Supreme Championship Wrestling

SCW United States Championship Tournament

2 RP Limit for singles

Deadline: 11:59:59 pm ET Tuesday, June 23, 2020

Abuse of Faith: Part 1

https://glorybraddock.blogspot.com/2020/...art-1.html

Frankfurt Prison III
Frankfurt, Germany
June 22nd, 2020
1:13pm

The swelling in her wife's eye from that vicious beating from the inmates was basically gone, as was the bruising - Selena thought with relief as she leaned closer to the naked redhead wrapped in her arms, gracing her beloved with a gentle kiss on the forehead. Deanna hummed a little in what sounded like delight, snuggled closer, but, otherwise, did not awaken from her slumber, nestled in Selena's embrace. 

Selena dared not wake her. 

The wrestler had made sure, after their last conjugal visit had been shortened severely by Talia and her 'latest plan' to getting Deanna out of prison, to be early for their monthly allowances, waiting a solid half-hour till she was allowed access to the secluded room. She had brought chocolates and games and pictures of the family... even some rather revealing lingerie (which was still packed in the bag) everything that she was allowed to bring (once it had been searched by the officers here, of course) to entertain and please her wife. However, when Deanna had all but stumbled into the room with dark circles under her eyes, smiling what was the saddest combination of happiness and absolute exhaustion, Selena had simply placed her bag of items on the table, undressed herself and her wife, taken Deanna gently into bed, and allowed her to sleep. The redhead had protested, but it was weak at best and she was soon snuggled in Selena's arms, her protests replaced by the softest of snores.

Carefully, Selena used her hand to run down Deanna's hair and scalp, petting her darling as Deanna slept. She wasn't disappointed in this turn of events. She was worried. It was clear the moment Deanna had stepped into the 'room' that sleep was something that had eluded the redhead. The signs were all there. Sluggishness, bags under the eyes, slurred speech...

How many nights had I had the same symptoms? the platinum-blonde mused with a sigh as she remained in her position, feeling the warmth of her wife's skin against her own. Eventually, given the heat of the room and heat of her wife, she, too, would inadvertently drift to sleep, simply on what heat did to her. But her mind would not be so easily silenced at this moment. Too much was plaguing her - things she had hoped to speak to her wife about.

Yes, it was true that the younger Frost wife was not exceptionally versed in the 'ways' and 'politcs' of SCW that came with travelling the world with the company and competing/performing on every episode of Breakdown in some form or fashion. But there was an honesty within the redhead that was refreshing and frustrating at the same time - depending on the circumstances. It was that honesty that had helped Selena re-conquer her past demons when they had resurfaced. And it was Deanna that had allowed Selena to believe it possible to be a world champion/main-event contender all those years ago when Selena had believed that she was not ready to handle the responsibility.

The former champion sighed quietly. She missed the days where she could take Deanna with her for a few weeks, either with the children (usually), or have Gerda watch them if there was too much travel involved. She missed having Deanna on the road with her, Deanna watching the shows from the safety of the luxury "Believe it!" bus. They would then head to the next town or city or province or state or whatever. Sometimes they'd talk about the show during the ride. Sometimes they'd talk about them and their family, and sometimes they'd say nothing, choosing to just bathe in one another's presence and love through lovemaking or with Deanna nursing any wounds Selena had.

Without thinking, though spurred by the thought, Selena pressed the closest side of her forehead into a cooler section of 'her' pillow. She could feel the stitches there, in her skin, keeping the cut sealed, and the knowledge of their existence causing Selena to sigh once again. 

Another concussion.

She had lost count of how many she had suffered through in the years she had been in SCW. She remembered a few rather prominent ones - Regan smashing her head with a monitor, Xander Valentine smashing her head with a monitor - but this latest one had been at the hands of Tommy Valentine and Kandis, the former best friend of David Helms throw-slamming Selena's head into a metal overhang and busting her open as well. The Snow Queen had been excused from the next set of house shows after that due to the doctor's medical concerns, but another sleepless night with her driver, Eric, watching her as they travelled, had only filled her with thoughts and doubts that she did not want to have. She had still attended the house shows for the SCW Universe and fans and because she wanted to promote Rise to Greatness, Regan, and Frozen Hell, but even Regan had, eventually, urged her to stop working so hard, get some sleep, and get over to Frankfurt to be with Deanna.

