She's My Daughter

Once Upon A Time

Selena POV

I awoke to the smell of pancakes and chocolate filling my nostrils. Inhaling deeply, I turned to find the bed empty; Regina was obviously already up. Groaning and pushing my hair back from my face, I set about getting ready for the day, my thoughts immediately back to the fact that I had found my mother. I couldn't believe it. After all this time, after sixteen years of believing my mother hadn't wanted me and would never try and find me, here I was, in her house, while she made us pancakes. I brushed away the tendrils of guilt brushing at my heart and smiled happily instead, wondering what life would be like with a mother.
"Selena?" Regina called. "Breakfast!"
I smiled. Whatever it was going to be, this was definitely a good start.
"Coming!" I shouted back. A few minutes later and I was sitting at the kitchen table with a plate of luscious pancakes sitting before me.
"So." Regina said between mouthfuls. "Today's the day."
"Today's the day." I agreed, looking up at her.
"We're going to need to see a certain adopted son of mine." Regina continued in a business like manner.
"Henry? What does he have to do with all this?" I frowned, remembering the knowing looks he had given me during our little chat the previous day.
"Everything." She said simply. "And so does Emma." She added. "And Mr Gold. And Mary Margaret. And David. And-" She continued, her voice taking on the tone of a list.
"I get it." I laughed. "So...first stop, Henry?"
"Henry." She confirmed.

*****

"Hey." Emma grinned as she opened the flat door to let Regina and I in.
"Hey." Regina smiled back, allowing Emma to pull her in for a brief hug.
"Hey, Selena." Emma beamed, stealing a hug from me as well as Killian Jones, Emma's fiancé, grinned at me from behind her.
"Hey." I smiled back.
"You seem very happy, Swan. You're not usually the hugging type." Regina smirked observantly as she hung her coat up.
"I'm just glad you finally told Selena." Emma smiled.
Just then, Mary Margaret bounced into the room, her face glowing and her eyes full of joy.
"Oh, Regina, we're so glad you finally told her! David and I-" She began.
"You knew about this?" I asked, a hint of anger in my voice.
"Well, Regina needed help so-" She started anxiously.
"Mom! Selena! Well done for telling her!" Henry grinned as he ran forwards to give Regina a hug.
"Oh for goodness-" I muttered, throwing my hands up in the air. "Does everyone in this damn town know that I'm your daughter?" I shouted, turning to Regina.
"Selena, I don't understand-" Regina began.
"I do." Emma said quietly. All heads snapped in her direction, including my own.
"Do you?" I demanded, sarcasm evident in my voice.
"Yes, Selena, I do." She said calmly, approaching me. "You don't understand why you had to be the last to know. Why you, the person who is the subject of the topic, were in the dark for the longest time. And I bet you still feel like you are - just let me finish." She continued as I made signs of interruption. I nodded.
"You feel alone yet known. Like you don't even know who you are yet but everyone else does. Everyone else knew before you and you don't think that's fair. You already feel like an outsider and that bit of you that is telling you that you belong here is what you're trying so hard to ignore because belonging somewhere, that means no more running." Emma finished. I stared at her, knowing by how she uttered the last few lines so quietly and with such empathy that she had been through something similar.
"Yeah." I responded horsely, not knowing what else to say. She had said everything anyway.
"Selena, I-" Regina began, walking towards me.
"Forget it." I said shortly. "It doesn't matter. I'm used to being the last one to know things anyway."
"No, honey, please-" Regina almost begged, looking at me searchingly with her chocolate eyes which were exactly the same shade of brown as my own.
"Regina, it's okay. You needed help. You're the mayor. I should have expected it." I shrugged, trying not to let on how hurt I felt.
"It's not okay. But how else could it have happened?" Regina carried on, ignoring my obvious hints to drop it.
"I don't know! How about not abandoning me in a stable?" I shouted, and with that I stormed out of the flat, tears cascading down my cheeks in a mixture of fury, guilt and pain.