I'm back for my second fanfic. Thanks to anyone who's reading. I hope you enjoy.

Part 1:

Regina was not going die.

She stood still, quivering at the knees, for a few moments, arms held out at her sides, and simply panted. She counted the breaths that came out, slowly realizing that the next one would not be her last, nor would the next, or the one after that. She was saved. But she hardly got a second to formulate that thought, before a heavy shadow passed over her body.

"Where are they?"

She looked into the red-brimmed eyes of the prince. He loomed over her, a head taller, his large muscled shoulders seeming to overtake Regina's body. She blinked quickly and tried to ground herself.

"I have no idea," she breathed, but he she had hardly gotten an answer out before he charged after her, his big wet face inching towards hers.

"Are they dead?"

She choked, "The curse, it destroyed all the lands—"

"Are they DEAD!?" he roared, finally jarring her back to her senses. She was not going to die. The wraith was gone and with it the threat of her soul being sucked into a boundless and hellish oblivion.

"I don't know," she fired back into David's face.

In this close proximity, Regina could see the shift in his eyes; the bright, sad blue turned into a dark black as endless as the hole that had just sucked the wraith through, a hole that had also sucked in Snow White and Emma Swan…

He lunged, bringing a thick hand up and clawing it as if he was reaching for her neck. "I should have killed you myself—"

But Regina was faster. "Then what's stopping you," she hissed.

She pressed her hand against his hard chest and pushed, her newly invigorated blood sending David flying through the courtroom until he slammed into the far wall. The numbness of shock melted away, quickly replaced with the power she had once known. The wraith was gone; the thought ran circles through her head, each passing yelling at her that she was not doomed. Right behind that thought was another, one that was even more satisfying. Emma Swan had fallen down that hole. Emma Swan, the one woman standing between Regina and her son, had disappeared right into another land. And even better…

Regina drew in a relishing breath. The rustic wallpaper of the courtroom came to life and wrapped David—Prince Charming—in its thick tendrils, squeezing the life out of him. His tears of desperation turned into fat globs of pain and his fury turned to terror. Terror at her, terror at what she could do.

Even better, Snow White had fallen down that hole. Personal enemy number one. She was gone, dropped an entire world away, with a hungry wraith in tow. Regina smiled, imagining a useless Snow White, a shell without her soul, and curled the fingers of her tingling hand until the arm-sized vines of the wallpaper crushed the chest of her last victim. In one swoop, in less than thirty seconds, three of her greatest enemies had been taken from her sight, forever. Now she could be at peace, now she would truly be happy. All she had to do was finish this last one, the weakest of them all.

"You think you're some heroic prince?" she leered at him, stepping forward until she was as close to him as he had tried to get to her. He could do nothing against her bonds, gasping in air her could not reach, and the simplicity of this kill almost made her back off. Almost. "Please, you're nothing more than the son of a shepherd. I should have killed you when I could, and now, I can."

Regina opened her eyes wide, absorbing the sight of Prince Charming's heroic façade crumbling under her hand, his strangled cry caught in his tight throat, and she squeezed, an elation filling her body just as quickly as life left his—

"Mom!?"

Regina froze, her eyes falling from the shepherd's face until she was staring at nothing. She strained her ears, wondering if she had heard correctly. Nothing else came, and she thought for a moment that it had been a trick of her mind. But she could not trust her brain and so quickly turned her head over her shoulder to check.

"Henry, what are you doing here?" she breathed.

It was not a trick. Standing by the entrance of City Hall was Henry, her son, her baby. Forgetting about the peasant in her grasp, Regina walked around the closed, white wooden gate and approached her son, still hardly daring to believe that he was really there. Mom. The name bounced around her skull. Yes, she was still his mother.

"Wh-what are you doing?"

"It's okay," she hurried over to his side, stretching a hand out to touch him. Her little boy. "You're safe now."

Behind them, the shepherd gasped as if it were his last breath. She heard him collapse to the floor, but Regina only had eyes for her son. She stared over every inch of his skin; it was almost glowing in the pale moonlight of the courtroom. He had been so white, so cold only a few hours ago. She squeezed a hand to his shoulder, as if she could feel the life in him. The waitress from the diner, whom Regina had only just noticed, gave her a scowl and then ran behind her, presumably to David. Regina did not care.

"Where's my mom, where's—" Henry cried, his beautiful eyes darting to every corner of the large room, as if they would come waltzing from the shadowy corners.

