, and playing cards sounded mundane enough. She needed a little balance in her life, and this seemed like the way to do it.

  "Well, if you win — just if — we shall spend the night listening to your favorite songs. And you can tell me all about them", Killian grinned, revealing his shiny teeth as he leaned across the table, closer to Wilma, who nodded approvingly. It sounded bloody great, something to truly motivate her into trying her best, but before she could rush to grab the cards and kick the game off, she leaned back in her seat and lifted her eyebrow yet again, still missing some information.

  "And if you win?"

  With that, Killian's usual grin turned into something much more mischievous — and attractive, at that — and he winked at the woman, causing her to suddenly become grateful for sitting, not standing. Her legs would have probably failed beneath her heart that turned heavy with affection and adoration. God, how she loved Killian.

  "If I win, I shall, at last, take you on a date", Killian promised, and with her eyes widening, Wilma almost choked on the last fries she had just put in her mouth. And damn it, it sounded amazing. For the longest time, Wilma had dreamed of going out with Killian — just the two of them, something lovely but casual enough for them to joke around and be themselves. But at the same time, nervous, stressed out, worried that somehow the night wouldn't end with a good night kiss, or more than just one of them. Something bittersweet, like a first date with her high school crush, something that she would end up having dreams about, something that would make her smile into her pillow, unable to fall asleep.

  Breathing out with incoherent words on the tip of her tongue, Wilma nodded in utter and utmost agreement. "Sounds like a win-win. You're on", she eventually managed to speak up, and Killian flashed another smile — however, this time, it wasn't so arrogant and cheeky. If anything, it was fond and gentle, and it was obvious that Wilma wasn't the only one who had dreamed about a date for a while now.

  And he had great plans, if only he would win, but granted, he was quite determined to do so.

———

  WHEREAS WILMA WASN'T so surprised about the results of their game, Killian himself struggled to believe that he had truly won, and therefore claimed the opportunity to prepare a date for the two of them — their very first date, one that he was determined to make special and truly memorable. He had earned it, not just because of the game he successfully beat Wilma at, but because they had come a long way, and he had never faltered by her side — their relationship had developed quite enough for them to finally have a proper date. In Wilma's opinion, it was about damn time, and she deemed it a perfect opportunity to shake off all the sadness and pain resting wearily on her shoulders.

  Therefore, they agreed to have the date later that evening, but before Killian could rush to make preparations, their presence had been requested to the mayor's house, as Regina apparently had some kind of a plan to beat Zelena. According to the queen, the witch had showed up at the house this morning, just after Wilma and Killian had left, and after being threatened, Regina had decided that the best way to get information about Zelena was contacting the one person they both knew — their mother, Cora. The mention of her name clearly made Snow uncomfortable, and Wilma couldn't claim that she was very happily doing it, either, but she sat between Snow and Killian nonetheless, holding their hands as Regina called upon her mother.

  David had almost drank the special tea as Regina called it, but luckily he had been stopped — prompting the prince to sassily point out that he preferred Earl Grey, which had earned a suffocated snort from Wilma. But the spell did work, and above their heads, in the ceiling, appeared a blue vortex with a storm inside it. However, despite Regina's calls to Cora, nothing happened, until the table was bumped and the lit candle went out, causing the portal to disappear.

  "Sorry, love", Killian smiled sheepishly, "that was me. I crossed my legs and bumped the table", earning soft giggles from Wilma, but the truth was, Regina's plan had failed and it left them all frowning in the end. Cora hadn't answered, and therefore, the meeting was over, and Killian immediately bolted to go prepare the date. Wilma had the same intentions, but she had barely stood up from her seat, when Regina had turned over to the woman with a displeased look.

  "Where do you think you're going? You're still healing, Wilma", Regina insisted, her voice dripping with concern and disbelief that the woman would even make a move to leave the house again, but instead of doing what Regina was clearly hoping for, Wilma just chuckled and patted her shoulder casually.

  "I appreciate your concern, Gina, but... I've got a date", Wilhelmina breathed out, grinning as she looked at Regina and Snow, both of which seemed surprised, but the latter more positively, for sure. Mary Margaret's eyes widened at Wilma's response, and as she softly gasped, she pulled the brunette into a careful, but tight hug and made it evident how glad she was to hear that Winnie was finding some time for her and Killian.

