A KIND OF MAGIC ↝ Killian Jones

⇒ CHAPTER TWO

"YOU CRAZY WOMAN", was all Wilma could say as she ran to the edge of the ship and tried to locate Emma from within the dark, strong waves, but it was mission impossible in that kind of a storm. But obviously, something had to be done, or else, Emma was bound to drown and leave a huge hole in all of their hearts, which was a completely unacceptable scenario. However, so was the idea of Wilma jumping after her, when the woman's swimming skills were barely on what she called level one, so Charming, in his usual, princely manner, was connected to a rope that everyone else held onto before he took a dive into the stormy ocean.

Wilma's palms were sweaty against the thick rope, and she could feel it burning her skin as it ground in, but she had no intentions to let go. She and Emma weren't on the best of terms — maybe they weren't meant to be — but she wasn't going to let the woman, or David drown, and the fact that the two were risking their lives was enough to give Wilma the adrenaline rush she needed in order to yank the rope with as much force as she only could. And eventually, the time for that came, as David resurfaced, bursting through the waves that were slowly starting to calm down and cease their absurd flow, with his daughter safely in his arms. The sight of them made Wilma sigh with relief, and repeat it a little bit louder and with more feel when the two landed aboard, David still holding Emma and begging for her to cough out the water she had consumed and open her eyes again.

As Charming and Snow cradled their daughter, Wilma somehow instinctively backed until she was closer to Killian, her back nearly in contact with his chest, and his remaining hand automatically finding a place on her waist. The contact made her inhale sharply, but once she felt the relief and the warmth his hold brought, the woman stayed there — perhaps it was what she sought in the first place.

Much to all of their relief, Emma eventually reacted, and regained consciousness, which caused Wilma to break into a smile. But as she smiled, and looked around, she noticed what was happening. The waves no longer smacked into the sides of the ship so aggressively, and the wind that had almost caused Wilma to come tumbling down was nothing more than a cool breeze on their wet skins now, and from within the dark, ominous clouds above them, sunlight made an appearance. And the sight made Wilma smile just a little bit wider. It seemed that Emma had managed to reunite their hostile group, who had long ago forgotten about whatever need there was to bicker and dispute.

"Not that I doubted her before", Wilma whispered to Killian, "but damn right she is the Savior."

———

ALTHOUGH THE STORM passed, The Jolly Roger had taken quite the beating nonetheless, and it caused them to wreck on a nearby beach where the soaked, bruised heroes stumbled to shore and felt a bittersweet mixture of frustration, but also relief, due to finally feeling steady land underneath their feet again. Their initial plan had been blown to bits by now, however, but after Regina offered to fix the ship so they could carry on, Emma insisted that the possibility of a sneak attack had been lost already.

"Ugh", was Wilma's first reaction as she stepped on the dry sand, feeling water slosh around her boots, and it made David smile as the man caught up with her. Truthfully, Wilma wasn't one to complain and point out the small inconveniences, not usually, but in that moment, she feared that maybe she had agreed to travel to another realm a bit too hastily. She had no essentials with her — except the earphones she always carried in her pocket, but they had proven themselves irrelevant on the island — and she was going to spend, who knows how much time, in the same clothes without the simple pleasures of the life she had been so used to.

However, she quickly realized that the limits of the group's patience had already been tested in more ways than one, and if she were to maintain a negative attitude towards everything and everyone, she was going to become something she had always feared — annoying. So, deciding to suck it up and occasionally remind herself of the fact that she was in Neverland, which only months ago would have made her laugh, Wilhelmina shrugged off her jacket and tossed it onto the beach, where someone lucky could potentially find it and then proceed to bask in the joy of finding a kickass blazer.