Part of her was delighted for that, having Deanna in her arms like this - like how things had been almost a year ago... But another part of her had felt so useless, not being allowed to fight. She wanted to tear Giovanni Aries apart, along with his precious Wonderland cohorts - why was that bastard still going on so about that?! It wasn't even amusing anymore! He deserved to be in jail at this point! She wanted to throw HIM off a tall scaffold. And it wasn't just him! She also wanted to slap the taste out of Sienna's mouth for her foul tweets, the former world champion actually agreeing with Giovanni and promoting the assault the Wonderland had placed on Mr. D....

Without thinking, and perhaps it was the memory of her history with Giovanni, Selena squeezed Deanna closer to her, feeling Deanna, still in sleep, instinctively wrap a leg around one of Selena's. She couldn't be selfish. She wanted Deanna with her more than anything, but if anything had been made clear last Breakdown, with the Ass Connection hunting her, Beauty Factory wanting her out of SCW for numerous reasons, and Giovanni still running rampant like a cancer through all parts of SCW, it was clear that Supreme Championship Wrestling was not a safe place for Deanna or her children.

Softly, Selena gave her wife another forehead kiss. She couldn't be selfish. She couldn't be selfish. She couldn't be selfish.

But damn... Did she ever want to be...

****************************************************


Chesapeake Energy Arena
Oklahoma Cita, Okalhoma
June 17th, 2020
10:45pm

"You can't be serious!" Selena winced as she all but shouted, trying to push herself off the red cushions that served as part of the couch in her and Regan Street's change room in the Chesapeake Energy Arena. Her eyes were as big as saucers as she stared at the portable screen that had been placed in the room with all the equipment, tuned into Breakdown, as were all the other screens in the backstage area. Almost immediately, however, she felt her strength leave her, a wave of dizziness steal her balance and she was almost collapsing back into the couch, if not for a pair of small, but strong, hands catching her.

"Hey! What are you thinking?" Chastised Regan Street as she lowered Selena back onto the couch, Selena dressed in the most comfortable clothes that Regan had been able to find in the Snow Queen's luxury bus - black, baggy sweat pants and solid large-size gray t-shirt. Selena wasn't even wearing underwear in that ensemble, comfort being the key in her attire - or rather the choice of it by her best friend and sister. Still, the Hellcat was worried. Since the assault on Selena a few hours ago, the Snow Queen had been told to stay in the arena until the end of the show and report back to the medic room if she started experiencing more complex problems caused by the attack from the Tag-Team champions.

Still, despite the queasiness and pain she felt, Selena could not tear her eyes away from the television screen, for what she saw was her own face - though it wasn't cut open or covered in stitches - a graphic of her standing beside Glory Braddock as the final selected 'quarterfinal match' in a tournament that would take place over the weeks building up to Rise to Greatness.

A tournament for the now vacated United States Championship!

"Wha...What is she thinking?!" Selena stammered out, pressing the palm of her hand into the stitched-up cut on her forehead, trying to quell the headache that came from her heart pumping blood to and throughout her brain.

There was a moment of silence, brief, as Breakdown went to commercials, something about the latest model of trucks and cars and something about "Skip the Dishes", but both members of Frozen Hell ignored the advertisements, Regan keeping her eyes on Selena and Selena just trying to keep her head on straight from the pounding headache.

"Why would she pick me?" Selena whispered. "She knows we have to focus on the tag-team titles. Especially now." 

She had made the threat in that medic-room, pulled the camera in front of her and even cursed - cursed like a sailor - in front of the world, telling Tommy and Kandis that she and Regan were coming for the titles, that this had gone far beyond personal - for ALL parties concerned. And, despite the pain, everything seemed so simple after Taking Hold of the Flame. Selena had accomplished so much, of which she was proud of. Lasting over an hour in the Royale AND eliminating the most superstars! What's more, the complications of "Who would team with Regan" had been easily solved with David winning the Royale and heading to Rise to Greatness to challenge Bree Lancaster for the World Championship.

