A PART OF Wilma was afraid to sleep that night, wondering if Zelena would come and finish the job or if she would have another terrible, startling dream, but she never relaxed quite enough to trigger a vision or be caught by surprise. Throughout the night, she barely slept, but instead of letting a dark mixture of depression and fear swallow her whole, she thought about happy stuff — for example, Killian — which led her into grinning into her blanket like the dork she was.

  Killian had come back to the hospital late in the evening, when it was already dark and Wilma's arm had been shielded with a cast, and he was still there, sleeping on the chair next to Wilma's bed and drooling against the leather collar of his long coat. The woman had insisted numerous times on him just going to The Jolly Roger, well-aware that the slowly rocking waves were the one thing to lull him into a proper sleep, but he had proved her wrong by falling asleep next to her, after telling Wilma about his afternoon with Iron Maiden. Apparently, the story about taking the car to the mechanic and getting to know the vehicle was supposed to make Wilma sleepy, but instead, Killian had fallen asleep himself — Wilma was glad one of them got some sleep, though.

  In the morning, he left quickly, due to Wilma pushing him into it. The heroes of Storybrooke were still busy fighting Zelena, and Wilma wanted Killian to do his part instead of spending all his time worrying over her, especially when there was nothing he could do at the hospital. Luckily, the man became quite motivated after Wilma told that Zelena was the reason Iron Maiden had driven itself into the tree, swearing revenge on the witch, and that was the last thing Wilma heard him mutter as he stormed out — after placing a kiss on Wilma's cheek, of course. And just like that, she was alone again, but at least there was a television in the room.

  But eventually, someone stopped by.

  "Regina!", Wilma gasped when a familiar face peeked in the room, and as the queen stepped in and approached the bed Wilma was still stuck in, they smiled at each other — until the brunette remembered what had happened last night. "You and Zelena... How—How'd it go?", Wilma questioned, and chuckling, kind of unable to believe that even after almost dying she was still worrying about others, Regina shrugged.

  "I... won", she smiled, "she was after my heart, but luckily I was smart enough to not bring it with me", her words sending chills down Wilma's spine, but eventually, she broke into a smile as well. Instinctively, Wilma opened her one good arm to invite Regina into a hug, but the queen opened her mouth to disagree, eyeing Wilhelmina warily, which reminded the latter of her beaten state.

  Clearing her throat and lowering her arm, Wilma nodded. "Right. Well, about Zelena... She showed up here last night, actually — she told me that she cast a spell on my car, which is why I crashed in the first place. If it wasn't for her, I would've probably made it safely to the inn", she then muttered, sighing as her head dropped back into the soft pillow supporting her neck in the upright position, but Regina didn't react as lightly.

  "She did what?", the queen spat angrily, her eyes widening and nostrils flaring, and her painted lips pulling into an unhappy grimace, clearly not taking the news very well, and even though it was the last thing she should have felt, Wilma couldn't deny the spark of happiness in her heart. Was she really worth Regina's anger? The mighty queen's wrath? "The next time I see her, I will slap her, even harder than I did last night", Regina continued, crossing her eyes in full-on protective mama bear mode, causing Wilma to smile carefully.

  "You really don't have to—", Wilma tried, but Regina had made up her mind.

  "Trust me, it'd be my pleasure", she scoffed, but once she understood that Zelena had indeed hurt Wilma, the look on her face softened and she gave a worried look to the bedridden woman. "Are you at least somewhat okay? Do you want me to heal you? I could do that", Regina continued, and Wilma was already about to shake her head, but came to a different conclusion, in the end.

  Shrugging, she looked down awkwardly. "You could... put me in a condition where I can leave this bloody hospital. But... don't take away all of the pain. I think a part of me needs it. I need to handle it, like a human being — not some seer", Wilma chuckled quietly, and smiling in agreement, Regina nodded.

  With that, the queen lifted her hands and purple magic started to flow from her palms, lighting up the room with its divine glow, and directing it into Wilma, Regina let the waves roll onto the bed and heal the woman. It felt strange, but not bad — it wasn't painful, but it was powerful, like she was in a tight grip that she couldn't squirm away from, and as the magic flowed through her veins, the worst injuries in her body disappeared like they were never there, just memories now. When Regina stopped healing Wilma, they could both see the bruises and wounds still covering her body in some spots, but the worst was over, and Wilma could safely take off the cast that Whale had put on her broken arm. Now, it was useless.

  With a smile on her lips, Regina lowered her hands then. "I'll tell Whale I'm taking you home. Or, actually— would you like to stay with me for today? Just to make sure the magic worked and you're really okay", she suggested, and whilst standing up from the bed, Wilma broke into a smile and her eyes lit up with excitement.

  "The mayor's house?", she gushed, "count me in."

———

  WILHELMINA HAD NEVER before been to Regina's house, but it was as glorious and stylish as she had expected. She was left alone quickly, as Regina had promised to spend the day teaching Emma some magic, and everyone else was quite busy too — David and Snow were spending time with Henry, and Killian was helping Ariel, yes, freaking Ariel, on a mission to find her missing prince, Eric. Wilma wished she could have joined them, but when she had suggested the idea, Regina had shut it down instantly, insisting that the woman still needed to recover from the crash. Killian felt the same way, he told Wilma to stay in the house and take the day for herself, so she obeyed — well, kind of.

