Snow ran through the hallway, taking her violet dress between her hands to not trip over it. She shouldn't be running, Johanna and Regina had told her so many times, but she wanted to get as fast as possible to her stepmother. Once outside the door, she fixed her dress carefully and took a breath before hitting the door with a few taps.

The door opened within seconds, and she smiled when she saw her new stepmother on the other side of the door. She wasn't wearing a dress as she had done the previous day; this time she was wearing clothes that could be used for riding. She loved that about Regina; she loved riding, and Snow wanted to ride with her, but she still didn't dare to get on a horse.

Not after what she had been through.

"Snow, what are you doing here?"

"I just wanted to know if it was true you were going to ride," Snow answered, walking right after her and closing the door behind her.

"Yes, it's true," Regina simply said, putting on her earrings. She watched her stepdaughter's face through the mirror and arched an eyebrow. "What's wrong, dear?"

"I wanted to know if one day, you could help me get back to riding…" Snow swallowed hard and folded her arms, trying to stop the nervousness from playing with her fingers.

The last time she'd tried getting back on a horse, she'd found Regina with the stable boy. Snow knew that the stable boy had fled away, leaving Regina alone. Luckily, she had found love in her father and now the three of them were a family.

"If you want, of course."

Regina frowned, eyes moving down. She was trying to be nice to the girl, because she managed to get away from her mother's control and she no longer felt that anger and hatred she felt every day when her mother was with her. Snow was a child, and Regina couldn't help but caring for this child.

It was obvious that Snow was always trying to get her attention or seeking her approval. She loved her; that was the reason why Regina was trying to be nice to her. Her mother had been always cruel with her when she was a child, and now she was someone's mother, well, stepmother.

But the way Snow's eyes watched her every day, it was clear that the girl looked at her as if she were her mother, with love and adoration. And Regina didn't want to repeat her mother's mistakes; she didn't want to be cruel to a child.

She could keep doing this, because now she was going to take lessons with Rumpelstiltskin. She'd told him she was going to have lessons with him to have more power, but learning how to bring someone back from the dead was what she really wanted. Magic could do many things, and Regina hoped that was one of those things. She wanted true happiness, and though she could have moments of happiness, sometimes with her father, sometimes with Snow, she wasn't happy.

If she could bring Daniel back from the death, she was going to be truly happy. With him.

"Of course. I'll help you get back on a horse, one day," a smile formed on Regina's lips, even if she felt a bit of pain to see Snow's eyes lighting up.

Truth was, she could never help her get back on a horse if her plan succeeded. She'd run away with Daniel and she'd never see Snow again.

"Thank you so much, Regina," Snow smiled widely as she walked over to her stepmother. She moved her gaze to her dresser and frowned when she saw a small object. "You're not taking this pendant with you? It's truly beautiful."

Regina looked down at the object in Snow's hands. It was her gold pendant; the tree of life. She decided to not use it since she sent her mother away. But she still kept it; it was a gift from her mother, as many gifts she'd given to her.

Regina loved that her mother gave her things though she always knew that these things were given without love. But she loved the pendant, because it reminded her of her apple tree.

But she didn't want to use it. She did not want anything else from her mother.

"No, I will not use it anymore," Regina answered as a matter of fact, watching her reflection on the mirror and fixing the braids on her long, black hair.

"Oh, and why is that?" Regina had to have known that Snow was going to ask that question; curious girl.

"Because I am a Queen now and Queens don't wear that kind of pendants."

Regina turned around after having fixing her braids and glanced over at her stepdaughter. Snow had her stare on the pendant, gently moving her fingers through it. She frowned slightly, knowing what she could do with that pendant.

"Would you like to take it?"

Snow looked up at her, big smile breaking in on her face. "Really?"

"Yes..." Regina grinned. "To always remember me."

Snow nodded excitedly and walked up to her, encircling her waist with her thin arms. Regina sighed and rested her chin on the girl's head, wrapping her body in her arms as well.

She knew this was the girl who had betrayed her, she was the cause of Daniel's death, but if Daniel came back, and she would run away with him, she didn't want to leave this girl without anything from her.

Regina knew she should hate her, but she couldn't do it – not completely. There were times when she just couldn't look at Snow, because all she could see was the girl who had caused Daniel's death. But then there were times like this, in which she had the feeling to want to be a good influence on this girl; she didn't want to be evil with a little girl who loved her like a her mother.

"Snow..." Regina whispered, knowing it was time to get away from Snow, before the tears came out from her eyes. "I should get going."

"Oh, right," Snow moved away from her; she raised her hands up and her grin only grew as she moved her green gaze from the pendant to Regina's eyes. "I'll keep it with me, Regina… always. Thank you."

"You're welcome, dear," Regina caressed her right cheek with her thumb.