Despite everything that had plagued Selena for the last few months, all the doubt and people trying to 'replace her' as Regan's tag-team partner, her path in SCW as unclear as a murky fog, everything seemed to be finally straightening out - seemed to finally be making sense! Even the attack on her, while certainly painful and angering, had driven the point home more so than before. She was going to team with Regan and, together, Frozen Hell was going to have one more crack at the tag-team championships. For gods know how long, while the doctor checked on Selena, she had pieced together the next few weeks heading to RtG. She and Regan would train, Regan more determined than ever to regain gold after just losing the TV title to Cookie Dreams, and together, they would develop an even better strategy than what they had had for Retribution earlier that year. They would focus on just one team - the Big Ass and Jackass Connection. That had been the plan!

And now, because of one choice from Sasha, Selena, once again, found herself back in the throngs of confusion - as if NOTHING had changed from tonight and Taking Hold of the Flame.

Taking a moment to look around the room, slowly, the platinum-blonde was beyond grateful that there were no cameras around the room, SCW's backstage crew and the camera crew following Regan for the mini-documentary not in sight, probably because Regan had locked the door to the change room after ushering Selena inside, insisting that "no one bother them so Selena could recover". 

Closing her sapphire eyes for a moment to try and ease the pain in her head, Selena inhaled and exhaled a few deep breaths. She was too nervous to take any simple medication - stronger drugs she had flat-out refused due to her past issues with them - and she was supposed to stay awake, even though all she wanted to do was sleep away this pain. Still, after her fourth or fifth exhale, the pain was eased enough for her to open her eyes and glance at her sister sitting there in the lazy-boy chair. She wasn't really looking at anything, not even at Selena. She just seemed to be in her own thoughts.

"Can you please say something, Regan?" Selena whispered, though it came out as a plea as well.

The Hellcat's head snapped back towards Selena, the brunette seemingly coming out of some kind of daydream. "Say something?" Regan asked with a tilt of her head. "Salmon cakes with mashed potatoes". 

"What?" Selena asked, confusion etching over her partially stitched features.
"I was just thinking about that menu that was there for room service back at the hotel. I wanted to try those salmon cakes. I think tonight, I will."
"Sister!" Selena huffed. "What about-" she said nothing after that, instead thrusting her hand towards the television screen, which was still playing commercials.

"I'm happy for you." Regan shrugged, as if the answer was simple.
"Happy?" Selena asked in disbelief. She wanted to move - to walk around the room to clear her head, but she knew that if she did, she'd either get dizzy again and fall back on the couch or Regan would stop her. "We're just over a month away from Rise... Why would she throw this into the works?!"

"Well, maybe she felt like it was your turn in the equation?" Regan replied. "I mean, it's not like she told Bree to vacate the title. She's just dealing with Bree's choices."
"And how is 'picking me' fit into that 'equation'?" Selena asked in confusion. "There are so many other people that could benefit-"

"Well, I mean, we've all had chances in the last few months. Tommy, Kandis and I basically fought over the Television title." There was a small hint of bitterness in Regan's voice, a clear indication of her frustration over losing the title. "And Tommy just had a shot at the Adrenaline title... Maybe this is your turn now. You have to admit it solves quite a few problems."

"Except the most important one: ours!" Selena countered. "We're supposed to be focusing on the end of July, not winning a tournament for a singles title..."
"That you've wanted for over a year."

"Y...yeah, but..." Selena's voice trailed off as she dropped her head down to study her hands. "Not now... I mean...". She turned her head back to Regan and, despite the distance from one another from which they sat, Regan could see tears forming in Selena's eyes. Whether that was from the emotions or the pain Selena felt in her head or a combination of the two, the brunette was not quite certain. "What if I win?"

"Wouldn't that be good news?" Regan asked with a shrug, not sure where this was going.
"No!" Selena countered. "What if I win - win the title and Sasha makes me defend it at Rise to Greatness?"

Regan's jaw clenched shut, simply because she didn't have an answer to that. She had forbidden her husband, David Helms, from pulling double-duty at Rise, telling the Royale winner to 'focus on becoming the world champion'. Now, her sister had a chance of becoming United States Champion, a title that the Snow Queen had never gotten a rematch for since losing it over a year ago.

"I couldn't do that to you." Selena whispered. "Because, even if I pulled double-duty... I don't want to. I don't want to give anything but all I have to us winning the tag-titles." Silence met the Snow Queen, so she pushed on. "Or, what if I do this and I get injured? As in, Tommy and Kandis, or Beauty Factory, or Infamous - Not one of them is going to be 'fair' in this whole tournament! I'm basically going to fight an ambush every round if I face them."

