Another world is her only choice. That's what she had decided.

That would be here only means of escape now.

The thought had been dancing in Regina's mind for a few weeks now, just itching to be acted upon. And finally Regina had, had enough. Between all attempts to revive Henry's memories failing (resulting in a return to New York for a happy mother and son) and Zelena's murder of Robin Hood. The witch had been sure to make the deed as excruciating as she could in ripping the thief's heart out and crushing it, leaving him to die in Regina's arms just as her mother and Daniel had. The woman finally snapped, she had to get away from this hell, from the people who still shot her dirty looks and accusing glances despite all the effort (and if she must say so herself) success she put into changing herself for the better. The mayor was completely and utterly fed up with the town she'd wasted a chunk of her life making. With Henry and Robin both lost to her, it was time to leave it all behind. With nothing and no one to stay for, she'd go to another world…

One where no one knew the Evil Queen, or even Regina Mills.

Silently thanking herself for bargaining with Rumple to fix Jefferson's hat, Regina gave the headpiece a light twirl. She gazed into the portal spawned from the formal headwear. She honestly had no clue how to operate the thing and could guess with 85% certainty that she wouldn't even end up in that strange room with all the doors.

Oh well, anywhere was better than her current location—alone in a mansion much too big.

She took a leap—one she may have even been able to call a leap of faith—into the spinning vortex. The sensation of fluttering butterflies worked its way into her stomach as soon as the more rational thoughts set in; what if she just banished herself into oblivion? Into an eternal nothingness where she'd be forced to wait for hunger and thirst to claim her.

•• ◘ ••

Diagon Alley was abuzz with Hogwarts students—from first years to irresponsible seventh—bustling to snatch up some last minute school supplies. A first year Ravenclaw nearly knocked Hermione over in her rush to reach Ollivander's. With a sigh the witch continued her stroll down the road. She herself had to pick up a book or two—of course the books she had in mind were for entertainment sake, she'd never forget to buy her school supply in advance.

It was just outside Flourish and Blotts where Hermoine found the woman. She was lying face up on the sidewalk—Hermione was absolutely appalled by the number of people just stepping over her without sparing her a second glace. The young witch crossed the street, her books would have to wait. Upon closer examination Hermione noted a sweep of elegant shoulder length hair (the color of dark chocolate) covering a sizeable patch of blood on the woman's temple. She must have taken some kind of fall Hermione concluded. Hermione knelt down beside her, the woman's unconscious expression akin to one of fear and hurt. But on a lighter note, her breathing was soft, regular, and by all means, reassuring.

Hermione drew out her wand set to cast a minor healing spell when the woman awoke. Her eyelids fluttered open, a dazed look clouding their bright brown color. She let out a soft, pained moan and put a hand to her throbbing head.

"Er…good morning." Hermione greeted.

"Is it really?" Asked the other, rather bitterly.

"I could help you. If you don't mind." Hermione offered. "I'm Hermione. Hermione Granger."

"And I'm fine." The other woman muttered.

"Fine? You look like you just had a run in with the Death Eaters." Hermione sputtered, taken aback by the woman's harsh mannerisms.

"The what?" She asked knitting her eyebrows.

"You're a muggle aren't you?" Hermione asked.

"A what?"

"A muggle. Someone who can't do magic…"

"Hardly!" The woman remarked sounding rather offended. "I'm one of the most powerful sorceresses in my land."

"Your land?" It was Hermione's turn to question.

"Never mind." The woman pulled herself to her feet with a huff. Her heels clicking against the ground as she strode hastily away.

What an odd woman. Even for Diagon Alley.

•• ◘ ••

It had been a good month or so since the defeat of her master. Bellatrix had bribed her way out of the harshest of punishments. Those greedy bastards over in the ministry could never turn down a spare gallon—or in this loathsome case a few thousand gallons. Of course, in a sorry attempt at avoiding public outcry they had sentenced her to a wandless…magicless existence under the watchful eye of her sister. Bellatrix couldn't even recall a time when she felt this 'optimistic'.

When she got her magic back those fools would suffer. All of them. The ministry, the dweeb with the lightning scar, the mudblood, the ginger…every single last one of them.

But for now all the pureblood could do was follow Narcissa down the road snarling and hissing at those who dared stare at her the wrong way.

•• ◘ ••

Regina ran a hand through her hair. What a poor way to start. But she couldn't help it, among her many flaws was a knack for snapping at a helping hand. Not only was she stuck with a gushing head wound but she was stuck in a foreign land in a much too crowded town. She was beginning to regret making that jump already. Just what the hell had she been thinking. She hadn't even bought any money along. Did these people even have the same currency?

The thought was cut short when she slammed into something…or to her misfortune, someone. A someone clade in a dress very much like something she'd have worn back in the Enchanted Forest—darkly colored and complete with a corset. And this someone look even less joyful than Regina herself.

