Cid Turner vs. Selena Frost

[SnowQueenSCW]

OOC: Posted in two parts due to length

Project: Black Ice

”Family Pow-wows”

The VanHohenheim Home
Maplewood, New Jersey
September 22nd, 2021
1:56pm


Alejandra VanHohenheim could hear the birds chirping brightly as she tended to her garden, watering the tomato plants, followed by the cucumbers growing near them. The wind blew her medium-length white-and-black hair a little, though not enough to really distract her, as well as the ends of her light-blue and white plaid button-up shirt. She had chosen leggings to wear to reduce the slight chill of autumn that the winds were bringing in.

With a sigh, Alejandra gazed upon her garden of vegetables, her dark eyes making a sweep across the fields. She saw flowers of various colors throughout, vegetables in a specific section, and even an apple tree on the farthest side.

She both loved and hated this time of year. She loved watching her garden transform slowly, various plants and trees either blooming into full-bright colors of ripe vegetables or the leaves changing to their fall colors of red, orange and yellow. Spring was always beautiful to the woman, but fall had become her favourite season over the years, unlike her husband, who favoured the aforementioned spring (‘the beginning of all things new’ he had said). With a son that doesn’t really care and a daughter that adores the winter… she thought with a smile. This family has the whole set.

Sadly, the winter brought with it the heavy snow, especially in the temperate world of New Jersey, meaning these colors of brightness and fresh ripeness of the vegetables were like the swan song of these plants. In a way, as she had every year, Alejandra was saying goodbye to these plants. In a few weeks, a month or two at best, it would be too cold to grow anything. Her plants would be gone till the next season and she’d have to start over from scratch and it would take many weeks, perhaps months in some cases, till she would see the fruits of her labour again. 

It’s all on borrowed time… the woman thought with a smile, reaching out a steady hand to turn a tomato gently as it hung on the vine. Still, to have these moments every year…

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a car, distant at first but growing louder as it approached. From her spot in the backyard, Alejandra turned her gaze and could just make out the driveway and, thus, the dark blue Jeep Liberty that had driven onto it to park. With a smile stretching from ear to ear, she pushed herself up using her hands on her knees, leaving a little dirt on her black leggings, and quickly moved down the small hill (lined with flat stones and surrounded by more of her flowers). She had just made it to the driveway’s edge when she saw the doors to the vehicle open and a boy, wearing red shorts and a light blue t-shirt leapt out (though it was only a foot or two leap). Looking around quickly, the five-year old’s eyes settled on Alejandra before he was, once again in motion, scampering the short distance and barely giving the gardener a chance to kneel down to catch him in her arms.

“Grandma!” David hollered out, giving Alejandra as big a hug as he could.
“Hello!” Alejandra laughed, more remarked about- “Gods, you’ve grown!”
“Yep!” the boy beamed. “I’m almost four feet tall!”
“That right? You’re close to me!” the older woman smiled, standing to her full five-foot-five height to measure the boy playfully. “Any day now.”

She looked up upon hearing another door closing in time to see the older girl approaching her. First thing Alejandra noticed was how like her mothers the child’s hair was. The second thing were the black, lace gloves that covered the girl’s entire hands and forearms, almost reaching to her elbows. The poor child. Alejandra thought. She had been told by the mothers what had happened to her granddaughter, and while she wasn’t a truly violent woman, she never wanted to meet the boy that had done this – because she was certain that ‘non-violent streak’ would go right out the window.

“Hello, grandmother.” Elsianna smiled politely, genuine affection in her voice, causing Alejandra to smile and give her as equally loving a hug as she had given David.
“Hello, sweetie.” She smiled.

She was beyond happy, she could say that. It had been so long – nearly two years in fact – since her family had visited her. And while she had seen her daughter once or twice in that time… it had not been under the best circumstances, her daughter going through the trials of having her spouse-

“Mom!” came the loud voice from the side of the car, causing all three involved in the ‘greetings’ to turn to see the woman in a flowing orange and white shirt, red hair practically glowing in the afternoon sun. She wore large, round sunglasses and leggings like Alejandra (minus the dirt) and in her arms was a third child, much smaller than the other two.

With a grand smile, Alejandra made her way over to the woman, quickly enveloping her in the biggest hug she could muster, careful to include the three-year old as well. “It is so good to see you, dear.” She replied, her voice shaking a little. “I can’t even…” she shook her head.

“I know.” Deanna replied with a smile, returning the hug with one arm, also careful of little Amiliah. Unlike the family before her, Alejandra had not been allowed to travel and be with her daughter/daughter-in-law and grandchildren during Deanna’s incarceration. Had not even been able to keep in contact with Deanna – the last memory Alejandra had of the woman was her being dragged off in a police cruiser with Selena with her over two years ago.