"Sel-"

"Tell me I'm wrong, Regan." Selena challenged, trying to get herself to her feet. "Tell me that I won't face Sienna or Bree or Xiomara when I face Glory. Tell me I won't face CHBK or Alexander Crowe again if I fight Christy. Tell me I won't face them all again if I face Cannon! Tell me Tommy and Kandis won't get in the way if I face any of them: including Jake, Jay, Gavin or Konrad!"

Again, silence met her, because Regan was a woman that told things 'as they were'. The Hellcat prided herself on that. Brutal honesty. And, honestly, there was no denying Selena's view. The odds were heavy, right out of the gate, that if Selena went through with this tournament, she would be fighting, not just her opponent, but possibly a whole stable of desperate superstars looking to regain or maintain power in their group, which holding the second highest tier belt in SCW certainly provided.

"They all want me out of SCW..." Selena whispered. "And we are so close..." Her eyes met Regan's again before she managed to, finally, push herself off of the sofa and onto her feet. She wobbled a little, but unlike last time, there was no dizziness that accompanied her.

"What are you doing?" Regan asked. 
"I'm going to find Sasha..." Selena sighed, slowly making her way to the door, her bare feet walking across the rubber-tile floor. "Tell her to pick someone else to face Glory in the tournament-" she stated.
"You can't!"
"I WILL NOT break another promise to you, Regan!" Selena roared back, fighting back a quick spat of nausea that formed in her stomach. "I will NOT fail you again, do you understand?!"
"And what? I'm supposed to be 'happy' that you're abandoning what you want for me? Is that it?"

Selena's hand, which had been reaching for the doorknob, froze in mid-air as she heard Regan's question, which had a rather sharp accusatory tone to it.

"Tell me you don't want to get back the U.S title. Tell me that it hasn't been eating away at you since you lost it thanks to Xander's interference. Tell me you haven't hated how unfair it was that EVERYONE else was getting rematches and title shots, but you were dismissed for over a year unless Trios gave it to you. Tell me you don't want this now! Do that and I'll let you walk out of this room."

Selena heard the challenge in Regan's voice, but she did not move. Did not speak. She merely rested her head against the cold of the door.

"Tell me." Regan ordered, crossing her arms over her chest. "Do you want to be the United States Champion again?"

Selena slammed her eyes shut, her tears finally falling down her cheeks as she, without a word, twisted the doorknob, unlocking it in the process, and opened the door, though the voice she heard from the television caused her to spin around and be stuck in her tracks...

"To the Lizard Kingdom's servants..." The vile voice of Giovanni Aries filled her ears. "You better play this!"

______________________________________




Hello SCW Universe,

If anything was proven last week, it's that, as we often say, "anything can happen in SCW". Maybe that's something that I should say with more excitement, like I usually do. I mean, things like James Evans defeating all of Beauty Factory inside a damn chamber? David Helms coming out of retirement to win not only Trios Tournament but also the Royale and headline Rise to Greatness in one year? And, if I have anything to say about it, Regan Street becoming a Supreme Champion. Anything can happen in SCW... 

But right now, part of me wishes that some things didn't have to be able to happen here in SCW.

And for that, please allow me to send my best wishes to Mr. D. on a speedy recovery. It was beyond wrong what happened to you, Mr. D., and I know so many are sending their thoughts and prayers to you, Sasha, and the rest of your family. There are lines that should never be crossed in this business and I will not hesitate to say that a line was, once again, crossed and I can assure you, Mr. D., that SCW is going to fight to make this right.

Now, because I believe in Owen Cruze and Kelcey Wallace, I will leave any further talking about Giovanni and the Wonderland to them, but to Giovanni, I will simply say: Gio, I don't give a damn about your theories and "Lizard People". You continue to cross a line and, I swear, sooner or later, you're going to get yours! You and Cain and Alice.

I don't want to take away from Owen and Kelcey's time talking about that, gods know I have more than my share of things to discuss here and now. As I was saying, 'anything can happen in SCW' and that was proven on Breakdown. We saw Bree Lancaster vacate the United States Title - her bias and uninformative opinions of her 'reign' aside - and a grand tournament is to take place in the coming weeks to crown a new United States Champion. A new United States Champion...

