WILMA WASN'T DEAD, but she wasn't entirely alive either. Or at least that was what it felt like, like she was dancing on the line between life and death, her fingertips almost feeling the entrance of afterlife and her heart's slow beats taking her closer with each second. It sounded like a calm, blissful state, but in reality, around her, the alarm of her car was blaring and her ears were ringing too — she realized that as she regained some hazy, unclear state of consciousness, too paralyzed by fear and pain to even open her eyes. Her whole body ached, like flames were licking her limbs and encouraging her to wonder if she was in hell, but the pain was too real for that.

  And around her, chaos. It made sense — after all, the people on the streets had just witnessed Wilma losing all control of her vehicle and driving into a tree, causing the hood of her car to rumple and twist in such a way it alone would have made her faint, but somehow her seatbelt had also given in and she had flown out of her seat and horrified everyone with her rough landing and dead-like state. Someone had called an ambulance — Wilma could put that much together as sirens started to blare in the distance, and even though she was unable to move, she recognized two voices through the mess that her head was right now.

  "Wilma, oh my God", David's worried voice was the first one to break through, and her already erratic heart felt like sinking once she heard the heartbreak in his words, only imagining the man staring at her nearly lifeless body as she bled on the hood of her car, red mixing with red.

  Emma was the second one to speak up. "You're going to be okay, Wilma, I promise", she whispered into her ear, and with that, a hand took Wilma's as her rigid body was lifted from the car. In return, Wilma howled in pain — the first sign of being alive in the first place, along with the pulse that someone had desperately checked for — unable to endure such misery, caused by what she imagined to be numerous broken bones and injuries. After all, it had been quite the crash, and she was lucky to even be alive at this point.

  And as Wilma was put in the ambulance, which then started to drive towards the hospital, a single tear slipped out of her eye, formed by utter and immense agony.

———

SHE COULDN'T CRY, even though she desperately wanted to, but all she could do was grimace and lay there as the doctors did a million tests and injected needles and added tubes and connected her to irritatingly beeping machines. She wasn't sure how she was even alive — or if she even was — and the doctors called it a miracle, too. Wilma knew that Dr. Whale could fix her in no time, that she was in safe hands, but she couldn't help but think how this had happened, why, and how could she still be there, and take those shaky, painful breaths. She remembered seeing the dream in Neverland, the one with her crashing with Iron Maiden and lying on top of the car just like she had just moments ago, but somehow she hadn't expected it to come true. And well, perhaps it didn't — she was alive, wasn't she?

  "Wilma!", her name spoken in despair and worry caught Wilhelmina's attention, and as quickly as she only could, she turned to the door to find Killian and Henry storming in, both of them evidently concerned, and rightfully so. Henry didn't think his actions through, instead, he just let the relief in him get the best of him, and threw himself onto Wilma to hug his godmother with nothing but love for her. Clearly, the thought of losing her had crossed his mind, and the same could be said for Killian, who stood there in shock, almost paralyzed, tears in his eyes — a rare sight, yet so heartbreaking.

  Henry moved away eventually, and Killian took his place, but instead of pulling Wilma into a crushing hug, the pirate dropped to his knees and let his head hang low as he gently and softly took Wilma's bruised hand in his. And at last, Wilma started to cry, tears rolling down on her cheeks when she heard Killian's sniffles in the eerily quiet room. "Killian?", she whispered, her voice hoarse and giving away her pain, but it was worth it. In return, Killian shook his head, the messy hair moving with him before he leaned down to press the softest little kiss on the back of her hand.

  And then, he said something that caught Wilma by surprise. Three words, that she had never heard him say before.

  "I love you", he whispered, and Wilma reacted with a gasp, as did Henry. Even Dr. Whale looked at the pirate with wide eyes. And for a moment, Wilma was at a loss for words, until she realized the obvious — she needed to reply, she wanted to reply, so she did. Ignoring all the pain and misery and aching in her body and mind, she flashed the most careful smile, and parted her trembling lips laced with the salt of her tears.

  "I love you too."

  With that, it became quiet in the room for a second, and for Wilma, it felt like it was just her and Killian, holding hands, overwhelmed by happiness and love for each other. But eventually, Whale spoke up and reminded them of the situation at hand, and the fact that the woman was still lying on a hospital bed after miraculously surviving one hell of a car crash.

  "Well, in my opinion, this is a miracle", Whale pointed out, and all three turned to look at him, before he cleared his throat. "Not the love confessions— the, uh, the car crash and how well you survived. Your arm is broken and when you hit the tree and flew out of your seat, your foot probably got stuck in the process, which would explain the nasty sprain on your ankle. But other than that, it's just cuts and bruises, for the most part. As for your psychological condition, I'd go to Dr. Hopper. What you've been through... it's more than enough to traumatize a person, Ms. Barton", he explained, and after Wilma nodded in agreement, he continued once more, "I'll write a prescription for some painkillers, and return in a few hours with the cast for your arm. But right now... I think you've deserved a moment with your loved ones."

  Smiling in gratitude, Wilma nodded one last time at Whale, who just pursed his lips in a small smile before heading out of the room and leaving the three of them behind, with Killian still kneeling beside Wilma, and Henry nervously biting on his nails behind the pirate. But on all of their faces was relief — Wilma, for one, had expected something much worse. But a broken arm, and a sprained ankle? That was something she could live with. Now that she was, indeed, still alive.