  She did agree to take it slow and easy for the day, but she didn't promise to stay indoors. Regina's house did keep her preoccupied for several hours, but eventually, Wilma remembered Dr. Whale's suggestion go to Dr. Hopper and talk about everything she had had to fight through, so she did just that. On top of that, she had made a promise to herself to go to the mechanic and see how badly Iron Maiden had suffered in the accident. So, even though she wasn't going take part in the more heroic activities, she had a whole day planned and, well, maybe she was being her own hero — facing emotions she had tried to suppress, bringing back memories she had tried to bury. That was what she expected to find on the other side of the door she reluctantly knocked on.

  "Wilma", Dr. Hopper smiled at the sight of her after opening the door to his office, "what brings you here?", at which Wilma sighed.

  "Well, um, Whale suggested I come here to talk about... everything, I suppose. Do you have a minute?", Wilma scratched the back of her neck nervously, and stepping aside to invite her in, Archie nodded. Inhaling deeply, Wilma did what was expected of her, and walked inside, only to twirl around awkwardly until Archie encouraged her to take a seat.

  "I have as many minutes as you need, Wilhelmina. And, I'm glad to see you're already doing better. Physically, at least", the doctor pursed his lips, and doing the same, Wilma found a seat on the leather couch opposite the chair he sank into. He had a fair point — she was physically okay, at least for the most part, but her mind was a bit of a mess at this point. Perhaps coming to see him had been the right choice, as she did have friends she could talk to, but after everything she had dealt with, seeing a professional sounded reasonable, as well. "What's on your heart today?", Archie then asked, nudging Wilma towards the right direction, and as a reaction, the woman cleared her throat and pondered on how to begin. There was much to go over, after all.

  "Well, the drama in my life started about seven years ago, when I lost my brother. He was a firefighter, and died on the job — as a hero, I suppose. That's what got me through it, the fact that he was a good person until the very end. I mean, it wasn't easy, if anything, it was bloody terrible, knowing that my own brother was gone... But then I met Neal. Or, Baelfire — obviously I didn't know that back then. He helped me over it, and slowly became my closest friend. Then I lost my mother, and I couldn't help but think that I was somehow cursed. She had been murdered, and by my own father...", Wilma explained, but before she could get any further, a lump rose into her throat and she choked on the tears she didn't even realize were already piling up in her eyes.

  As an attempt to comfort Wilma, Archie placed his hand atop hers, softly but not enough to break any boundaries, just enough to give her the strength she needed to carry on. As a thank you, she sent a faint smile to his way.

  "After my mother was buried, next to Walter, and my father was imprisoned, I left New York. There was simply nothing for me anymore in that city, so I hopped into my car and left everything behind, even Neal. Of course, I met him again when I arrived here — as you must know, he is... was Mr. Gold's son and Henry's father. We didn't get much of a happy reunion though, when we were separated once again and I had to go through the loss of a loved one yet again. I wish I could say that was the last time it happened — especially with Neal, I've had to suffer so much. Every time, I get him back, only to lose him moments later. And this time... I fear it's final. He got to go peacefully, at the very least, and as a hero, just like Walter. But still, I lost my brother again, and he's not coming back", Wilma continued her story, and she could see Archie about to interject, but there was no stopping the flood of words now. She had gotten started, and she was going to go to the very end.

  "I also found out that my father is from the Enchanted Forest", she shook her head in disbelief, chuckling even though it was devoid of amusement. "My mother died because of magic, and it wasn't even through his hand, apparently. On top of that, I have a bit of magic in myself, too, as I can see the future, predict the upcoming. It's not as lovely as you'd assume, it's quite awful, actually, but I'm trying to gain control. But I'm yet to reach a peaceful state of mind, as it seems quite impossible with all the dreams about my own death and what not. Even worse is that I almost died last night, that the nightmare actually came true. I survived, though, as you can see, but now I have a homicidal, wicked witch on the hunt for my heart", Wilma ranted, only now realizing how messed up her life was. But that wasn't how Archie saw it.

  Silence fell in the room, and Wilma started to feel embarrassed for bursting like that, but just as she was about to apologize, Dr. Hopper spoke up. "It's alright, Wilma. But, in my opinion, everyone has moments of weakness, sorrow and fear. Everyone falls apart sometimes, villains, heroes and everything in between. I think you've been holding yourself together quite well. I can tell you've been through a lot — but what about the good things? Your father is still alive, isn't he? You can now try to forgive him and build a new relationship with him. From what I've seen and heard, you and David are rather close. Neal was there when you lost Walter, but don't you think that David can be there for you now that you've lost Neal? I'm sure he'd be more than willing to help you recover", Archie pointed out, and Wilma gulped, realizing how right he was.