Maybe I'll talk about the title later. But, even under the best case scenario, that title is three matches away. And standing in my way seems to be quite the roster of talent, as well as personal grudges that have littered my history. Still, as it stands, I am not going to look to the end. I am not going to "see the future". I am just viewing the here and now - what is immediately right before me - and, in that regard, that is my round one opponent: Glory Braddock.

The woman that thinks I am a villain pushing my own brand...

'My own brand', Glory? Tell me, what brand is that, Glory? What 'brand' am I 'pettling to the masses'? Is it that I'm hashtag 'The Best in the World'? Is the brand that I'm a '14-time World Champion'? Is the brand that 'Selena Frost is a liar/goldwhore/glory-hog'?

What am I speaking about? Simple, these are the same one-liners you've thrown at me over and over again. These are the same cliche lines you've peddled on Twitter, while trying to make your nickname of 'Best of the World' to stick. I saw through it at Cold-Blooded, just like the SCW Universe saw through it and we're seeing through it now.

We get it, Glory. "Selena Frost is the villain. Selena Frost is selfish. Selena Frost only cares about herself." I'll probably hear the same thing from Chris Cannon and Christy Matthews if I face them. Probably in the same tone. That talk has been thrown in my face by your lot and Infamous since day one of my SCW career. But you? You're probably more dangerous than most of those that say it because, and maybe I'm wrong, but you actually have managed to convince yourself that it's true. Now, whether that's because you look in the mirror and say it over and over again or you have people in your camp telling it to you, I'm not sure, but you genuinely seem to believe that you're this 'savior' and I'm all those things you've declared every time we've faced.

I mean, where do I begin to unwrap your 'version of reality' vs. Everyone else's? Well, to be honest, to save myself some trouble, I've just labelled your version as "The Beauty Factory's" because it seems to just ooze from your lot. I mean, let's see, Sasha gives two members of your group access to this tournament in you and Chris Cannon but you still want to whine and complain about being "held back" and how Sasha is "unfair" and 'doesn't want the title back in your camp'. You realize that Beauty Factory has more members in the tournament than anyone, right? So how is that 'unfair'? If anything, if Sasha didn't want the title near you or your team, she could have replaced you with other deserving superstars like Owen Cruze, James Evans, Alistaire Allocco, Jason Helms, I could go on. It's not like she doesn't have her own list of 'deserving superstars', Glory. Yet she picked you AND Chris Cannon for this tournament. So, tell me how that's 'unfair'.

Tell you what? I'll move on from that. Instead, let's talk about something else, Glory. Let's talk more about 'your brand', specifically the 'mission statement' of it. You tell the world that you do "what is needed for SCW" and that you care about "wrestling and competition", right? No one is as passionate about competition as you, right? Well, let's see, several times I have stood in that ring and challenged you to come in and face me. I had no weapons. Had no backup. It was just me. One woman - a woman that you're so certain you can beat with your "cannots and willnots' littering your every prediction of our upcoming match - one woman telling you to come into the ring and face her. And what have you done each and every time? You've walked away. You walked away at Fatal Fortunes after I knocked down Void and you cowered away just a few weeks ago when I beat Katie Steward and challenged you again. And since we're on the subject, Glory, what about those promises and threats you made to me that you were going to enter the Royale and "Stick it to me"? Hell, even Bree and Sienna were talking about you entering - and remember? You wanted to "make me out at failing again". But...as all the other times before... Nothing.

See, Glory, one thing that has been ringing true whenever I've had to deal with you. You say a lot of things and you make a lot of promises, and yet when push comes to shove, you can and will easily break those promises and make yourself out to be a liar when it suits you well. Let me say that again. When it suits you well. Not SCW. Not wrestling. You. You think SCW doesn't want to see Glory Braddock face Selena Frost? They've only been asking for it for months, Glory. Every time I stood in the ring and told you to get your ass in there, they were begging for it! They're going to be begging for it in Little Rock, Glory! But unless it was for something, like a step towards a shiny new title, it hasn't been worth your time, has it? But I'm supposed to believe that you care about 'wrestling' and 'competition'?