"I must return to Johanna. I'll see you at dinner?"

Regina nodded. "See you at dinner."

Snow smiled once more before turning around and heading towards the door to disappear from her sight.

Regina sighed deeply, shaking her head to clear the thoughts out of her head. She had to do this. She had to go to Rumpelstiltskin, and learn how to bring someone back from death to get Daniel back.

It was the only way she could be truly happy.

Regina sighed as she walked into the Charmings' cabin. She wasn't supposed to be here, but she just had to take a couple of pillows to for her own cabin. When she came in, she couldn't even imagine how embarrassing had to be for Emma Swan to sleep in the same room as her parents. She didn't want to think about that right now, so she went to one of the beds to get what she was looking for.

She took a couple of pillows and quickly got out of bed, without even having delicacy about it. But as the pillows fell out of bed, she heard a loud noise on the floor.

Regina moved her eyes down, noticing that Snow's backpack was there.

Great, she probably broke something of Snow White.

Regina left the pillows aside and knelt to pick up the backpack. The closure was open, so some things had managed to get out of the backpack. She took Henry's book first, her fingers gripping at the object, remembering her beloved son.

How could he be out there without her protection, or at least someone's protection? She always knew that while Henry was away from her, at least he was under the protection of David, and then Emma and Snow. Three adults were there to protect him, but now there was no one. Her innocent child was out there alone, who knew how.

Even if she hated these words, she knew she would find him. They would find him.

Letting out a sigh, and holding back the tears, Regina placed Henry's book back in Snow's backpack and turned her eyes to the blanket that was sticking out of the backpack. She took it lightly and carefully cleared it away, to see what it was. She frowned, not knowing why Snow White could bring a baby blanket in her backpack, but after turning the blanket, she knew the reason.

Emma's name was embroidered in purple on a corner of the blanket. This was Emma's baby blanket, and Snow as mother wanted to bring it to any place where they were going.

They were going to the Enchanted Forest, while she was going to die protecting them. But they decided to come back for her.

They'd come back for her.

"What are you doing here?"

"You were willing to die to save us, that makes you a hero. And now we're gonna be heroes," Henry told her, hope shinning in his dark green eyes.

"We're gonna open a portal and send this thing through to avoid," David said looking at the magic between her hands.

"No," she shook her head firmly. "You don't know that it'll work."

"We have to try." Snow said.

She remembered the looks that she and Snow exchanged. She didn't know why she stopped to think about this, but she was doing it. They were willing to risk their lives to save her, she realized that back when Snow said those last words to her. And so they did, because they all thought they were going to die. She was already resigned, but having Henry at her side did nothing but break her.

She loved him so much, she needed to see him again; she needed to know that he was safe, at least.

The tears were about to come out of her eyes, so she quickly put Emma's baby blanket inside the backpack again, and returned her gaze to the last object that had managed to get out.

She frowned, recognizing the thing. She took it carefully between her hands, and watched it, unable to believe that Snow had found this.

It was Snow's memory box. Of course she knew this box. She'd shown it to her. Regina looked at the door, making sure there was no one that could come in and interrupt her. She placed the small box in front of her and opened it gently, watching what was inside.

There were Snow's personal items. Necklaces and rings that she well knew, but there was something she didn't know. A pair of pink baby booties. Regina frowned slightly and took the baby booties, watching them curiously.

This probably should have been Emma's baby booties. She could feel some of Snow White's pain now. Her child was away from her, she had no idea how he could be, and that was breaking her heart with each passing day. Snow had to send her baby through a wardrobe, not knowing how she would be, and knowing she wouldn't see her again, at least until she was twenty-eight.

Regina shook her head, clearing the thoughts from her mind. She didn't want to start feeling guilty about everything she did, because if she did that, she would be full and full of guilt. She placed the baby booties where they were, but something caught her attention.

Something was shining on the bottom of the small box. She ran a couple of rings aside and took what was shining. It was a pendant gold.

A pendant of the tree of life. It was the pendant that she'd gifted to Snow once.

Regina swallowed, taking the pendant out the box. She wondered how Snow had managed to keep it. But most important of things, why did she keep it? This thing was among her most valuable things.

Did Snow consider this pendant as one of her most valuable things? Why? After all they had been through, why she still kept something she'd given her?

Regina heard footsteps from the door; her eyes looked up to find Snow's face, staring at her in amazement and surprise. She held on to the pendant and gulped.

"What are you doing here?" Snow asked first, green eyes moving back and forth between the pendant and her brown gaze. "And with that?"

"The backpack fell and..." Regina didn't know what to say, she was absolutely shocked at the thought of Snow keeping her pendant, and then having to confront Snow about it. "Why did you keep it?"