  "You've turned one of the most notorious villains into a hero, too. I'm not sure Hook would be the man he is today if it weren't for you, Wilma. I think, what you have with him, is proof that love is capable of great things. You're happy with him, correct? Then allow yourself to be happy. You have a great amount of friends standing behind you, ready to catch you if you fall. And trust me, it is only human to sometimes fall. You've changed the lives of everyone in this town, by just being yourself, and even if you've lost a lot of people, you still haven't lost yourself. And even with this whole seer thing, I think you can still be the same Wilma that everyone has grown so incredibly fond of", the doctor proceeded, and even though heartbreak was difficult to cure or get rid of, Wilma couldn't help but feel a little better.

  Maybe he was right. Maybe she needed to fall to rise again. Maybe she needed to embrace the cracks in her, allow the sadness to kick in so happiness could come and replace it.

———

  AFTER HER SESSION with Dr. Hopper, which really helped Wilma see things more clearly and find the right path to take on, the woman had stopped by the mechanic. It had been an emotional visit, as seeing Iron Maiden all crushed and fractured was downright awful, but luckily, she was promised that the vehicle would be alright by next week, and she could take her for another drive soon enough. Despite the many tears she had shed during the day, she felt good, like things were getting back on track — even with Zelena still lurking in the shadows she was casting on their town, but Wilma was trying to accept that heroes were always going to have villains against them, and in the end, they'd always win. So, even if the witch was yet to be won, Wilma was optimistic and had faith.

  Wilhelmina had agreed to spend the night at Regina's house, so once she was done running errands, she made her way back to the large plot and made herself comfortable on one of her soft couches, her head sinking amidst the cushions as she closed her eyes. Only now she realized how right Regina had been when she had insisted that she was still on the path of recovery, and not just mentally — despite the queen's healing magic, Wilma's body had suffered and pushed to its limits, and she truly felt it now, the exhaustion descending onto her like a weary shadow. And its temptation was impossible to resist, and just like that, Wilma ended up falling asleep, into a peaceful nap. Perhaps it was well-earned, though, after everything she had survived, maybe she could have this moment of solitude and silence.

  The bliss did vanish quite the bit, when the images of Killian showed up in her mind — a sight to behold, usually, but this time, he wasn't alone. Because in the dream, or vision, that Wilma ended up seeing during her sleep featured not only her dreamy pirate, but the town's very own Savior too, Emma Swan, and much to Wilma's dislike, the two leaned closer until their lips met. And somewhat instinctively, Wilma tried to rush over to them and pull them apart, but nothing worked, it was like trying to rip bricks from a wall. Without even realizing she ended up doing so, Wilma screamed, so loud she could barely hear it herself, but it had no effect whatsoever — there was nothing she could do to break the kiss apart.

  Well, except for waking up, of course. With a gasp, Wilma jolted up, and her body reacted by aching due to the sudden, harsh movements, which earned a pained groan from the brunette. But soon enough, the physical pain disappeared, only for the heartache to settle in. There was much Wilma didn't know — what were the circumstances, what was the year, what world did the dream take place in? Maybe Wilma would be dead by then. Maybe it wasn't a vision, just a basic nightmare of losing the man she loved. Still, Wilma couldn't help but bite down on her bottom lip to stop the incoming tears from making an appearance, especially when the front door suddenly opened and someone waltzed in. And Wilma definitely didn't want to cry in front of her, not when she had already taken so much of Regina's time and attention.

  But it wasn't Regina. It was Killian, looking glorious as ever, but quite shaken, too. And automatically, Wilma stood up and walked over to him, lifting an eyebrow and taking his hand in hers.

  "What is it?", Wilma asked quietly, "is Ariel okay?"

  Sighing, Killian nodded and avoided Wilma's gaze — something he rarely did, and it planted fear into her heart. But luckily, or not, it was something else rather than what she was expecting. "It was never Ariel. It was Zelena all the time, she used me, and... and she cursed me", Killian sighed yet again and looked down, ashamed, but instead of letting him sink, Wilma placed a finger below his jaw and lifted it until they were staring into each other's eyes.

  "Cursed how?", Wilma whispered, scared of what the answer was going to be, but she couldn't just live in denial, in her own happy little bubble. Even if it sounded quite nice.

  "She cursed my lips. She claims that I have to kiss Emma, and that way remove her magic, but Wilma, I assure you— I promise, I have no intentions to do that. I could never hurt you like that. Or take that away from Emma, either", Killian assured with a leap towards Wilma, as if he was afraid she was going to slip away, but instead taking a step back, she went closer until she ended up in his arms. The hold on her body was tight, and Wilma could tell he was, perhaps, even scared of pushing her away, but after everything Killian had done for her, after he had loyally stuck by her side through everything and anything, she wasn't going to do that. Even if her dream more or less confirmed it was going to happen one day.

  But then, Wilma got an idea, and her eyes lit up as she pulled away from Killian — not too much to frighten him, but enough to stare into his blue eyes that were twinkling with despair. Knitting his eyebrows together, Killian could tell Wilma had something in mind, and he didn't even need to ask, she was ready to share anyway.

  "If the kiss removes magic...", Wilma breathed out, realizing what an opportunity she had at her hands. "Killian, kiss me."

»»»

ooOOO MAN

also wow regilma shall riSE