Hard to do that, Glory. Because while you've been happy to laugh in my face and walk away whenever I've laid down that metaphorical gauntlet, you didn't really hesitate in attacking me from behind with the rest of Beauty Factory and Madison Steward after my match with the Steward princess, did you? And to me, that is the most true thing about you, Glory. See, unlike you, I feel you deserve to be in this tournament. Why not? You beat a former champion in Jason Helms and you went toe-to-toe against Regan Street and, obviously, Bree Lancaster endorses you. I don't have to see that list of hers to know that your name was on it and mine wasn't. And if Cold-Blooded proved anything to me, it was that you can go and can certainly be a champion here in SCW.

But when you say that you 'care about wrestling'? That part I don't buy. That part I don't believe. What I believe, Glory, is that I'm going to be fighting you and a couple of members from the Beauty Factory and, if I'm 'lucky', Tommy Valentine and Kandis at Breakdown. Fresh out of the gate, and I am in for the fight of my life. A fight for my survival just like in the days of me fighting Past, Present and Future or Monarchy or your group's previous form: Beauty Network. I could go on, but I think you get the general idea. 

But you see, Glory, while you can pull from your bag of lies and your overused cliches about me, while you can chat it up with Sienna and Bree and just say what they say, there's a reason why I've survived all these years. There's a reason why I don't need to explain myself over my actions. And no, it's not because I'm stupid. It's not because of a single catchphrase. It's because my 'brand' is just simple.

Keep fighting for what you believe in.

That's it, Glory. That's all there is to me. There's no 'hidden agenda'. There's no 'ulterior motive'. I fight, I get hit, I get knocked down, I get back up, and I keep fighting. Rinse and repeat. There's no "do whatever is necessary" like what you have. There is no "the ends justify the means" like you have proven is written in the subtext of your 'brand'. What I do, I do it on my own, under my own abilities. Honour SCW, honour the rules of wrestling, and earn every single inch in this business! That is my 'brand', Glory!

And what really kills you, Glory, is that, despite that open honesty, you still can't take me down. You still can't silence me or take me out of SCW. What kills you inside is that what I do? What I stand for - it's actually gotten me to where I'm not 'trying' to feel like an accomplished superstar like you say I am - I AM an accomplished superstar. And it eats you up inside that I've done so much more than you - the 14-time world champion - in SCW without doing what you do. Without having to lie, cheat and take shortcuts.

So you try and try to bring me down to your level of morals. You try and make me out to be the villain in your little story so you can justify the things that you do and say to me. So you can justify the 'methods' you need to employ. You lie and twist the narrative like Bree when you lost to me at Cold-Blooded. You use Sienna's love of nicknames to peddle your "Best in the World" nonsense.

But, like I proved at Cold-Blooded, Glory, in the ring is where all those things, all those words? They disappear. Under the spotlights, everything is exposed. And every time we were in the ring together, you are the one that has failed. You've failed to 'prove your words' against me, Glory. After Cold-Blooded, you attacked me from behind and declared I hadn't 'truly won against you'. The next Breakdown? You took outside assistance from Bree and declared how you 'proved you could beat Selena Frost' and it's been nothing but empty threats, running away, and ambushes since then.

And I gotta be honest, Glory? I'm a little sick of it. If you're so certain that you can beat me - if you think that you can't and won't allow me to pass by you in this tournament - then for Odin's sake DO IT! Come down to Breakdown and prove that it's 'so easy'. 

Like I said, Glory, 'anything can happen in SCW'. And if that's true, then maybe, once again, I can beat "The Best in the World" and move one step closer to regaining the United States Championship. Maybe I can overcome the certainties you have about beating me. Maybe the idea that the Snow Queen can beat one more person spewing the same rhetoric as all of Infamous and Beauty Factory can happen. I guess the real question that needs to be answered is... Which one of us will want it more?

Something to consider, right Glory?

Sincerely,
Selena Michelle Frost

OOC: CD takes place immediately following the first. Promo takes place day of Breakdown. Computer is still down, so I apologize for the lack of graphics. Best of luck, Matt. Always a pleasure!





Frankfurt Prison III
Frankfurt, Germany
June 22nd, 2020
4:30pm

She gripped her sides as she felt the burning, small hands and arms wrapped around a narrow waist as she lay there, on her knees, her eyes fluttering open and close, focusing solely on the drain below her as the convulsions hit, her pale body spasming as the nausea ran through her body like a sickness. The cold water from the shower head pelted down across her bare back, set to the lowest possible temperature, the only comfort she felt as her body wretched and continued to betray her. She had been ready for it this time and had planned for it should it return.

