A KIND OF MAGIC ↝ Killian Jones

⇒ CHAPTER ONE

THE JOLLY ROGER was really something — a true beauty that required eons of admiration, that never ceased to amaze Wilma with its beautiful details and tendency to survive even the harshest of storms. However, despite enjoying her time on the vessel, Wilma already missed her baby, and a part of her couldn't believe she had actually left the Corvette behind, but then again, taking her along was most likely impossible. There was much that The Jolly Roger could handle, but Wilma doubted a fair ton of steel and pure badassery was one of those things.

But, admittedly, she did enjoy traveling on the ship, which was why she spent a fair amount of her time walking around and adoring the surroundings, from the nooks and corners yet to be explored, to the hidden, forgotten treasures lying around in the cabins. But above all, Wilma loved leaning against the gunwale and looking at the rocky waves, the world of colors they moved with, the mysterious yet stunning land they had ended up in — and in the distance, was the island they called their destination, which kind of terrified, but also intrigued Wilhelmina. All her life, she had lived in the knowledge that the stories she had fallen in love with at a fairly young age, weren't true — but that never stopped her from having a little bit of hope, a little bit of that childish belief. And there she was now, in Neverland, a part of the experience she had only read about until now.

"You're handling all this surprisingly well, Wilma. Considering, you know... everything", Regina's voice then startled the woman out of her thoughts, causing the brunette to turn around to face her as she chuckled softly. Wilma's eyes followed Regina as she slowly stepped next to her, leaning against the edge of the ship with her and looking at the dark waves too, and as she relaxed, Wilma did too, and repeated the quiet chuckle. It was true, and it was kind of surprising, even to Wilma herself, and as she realized that, the best response she could offer initially was a simple shrug.

"Yeah", Wilma breathed out, returning to her former position and staring at the sea again. "I guess I haven't really had the time to freak out. There's always something happening. But it's kind of nice, if that makes any sense. I've spent my whole life reading and fangirling over all these heroes and villains, and now I'm friends with them and it's just... insane. In a good way, of course", she broke into a soft smile whilst turning to glance at Regina, who returned the curious look, and the warm smile. Wilma knew that the two weren't the best of friends yet, not very close yet, but as she looked into the Queen's eyes and thought about the potential between them, she dearly hoped for a friendship to bloom.

"Well, I just want to thank you, for being so understanding, despite my reputation. Not only did you save my life, but now you're here, risking your life just to help with saving Henry", Regina then continued, and shot Wilma a truly grateful look, but her tone sounded just a tad confused, as if she struggled to understand why Wilma would do such a thing — be so kind and open to everyone, even the villains, even her, after the numerous atrocities and horrors she had committed and brought upon Storybrooke and its heroes. But Wilma didn't see it that way, as to her, Regina was just a woman in the search of her own happy ending, which clearly included Henry, and that was only one of the reasons why Wilma shivered at the thought of losing the boy for good. Therefore, it only made sense she joined the party — perhaps her optimism and ability to see good even in the worst people was exactly the touch their otherwise colorful group needed.

Wilma had no time to answer, when the waves suddenly got stronger and the whole ship quaked with the raging waters, which surprised them all. Unable to react before it was too late, Wilhelmina stumbled forward and right into Regina's arms, but the woman welcomed her and held onto her, with both of them desperately trying to maintain their balance, as Snow and David were attempting to keep the ship straight and steady in the rising storm.

"What the bloody hell is that?", Wilma yelled out to Killian, who emerged from the cabin, before turning her worried look to the stormy waters and trying to figure out what was surrounding the ship — a shark, perhaps? Some kind of magical sea monster? However, as Wilma leaned into Regina and tried to see through the powerful waves, she didn't find sharp teeth or any ugly monsters, if anything, it was quite the opposite. The high-pitched, violent squeals came from creatures with shiny tails and beautiful features, but concluding from Killian's shaky voice — which was new and unexpected from the fearless pirate — they were anything but dreamy and lovely.