"I took my box always with me, even when Graham took me to the woods to... kill me," Snow sighed, letting go of the door to walk inside. "I never threw the box away, nor did I throw the pendant away."

"Why?" Regina asked as Snow knelt in front of her, closing the small box.

"You said to always remember you. And that's what I did," Regina frowned confused at that, so Snow kept on with that calm voice of hers and tiny smile on her lips. "I always thought that you could change for the things that I remembered of you but this… this was a solid thing that I could see and remember what you were. This pendant did exactly what you wanted it to do. It always reminded of you. The real you."

An awkward silence filled the room.

Regina didn't dare to raise her eyes, and Snow didn't push to keep talking about it. She took her backpack and stood up on her feet, turning around to place the backpack on her bed.

Regina stood up slowly, her eyes still on the pendant.

She wasn't sure what to do. Did she want this pendant back? Or should she give it back to Snow White?

Snow turned again, this time finding Regina staring at the pendant. "Do you want it back?"

"This is a gift from my mother to me," Regina looked up, meeting Snow's eyes. "You killed her. You shouldn't keep it."

Regina frowned slightly to see a hint of sadness in Snow's eyes. She wasn't sure why this time; if it was because the mention of her mother's death, or that she wouldn't keep more this pendant?

"It's – it's okay," Snow nodded. "You're right. If this was a gift from your mother to you, you should keep it."

Another silence filled the room as Regina's fingers clung to her new-old pendant. Snow's eyes looked anywhere but her though Regina couldn't help but stare at her face, remembering some things from their past.

After all these years, she'd kept her pendant. She'd placed it with her most valuable possessions.

"I'll keep it with me, Regina… always. Thank you."

Yes, she did. She could fulfill her word for it, at least.

Snow turned to head out the door, walking a few steps to leave the room as Regina sighed, looking down.

"Wait."

Snow frowned confused but turned around all the same, not knowing what she was going to find this time. Regina made it clear she couldn't keep that pendant; Snow didn't blame her, she had every right to have it back, but that didn't mean it didn't hurt her.

It was just a pendant… but it was more than that to her.

That pendant was all she had of the real Regina, her stepmother.

Regina reached out her hand to her as Snow's eyes widened in surprise. "I've given it to you once."

Snow's lips parted in surprise. "I – I wasn't expecting you to give it to me back, you have every right to keep it, Regina. It was always yours."

"Yes, it's true," Regina swallowed a bit nervous about this situation. "It is mine, but I want you to keep having it."

Snow arched an eyebrow in confusion, but the mayor recognized a hint of light in her green eyes. "Really?"

Snow looked up at her, big smile breaking in on her face. "Really?"

"Yes," she said, trying to not repeat the same words she once said. "I know that you want it back."

"But... your mother..."

"And now I'm giving it to you," a scowl draw between her eyebrows as she realized her own words. "Again…" she sighed, eyes moving from the pendant to Snow's face. "So, do you want it back or not?"

"Yes!" Snow cursed herself in the inside to sound so excited about it. "Yes..." she repeated, trying to sound calm. Regina raised her eyebrows at her and handed her the pendant, Snow taking it back with a big smile curving her lips. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

She kept her eyes on Snow, watching as the other woman examined the pendant, as if it was the first time she was seeing it.

It was shocking that Regina still could see the little girl or teenager that she'd raised in this adult woman, her enemy.

"I just came here for this," Regina spoke up, bringing Snow back to reality. The mayor walked over to the bed and took a couple of pillows. "I assumed that you had many pillows here."

"Oh, yes, of course."

Regina nodded slightly as she moved toward the door. She opened it and turned to see Snow; she was placing the pendant back in the little box again.

She cleared her throat to get Snow's attention, and so she did; her lips curved to the side, a little bit uncomfortable about saying this, but she knew she had to. She took courage and found Snow's eyes. "Thanks for keeping it."

Snow grinned and nodded. "I said always. I'll keep holding on to that."

Regina nodded before turning and walking out of the cabin, heading towards her own. If Snow kept her pendant all this time, that meant that she was always present – in some way or another – in her life.

Of course, she was always present in Snow White's life, trying to destroy it, but when Snow looked at that pendant, she said it herself; it reminded her. The real her. And she wanted more than anything to be that person again, for Henry.

She wanted her son's love, but she wanted love. She wanted to be loved by Henry, and she already was; she would never forget his words.

"I love you too."

She had Henry's love now. But why did she feel so good knowing that Snow could still believe in her? There was no way that they could get back to what they once were; a family. Now they were family because of Henry.

Or had they always been family and she'd never seen it?

Regina shook her head slightly, trying to clear those thoughts.

But she kept one; what if Snow still believed in her? Did she still believe that she could change?

Regina couldn't help the small – but real – smile appearing on her lips.