"They're gone," Regina told him over David's loud gags and coughs. "They fell through a portal, they're…Henry, I'm sorry."

She had infused her words with all the hopelessness she could because she was sorry. Not sorry because those wretched people passing for humans were gone; no, Regina was more than thrilled to be rid of them, but sad at the anguish her son was feeling. She could see the pain flash across his brown eyes the moment she'd said it. If only there was a magical solution to pain…

"No, you're not," he said shaking her head. "You really are the Evil Queen."

The nickname—a name she had relished in the Enchanted Forest, a name the exuded power and instilled fear in all of her lowly subjects—sounded so vile coming from her eleven year old son. Regina pursed her lips, remembering the many times she had heard from other people who Henry believed she was. Archie had told her once; even the dim-witted Miss Swan had alluded to it. But from son's mouth…

"I don't want to see you again."

Regina reeled, pushing back a little to take him in. Henry took a step away and shook his head at her but she spoke quickly, capturing him again in her grip.

"No, don't say that." She almost wanted to scream it, as if that was the only way to catch her breath again. She struggled to keep the tears out of her voice. She took his chin in her head, drawing his eyes up, ensuring he heard every word. "I love you."

"Then prove it," he demanded. She could not appreciate the forcefulness before he continued. "Get Emma and Mary Margaret back. And until then leave me—leave everyone—alone."

Regina shook her head. He did not know what he was saying. He was just upset. Henry was such a sensitive boy; he had been devastated at the death of the Sherriff. He was just so young. He could not understand the reality of life. Sometimes people died, sometimes you could not bring people back.

"But where will you go?" she begged, trying to get him to see the impossibility of his words. She had not expected what came next.

"With me," groaned a voice behind her.

Regina turned slightly to see David Nolan, clambering unsteadily to his feet. He glared at Regina as he hobbled over to her, but Regina did not falter as he would have liked. She stared him down, her dark eyes boring into his and threatening him to come closer. But the shepherd dared and it was not until he clamped a hand down on her son's shoulders that Regina finally peered down to find, with a knife-jabbing horror, her son smiling proudly at her enemy. David pulled her son away, the tattered hat that he had pathetically flattened under his brutish body, held tightly in his hand. The waitress followed them out the door, all the while throwing Regina an animalistic scowl, eye locked until she was forced to turn the corner.

But Regina hardly saw any of it. The image of her son, Henry, smiling up at David was burning her retinas. She felt the sting of tears behind her eyes and closed them tightly. No tears would fall tonight. With her heels stomping against the checkered floor of the courtroom, Regina hurried out of City Hall and raced to the street until she was standing the middle of the sidewalk.

She found herself in the middle of a pitch-black, war torn Storybrooke. Not a soul stood out in the eerie silence with her. Her son was not there. He was already gone. The wind whistled through her ears and the night seemed to fade into a deeper blackness.

Regina felt her fury rise. She pictured again, David Nolan pressed against the wall, within inches of his death. He always seemed to escape at the last moment, but never by any act of his own. That man was always being rescued, helped, aided by some stronger soul. This time, that soul had been her son. Henry, who was a hero for everyone, including her. How dare he take her son from her? How dare the man exploit her boy in that way? The only person she loved, kidnapped right from her hands, and Regina had let it happen. She boiled over with self-disgust and rage and knew if only she was stronger, she could whisk herself right in front of them in a puff of smoke and blast the Prince away, winning her son back. If only she were stronger.

Regina smirked as if the prince stood right in front of her. He would regret the day he had challenged her. Magic had returned to Storybrooke and that meant that she could not be stopped. She was the mayor of this forsaken town and now, she was its Evil Queen. Regina turned and marched down the sidewalk, headed back to her large mansion, her sanctuary. She needed to get her son back, she needed more magic.

So thanks for reading. I would really appreciate any review, comments, criticism you guys have. I am not an Evil Regal and really not a huge fan of Regina but this season has opened me up to sympathizing with her. I love the Charmings and already wrote a story about them. I would love to do more on them, especially with so much fodder from this first half of the season, but I think the greatest challenge a writer can take is stepping outside of their comfort zone.

So, this is my challenge, to fill in some scenes some Storybrooke scenes and explore how difficult this redemption is for Regina. I am going to try to stay as close to character as possible, which means exploring her faults, misguided thoughts, but also her humanity. In all, it should be fun.

If you have suggestions or just want to chat, feel free to PM me, I'm always willing to have a discussion. I hope you enjoyed.

-Shopowner26