"You seem preoccupied," said Snow gently.

Regina had decided to visit Snow in the middle of the week instead of waiting for the next weekend to roll around. She was eager for Robin to speak with the King, and with how crazy life had been lately, she liked the idea of visiting Snow now and skipping the upcoming weekend. She felt like she needed the breathing room.

She sighed deeply at Snow's question. But where before she had decided not to fill the girl in on her life's chaotic events, she made the opposite decision this time. Soon she was telling Snow everything, from the ordeal with Fergus to her troubles with magic to Rumpelstiltskin's visit to her concern over Robin.

Snow looked a little taken aback by the sudden flood of information. But eventually she smiled. "I'm never seen two people more in love than you and Robin," she said. "I can't imagine you two not working things out."

Regina felt some weight lift from her shoulders. Sometimes she needed to remind herself of the bond she and Robin shared. She too was confident they could make it through, but sometimes in all the strife it was easy for her to forget the fact of her certainty.

Snow gave a large sigh. "I shall never fall in love."

Regina was shocked she would say such a thing. "What do you mean?"

"It's just," Snow gave a shrug. "True love doesn't exist."

Regina nearly laughed. "What about Robin and I?"

"You two had pixie dust," said Snow simply. "That doesn't come a long very often." She and Regina continued their obligatory weekly walk. "You lost Daniel, and father lost my mother. True love can be found, but its rare and fleeting. I will marry some prince from a neighboring kingdom, and I will be happy. But I can't hope to find that kind of love. It just doesn't exist for me."

Regina thought that was a terribly sad outlook. "Everyone needs hope," she said.

Upon arriving home, Regina took a walk into the woods, calling for Tinkerbell when she found a secluded spot.

She couldn't get her conversation with Snow out of her head. I seemed like there wasn't much hope to go around lately. Snow held little of it for her love life, Ursula seemed ever uncertain of her and Eric's prospects for the future, and Regina was becoming ever more uncertain about the welfare of her husband.

The King had denied Robin's request to step down as Sheriff. He had done his job too well, the King was unwilling to part from the best Sheriff he'd ever had. He did, however, assign Robin more men to help him better distribute the long hours and to provide more protection against the increasing attacks. But Robin didn't like they were men he didn't know and therefore couldn't completely trust.

Regina told herself Robin could inspire trust in anyone, but she knew not all the King's men were honorable. Adding more men to Robin's party could be as much of a hurt as a help. And what she really wanted - for Robin to be free of the position, for the two of them to be able to make a modest life together and free of any entanglements from their past - seemed near impossible to achieve.

She wanted some hope - needed it. It didn't even have to be her own. She just needed someone or something she could be hopeful for. And Tinkerbell was the only person she could think of who could help.

At the last, after several calls into the trees, the glowing ball of green light appeared and approached until Regina could make out the shape of the fairy. Smiling gleefully, Tinkerbell grew in size and embraced her friend. Regina had seen little of her since she and Robin had married. As a full-time fairy, Tink was busy and had to conform to certain regulations that prevented her from spending as much time with Regina as either of them would have liked.

"How are you, dear?" asked Tink as they ended their embrace.

Regina quickly explained about Ursula and her lost merman.

"And you want me to find him?" asked Tink, her tone uncertain.

"You weren't there when she talked about him," Regina explained. "The look on her face - there's still love there."

"Even so," said Tink. "He might not want to see her."

"I think something happened," said Regina. "Something that's preventing him from seeing her."

"But you don't know that," said Tink.

"No," Regina admitted. "I don't." But she felt it was true. It just didn't make sense otherwise. The look on Ursula's face was enough to convince her there was love there and that it was real.

"True love exists for everyone," Regina insisted. "You showed me that. I just want you to show it to someone else. And I think Ursula of all people could use the help."

Robin had not yet been successful in finding someone who would take Ursula and her son in, and Regina knew she wasn't satisfied with life in the sanctuary. The more time she spent around Ursula, the more she found her to be a very independent woman. She didn't like to have to depend on others for her livelihood. Her easy nature around Regina seemed to be the exception, and Regina knew it was only because of her magic. She worried what Ursula would do something good in her life didn't come around soon.

Tinkerbell sighed. "If it's important to you, I'll speak with her."

"Regina has a fairy godmother?" Ursula asked in surprise when Tinkerbell introduced herself and explained the situation.

"More like a fairy friend," Tink amended.

Even so, Ursula couldn't help but wonder what origins Regina had come from to accommodate her with such powerful friends. First she was married to the famed Robin Hood, then apprenticed to the Dark One, and now the friend of a real live fairy. Ursula could barely wrap her mind around it.

And it was just as difficult for her to consider what Tinkerbell was offering. Find Caspian? Could it be done? And if so, did she even want to? Her heart told her yes, but her head told her no.

He had left her and never returned. She was certain - she had convinced herself - he had never really wanted anything more from her than the one night they had shared. And yet she knew she had told herself such things to make life easier - so she could be strong for Eric.

Her heart, despite her protests to it, continued to tell her Caspian had loved her and had wanted to be with her. Something must have happened. And if she never found the answer, she would always wonder.

And so, after some arguing with herself and finally deciding to leave Eric in Regina's care, Ursula agreed to Tinkerbell's offer.

"Do you have anything of his?" Tink asked. "Or anything he might have touched during that day when you met?"

Ursula didn't have to think hard. She presented Tinkerbell with a pale orange spiral shell about the size of her palm. Caspian had given it to her at the moment of their parting as a keepsake. She had never been able to bring herself to throw it away, no matter how often she had tried.

Tinkerbell smiled. "That will make this a lot easier." Then she pulled some dust from a pouch at her side and sprinkled it on the shell, which began to glow.