“I’m just glad you’re free again.” She whispered, squeezing Deanna’s shoulders affectionately.
“No more than me.” Deanna laughed. “Prison food can’t compare to a New York burger.” 
“Or perhaps…” Alejandra teased. “Your mother-in-law’s cooking?”
“Well…maybe.” Deanna played along. “Do you need help?”
“Well, maybe I-“

The older woman stopped again as she heard the last door open and close, the driver stepping out. She wore black running shoes, blue jeans and a color-block, round neck long sleeve t-shirt of various faded, darker colors that seemed to flow at certain parts and hug certain other curves. Unlike Deanna, she had removed her sunglasses, holding them in her hand as she approached the group. As she drew closer, Alejandra’s dark eyes picked up several differences, as she had with the others. First, and foremost, was the lack of hair. There was still much of it and it was still the amazing platinum-blonde-white that was common with her husband’s side of the family (and somewhat of her own if her hair was any indication), but gone was the long braid she had associated with the woman for as long as she had known her. Additionally, her trained eyes picked up the black markings of ink on the girl’s shoulder, the corners of some kind of tattoo peeking out from the neck-hole in the girl’s shirt. It was far less noticeable than the similar one Alejandra saw on Deanna, the material around the shoulder on the redhead’s shirt thinner in the arms.

Still, the platinum-blonde was beautiful, and Alejandra’s heart jumped a little in love at the sight of her daughter. As she was about to speak, however, Deanna’s words cut in.

“Come on, kids.” She gently ordered, readjusting the young girl in her arms. “Let’s get inside and say hi to ‘Grandpa’!”
“Okay!” exclaimed David, eagerly following his mother, Elsianna quietly following. They were inside the house and out of sight before Alejandra could say a word. Weird… she thought before turning back to the woman still standing before her.

Alone in the driveway with her daughter, the dark-skinned woman gave a soft smile before opening her arms up to her. “Hello, Selena.” She gently wrapped her arms around her, holding her gently but lovingly.
“Hi, mom.” Selena whispered, returning the embrace. “Sorry it’s been so long.”
“I’m just glad you’re here now.” Alejandra replied. “After everything that’s happened…”

Selena, the slightly taller woman, nodded against her mother’s head before disengaging herself from the hug. “I should have kept you more informed.” She tried. “I should have brought the kids over at least once, but I-“

Her hands still in Selena’s, the mother squeezed the Snow Queen’s hands gently, quietly prompting her to calm herself. “Sweetheart…” she whispered, earning Selena’s full attention once more. “Your father and I don’t have much to stand on in demanding more than what you give. The years of your life we missed. The birthdays, the school years, the sports and plays-“
“I never played sports or plays.” Selena admitted with a shrug. “Not really Anastasia’s wish for me…”

The dark-skinned woman gave a good natured tilt of her head as she regarded her daughter. “The point is… I don’t have a right to chastise you for how much of your life you wish to share with Jonathan and I after not being there for most of it.”

The two stood there for a moment, simply in each other’s presence. For Selena, she wanted to explain everything to her mother. How it was different with her than it was with Jonathan. That she WANTED a good relationship with her, the kind she never had with Anastasia DeCarlo, her stepmother. She WANTED to spend more time with her… but that would mean, to be fair (again, that notion…), she’d have to spend more time with Jonathan, reliving that truth that he wasn’t Donovan Frost. While she had never truly had a good mother figure in her life, Selena had been fortunate to have a good father in her life. Compared to that – compared to Donovan – Jonathan couldn’t possible compete. It was a reality that Selena could not get past every time she looked at the man. That, despite his best efforts, he wasn’t her father – and THAT was truly unfair. To him, to Alejandra and to Selena – the Snow Queen knew all this and wanted to explain it that way to her mother. 

“It’s harder with Jonathan…” she was able to admit. “I still can’t…” she moved her hands a little, trying to explain the situation. Dark eyes scanned the Snow Queen’s actions before Alejandra nodded her head.
“I get it.” She sighed. “Trust me.”

“How did you do it?” Selena asked, the question suddenly coming to her. “How long did you know Donovan?”
“Eight years.” Alejandra smiled. “I travelled abroad in my university years to Anchorage. After I graduated, I stayed. Then…well, your step-mother and her family got in the way. Still, your father and I kept in touch. And you know the rest of the story…”

Selena nodded her head. She did know the story. How Alejandra had been in love with her father for years but had been bullied and harassed into fleeing Nome, only to come back one night just to see Donovan. A night that ended in Selena’s conception, the subsequent secret relationship they tried to hide and then, finally, the revelation of that secret and Alejandra having to flee Nome and, this time, never return, Donovan trapped for fear of his daughter’s life. And Selena none the wiser.

“When you were reunited – how did you get past his amnesia?” Selena asked. “You, perhaps more than me – he wasn’t the man you knew or-“ she found she couldn’t explain the question – what she truly desired to convey.

