Author's note: I've been obsessed with Swanqueen lately, so I hope you enjoy this story. If you want to read more stories like this, please let me know and I'll get right on that.

Summary: Those brown eyes haunted her every moment and Emma couldn't help but think of Regina Mills. Through the silence and peace of the falling snow, her mind wandered back to memories of the former queen and she couldn't help but smile. Regina was like a Snowflake, unique, one of a kind and temporary

The characters in this story are not mine and belong to the makers of Once Upon a time to which this is tribute to

Fallen Snowflake

Big white flocks of soft snow fall from the sky out of heavy looking grey clouds, covering the earth in a white, glistening blanket. They seem to dance and swirl around one another as they slowly drift to the ground to dissolve into the mass of snowflakes gathering there. If one were to search the sky for a glimpse of the blue above they would stare for hours and see nothing but grey. The white powder glistened on the now frozen ground and with every step the blonde took she compressed the soft powdered snow into a hard wet mush on the ground.

Emma walked through the forest, paralyzed by both the beauty and silence of the still moment. She felt the snowflakes, each unique in their own way, fall into her blonde thick curls and looked up. Her eyes fluttered shut and a smile formed on her lips when the snow fell onto her warm face and dissolved into their liquid state to wet her skin.

Oh how she wished to disappear in the snow, to be part of the beauty and the breathtaking silence. She wanted to fall like a snowflake without a care in the world. Not to fly, fight or even think. To just let herself drift into a faith unknown to herself and not even care.

Emma's breath appeared in white puffs and she smiled weakly watching it clear away into thin air. Just like she used to. Just like she used to dissipate into nothingness, in a purple cloud of smoke. Emma thought of her, of those brown intoxicating eyes that haunted her every breathing moment. Regina Mills, the woman who stole the saviors heart.

When thinking of Regina, she will always have to think of her eyes. Memories of the woman started to surface in Emma's calm mind and not a single one made her sad or feel regret. She didn't regret any of them, she envied those memories which she couldn't obtain or for that matter make. Emma grinned at the thought.

-Taken out of a memory-

"Come on, Regina!" The blonde whined leaning over the arm of the white luxurious couch in the mayor's living Room and looking at the celling while feeling her blood flow into her head.

"No, now stop asking" Regina retorted stepping into the living Room while balancing a glass of red wine between her thumb and ring brunet was dressed in a comfortable grey cotton, form fitting, turtle neck and a pair of jeans. Regina took a sip of her wine while crossing through the living Room. Emma almost automatically, scooted back once Regina was close enough and let the brunet sit down before laying her head on her lap and looking up at the former evil queen.

"Why not?" she asks with a pout that only made Regina smile, who started to unconsciously run her fingers through the sheriffs thick blonde curls. Emma closed her eyes for a short moment, leaning into her touch.

"Because this is my house, christmas decorations are annoying and I simply don't want to live in a christmas Carol brought to life" she points out, rolling her eyes because it was obvious to her. Emma only snorted at that remark and sat up, pulling her feet onto the couch and ignoring the mayor's glare for doing exactly that. By now she should have gotten used to it.

"You're being ridiculous. I just want to decorate the living Room a bit" she murmurs, pulling her red pullover over her knees. Regina rolled her eyes and looked at the lit fire in the fire place. She didn't as much as flinch when the savior scooted closer and placed her chin on her shoulder, looking up at her. "We could put up lights, decorate the tree, hang up glitter, mistletoes.." she starts, her eyes gleaming with excitement and holiday cheer.

"Absolutely not" Regina interfered but it didn't stop Emma from describing all the things she wanted to do.

"We can bake christmas cookies, decorate a gingerbread house, have a snow ball fight" she practically squeals and Regina looked over at her, highly annoyed and with raised eyebrows.

"No we can't, Miss Swan now shut it" she growls and Emma frowns, pawing at her thigh as she sat on her knees.

"Now, we've been through way to much for you to still call me that" she purrs, looking at her.

Regina rolled her eyes but couldn't help cracking a smile "As long as it get's you to shut up, Em-ma" she grins, placing special emphasis on the hyphenation. Emma shakes her head lightly and leans in, pressing a soft kiss to her lips. "You could have just done this instead" she whispers against Regina's lips before giggling lightly and creating a trail of kisses down the former queen's slender neck.

