Regina did not know how much time had elapsed when she was awakened by the sound of angry voiced and heavy banging upon her front door. She was laying on the floor of Henry's bedroom. Her head ached fiercely and it felt like she had just been kicked in the chest. Regina took a moment to orient herself, dusting off her black and white suit and smoothing the fabric as she made her way downstairs. She could hear yelling and suppressed a moment of panic before she remembered the purple smoke. Magic's back. I have the upper hand. Regina smirked. She would make them regret thinking they could ever go against their queen.

With a smirk firmly in place, Regina opened the door of her mansion to the angry faces of the township and, the newly emboldened by his recently recovered memories, Prince Eric.

"Can I help you?"

"That smirk isn't going to last forever, Regina." All righteous anger and princely bravado. Regina fought the instinctive eye roll.

"You took everything from us and now-"

"What? Now you're going to kill me?" He had to be joking to think he could stand a chance against her magic.

"Eventually, but first you need to suffer."

Really? Now who's the monster here? She had enough of his grand standing and approached the princeling baring her teeth and like a predator preparing to toy with its prey.

"Listening to you has been enough suffering for all of us. That's right! You wanted to see your queen? Well, my dear, here she is!"

She had reveled in their collective terror when she came out her front door and the minute fear she could see in Prince Eric's eyes as she shoved him out of her way, was delicious. Just as she was about to mount and ride her high horse to victory, the unimaginable happened. Henry would call what happened next an epic fail.

She was powerless?!

Prince Eric found courage from her obvious miscalculation and the look of utter bewilderment on her face. He took the opportunity to slam her back, rather painfully, against one of the white columns of her home before flinging her to the ground before the crowd.

"Stop!" A strong voice rang over the chaos of the mob causing the crowd to part like the Red Sea. Slowly people began to bow before Queen Snow. She stood holding hands with her Charming husband who held a sword in his free hand. Emma stood on her left with Henry by her side staring at the scene. Regina averted her eyes from Henry's face afraid of what she may or may not see in his eyes. She began to stand when Eric grabbed hold of the back of head, fisting his hand in her hair, forcing her to remain on her knees.

"Bow before the queen, wretch."

Snow and her husband came to stand before Regina. Although Regina could not physically stand before Snow, she angled her head as much as possible against the searing pain in her scalp and stared defiantly up at her stepdaughter. Contempt evident on her face.

"Snow, dear, came to watch?" Her voice conversationally as if they were discussing the weather ans not speaking about her possible execution.

Snow straightened her spine refusing to be intimidated. She stared down at he stepmother. Regina could feel the hate radiating of the woman.

"You have no power here." Her voice was strong and resolute. Snow stood regally before her Regina with none of the timidity of the school teacher she had been.

"Take her to the jail." Although the crowd was not happy with her decision to allow Regina to live they did not dare argue with Snow's orders. Charming came forward with his sword in hand and pointed the tip at Regina's back. Who would have thought the it would be Snow and her charming family to come to her rescue? Sickening.

Never willing to let her enemies feel confident they have the better hand, Evil Queen donned her poker face and stood slowly after Eric released her hair. She brushed the dirt from her designer suit and smooth the fabric leisurely. Regina then straightened her spine, lifted her chin in the air and looked down her nose at Snow White. She issued an obvious challenge. A muscle twitched almost imperceptibly in the young queen's face and Regina smirked knowingly. It was a nervous twitch Snow had since she was a child. Only then did Regina began walking through the crowd, stopping briefly at the end to lock eyes with Sheriff Swan.

"Protect my son with your life. I'll be back for him soon."