With a deep breath, Selena leaned even lower, placing one of her hands just to the side of the shower drain, bracing herself for inevitable release. She had avoided eating anything more than what she needed, opting for an apple and and a cup of coffee for her only meal before making her way to the prison that day. With one last brace, she felt that same meal, after minutes of dry-heaving, finally seek release and she let it. She let it flow out of her painfully, the black liquid and chunks of digested fruit landing right on the drainage. Her eyes shut, Selena focused every bit of her energy on making as little sound as possible as the vomit burned her throat and inside of her chest. She continued to heave and wretch but she refused to be loud. She refused to allow more than the bare minimum of sound to be made.

I'm not going to look weak... Not like last time. Her mind angrily spat as another spasm hit. The nausea and vomitting had come earlier than before compared to other concussions, other times it hadn't come at all - but this time? It was one of the most aggressive. Not the most painful, especially when she was anticipating it now, but definitely one of the most aggressive. It was as if her body was punishing her for allowing it to be punished at the hands of Tommy and Kandis. Allowed it to suffer another concussion.

With a soft spit, Selena spat out the bit of bile and apple and coffee that remained in her mouth as she felt the nausea dissipate and the convulsions slow until they ceased. Opening her eyes, the Snow Queen gazed down at the puddle of mess, of coffee and apple and digestive fluids that covered the majority of the drain. Carefully, exhausted, she ran the hand not supporting her weight through her drenched, platinum-blonde hair, feeling the cold water continue to rain across her back, rear, and legs. Slowly, not wanting to risk slipping or fainting, she pulled her torso up, the weight shifting onto just her knees. When she felt more confident after a minute, she changed that posture to being on one knee. Finally, when that was comfortable, she pushed herself to her full, standing height, her hands pressed against the wall for any kind of support, in case she needed it.

Looking down, seeing that mess that remained around and on the drainage cover, Selena almost had to laugh out loud, though she stopped herself. All this time, she had thought that she hated Tommy and Kandis. That she despised them, not just for their claims of she and Regan "not belonging in the tag-team division", but also because of how obsessed they were in destroying Regan and David. From trying to cost both Regan and David the Taking Hold of the Flame Battle Royale, to Tommy pushing David so far that he sold his share of the wrestling academy he had built! An academy Selena had just visited a few weeks ago - a dream of David's... Gone.

She thought she hated Kandis, and especially Tommy, then. But seeing Tommy attack Regan during her match with Xander Valentine. Seeing how they attacked David - and now her? Tommy wasn't trying to just to win this war, he was trying to put the entire family on the shelf. Trying to end Regan, David and her simply because of what? Some insults that Regan had thrown Kandis way? Selena didn't believe that - anymore than she believed that her fighting Glory Braddock would end without any controversy.

Because there was something more here. Something more infecting her journey, and Selena knew it, as she saw the damage laying on the floor of the shower. Of the chewed up apple, that didn't even look like apple anymore. Of the murky, dark water-like substance. What was there was obsession.

Obsession was infecting SCW. It had started with small instances. People like Giovanni attacking board members but, really, targeting superstars that sided with the Drachewychs. Started with people like Syren and Sienna, whining and complaining if she wasn't the world champion, and doing whatever it took to superstars to get that title.

But somewhere along the way, as the year 2020 had progressed, that obsession had evolved into something far worse. Far darker. Far more...sick. It wasn't just superstars attacking superstars in the ring anymore. It wasn't just proving yourself in your matches by being better than your opponent.

Glory Braddock was obsessed with her and was just itching to do what Bree and Sienna couldn't do. Not just beat Selena, but as the woman had bragged - drive her out of SCW.

It wasn't just Tommy trying to 'restore and save' the tag-team division like he had stated at Retribution. He was obsessed with destroying Regan and everyone associated with her.

And it wasn't just Giovanni breaking up a championship belt into little pieces while calling so-and-so a "member of the Lizard Kingdom". His obsession had lead to something beyond anything Selena had seen before, even compared to the dark minds of Vixen Cain and Xander Valentine.

