A KIND OF MAGIC ↝ Killian Jones

⇒ CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

WILMA NEEDED KILLIAN and his support, that was what she told him when the woman headed out to the mechanic to see what condition her car was in. Wilma was determined to bring her baby home, but in case she was still damaged and required more work, Wilhelmina needed a hand to hold, and there wasn't one she preferred over Killian's. The pirate gladly joined her, and the two made their way to the mechanic where they expected to find Iron Maiden, hopefully in good shape. Regina had offered to fix the vehicle with her magic, but Wilma had insisted that she had gone through enough with magic, and from now on, the car was going to be handled properly. Wilma herself was okay with magic, but she refused to let any even near Iron Maiden now.

Luckily, Iron Maiden was all patched up, and the steel had been painted again, and the hot red was now more vibrant and awesome. At the sight of her precious car, Wilma almost cried, and the woman threw her arms around the hood as she kissed the new layer of paint, beyond relieved and overjoyed to have her back. Living without her around the corner had been dark times, but now, Wilhelmina was given her keys back and she could hop in, feeling the familiar leather and gripping the wheel like she used to whilst revving the engine. The badass roar made Wilma grin as she turned on the radio, and the familiar tune of Iron Man blasted from the speakers, which made Killian all the more reluctant to join Wilma in the car.

But he did, anyway. Wilma sped through the streets, enjoying the rush she had missed dearly, until she found a good spot to park the car in, and the two seated themselves on the hood and shared Killian's flask. Well, obviously Wilma didn't drink, but after the wild ride that had probably traumatized Killian, he definitely needed some rum in his system.

"You truly love this car, don't you?", Killian chuckled as he looked down at the vehicle, and grinning, Wilma nodded.

"When my dad bought her for me... I was the happiest girl in the world. She was a bit beaten and the salesman had told my father that this Corvette's best days were behind her, but after a few days of fixing her up, this beauty revealed itself. She's been family ever since. She's, well, a part of me", Wilma smiled and met Killian's gaze, and in his eyes, glimmered unadulterated love, just pure affection and interest in Wilma and anything she had to say. "I think—", Wilma was about to continue then, but as she looked into the distance thoughtfully, her eyes spotted something rather unusual — a blast of yellow magic rising from the ground and shooting into the sky, and it made her knit her eyebrows together.

"That must be Zelena's portal", Killian pointed out, and nodding, Wilma hopped back inside the car, and the pirate followed her lead and did the same. Wilma stepped on the gas pedal, in the belief that they needed to check it out and make sure it could be shut down, that everyone was still okay.

If only they had stayed back.

———

"WHAT THE BLOODY hell is going on?", Wilma shouted over the portal that was definitely making a scene, her question directed at Emma, who had showed up at the same time as Winnie and Killian, clearly intending to check it out, as well. That was also why Emma was equally clueless, but one thing was for sure — the portal was getting out of control and dangerous, and this was confirmed when the doors of the barn flew open and the whole building seemed to be on the verge of destruction. It was evident that coming there had been a bad idea, and Killian was the first one to point that out.

"We need to leave!", he yelled, taking Wilma's hand, but before their fingers could intertwine and they could make an attempt to leave, the portal had sucked them in. Screaming, Wilma collapsed onto the ground and the irresistible power kept dragging her closer, doing the same to Emma and Killian, but whereas they managed to maintain some distance, Wilma was sucked right in the heart of the portal.