Snow marched right up to Regina's front door. She felt a nervousness in her breath, but her resolve stood firm. She knew what she had to do, the price she had to pay for what she had done. Sure, she had been maddened by grief at the death of her childhood governess and the revelation of her mother's true killer so many years ago. Sure, she regretted her actions now, and she had tried to put it right. But that did not erase the fact that she had committed murder, and had set a grief-stricken, vengeful sorceress on this town. She knew she needed to take responsibility for her actions, however much she regretted them, before someone else got caught in the crossfire.

Snow raised her hand and took a stabilizing breath before she knocked firmly. When Regina opened the door, she froze at the sight of her nemesis.

"You," she whispered darkly.

"Regina, I came to tell you how much I regret what I did," Snow told her.

"You think that makes everything ok?" Regina asked. "You tricked me into killing my own mother!"

"I've come to take responsibility for my actions," Snow assured her. "You have every right to want to avenge your mother, but this feud between you and I… it's caused too much loss of life already. I'm here to end it, once and for all. I give you your vengeance, I give you my life in return for your mother's, and this hurtful, harmful feud can finally come to an end."

Snow stood tall and prepared for the worst. At first, Regina only stared at the woman in front of her, her dark eyes seeming to hesitate. Then, she thrust her hand into Snow's chest, relishing the pained gasp that escaped her enemy's lips as she curled her fingers around her pulsing heart. She did not tug the muscle out right away. She stood holding it in her grasp, applying a slight pressure that kept Snow's lips parted as she held her breath, waiting for the final blow, but it didn't come. She looked at Regina, her eyes wide and confused. Regina pulled her a bit closer, nearly across the threshold of her front door so that she could whisper menacingly in her ear.

"I could kill you right now, Snow," she sneered, and she felt a desire to do it pulse through her as she tightened her grasp and felt Snow stiffen. "Crush your heart to dust and watch your body crumple before me. You killed my mother, and I will have my vengeance."

Snow pressed her eyes shut and waited for Regina's parting words to be over.

"But killing you, that wouldn't be my vengeance, would it?" Regina asked in a quiet, intimidating whisper. Snow opened her eyes and they found Regina's, wondering where she was going with this. "No, I wouldn't get my vengeance if I killed you. If death were the greatest punishment, then I would not be feeling this pain. This vast emptiness I've felt since her death. So you see, Snow, death isn't the ultimate suffering. And more than anything, I want to see you suffer."

Snow blinked, terrified at the rage and malice she saw in the dark eyes before her as she continued to feel Regina's fingernails digging into her heart.

"You killed my mother. You killed my family. So no, I'm not going to kill you. I'm going to kill someone from your family."

Snow's jaw dropped, though she could not speak for the hold Regina had over her, holding her heart in the palm of her hand. Regina brought her lips close to Snow's ear, so that Snow felt the prickle of her breath as she spoke.

"Say goodbye to your daughter, Snow White," she whispered.

"N-!" Snow began to exclaim, a wide-eyed, protective fear pulsing through her, but in one swift motion, Regina yanked her heart from her chest and squeezed. Snow felt the void in her chest tighten as she gasped for breath until she fell slumped against the doorframe and slid out of consciousness. Regina loosened her grasp on Snow's heart and stood looking down at her unconscious pray, a vengeful smile sprouting on her lips.