“I didn’t.” sighed Alejandra. “When I realized who he was – who he had been…” she corrected herself. “I fought it. First, I denied it. The idea of him finding me? What were the odds? I’m not even sure how it happened – was it the DeCarlos? The Scythes? Were they mocking me by throwing him at my feet with no memory of us?”

Selena winced at that thought. It sounded just like them, especially the Scythes. Not only to cast out a discarded “tool” but in a way that would cause the most damage…

“But still…” Alejandra continued. “I knew that I couldn’t just abandon him. Lost, scared, not knowing who he was?”
“You looked after him?”
The older woman nodded. “Helped him get back on his feet.”
“Did you ever tell him about his old life?”
“When he was ready, yes.” Alejandra sighed. “But I had to be honest with him. I knew that if either of us showed up in Nome, you’d be endangered. And I told him that.”
“It took time, but he eventually – he chose the name Jonathan VanHohenheim.” She gave a wave of her hand. “I’m getting off-track.” She added a little laugh. “At first, I had to keep telling myself that he wasn’t Donovan. He wasn’t the man that I loved-“ for a moment, she cast her eyes towards the medium-sized house that stood just on the other side of the driveway, where Deanna and the others had gone. “I had to remind myself that while he looked and sounded like my Donovan, he wasn’t.”

“But…” Selena’s voice trailed off.

“But one day… he kissed me.” She smiled. “I was shocked, stunned, really. But the more I thought it over, the more I came to realize that I wasn’t shocked that he had – I was shocked that I didn’t care if he was Jonathan or Donovan. I loved both of them.”
Selena’s eyes widened in surprise at the revelation, prompting her mother to continue.

“And one day, we were sitting outside – he was resting his head on my lap, asleep.” Alejandra recalled. “And I remember looking at him and I asked myself who he was – Jonathan or Donovan… and it… I can’t explain to completely.”

“Can you… can you try?” Selena asked, a part of her desperate to hear.
“It was an inner peace within myself. Maybe he would never be entirely ‘my Donovan’. But neither was he an entirely different person in ‘Jonathan’.” She sighed, smiling up at her daughter. “So much of your father is still very much part of Jonathan. He doesn’t have Donovan’s experiences, but he has his heart and loyalty and so many of the things that I fell in love with him in the first place. And both men loved me… and you… with all their heart.”

Slowly, Selena exhaled a breath. It wasn’t a ‘fixer’ to her issues with the man, but she was happy that her mother had gotten the love-story she deserved, even if it was a bit different.

“Speaking of love…” Alejandra cast her eyes back to the house. “Did I feel a cold chill when you came close to Deanna?”
“Oh ha ha.” Selena huffed. “Cause I’m the-“
“No, hunny.” Alejandra interjected. “I mean, legitimately… are you and Deanna fighting?”

Selena’s eyes widened. “How- how did-“
“Oh please!” Alejandra laughed. “You get, I assume, matching tattoos-“ she gestured to Selena’s left shoulder where the snowflake tattoo was. “But as soon as you get close, she scampers inside? It’s been a while, but I can tell something is up.”

“It’s…” Selena opened her mouth to speak before a long sigh escaped her. “A mild disagreement about work. Nothing more.”
“That right?” the dark-skinned woman raised an eyebrow. 
“Yeah.” Selena shrugged, moving past her mother to head towards the house.

The moment Selena opened the door, she was assailed by the amazing smell of cooked fish – at least she thought it was fish. She could hear the sizzling coming from another room and the sound of a loud, overhead fan near that sound as well. The next thing she heard were voices, though those were harder to fully distinguish in terms of words. Carefully removing her shoes, Selena moved out of the way to allow her mother into the room, following the woman up the few steps that lead into the main room that was the kitchen area.

It was there, amidst the blue wallpaper and white fridge/freezer and oven (the house much smaller than her ‘Forever Home’ in Manhattan) that she spied the family. David was talking about something to the ‘chief’ as he worked over the stove-elements, Deanna was standing nearby them with Amiliah still in her arms and Elsianna was setting the table in an adjacent room.

“Smells good!” exclaimed Alejandra as she walked into the homely kitchen, earning the chief’s attention as she stood on her tip-toes to kiss him on the cheek. Earning the attention of her own family, Selena saw Deanna’s eyes slightly narrow at Selena, almost imperceptibly, before suddenly moving to help Elsianna set the table, her expression seemingly bright as per usual. It was enough for Selena to give a small sigh, though that silenced when the cook turned around to face her, having washed his hands and now drying them with a hand-towel.

“Hey, kid.” Jonathan smiled, his voice seemingly calm but there was a slight shake in it, barely noticeable. “Good to see you.”

He’s trying… her mind chastised. He’s still trying so damn hard…

“Hello, father.” She offered with a smile, quietly and slowly moving across the kitchen space to wrap both arms around her father’s broader frame. He was a good five inches taller than her and his frame was more like Xander Valentine’s from observation, dressed in a red and black flannel shirt. Still, he was gentle in his hug, releasing the second he felt Selena pull away. 

