SUMMARY: As they walked around the market, Sam had spotted a jewelry store and decided to buy Donna a gift, something to remind them by... little did he know that years ahead, it would one of the greates reminds of the love their once shared.

DSCWin, Loveispatientloveiskind and QueenSheridan, thanks for the help and support.

THE LOCKET.

1979…

As they walked around the market, Sam had spotted a jewelry store and decided to buy Donna a gift, something to remind them by. To tell the truth, it was nothing special, it was just a cheap locket necklace, in it, Sam had placed a photograph of the two of them, taken that same afternoon in the main square.

After the break up, Donna decided to place the necklace away from her sight. For some reason however, she didn't throw it away, she didn't know why she kept it safe and out of her sight, maybe she thought it was a reminder to her that she should never fall in love again.

_/_

1986…

One day, as her mom was busy working around the hotel, 6-years old Sophie, decided to have an adventure, running around the place, trying to find the secrets her mom kept, when suddenly, passing by the old closet she found a box hiding very far away from sight. Excited then, the little girl opened the box, pick up the beautiful necklace inside and tush back to her mother, with the intention to show her, what what she found.
"Mommy, Mommy, look what I found! " Sophie exclaimed drawing Donna's attention.
"what is it sweetheart? " the woman asked
"it's a necklace, you give it to me, mommy? " Sophie asked.
Upon seeing the object in her daughter's hand, Donna paled, she never thought about seen that necklace ever again and feared that now Sophie wanted to know who was the man in the photo inside.
"where you found this, Sophie? " Donna asked with a frown

"I was having an adventure, Mommy and I found it in a box inside the closet… Upstairs "

"Sophie, you shouldn't peak inside anyone stuff without permission you know? It's not polite" Donna said taking the object from Sophie hand.

"But you are mommy, not someone else" the girl explained making the mother laugh.

"I know, but I'm somebody else in this case and you can't mess with my stuff, so, let's put this necklace in a safe place and go to the beach, so we can collect shell for our collection, good? "

"Good" Sophie agreed forgetting about the locket as Donna put it away from them, somewhere Sophie could not find.

Eventually neither Dona nor Sophie talked about the locket anymore and as the years passed, it seemed that both mother and daughter had eventually forgot about the object that was now lost somewhere in time.

_/_

2000…

It was the night after the wedding and neither Sam nor Donna never knew they had energy for such things, but against the odds, there they are, enjoying some time of intimacy between themselves, like a couple of teens. Out of nowhere, Sam looked at his wife with a questioning look. ''Don, do you remember that locket I gave you, the first time we met?''

''yes…'' she looked confused ''I do, why?''

''you still have it?'' he asked, and Donna paled, to tell the truth, she had hid it so well that she had forgotten where on earth she could have put it.

''Sam… i… to tell the truth, I don´t know for sure if I still have it or if I lost'' she said

With a raised eyebrow he asked, ''what do you mean?''

''well, Sophie had found it one day when she was little, and I was so afraid that she would start asking questions, that I hid it and I don´t even remember where'' she said

''well, remember she found your diary, she could have found the locket again as easy as this'' he said and Donna blushed

''well, if she did, I swear I will ground her for life, regardless her age'' Donna replied as they decided to change the subject and return to the pleasures of night time.

After that once again the locked seemed to be forgotten and this time forever.

_/_

2005…

After the party was over and each guest departed to their respective homes, Sam went back to his cottage, wanting nothing more than lie down and rest. The day was full of surprises and he was happy that Sophie had managed to have a great party for the hotel reopening. Now, the thing he wanted the most, was get some sleep.

However, as he opened his closet to pick up his pajamas, the old man spots a wooden box, hidden deep behind his clothes. Sam was confused, swearing that he never had seen that box in there, he picked it up and opened it. The inside revealed another small, but very old jewelry box and an envelope.

''what the…'' Sam whispered to himself as he opened the small box. Despite of been very rusty and old, the once golden locket remained intact inside the jewelry box. Sam couldn´t believe what he was seeing. With trembling hands, he opened the locket, revealing beside the photo of him and Donna´s younger self, it also included a photo of a baby Sophie.

''My love…'' Sam read the small note inside the envelope, with Donna´s handwriting. He didn´t know when she had written it, but the way she did, melted his heart.

''sorry for taking so long to find this thing, I wanted to surprise you, but I think someone up there had other plans. Still, I found it in the old cabinet in the kitchen and decided to added Sophie´s photo in it. No, i really don´t know if you´re her real father, but adding the photo beside ours, we can pretend she is. Besides that, I want to give you this locket back, so you can remember the good days when we met and pretended that we have a life together, not just these four years. I´m not good in saying goodbyes, so please take care, you´re my love and my life. I will be with you every step of the way, for the rest of your life. Yours truly, Donna.''

Finishing the letter, Sam took a deep breath and placed the locket on his bedside table and smiled at Donna´s picture.

''Goodnight my love'' he said.

That night was a night for celebration and Sam had more than one reason to celebrate as somehow, his love would be always by his side no matter what.