  Smiling, Snow let go of Wilma and nodded approvingly. "I'm so happy for you", she sighed, and Wilma couldn't help but chuckle — she was sure that Snow meant every word from the bottom of her heart, but frankly, Wilma wasn't so sure if her husband would feel the same way. After all, now that Neal was gone, David had taken on the protective brother role when it came to Wilma — well, he had always been protective over her, but especially now, and especially when he was protecting her from Killian. Not that it was necessary, at least in Wilma's opinion, but despite having his support, she knew that David would rather have Wilma spend the evening with someone else. Or, anyone else, really.

  "I think someone might feel a little differently", Wilma just pointed out — and she wasn't wrong.

  She made her way to the Charmings' apartment, as she had promised to meet up with David there, who was quite reluctant about the thought of letting Wilma go with Killian for the whole night, but had agreed to be there for her, nonetheless. He did, more or less, approve of their relationship, and as long as Wilma was happy, he was too. But that didn't stop him from hovering.

  "You call me if anything happens. And he better keep his... hand, to himself", David ranted, giving very loud and clear instructions to Wilma, who just kept rolling her eyes whilst curling her hair in front of the mirror. "And—", the prince was about to continue, but he couldn't, when the woman had turned around and given him a firm nod, confirming that she understood and heard his every word. But also that she was an adult woman, and this wasn't her first time going out. Probably third, or something like that. But it wasn't her first time spending time with Killian, and she knew that if anything, the pirate was going to be respectful and amazing, as always, but especially tonight. And that David had nothing to worry about.

  "David, you're being very charming, but I can take care of myself. And besides, Killian isn't as bad as you make him sound", Wilma smiled, and sighing in defeat, David nodded, and then stood up from the couch to walk over to his best friend. With a smile tugging on his soft lips, Charming placed both hands on Wilhelmina's shoulders after pushing the bouncy curls to her back, and as he locked his mesmerizing eyes with her brown ones, she could have sworn she saw a bit of pride glimmering in them.

  "Well, you look very beautiful", the prince sighed, and with that, she pulled Wilma into a hug — something she always enjoyed wholeheartedly. And as she stood there, in her best friend's arms, she remembered what Archie had told her — that Neal had been there for Wilma when Walter died, but now that Neal was dead, David could be there for her. And he was, he always was, and the realization of how incredibly lucky she was to have a best friend like that made Wilma squeeze him a tad harder as they hugged. She was so, just so grateful.

  They stood in silence, until Henry emerged from upstairs, eyes widening at the sight of his godmother. "Woah, no lies there. Wilma, you look... awesome", the boy let out, clearly surprised as she rarely got so dressed up, only if it was something big and important. Which led him into asking, "What's the occasion?", with a curious sparkle in his eyes, and blushing, Wilhelmina looked down as she let go of David and stepped back.

  "Well", she cleared her throat, and shot a smile towards Henry. "Believe it or not, I have a date", Wilma explained, and just as the last words slipped from between her painted lips, there was a gentle but firm knock on the door, and the woman's heart leaped in her chest.

  It wasn't like it was the first time she was going to see Killian — then why was she so nervous? Why did it feel like her heart was going to explode in a bittersweet mixture of fear and happiness? Why did her legs feel weak? Why did she feel lightweight and like nothing made sense, why did she forget how to breathe? Truthfully, she probably wouldn't have understood to walk over to the door if David hadn't given her a soft nudge to encourage her to move, and after shooting a wide-eyed look to her friend, Wilma stepped towards the door and shakily grabbed the handle.

  And when she finally opened the door, she thought she was going to faint. Or die. Or melt. Or all of the above. Killian always looked stunning, just downright glorious, but as he stood there with flowers in his only hand, wearing a more modern leather jacket instead of his usual one, Wilma was smacked in the face with shock and amazement. There weren't enough words in the English language, or any other at that, to describe how handsome he looked — or how amazed he seemed by the sight that stood in front of him, which made Wilma blush once she spotted the admiration in his eyes. In that moment, everything suddenly made sense, and Wilma's heart beat with love and affection, a smile curving her lips upwards as she looked at Killian.

  "Love", he was the first one to break the thick silence that landed in the apartment as he handed her the flowers she then set down, trusting that David and Henry would put them in some water. "You look breathtaking", Killian broke into a smile then, and doing the same, Wilma was about to return the compliment, but before she could, the man had already continued. "Are you ready, darling?", he questioned, and inhaling deeply, Wilma glanced at David and Henry, before turning back to Killian and taking his hand.

  "You bet I am."

»»»

in honor of my children's first date:

thank you for 17k!!!