“Love what you’ve done with your hair.” He offered. 
“You too.” Selena remarked, observing the combed back hair with white (Frost) sides and trimmed beard that circled his mouth and chin. “Grandma would have killed me for cutting it-“ she said without thinking, immediately mentally cursing herself and casting her gaze down at her hands.

“Would she?” Jonathan asked, seemingly unaffected. “Alejandra’s told me a bit about her…” his voice trailed off before turning back to Selena. “You, uh… you wouldn’t happen to have any pictures of her, would you?” again, that shake in his voice, but this time, it almost sounded like guilt. As if he was ashamed to burden Selena with this request.

Sadly, Selena could only shake her head. “I’m afraid she died long before we had cellphones, father. Any photos of her are buried back in Manhattan… but I can try and find them soon as I can!”
The man laughed it off with a wave of his hand. “No rush. No need to trouble yourself.” He assured. “So… she was a hair-girl or something? Like a barber?”

“No.” Selena answered, finding herself getting swept up in the conversation as she finally spied the fish she had been smelling – pan-seared salmon… her mind jumped to Cid Turner’s little mention of it in his promo last Breakdown – something about being Vegan and not ordering the pan-seared salmon.

If it smelled this good… Selena thought. I can’t imagine him staying that way- if it even IS true…

The snap-hiss of a new fish caught her attention, bringing her back to the present as Jonathan had taken off the cooked salmon, placing it on a plate for Alejandra to take into the adjacent dining room table.

“Sorry-“ Selena half-huffed with a half-smile. “Irene – grandmother – was huge on ‘family’ and ‘heritage’. When I was born, she was the biggest fan of my hair. She ordered me to never cut it short. She thought it was a gift from our bloodline and represented the Frost family and if I cut it too short, I might lose it…”

Rather than laugh, Jonathan contemplated the woman’s explanation for a moment. “I remember a couple of people trying to take that hair from you.” He began slowly. “There was that one girl that wanted it – your ex I think – and then that other guy that dressed in fur… what was his name?”

“Dressed in fur?” Selena asked, somewhat confused. Who was her father talking to?
“You know, you wrestled him – kinda fruity? Is that the right word?” his eyes went wide in concern. “I don’t mean to offend anyone-“
Selena’s eyes widened. “Oh! You mean Vixen Cain! I thought you were talking about outside work and I was like ‘what guy do I know who wears fur’?”
“Oh come on, kid.” Jonathan chuckled. “Give me some credit. I’m gonna watch my daughter wrestle.”
“We both do.” Alejandra added, returning to his side. “Which is why this…” she gestured towards Selena’s forehead, towards the fading red line on the platinum-blonde’s forehead. “Doesn’t surprise us.”

Hearing that remark, Selena’s eyes flew towards the dining room; to the emerald eyes that were glaring at her (proving the redhead had also heard that comment) that quickly turned away upon seeing sapphire eyes.

“Got that from me, I’m sure.” With a free hand, Jonathan rapped the side of his head near the white in his hair. “Hard head.” He added. “Damn cave-in couldn’t do much but jostle it.” He added in lame humor, though it had the opposite effect on the Snow Queen, reminding her of the current truth she felt regarding this man.

“I’m grateful that’s all it did.” Selena said aloud but was surprised when those same words were said in tandem with hers, spoken by her mother. The two women looked at one another for a moment, a content smile coming to Alejandra’s lips before she turned to grab some glasses in a cupboard to take to the table. “Water, Selena? Milk? We have wine.”
“Water, please.” Selena replied, her eyes still on her mother.
“Can I try some wine?” Elsianna tried quietly as she stood in the dining room. “I’ve…I’ve read the fancy nobles in stories drink it.”
“Not till you’re 18.” 

Surprisingly, this remark came not from one or two but all FOUR parents standing in the room at the same time. Selena, Deanna, Alejandra, and Jonathan gazed at one another before the older parents were laughing at the ‘timing’ of such an event. “Parents, right?” the man offered.

“Yeah.” Selena smiled, trying to catch Deanna’s eyes, but the redhead had, once again, avoided her. “Guess the mind-works are similar.” She added.

There was a moment of silence, with Jonathan’s eyes shifting from his daughter to his daughter-in-law and back, the two on opposite ends of the space: Selena beside him in the kitchen and Deanna in the dining-area with Elsianna. With the initial elation of seeing his daughter and her wife gone, the man’s senses were returning and his observations were beginning to take hold.

“Hey, kid…” he muttered under his break as he worked on his current salmon-piece, ensuring it was cooking properly, adding some of the cooking oil to the top of it with a spoon. When Selena’s attention was on him and she was close enough to him, he whispered. “Trouble in paradise?” 

“What?” Selena asked, instinctively dropping her voice in a whisper to match her father’s.

Without saying a word, VanHohenheim lifted the spoon he had been using and slowly gestured towards the redhead in the dining room before pointing it towards Selena. “Things seem…” he added, voice low.