  "Is—Is Iron Maiden okay?", Wilma then turned to Killian and Henry with wide eyes, only now realizing that her baby had been damaged in the collision as well, and all everyone cared about was her. Truthfully, Wilma was still unwilling and unable to believe that her car would just give up on her like that and break down, without any earlier signs, after all that loyalty she had stood by Wilma's side with. But instead of realizing that, Killian just snorted, unable to believe his eyes when he saw the way Wilma's twinkled with worry.

  "Are you seriously worried about the car? After it caused you to crash?", Killian was incredulous, and Wilma could see it in his face, and found similar signs from Henry's, as well. But instead of submitting and admitting that it was a good point, she defended her car, loyal to the end.

  "She did not cause the crash. I think. But still — would you give up on The Jolly Roger?", Wilma lifted an eyebrow, and in an instant, Killian's look softened and he looked away, both of them already knowing the answer. "I thought so. So, please, make sure my baby is okay. If not, take her to the mechanic, please?", Wilma shot the two of them pleading looks, and sighing in defeat, both Killian and Henry nodded — even if they were evidently hesitant about leaving Wilma alone in the hospital.

  Sighing, Killian leaned down one more time to press a soft kiss on Wilma's forehead, earning a smile from the woman. "I thought I was going to lose you, and quite frankly...", he chuckled dryly, "it was the worst pain I've felt in a long time. I don't know what I'd ever do without you. I love you, Wilhelmina", a gentle gleam in his blue eyes as he looked down at Wilma. Pursing her lips in a sad smile and blinking through the tears that began to pile up in her eyes, Wilma nodded, and despite knowing how physically painful it was going to be for her, she put a hand on Killian's cheek and pulled him down to a careful kiss.

  And in that moment, her heart was overwhelmed with a sensation of victory, and she truly felt like the luckiest girl in the world — Captain Hook was her boyfriend, and there weren't enough words in the English language to describe how blissful it was. Even after losing Neal, even after crashing her car, he was still there, and it looked a lot like he planned on never leaving. And that was just what Wilma needed.

  "I love you too, Killian", she breathed out, her tongue sweeping across her bottom lip before her teeth sank in, as her whole body ignited with aching, but the smile that took place on Killian's pink lips made it worth it. "Now go save my car", she encouraged him to leave then, and although he did so hesitantly, he eventually walked out of the door and Henry followed after him.

  Wilma was left alone, heart full of happiness and a feeling of luck inevitably landing on her — after all, she had some amazing people supporting her, and she had survived the car accident. To her, it was just a sign that if she could walk out of that alive, she could kick through the aftermath of Neal's death too. It wasn't going to be easy, and she was never going to stop cherishing the memory of her brother, but if she had made it through everything else and managed to discover happiness, she wasn't going let this one bring her down and break her hope.

  But indeed, being happy was never made easy for the residents of Storybrooke, especially with some of the most wicked villains lurking in the shadows.

  "Doesn't it feel thrilling?", a velvety, teasing voice spoke from the corner of the room, and Wilma jumped on the bed as she searched for whoever broke the silence, but to no avail. "To be so close to death, almost shaking hands with it, only to take another breath and keep on living... That air, just flowing through your lungs, the blood pumping through your veins...", the voice turned more hostile and threatening, and Wilma could only gulp as she froze on the mattress and looked how, through the shadows, the Wicked Witch emerged. Slowly but surely, she walked towards Wilma's bed, and due to the latter being unable to make any large movements, she could only lay there and let the witch place a hand on her heart, feeling the plucky beats as confirmation of her being still alive.

  "I suggest you leave me alone", Wilma spoke confidently, but the bravery came tumbling down as her voice broke, causing it to become nothing more but a hoarse, weak whisper, earning profoundly amused cackles from the witch.

  "Or what?", she teased, eyes wide and an intimidating grin taking place on her painted lips. "Well, it does seem that eliminating you is a lot harder than I was prepared for, I'll give you that", Zelena then spoke thoughtfully, stepping away from Wilma and eyeing the surroundings, whereas the brunette fell into shock, and thought over the spoken words again — was Zelena the reason Wilma had lost control of Iron Maiden?

  "What?", Wilma's simple question echoed throughout the quiet room as she stared at Zelena with wide eyes.

  Laughing again, the witch turned to face Wilma with a lifted eyebrow, as if questioning Wilma's intelligence. "You don't think your trusted carriage would just fail on you like that? Obviously, I put a spell on the wheels, so you'd crash. You came out... less damaged, than I intended, though. Well, at least you're stuck here, now", Zelena explained, a wicked grin twisting her lips higher as she eyed Wilma, just reveling in the surprise she could see on Wilhelmina's face, enjoying the twists and turns she was able to create.

  Wilma was less impressed, however. "I bloody swear, I will—", she began, but before she could threaten Zelena, she had interjected.

  "What? Kill me? I doubt that, darling. I love the confidence, though", Zelena provoked, just downright annoying Wilma, and concluding from the smirk on her lips, she was probably quite aware of it, too. But Wilma wasn't shaken by her witty responses, no, she wasn't as weak as people sometimes saw her.

  "You just wait. See, messing with me, that's one thing. But messing with my car? You've crossed a bloody line, witch bitch, and I will do everything in my power to make you pay for what you did to her", Wilma spat, sitting up on the bed and shooting a threatening glare to Zelena. And for a second, she seemed somewhat surprised by the outburst.

  But before either of them could do anything, Zelena disappeared in a cloud of green smoke, and left behind a very brave, very alive Wilma Barton.

»»»

you don't mess with winnie's car bitch

sO i have just finished writing the epilogue, and man i am so excited to share the rest of the book with you. it's gonna end at chapter 34 so there is still some way to go, but not much!!

hope you liked this chapter x