She had maybe two options here; get into a lowly fist fight with a rather startling woman she did not know, or spark up a conversation about how dismal life has been.

The woman stared Regina down with coal black, heavily lidded eyes, her messy dark curls fluttering wildly in the wind. Her lips twisted in a nasty scowl, she seemed to have the first option on her mind…

Regina felt the sting of the slap before the woman's hand made contact with her already bleeding temple and she had every desire to return the favor. Eyes glowing with irrational anger and a need to take it out on someone, Regina landed a blow upon the woman's jaw. Regina hissed in pain her knuckles probably took just as much of a hit as the other woman's face. I should just stick with magic, Regina mused semi-regretfully.

Her opponent was very clearly not a woman of reluctance, before Regina could even finish her thought, the woman in question shoved her more than roughly into the nearest alley and pinned her to the wall. Regina scowled, this woman was strong. On the small side, but strong no less.

"You want to watch where you're going?" She hissed in Regina's ear. "I don't think you know who you're dealing with."

"I don't think that you know who you're dealing with." Regina spat back.

"Oh. Then do let me know." The woman cocked her head.

Her interest couldn't be any more insincere. And yet Regina, falling prey to her own anger, let herself take the bait. "I am the Evil Queen. I've slaughtered villages…"

The woman cut her off, "and I've tortured the innocent and slaughtered a good many muggles." She stated haughtily as if that had settled something. "I was Lord Voldemort's right hand woman."

Regina ran over the list of awful things she'd done, suddenly the things she had once felt guilt over were becoming things to be prideful of. "I killed my own father."

The woman's lip curled into a twisted half smile. "Well I killed Sirius Black and…"

"I do hate to interrupt your little pissing contest Bella," appeared a man with long and ridiculously pampered blonde hair, "but your sister is waiting quite fitfully for you."

"And she can wait a little longer," Bella half growled, "I have business with this one." She jabbed her pointer painfully into Regina's chest.

For a second Regina had thought that the pompous man would actually do her some good. But instead he shrugged and nonchalantly told Bella not to take too long. The Queen could still feel the woman's nail digging into her chest. The woman had taken to clawing at her upper torso with an animalistic ferocity.

Her eyes lighting up lustfully with each blood droplet that wept from the scratches.

With a rather ugly snarl, Regina plunged her hand into the woman's chest, feeling for her heart and hoping that they'd work the same in her world as Regina's own. At last Regina found the familiar pulse and yanked. The woman offered her a soft whimper, from the look on her face Regina couldn't tell if it was born of pleasure or pain. She had an unsettling feeling that it was indeed pleasure.

And yet she held Bella's heart—a small dark thing, not unlike her own—up to her face. "I presume you know what this is."

That annoyingly smug and oddly childish grin didn't waver from Bella's face. If anything, Regina could swear that the woman's delight was steadily increasing. "So Queen Queen enjoys playing with Bella's heart does she?" She let out a joyful laugh, her eyes filling with an unhinged sparkle.

There is something very wrong with this woman. Regina didn't know how it had taken her so long to register this. She felt Bella's hand tighten around her neck.

"You squeeze, I squeeze." Regina declared. She pressed down on the woman's heart just hard enough to give her a tester.

Again Bella winced, but her grip didn't loosen. Rather the woman decided boldly to squeeze Regina's neck more intensely. In turn Regina tightened her hold as well; if it labored Bella any, it didn't show on her face.

The pair locked eyes, light brown eyes blazing into dark brown. And Regina couldn't help but notice how dark, almost soulless, the only hint of life in them was that gleam wild fury. One of Bella's thick tangled curls made its way into her face and swayed with every harsh exhale the woman gave.

For seconds that seemed more akin to minutes they stood like that, oddly captivated by one another.

Regina should have crushed the woman's heart then and there. But a fresh idea came to her mind. Perhaps it wasn't a better idea. Or a good idea at all really, but Regina raised the woman's hear to her lips. "You will let go of me."

The look on Bella's face alone as her grip unwillingly loosed, alone, made it seem like a good idea. With the ability to keep Regina pinned against the wall now lost to her, Bella let her hands fall to her sides. Though they didn't stay there for long. This time Regina was quick to add, "And you won't resume our fight until I say so."

With no other options, Bella settled for furiously eyeing Regina with murder on her broken mind.

Regina tossed the woman's heart from one hand to the next. "I do believe you understand what this means?" When Bella didn't respond Regina continued. "It means you are going to do what I tell you to. Evidently I have no allies in this land so I'll take what I can get. A few moments ago aside, you seem like the kind of person who could offer me protection I can't get elsewhere." She hoped that her smug smirk outdid Bella's.

The woman in mind seemed to relax, but in a way that was equally as unnerving as her enraged frenzy. "Alright then luv. You can have Bella." She licked at her smiling lips, leaving Regina to wonder just what had rendered in the Bella's mind.