“They’re fine.” Selena sighed. “A mild disagreement about work-“ she repeated as she had for her mother. “Nothing more.”
“Uh-huh…” Jonathan clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth. “Maybe I’m not the best person to offer some insight… but when people say that, usually means there IS a problem… and it’s usually the man’s fault.”
“Neither of us is ‘the man’, father.” Selena shook her head. “Case you didn’t notice.”
“Doesn’t mean there isn’t someone that’s at fault here, hunny.” He added, a knowing smile gracing his lips at his clever word-trap.

Selena merely eyed her father before sighing. “Let’s not worry about it now.” She tried. “I just… I wanted to spend time with you and mom. I assume Peter is still-“
“Still wandering on his high-horse and whatnot.” Alejandra sighed.

Peter VanHohenheim was the son of Jonathan and Alejandra, making him Selena’s biological brother. That was the extent of Selena’s knowledge of him. The near twenty-year old had had a falling out with his family for one reason or another and then left to go to university in California. Despite sending money to help him, Jonathan and Alejandra had not heard from him since he had left.

“He’s just gotta find himself.” Jonathan replied. “If that isn’t with us, well… we’ve done all we can.”

There was a bit of hurt in his voice but it wasn’t a decision that was made easily. Given how important family was to Selena, she could only imagine it was the same for her parents. But had she not done the same when joining SCW? Turned her back on the ‘family’ she had known? Even if the DeCarlos were far, far worse than the VanHohenheims, she couldn’t chastise Peter for his choices without sounding like a hypocrite.

“Alright.” Called out Jonathan as he finished the last salmon. “We’ve got salmon. We’ve got veggies! Everyone has drinks? Let’s eat!”

Without another word, everyone sat at the dinner table to enjoy the lunch made. For the most part, it was David and Elsianna that held the conversation, answering questions that Jonathan and Alejandra asked them regarding “school in Germany”, “the Schonburg Castle”, “friends they had made”, etc. Selena and Deanna only chimed in a few times, but neither spoke to one another or added to the other’s words.

If the hosts had any doubt about the ‘rough-patch’ between Selena and Deanna, those doubts were gone as they watched the two, Selena at one end of the table, beside Jonathan, and Deanna at the other end.

Despite this, the food was beyond good, both women said so, but when both had accidentally offered to do the dishes at the same time, Deanna had quickly recoiled back, saying she needed to put Amiliah down for a nap.

Alone in the kitchen, Selena scrubbed one of the plates with the soft brush, trying not to shatter the plate in her frustration. It had been like this since that night in Vancouver – since Selena had put her foot down on Deanna’s range of ‘involvement’ as a manager in SCW. It’s for her own good… the Snow Queen repeated in her mind for the umpteenth time since that night. 

Why couldn’t Deanna see that? Why couldn’t she see that people like Asher and Cid, Minerva and the Jackals – SCW was full of desperate people that wanted what Selena currently had: The SCW World Championship. And unlike Selena, these people didn’t care how they got it, long as they got it. For Odin’s sake, didn’t the war between Minerva and Chris Cannon prove that to Deanna? SCW was dangerous! It was brutal! And there were those that would stop at nothing to get what they wanted. Why couldn’t Deanna see that Selena’s decision was necessary? 

But no! Selena thought bitterly. She has to go on with this petulant act of ‘the silent treatment’…

 A bit of water splashed up onto the counter as Selena scrubbed harder until a pair of hands reached into the sink and gently took the plate and brush from her. Surprised, the platinum-blonde turned her head.

“I better take this before you scrub the leaves right off the plates.” Alejandra remarked, referring to the autumn-leaf designs etched into all the plates (fitting for the season).
“S-sorry.” Selena sighed, placing her trembling hands on the counter as Alejandra shuffled to Selena’s previous spot in front of the sink, her hands moving instinctively to clean the dishes.

“So…” Alejandra sighed. “’Mild disagreement about work’, huh?”

She merely turned her head to Selena, who was now leaning against the wall, her eyes staring up at the ceiling and the whirling ceiling fan above them.

“You fucked up, didn’t you?” Alejandra whispered.
“I don’t know…” Selena sighed, looking down to massage the bridge of her nose between her eyes with her thumb and finger. “It sounded like the right thing to say at the time…and it’s for her own good-“
“Oh jeez.” Alejandra rolled her eyes as she heard the last part.
“What?” asked Selena in exasperation.
“When has ‘it’s for your own good’ ever been the rationale to a ‘good’ idea, Selena? Ever? When you start thinking for someone else, that’s when the trouble starts…”

“I’m not thinking for her.” Selena tried. “I just didn’t want her to do something stupid…”
“Does she feel that way?” Alejandra asked, turning to regard her daughter. “Or does she feel like you’re forcing her to be something or do something? Like this is no longer a partnership?”

