Hi everyone. This is my first snow queen, and my first AU so please be kind. I'd love some feed back, it keeps me going. I hope you enjoy.

She hadn't intended to search the apartment for any possible evidence, but her suspicions got the best of her. She had always been far to curious for her wellbeing, but it was in her nature and she couldn't fight it. Regina's apartment had always been too bare and unpersonalized. She was a woman of culture and of style. The two just didn't match up. Regina was out doing god knows what when she broke in. With every step she prayed she was wrong, prayed she was jumping to absurd conclusions. After going through the almost bare kitchen cabinets, and the living area, Mary headed towards the bedroom. Regina's closet had been the only thing in the entire place to be full. Her day to day attire was one of the few things of importance. Mary opened the bedside table drawer. She knew for a fact that there would be a gun in there, but only because Regina had told her months ago. She had it for the sole purpose of protecting her self against possible intruders. That was, however, not the only thing inside. Her heart seized in guilt. A single picture of the two of them occupied the small space. She picked it up with nimble fingers and gazed at their smiles longingly. Mary had taken this ignoring Regina's protests. Mary had no idea she had kept it. The only personable object in this place had been a picture of her.

Mary shook her head. This had to stop. Regina couldn't possibly be capable of murdering a man in cold blood, let alone five. No one else was aware of her suspicions towards her girlfriend, so it could easily be forgotten. Moving to place the picture back in the drawer it slipped from her fingers, and fluttered under the bed. Crouching down she lifted the duvet. Unfortunately, in that moment, it was then when she made her fateful discovery. Under the bed lay two, large, black cases. Completely forgetting about the picture, she reached out for the case's handles. They were heavier than she expected, but once they were out she knew exactly what was going to be inside. Shaky hands flipped the locks into an upright position, and lifted the lid. One of the cases held a single sniper rifle while the other had an assortment of automatic and semi-automatic hand guns.

After the discovery of what most likely were the murder weapons of an assortment of unsolved cases, Mary stayed in the apartment awaiting her lover's return. She sat on the bed with her arms and legs crossed for hours. The day turned into night, and it wasn't until nine o'clock when Regina put the key in the lock. As soon as she entered she sensed another presence, but didn't hurry to turn on the lights. She took careful steps through the kitchen towards her bedroom. The door was slightly ajar, and she always remembered to close it before leaving. She wasn't armed, but that was no problem, she was prepared. Placing a flat hand to the wood she pushed it open. Her defenses immediately fell at the sight of Mary, but the air was thick making her uneasy.

"I found the guns," Mary stated simply jumping right to it. Regina stared at her in silence managing to keep her composure. "I don't know if there are more, but what I found was enough." Mary stood with her fists clinched at her sides.

"You know I have a military background," Regina defended.

"How do I know that's not a lie?" she countered in an attempt to be intimidating.

"You don't."

"If ballistics were run against the sniper, would it match the one used to kill Holloman? If any of these guns were found would they be tied to an unsolved homicide?"

"Truthfully?"

"Yes." Regina didn't answer. She stared deep into Mary's eyes hoping to extract what she really wanted. She hardly ever had to ask, a look was all it took. "Yes," She repeated. "No," she squeaked defeatedly. She was love sick, and she wasn't ashamed of it, but was this a secret she could keep? She knew Regina was going to answer yes, and now that she was finally faced with her opportunity of finding out the truth, she wasn't sure if she wanted it anymore. Her heart was being broken in so many ways she couldn't think straight. She wanted to leave, but she also wanted to stay. Regina had been an unknowing poison to her, and now she was addicted. Was her addiction something she was willing to cut cold turkey? "I don't want the truth... not tonight." Her words did not elude to when she would want Regina to confess her possible crimes, but her eyes spoke louder of other intentions. Mary took two bold steps, and with one hand she cupped her mysterious lover's cheek, while the other gripped a lapel. Their lips feverishly crashed together, and both woman temporarily cast suspicion and unease aside. Regina welcomed the kiss as if it were water and she was dying of thirst. Talking was dangerous. Especially when it was her mouth, and fatal questions from Mary that threatened to expose her carefully crafted identity.

With the over head off, a red and blue hue from the stop lights and neon building signs, shone though the bedroom window. The beams rippled across the unmade bed. It made Mary think of The Eclipse, expect it was quiet. No thumping music, no background chatter, just the uneven rhythm of their hearts beating, and the heavy breathing between kisses.

Mary's hand slid down to Regina's waste, pivoting them towards the bed. Once the back of Regina's knees hit the mattress she fell pulling Mary on top of her. Mary pulled away momentarily leaving only a few inches between them. A single stream of red ran across Regina's face, and all she could do was stare. For a second she wondered if that was all Regina saw. Red. She wanted to believe it wasn't true, that there were exceptional explanations for the guns; but she knew there wouldn't be. She wanted to take this moment, this one last moment to memorize Regina's face. The way her hair was fanned out on either side. The way her brown eyes just sparkled. The way her expression always seemed to soften under her touch. She wanted to memorize it because she knew Regina would be gone when she woke, and she'd most likely never see her again. She raised questions Regina didn't want to answer. Couldn't possibly answer without answering incorrectly. She wanted to remember the woman that changed her life in ways that would never truly be explained.

Regina could see that she was getting wrapped up in her thoughts. She reached up and cupped Mary's cheek guiding her back down. "I want to know everything," Mary surprisingly whispered against her lips.

Regina halted, and her gaze flicked from Mary's lips to her eyes. "...What If I said it would rip your mind apart?"

"On a scale of one to ten, ten being murder."

"The knowing is a level beyond any scale."

"I want to know."

"But not tonight..."

Mary hesitated, but remembered her earlier statement. Regina wasn't staying so they could exchange secrets. She was staying so they could be together one last time. "No, not tonight."