ยท Author's Note: In this story Cora never died and both Regina and Cora have made an effort to mend their relationship. Therefore, Cora has been living with Regina in her house.
Regina and Cora had just finished dinner and Cora had gone to take a shower while Regina washed the dishes. Cora had tried to help Regina with the dishes but she insisted on doing it by herself. So Cora headed up stairs.
Cora could tell something was bothering her daughter but she couldn't figure it out. They still had their issues with each other but they had come a very long way. Every once and a while Regina would shut down on Cora and push her away but after a while
Cora would slowly get Regina to open back up to her. She had the feeling this is what Regina was doing now. Shutting down.
As Regina sat their drying dishes she started to let her mind wonder off. She started to think about her life and all the mistakes she made. She doesn't regret most things she has done because all of it got her Henry but there are a few things she can't
forget. That's why she decided to give her mother a chance. She knew that if she didn't she would later on regret making the decision to give up her other parent on the count of revenge. Revenge was not going to make her decisions anymore, she was.
Since Cora had gotten her heart back, she had become the mother Regina always wanted but she still had a hard time being with her mother sometimes. It felt strange having her mother's approval and affection. She had a hard time dealing with someone being
there and loving her after so long of not having anybody. She felt bad when she pushed her mother away but she needed time and space to work through her issues. And after so many years of not being able to show weakness or her emotions around her
mother, it was hard for her not to put up a wall to hide her true feelings when she was around her mother. "Why is it so hard to fix a relationship with someone you have blood connection with but so easy to fix a relationship with someone you have
no connection to?" Regina thought to herself. She then slid the last plate into the cabinet and closed it.
She left the kitchen and headed towards the stairs. As she watched her hand slide on the railing her mind started to think of Daniel and the days she had spent with him. Those were the happiest days of her life, when she could take away all the pain just
by being with him. That was one of the things she still had trouble getting over, was that her own mother killed her true love. How could she forgive her for that?
As she let go of the railing and came off the steps she heard her mother come out of the hallway bathroom. She did not want to talk to her mother right now so she bolted towards her her bedroom and opened the door. As she closed the door and stopped,
she heard her mother walk past her room and go into her own bedroom. "Yes she didn't see me." Regina thought to herself.
As Cora came out of the bathroom she saw Regina quickly close the door. She knew Regina was probably just trying to work through some things but it still made her sad that Regina didn't come to her and tell her what was bothering her. She knew she still
had to gain Regina's faith and trust but she still felt that maybe they had finally gotten to the point where Regina would confide in her. She thought about going and checking on her and seeing if maybe Regina would talk to her but she was going to
wait a while longer. She just still had hopes that one day they would have a good mother daughter relationship together. She also knew that if Regina truly wanted this relationship to work, she would come to her and tell her what the problem was.
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Regina went into her bathroom and locked the door and slid down the door. She was not going to cry, she was stronger then this. She took her hands and wiped her eyes and stood up. She quickly undressed and hopped in the shower. She washed her hair
and enjoyed the hot water. She stood under the water for a while longer then turned it off. She stepped out and dried off. She wrapped the towel around herself and walked out of the bathroom. Her mind kept wondering to her mother and it was making
her angry. She just wanted to have some peace.
She opened her dresser drawer and grabbed some sweat pants and a long sleeved shirt. Most nights she slept in her nice silk pajamas but tonight she wanted to be very comfortable. She wanted to wear something cozy. She quickly threw on the clothes
and put her dirty ones in the basket in front of the closet.
As she pulled the covers down on her bed she paused for a minute, she remembered something she had not thought about in a long time. She walked over to her walk-in closet and thought for a moment. Then she walked over to where she kept her shoes.
She looked for a second then spotted it. She bent down on her knees and pulled out a black and gold trunk. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath to make sure she was ready to open this trunk. She had not opened it since she first cast the
curse. Once she knew she was ready she opened it. Her breath hitched when her eyes saw all the things that were in this trunk. Before she casted the dark curse she took all things she truly cherished that anybody had ever given her. There was
not a lot in the trunk because there wasn't many people she cherished. Most of them had come from Daniel or her father but there were a few other items that had come from other people. She saw a bunch of letters that had a string wrapped around
them. These were all the letters Daniel had given her. Then she saw a little bear her father had given her when she was seven. She also saw A drawling she had kept from when Snow White was very young. It had a bunch little feathers around the
page and it said, "The kindest and fairest Mom in all the lands." It was the one thing she had kept that Snow had given her.