The platinum-blonde opened her mouth to speak for a moment, but instead stopped herself, opting to take a deep breath to calm herself. She wasn’t going to lose her temper to her mother – the older woman didn’t deserve that.

“Mother…” she explained. “What I do is dangerous, right?”
“Seems to be.” Shrugged the other woman.
“Okay. Well, it is filled with a lot of dangerous people. I’ve been put in the hospital a few times by those dangerous people. I’ve got scars- here-“

Pulling up the side of her shirt, Selena revealed the long scars that ran down the sides of her ribs, healed memories of the business end of a cat-of-nine-tails made of barbed-wire. Alejandra winced at the sight, prompting Selena to lower her shirt.

“It gets brutal and scary and it’s taken me years to be able to know how to handle that. Deanna hasn’t had those years, and she was ready to just run in and get obliterated… I couldn’t allow her to do that.”
“So, she’s mad that you stopped her.” Alejandra nodded her head. “I knew that would be an issue.”
“Knew?”
“Your father told you we watch you work, sweetheart. We both saw what happened – that look you gave Deanna…”
“You did?” Selena asked, a pang of nervousness hitting her. She had expected them to see her get nailed with the title – hard to miss – but to see the look that had caused all this. Damn cameramen… 
“I did.” Alejandra half-sung. “And if that’s what’s causing this ‘mild-disagreement’… then I need to side with Deanna.”

Sapphire eyes went wide with a slight hurt. “Why?” Selena asked, grateful her mother had closed the door to this room, separating the family room where the rest of the family was.
“Because you took away Deanna’s choice.” Alejandra replied. “Yes, she may have gotten hurt. But don’t you think she knew that when she made the choice to help you? Doesn’t she make that choice every time she goes with you to those arenas?”

“Mom…” Selena tried but Alejandra shook her head.

“No, Selena.” She ordered, her tone almost… parental? It was a shock to Selena to feel that, like she was being taught a lesson by her mother. A mix of awe and humiliation was growing in her, the confusion of the two keeping her silent as Alejandra dried her hands off with a hand towel. “You gave her that look – made that decision – because you think you know better.”
“I…I do.” Selena tried. “That isn’t a bad thing. I’ve just spent more years wrestling. I know how dangerous-“
“No.” Alejandra interjected again. “You think you know Deanna better. If it had been another person, would you have stopped them with that look? Anyone else?”

Of course I would have… Selena’s mind screamed, except the words couldn’t be voiced. Because the truth was, she wouldn’t have. She hadn’t stopped Syren with her ‘gaze’ when the Alpha Female had run down to the ring to save her from an Asher/Cid beatdown weeks ago. She hadn’t stopped Bree Lancaster from getting involved months ago when she had run in to help Selena against a different beatdown. She never stopped Regan or Kelcey Wallace… 

She had been helped – hell, Selena could say it- she’d been saved countless times by superstars and even managers in the case of Mikalea Street… never raised a hand or eye to stop them. But with Deanna? She hadn’t just stopped her. She had forbade her from ever doing it… 

“She said I treat I her like a porcelain doll…” Selena whispered, looking down at her hands.
The older woman gave a sad smile. “I believe that.” 

Taking a few steps towards Selena, the shorter woman reached out to take her small pale hands into her own. “Selena… that woman survived prison, and from what you told me, much worse…”

Selena’s mind flashed back to the truth of that statement – of Frankfurt and Queenie – before she slammed her mind shut against the memories.

“The fact that she can still function – can even still smile…” Alejandra shook her head in disbelief. “I don’t know how she manages to do that every day. I don’t know how she can still be… her… after everything she’s been through.”

“You have to stop thinking of her as fragile…” she added with a whisper. “All she is asking of you is the same thing you’ve been asking of her for six years.”

Lifting her head, Selena’s were wide. She had never considered that notion. For six years, since she had fallen in love with Deanna and vice versa, she had made Deanna come to terms with the life Selena lead. The dangers. The threats. Some far greater than SCW. But for those six years, Deanna had trusted Selena to walk into wars and feuds and battles that had, no doubt, terrified the redhead. Still, never, not once, had Deanna ‘pulled rank’ and ordered Selena to ‘stay put’ like the Snow Queen had in Vancouver…

With an aggravated sigh, Selena turned from Alejandra, reaching towards the door. Turning the doorknob, she opened it and entered the large family room. She saw the dark brown carpet and the two large, leather recliners, a television of moderate size at the far well. Elsianna was on a dark blue coach, reading a book while Amiliah sat and tumbled on the floor with some of the toys the VanHohenheims kept for her. David, however, was sitting at a table with Jonathan on the other – a chess board between them. As for Deanna-

Selena’s eyes scanned the room but the redhead was already in motion, pushing herself out of her chair quietly and making her way down the adjourning hall towards the bedroom. Turning left, she entered the room and quietly closed the door, causing Selena to close her eyes in resignation.

