"Mom, can we go for a walk in the park, please?" Eight-year-old Henry asked, poking his head into his mother's office.
The queen looked up, about to plead busyness, when she caught sight of her son's entreating gaze, and caved in to the irresistible cuteness that resided there. "Alright, go get your coat; it's still a little chilly out." She replied, shuffling papers on her desk.
"Sweet, thanks!" He grinned, encircling her in an impetuous hug before running out to grab the requested pea coat.
Regina smiled at his quickly retreating form; ever wondrous at the void the charismatic boy had filled. "No, thank you." She whispered softly.
Ten minutes later found the duo strolling hand-in-hand through the local park, enjoying the early spring weather.
On such occasions, one of Henry's favorite pastimes was feeding the Trumpeter Swans that lived there, laughing in delight as the dignified ivory birds squabbled like children over the bread crumbs tossed to them.
"They sure like the bread, don't they, Mom?"
"They can be quite possessive when it concerns free food." She noted with a chuckle.
"Yeah, but they're so pretty." He commented as snow-white feathers pummeled the air before gracefully gliding upwards in unfettered flight.
Regina opened her mouth, about to tack on that they were "tasty as well" before thinking better of it as they slowly headed back home.
"Look, daffodils." Henry pointed out abruptly, indicating a clump of the bright yellow flowers, waving gently in the April breeze.
Regina smiled wistfully as the innocent comment brought up dusty memories from long ago. "My father used to bring me daffodils in the spring." She remarked quietly.
Henry cocked his head to peer up at her, interested. "Your dad that I'm named after?"
"Yes," She nodded, reminiscing as a fond smile played across her features. "He used to say that daffodils represented those special 'moments' in life; they're beautiful, but so brief, yet we remember them forever." She finished, choking out a nostalgia-laced laugh that ended in a sigh.
"He said we needed to make the most of the 'daffodil days' that came our way, before it was too late."
Henry gazed up at his adopted mother for a minute, before reaching down and tugging up a bunch of the blossoms, proudly presenting them to her with a smile. "Well, now you have me to bring them to you every spring."
"Oh, Henry…thank you." The mayor returned, her voice dropping with emotion as she accepted the simple bouquet that meant more than any professional creation.
Another giant hug was her son's response, almost throwing the queen off her feet with the force of the impact. "I think it's been a 'daffodil day', don't you, Mom?" He asked happily, his question muffled by the folds of her wool coat.
"It most certainly has." She agreed.
"I love you, Mom."
Regina's eyes grew faintly misty as she pulled her son closer, knowing that right here, with this child, was her true happy ending. "I love you too, Henry. Never forget that."
Five years later….
"Thanks for listening about my mom without completely writing me off." Henry commented, catching a wayward drop of chocolate ice cream as the pair headed back through the park to Mary Margaret and David's apartment.
"It was my pleasure." Regina assured him. "If you ever want to talk some more, I'll be here." She concluded, gazing into the face of the son who didn't remember her or their life together.
"Thanks." He smiled as he finished off his cone.
The former Evil Queen quickly searched through her mind for another suitable topic of conversation, determined to make the most of every minute spent with her memory-deprived child.
Before such a topic could present itself however, Henry broke the silence himself by suddenly saying, "Hey, look, there's some daffodils over there."
Regina froze up at the remark, another walk flashing through her head, followed by the preceding years of a boy with tousled hair, racing through the house with the first daffodils of spring. A boy who thought of her as his mother, not the Evil Queen, a villain or a strange mayor of a random town, but just his mother.
Caught up with the past, she didn't hear him speak the first time.
"Ms. Mayor?"
"I'm sorry." She started apologetically. "What did you say?"
"I asked if you wanted some flowers." He stated, holding up a handful of the delicate sun-kissed blooms.
She stared at him for a moment; emotion threatening to overflow onto her carefully composed face. "Yes." She finally whispered, gently taking the flowers. "Yes, I would…thank you."
"You're welcome." He grinned, shoving his hands into his coat pockets. "I heard somewhere that daffodils represent our lives; the special times and good memories." He continued nonchalantly, not noticing the sudden spasm that passed over his companion's face.
"Really?"
"Yeah, you know, daffodils don't last very long, just like the good times, so we should be thankful when we have them."
Regina took in a shaky breath, willing her nerves to remain calm. "I think that's very true." She managed, smiling somewhat tremulously at him as she asked hesitantly, "And is today a 'daffodil day'?"
A big Henry-smile was thrown her way as he neatly tossed his balled-up napkin into a nearby garbage can. "Yes, it is."
I know you don't remember me, Henry. That doesn't change how I feel, though. I want you to be happy, to live a rich life filled to the brim with 'daffodil days'. You deserve that much at least, after all the pain I've put you through. Even if your memories are never restored, you need to know I love you. Forever. Never forget that.
A/N: One of two one shots I'm planning on posting this week. I have a couple seeds of inspiration that may or may not flower into fruition for a lengthier story about young Regina next week. Those plot bunnies have been biting… But we shall see.