Then she saw it. A dark red box covered in velvet. It also had a black heart right in the center of it. She turned the little box over and it read, "My darling Regina, what lies in this box means so much to me, just like you. I hope you cherish it
all your life, just like I cherish you." As she read this tears started to roll down her cheeks. Then she flipped it over and opened it. There laid a necklace that had a heart shaped diamond in the middle with rubies also shaped like a heart going
in a line around the diamond. It was placed on a gold chain that was thin and delicate. It was simple but beautiful and she had always loved the way it looked. She closed her hand around the box and stood up, She then closed the trunk, turned
the lights off in the closet, and walked back to her bed.
She placed the box on the nightstand beside the bed and crawled into the bed. She pulled the covers up to her hips and turned over so that her face was facing the nightstand. Once she was settled and comfortable she grabbed the box off the nightstand.
She thought about when she got this. It was on her 16th birthday. Her mother would usually just give her dresses or things she would never use. Cora would never do mother daughter things with her on her birthday. She would just tell her happy
birthday and throw her a ball but balls never meant anything to her. And besides her mother would only ever throw the balls to advertise her to possible suitors. So everything her mother ever did for on her birthday's usually made her feel rejected.
But on this birthday she didn't throw her a ball or give her dresses or anything she normally did. This birthday, Cora woke her up early in the morning and sat her down and did her hair and makeup. One thing about her mother was that her mother,
never in her life had done Regina's hair and makeup. She might have used her magic to make sure she looked perfect but never did her mother take the time to sit there and personally do it all without magic. So it felt so strange to Regina but
at the same time it felt so natural to her. After she finished her hair and makeup she picked out a riding outfit that had black leather pants with a purple lace top that hugged Regina's figure in all the right places. She looked beautiful in
every way.
Then her mother went and put her own riding clothes on and they went down to the stables together. Cora did not use magic to saddle either of the horses, she had Regina show her how to do it. Regina was so surprised because Cora was so against Regina
doing what the servants were supposed too. After they saddled the horses they got on them and left. Cora took Regina to a beautiful lake that Henry owned. Once they were there they both got off their horses and walked to the lake. There was a
bench that sat right beside the lake. Cora sat Regina down and pulled out a dark red box and then told her how when she was sixteen her mother had given her this. Then she gave the box to Regina and watched as Regina opened it. After Regina had
opened it Cora told her how proud she was of her and how beautiful she was. She told her how Regina how she was the most perfect daughter and she couldn't have asked for a better one. On this day Cora expressed her love to Regina. She didn't use
magic or correct her for anything and tell how she needed to act like a lady. On this day, Cora let Regina be herself. This day meant everything to Regina and she would always cherish that day with her mother.
Regina came back from that memory with tears once again sliding down her cheeks. She took the necklace out of the box and wrapped it around her hand and placed the box on the nightstand. She slid down further into the bed and continued to think about
that day. Soon she was consumed by sleep and in a long time fell to sleep thinking good things about her mother.
Cora had read a book for a little while then decided to go check on Regina. She got up out of the bed and walked into the hallway. She turned towards Regina's room and saw that the light was on. She opened the door, expecting to find Regina awake
but found her sound asleep in her bed. She quietly walked over to the bed and and sat down slowly. She started to pull the covers up on Regina when she noticed something in Regina's hand that was curled up to her chest, almost like she was hugging
her hand. She look closely and saw that it was the necklace she had given to Regina on her 16th birthday. She smiled as tears came to her eyes, She was so happy Regina had kept the necklace. That necklace had meant so much to her and the fact
that she had kept it after everything she had done to her was very surprising. The day she had given this necklace to Regina was the first that she had truly treated Regina like her daughter. Everything about that day made her so happy. She looked
down at Regina and just thought about how proud of her she was. Regina meant everything to her and she never wanted to lose her.
