The Jabberwocky smiled to herself, stretched with a pop, and looked over her shiny new town again from her favorite rooftop. By now her cricket would be figuring out that he had to find his own way home. The very idea made her laugh and laugh in the most jaunty of spirit. He wanted to be a hero? Go on adventures like the rest? There he goes. He wanted to know about her homeland? Let him get intimately familiar with the place.

"There you are." The stern voice that spoke behind her put a stop to the mad giggle fit that had taken hold.

"Having fun, are we?" Regina. The Jabberwocky slowly turned to see the Evil Queen herself upon the rooftop. Though each of them dressed now in the modern business attire that fit this world's style, only Jabberwocky lacked any shoes. The mad woman smiled, all bared teeth. She said nothing, so Regina continued.

"When my son, you know my son don't you? When Henry said he had seen a strange figure approaching Archie's office before our residential therapist disappeared, do you know what I thought?" The Jabberwocky said nothing.

"I thought, what kind of second rate poor man's villain is possibly daring to step foot in my town now?" Emphasis on the mine. The Jabberwocky's smile only grew, split her face in two.

Regina sighed.

"Look, who ever you are, I don't much care about the bug myself, but my son is rather fond of him. So, tell me what you did with him and we can call all of this drama done with." At last the Jabberwocky spoke.

"Who says I have done anything with him?"

"Don't give me that, I spent too long as the Evil Queen not to know Evil when I see it. Or are you suggesting the Charmings made him disappear?" The Jabberwocky hummed. She turned back to look over the town, ignoring the sound of a fireball igniting in Regina's hand.

"Don't turn away from me when I'm talking to you."

The Jabberwocky whispered, and the syllables snuffed out the flame.

"They're still afraid of you. Even the boy. Henry, did you call him? I can hear their whispers, their hearts cry out for when you will return to your old self." She could taste the heartbeat behind her, but the former Queen put up a front so good it made the monster shiver.

"Then you know what I can do to you. I'd hate to disappoint them." She bluffed. Part of her might even still believe it.

"Do you know what I am?" The question lingered in the air and was met with disregarding contempt.

"I don't honestly care."

"Suit yourself."

The Jabberwocky spun on a heel but held up empty hands.

"He's gone on an adventure. He isn't returned yet. This town is big on faith, so have faith in him." Regina didn't know how to respond to that, but it matched with what the Charmings had told her.

"He's..." she huffed, absolutely flabbergasted, "what on earth would possess him to do that?" Her words went from genuinely incredulous to accusing as fast as her heartbeat, "what did you tell him?" Again, the Jabberwocky smiled.

"If you want to pry, you should ask your mirror. Oh...wait." Her eyes glittered, and it earned something barely more dignified than a growl from Regina.

"Henry-" at last the smile faultered, the Jabberwocky cutting off the former queen with a quick bite that instantly made Regina feel like a child again. A child being disciplined by her own mother. Regina couldn't speak and couldn't shake the world-shattering psychic imprint, despite all her years of skilled magic. Now, at last, pure terror froze her blood and danced across her face.

"I don't care much for children. Run home to your weakness, I have no interest in such easy exploitation." The overwhelming weight lifted itself, left Regina gasping for breath and crumpling to her knees. No expression betrayed the monster's face now.

When Regina looked up it was with a burning hatred that did nothing to move the Jabberwocky. Who spoke again,

"That's right. Show them all who you really are. Confirm their fears." Another fireball came to her hand, and the Jabberwocky may as well have been a statue.

"Go on. Disappoint your son again." There was nothing personal behind the delivery. Regina's hands shook she was so furious. The Jabberwocky waited. The fireball went out again. Regina stood.

"No. You call my son my weakness. That only goes to show how little you have." The monster tilted her head. Regina smiled.

"I would tell you you'll regret this, what you've done and said tonight. But you already do. There's nothing I can do to you that would be worse than where you are now." Regina stepped forward, and relished the uncertainty that came over her opponents face, the steps backwards the taller woman took as the distance between them closed. Regina got right up into her face, pushed through the cold around the other woman. She leaned in to whisper in the monster's ear, to make sure it understood she wasn't afraid.

"I know, because I've been there. And there's nowhere worse in the world you can be, than alone."

When Regina backed away, the creature in front of her still looked confused. Sad. Lonely. Pathetic. It calmed the rage in her heart, and verified her words.

"Enjoy your time in Storybrooke, whoever you are." She smiled, and disappeared in a whirl of purple smoke. The Jabberwocky eyed the empty space and responded in a whisper,

"I shall."