"Please, Regina" she whispers, when she felt the other tilt her neck to accommodate her better. Regina sighed lightly "We'll decorate the tree but that's it." she gives in sternly and jumps lightly when the blonde jumps up and practically runs to the door. "Where are the decorations?" she screams from the hall while already running up the stairs.

Regina had to stop laughing to answer the childish sheriff. "Top, right corner of the closet, dear" she answers, taking another sip of wine before standing up and flicking her wrist to make a christmas tree appear in her living Room. She wrinkled her nose at the needles already scattered on her clean carpet but soon falls back into a smile when she heard a crashing sound from upstairs.

"Don't take apart my closet, Emma" she calls up, only to be meet by a laugh. "I'm not, your closet is attacking me" she retreats and Regina giggles lightly going into the kitchen to put away her glass.

Once she returned she was met by a chaos of epic proportions. Emma must have rummaged through the boxes because there were ornaments spread across the couch and tinsel all over the flow and around the girls shoulders. Regina watched her a bit amazed at how happy and excited she was by something so simple. She pulled out a tangled mess of lights and dropped to the floor, sitting cross legged and attempting to undo the knot.

Regina walked over to her and sat down behind the blonde with her legs on either side of Emma.

Emma smiles brightly, leaning back into Regina's warm body. Regina reached around her and started to help her undo the knot in the string of lights. The blonde smiled lightly, watching the knots slowly come undone before she could take the lights and stand up. Regina watched her, walk around the tree and hanging the lights into every second row of branches it had to offer.

"Regina, I wanted to decorate together…..so get that fine ass of the floor and start putting the tinsel on the tree" she whined and Regina laughed lightly.

"Whatever you command, Sheriff" she answers teasingly, starting to collect the tinsel of the floor and avoiding the plastic snowman ornament the savior threw at her in response.

Regina grinned, walking around the tree as well and hanging up the tinsel precisely where she wanted it. The tinsel was followed by ornaments in all shapes and sizes being hung randomly on the branches. Of course Regina had a system as always but Emma just hung one wherever she felt one was needed until the only thing missing was the star on top.

Emma concentrated on her magic and closed her eyes, feeling it rush though her before opening them once more to see a gold star on top of their christmas tree. She smiles brightly, looking at Regina before her gaze went back to the tree standing proud and tall.

"Are you happy now?" Regina asks, wrapping her arms around Emma's waist and placing her chin on her shoulder. Emma practically melted into her touch and nodded lightly. "Very much so" she whispers before turning in her arms with a grin on her lips.

"Can we do the gingerbread house now?" she asks excitedly and Regina looks at her in a mix of disbelief and humor.

"No we can't, you annoyingly stubborn christmas freak" she says while starting to tickle her sides, making Emma laugh and squirm in her arms.

"Stop!" she squeals laughing, trying to push her hands away but failing miserably. She was squirming so much that Regina lost her balance and fell back, pulling the other along who used the opportunity to straddle her waist and capture the Regina's full lips on her own.

"You know you love me" she whispers against her lips and Regina smiles, gently cupping her cheeks in her warm hands.

"More than anything, Emma." she admits and there was no doubt in either of them that it wasn't true.

-Present day-

Emma remembered that day well, she remembered looking into her eyes and seeing nothing but love. That's all she saw in the end, love. Emma took a deep breath to steady herself as her smile faltered and she looked down, closing her eyes to keep her emotions inside. She continued, following her familiar path until reaching her destination.

Emma sighs lightly, looking up "It's been exactly six months, three weeks and five hours since i've woken up next to you and wished you a nice day at work. Six months, three weeks and five hours ago since i let you leave the house without knowing that you wouldn't return. It's been Six months, three weeks and four hours since i got the call that there had been an accident. Six months, three weeks and three hours since i held your hand as you took your final breath. Six months, three weeks and three hours since you took my heart with you and left nothing but beautiful memories behind. It's been six months, three weeks and three hours and I still love you" she whispers, her voice cracking as she started to cry, seeing the grave of the love of her life through tears in her eyes. Six months, three weeks and three hours since her heart was broken and yet it was beating, yet she was alive and yet she missed Regina Mills.