“Mom…” came David’s voice, the boy unaware of the issues surrounding his parents. “Help.” He whined.

Without a word, Selena quietly moved across the room stand by her son. He was playing the ‘white pieces’ while Jonathan played the ‘black pieces’.
“You always did enjoy playing the black pieces…” she whispered without thinking, her mind running back to the many times she had played with Donovan Frost back in Nome.
“Did I?” Jonathan asked.
“Yep. You also had a pension for beating the heck out of children at this game.” She added with a tease.
“He took my big piece!” David whined, pointing to the large piece in Jonathan’s hand.

With a smile, Selena turned her head towards the board, quickly scanning the locations of all the pieces. “That’s the queen, David. But check this out…” carefully, she moved her hand across the board, taking one of the white pawns and moving it the one space needed to reach Jonathan’s side of the board. “When a pawn reaches the end of the board, you exchange it and get back a piece you lost.”
“I can?” David asked, wide-eyed.
“Sure. Just look at your grandpa and say, ‘I’d like my queen back on the board, please.’”
Looking up, David eyed Jonathan. “I’d like my queen back on the board, please.”

With a huff (fake as it was), Jonathan returned the large chess piece back on the board in place for the pawn. “See?” Selena exclaimed, running a hand through her son’s hair.
“Peanut gallery.” Jonathan fake-grumbled.
“Lighten up, father.” Selena smirked. “You could stand to lose a game or two, I’m sure.”
“Yes, he can!” came the voice from the kitchen, Alejandra still working on the dishes.

For a moment, Selena’s eyes moved over to the hallway Deanna had gone down. She knew what she wanted to do, but part of her was beyond terrified of another fight breaking out and-

“Mother?”

Selena’s head turned to see her oldest, Elsianna, standing by her, her current book of “Jane Eyre” in her hands. “Are you going to talk to mom?” the innocent child asked. “She’s seemed unhappy the last few days.”
“You’ve noticed?” Selena asked quietly, earning a nod from the child.
“She keeps telling me that ‘everything is fine’ but…”
“But what, snowflake?” Selena asked kneeling down to regard the young girl.

“Why hasn’t she hugged you? Or kissed you, Mother?” Elsianna finally asked. “And when I went to your room last night – when I had a nightmare, only mom was there. Were you at work? Or training?”

Selena almost laughed sadly at that. She had NOT, in fact, been at work or even training. Since her fight with Deanna, Selena had been sleeping on the couch in her office every night, staying away from the redhead until one of them apologized or they talked about this. Which looks like it’s gotta be me…

With a sigh, Selena gently kissed her daughter’s forehead. “I’m going to talk to her right now.” She assured. “We’re going to talk this out and everything will be fine.”
“Promise?”
“I promise.” She gave another smile, more playful, to the child before pushing herself to her feet. “Father, can you watch the kids?”

“Yep.” Jonathan replied without hesitation. “Go apologize and tell her it was your fault.”
“It wasn’t entirely-“ Selena started.
“Yes, it was!” Came both Alejandra’s voice and Jonathan’s at the same time, though from different rooms in the house.

With a huff, Selena turned on her socked foot and walked down the hallway until she reached the door. Quietly, she turned the doorknob, grateful that it wasn’t locked, and pushed the door open to the bedroom. It was a large room with a queen-sized bed. The sheets were dark red, possibly maroon, and fit the wooden floors and wooden headboard, which Deanna sat against.

Without a word, Selena quietly stepped into the room. “Can I…” she tried. “Can I please talk to you.”

Turning her head to regard her, Deanna gave no verbal answer, but neither did she move from the bed to flee like she had the entire day from the Snow Queen. Her arms remained crossed across her chest.

“Alright.” Selena sighed. “I didn’t…That is-“ she stammered, moving further into the room. “I hate what I said and-“ Gods, why was finding the right words for ‘I’m sorry’ so damn hard?! 

Reaching the end of the bed, Selena sat down on the mattress, rubbing her temples as she tried to think of the right thing to say. “I didn’t – well, I did – but it was wrong of me to.” Another broken attempt, which caused the young wrestler to groan a little before falling back, her back landing on the bed as she lay on it, her eyes staring at the white ceiling.

“I can’t say I didn’t mean what I said, because I did.” She finally got out. “But I was wrong to say it!” she added quickly. “I was wrong to think that was how this relationship should work in SCW – and you know it’s only in SCW, right? I’ve never thought of you as anything less than my partner in everything, right?”

When no answer came, Selena turned her head a little to catch a glimpse of Deanna. The redhead still had her arms crossed, her eyes still on the window on the far side of the room. 

With a sigh, Selena returned her head back to resting on the mattress and staring up at the ceiling. “I’m so use to having control there. Out here-“ she gestured around her with her hands. “I know I don’t have much control. The Scythes, Killjoy, most of my life – I don’t have control. But there…” she gave a sigh. “I’m The Face of SCW. I’m the World Champion. I’m this and that and that and this. And I know I can take whatever is thrown at me. I feel… I feel so much stronger there than I do in my own life.”