"Oh, Regina.' Cora said softly. "I am so proud of you. Even after everything that has happened to you, you still made it through. You truly are the strongest person I have met. I would be nothing without you Regina. So no matter what happens, you
mean everything to me. Never forgot that." Cora then stood up and leaned down and kissed Regina's forehead.
She then pulled the covers up to her chest and whispered, "Goodnight, my baby." With that Cora turned off the light and closed the door. She went straight to her room and into bed.
It had been a few hours since Cora had left Regina's room and gone to bed. Regina had been sleeping peacefully when her mind wondered in her sleep to a dream.
Regina's Dream
Everything had been going according to plan. They were winning and neither of them had been injured. Then she came in to see her mother about to kill the little imp. She ran up behind Cora and plunged her hand into Cora's chest, returning her heart to her body. Then Cora turned around and for the first time Regina saw it. Her mother had true love in her eyes as she looked at Regina. Then everything went wrong. The next thing she knew she was on the ground holding her mother.
"Mother?! Mother!" Regina yelled at her mother's still body.
"Mother, please don't leave me? Please don't leave me!" Regina realized that her mother was gone and wasn't coming back.
Gold stood up and looked at Regina, "All of this happened because you couldn't simply forgive your mother Regina. Now look where it has gotten you. She is lying here dead in your arms."
"No! You don't get to leave me. You can't leave me! Please don't leave me mother! Please don't leave me?!" Regina said shaking her mother.
Cora had been asleep when she was woken up when she started to hear screaming. She bolted awake and realized Regina was the one screaming. She ran out out of room asfast as she could. She busted through Regina's door to see Regina in her bed
screaming and shaking.
"No! Mother! Please don't leave me mother! Please don't leave me." Regina was screaming in her bed.
Cora sat down in the bed and grabbed Regina and started to shake her. "Regina, Sweetheart wake up." Cora said trying to wake her daughter up from this nightmare.
"Mother please! You can't leave me. Please don't leave me!" Regina said in her sleep.
"Regina, baby come on wake up! I am right here, baby. Come on sweetheart, wake up!" Cora said trying to wake her up.
Regina screamed once again then bolted awake. She sat straight up and started to sob.
"Regina It's okay. I am right here baby. I am right here." Cora said, grabbing Regina and pulling her against her.
Regina realized that it was a dream and her mother was right here. She started to sob even harder when she heard her mother tell her it was okay. As Cora pulled her up next to her Regina wrapped her arms around Cora's back and continued to cry.
"Shhh...It's okay, darling. I am right here. Your're okay. Your're safe." Cora said trying to reassure Regina.
"Mommy..please don't leave me? Please don't leave me?" Regina said hugging Cora even tighter.
"I will never leave you baby. I promise, I am gonna stay right here with you." Cora said starting to rock back and forth with Regina.
Regina had her head resting on Cora's chest and her arms wrapped around her waist. "I will do anything but please, just don't leave me?"
"I am not gonna leave you. I promise. I will never leave you darling." Cora said once again. She continued to tell her it was okay in hopes Regina would calm down.
Regina started to think about how in her dream Gold said it all happened because she couldn't forgive Cora. She had to forgive her mother. Cora was her mother, not matter what she had ever done. She had to forgive her mother. She was not going to
lose her mother again. Regina took a few deep breath to calm herself and then sat up and looked her mother in the eye.
"You asked me a question sometime ago and I never answered you. You asked me if I could forgive you." Regina took a little pause before she continued. "Can I forgive you?... My answer is yes. I can forgive you. No matter what ever happened you are
my mother first and foremost. I love you so much and no matter what I say or do that is never going to change. I love you Mom." Regina said with tears streaming down her face.
Cora did not know what to say, so she reached forward and engulfed Regina and a huge hug. "I love you too, baby." Cora said as she kissed Regina's head. " I am so proud of you Regina. So proud." Cora also had tears streaming down her face. Cora felt
so relieved. Regina had forgiven her and that was all that mattered.
Regina was still crying but she had a smile on her face because she knew that no matter happened she was always going to have her mother. She was always going to have her mother's love. And that...meant everything to her.
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RL :-)