“And it’s a fallacy, I know.” She continued. “The real world is different than the rules of SCW. But I don’t feel so powerless there – I feel like I can take it. But I… I wouldn’t wish some of the punishment I’ve taken on anyone, least of all you.”

“When Asher threatened you in his promo… When he threatened to…” she slammed your eyes shut. 

”Deanna will suffer the fate you deserve… And I will stand over your fallen Deanna…”

“Maybe for the first time, I felt like I had no control. For the first time, I wasn’t the target, but you were – or you could have been…” the platinum-blonde’s voice hitched in her throat as she recalled the vile threats Asher had thrown out in his Breakdown promo. “And when I saw you want to run into that ring, all I could think about was how that would happen. And how I’d never forgive myself for letting it happen. What he’d do to you… but if I could stop you. If I stopped you from getting in the ring, what did I care if I took a few more shots if you were safe?”

“I…” Selena tried, lifting her hands up a little before dropping them down across her chest with a defeated huff. “I will ALWAYS try and protect you, Deanna. I can’t help it. Even if it costs me a match, or a title, or something far worse, I will ALWAYS try and keep you safe. But…I mean…” she took in a staggering breath. “You’re not a porcelain doll.” She whispered. “You are tougher than that… tougher than me.” She added. “You’ve been dealing with this lack of control – all this fear – since we started being together and never once have you broke.”

“I can’t promise I won’t, on instinct, do that again.” Selena whispered, her eyes still closed, feeling a few tears prickle the insides of her eyes. “But I can’t turn what we have – what we are to each other – into something unfair. I have to…” she sighed. “I have to trust you in my world of control – and relinquish that control over you. Because it doesn’t belong to me. YOU don’t belong to me-”

She suddenly felt a pair of hands grab her head and, almost roughly, lift it up before lowering it onto something. Selena’s eyes flew open as she felt her head suddenly supported a few inches off the mattress. Instead of the ceiling however, she saw emerald eyes glaring down at her.

“I DO belong to you.” Declared the redhead. “But YOU belong to me.” She stared down at her wife for several seconds, Selena’s head in her lap. 

“For so many years…” she spoke slowly. “I watched you get hurt. The scars –“ she didn’t have to name them. The woman knew Selena’s body like a map, able to recall every single scar that was on the Snow Queen’s body (with detail). “The injuries…and I couldn’t do anything about it. And I know you don’t want me helping you during your matches – to help you win like Ravyn or Holly do. I get that. But now? I know…” she stressed the last word. “I KNOW that I am stronger now. I know I can help you. I know that I can protect you. And when you told me not to – to stay there and watch... When you said those things outside the bus…”

Angrily, she reached up to press the palm of her hand into her eye, rubbing it in frustration. “I’ve never felt so pitiful in my life. To be told I was too weak to help… Because it came from you. The one person that…” taking a deep breath, Deanna shook herself a little to refocus. For Selena, the Snow Queen was too drawn into Deanna’s words to move, despite her own tears threatening to fall, anger at herself filling her.

“I promise-“ Selena tried, but Deanna’s small fingers covered her mouth, effectively silencing her.

“Don’t promise that things will be different.” Deanna whispered, leaning in close to Selena. “You just said you might do this all again. You might try and stop me again. Fine. But I LET you stop me last time.” Deanna whispered again, leaning closer still. “Next time, I won’t. And you can take your insecurities and your control and go to hell. Got it?”

Slowly, Selena nodded her head in response.

“Good.” Deanna whispered, leaning the rest of the way down to press her lips against Selena’s forehead. “Because I will always try to protect you…” she added, repeating the Snow Queen’s own words against Selena’s skin. “And you can’t change that about me.”

The two stayed like that for several moments, with Selena’s head in her wife’s lap. For the young wrestler, Selena couldn’t call this a ‘makeup’ between her and Deanna. She knew she had hurt her wife and it would take more than mere words to undo the damage she had done. But…if there was such a thing as a good start, she was certain she and Deanna had done that. 

And I will stand over your fallen Deanna! came the taunting memory, which Selena quickly silenced with all her might. And I will stand over your- 
She is NOT a porcelain doll… 

The new thought, the truth drawn out from her family, drowned out Asher’s pitiful threat. She is NOT a porcelain doll…

“Mom....” came the whine from the room outside. “Can you show me how you did that trick with the pawn? Grandpa took my Queen again!”

Despite themselves, the Frost wives both released a small pair of laughs before Deanna helped Selena off the bed, moving off it herself to join her.

“Coming, son.” Selena called out as she followed her wife out of the room and back to their family.

Every pawn is a potential queen… Selena thought as she walked, her eyes on Deanna ahead of her as they walked the hall. You’re not a pawn, Deanna… she mused with a smile. But what a queen you would be…
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