She didn't know what to call this new form of obsession that seemed to come from every person that wanted her beaten or out of SCW - all the Snow Queen knew was that it was terrifying. It was beyond anything she had faced before. Beyond anything she had been put through. And...she knew that if it continued... It'll be me going down the drain... her mind warned as she slowly changed the flow of the water from the shower head to the faucet, the cold water spewing out a little harder and more so, sweeping up the vomitted waste and pushing it into the drainage holes and out of sight. Still, Selena kept her eyes on it for a few minutes, as if she could still see it in her mind's eye.

She wasn't stupid. It was taking longer and longer to recover from these concussions. Longer and longer to recover from the beatings she suffered from these ambushes. Hell, she had missed three house shows on doctor's orders thanks to that latest Breakdown attack from the Ass Connection. How many more until she was deemed "not medically cleared to wrestle"? How much longer until she had no choice in the matter?

Angrily, Selena pulled the small pin on top of the faucet, returning the flow of the water back to the shower head and held her face right until it, feeling the cold water splash against her eyes, cheeks, forehead, and the stitched up cut that told the tale. With huff, she slammed her hands against the tiled wall in front of her and opened her mouth, allowing the cold water to pool inside it. With an angry spit, she spat whatever was left inside her mouth from the nausea-attack onto the drainage floor before continuing the task she had started before the sickness had hit, using the special soap (lavender-scented) and shampoo (vanilla extract and scent) to clean herself fully. She even did a second washing of both, not wanting any trace of her condition or 'experience' to be noticed. It was a solid twenty minutes before she had finished showering, drying and brushing her teeth with her minty toothpaste and smoothed her hair into a simple waterfall of platinum locks. Changing into the simple clothes she had decided, a dark-blue, shoulder less, short-sleeved, Bohemian summer dress that flowed down to just above her feet, Selena stopped only for a second to scan the room before spotting her beloved redhead - who, like a squirrel after a nut, had raided the older woman's bag and was now biting into a chunk of one of the large chocolate bars Selena had purchased for her, with only the corner of the wrapper having been ripped open to allow access.

Deanna looked up at her wife, wide-eyed and mouth full of chocolate. It was silly and beautiful at the same time to Selena.

"Uh..." Deanna muttered before finishing her bite into the chocolate, the piece almost too big for her and making her cheeks bulge out like a squirrel as well! "Want some?" She mumbled, offering the chocolate bar to Selena as she tried to finish her bite.

With a laugh, Selena simply strolled over to her beloved redhead. "Sure." She smiled before leaning down. Reaching out with her hands, she cupped her wife's face, pressing her soft lips to Deanna's, a soft tongue caressing the younger woman's lips before plunging into the wet mouth to lick up some of the delicious chocolate. Selena held back a little, unnoticed by Deanna, as she had no desire to eat too much of anything just to throw it up again. Still, she savoured the kiss, pulling back to smile at the closed-eyed, but smiling, redhead as Selena's pale thumbs caressed her partner's cheeks. "Lovely." She purred before kissing her wife's forehead, quietly checking to make sure there was no 'chocolate lipstick' there after the kiss. With all being well in that department, the platinum-blonde shuffled over to sit beside Deanna on the bed as the redhead simply continued to eat her chocolate bar.

"How are you feeling?" She slowly asked, casting her gaze upon the soft skin of her pet.
Mouth full of chocolate once more, Deanna could only shrug for a few seconds before having enough space to answer. "I should ask you that." She replied, pointing a finger towards Selena's strip of stitches. "Who was it this time?"

A sigh came from Selena as she, instinctively, reached up to run her fingers along the patch of stitches. "Tag-team champions."
"Where was Regan?" Deanna asked calmly. It wasn't that she wasn't upset, but she had seen her wife injured over and over again, and far worse than a couple of stitches.
"In the middle of a match." Selena sighed. They were smart. They waited till they could get me 2-on-1."
"Of course they did." the redhead sighed before taking another bite of chocolate. "Anything else?"

She wanted to tell Deanna the truth. Wanted to tell her how Breakdown had ended - the actions of Giovanni and his Wonderland cohorts. Cowards, the lot of them... Selena growled, though she quickly tried to cover it up so as not to alarm Deanna.

"I..." She started. "I got entered into a tournament for to crown a United States Champion." She settled on saying.
It was news that caused Deanna's eyes to light up, a big smile (tight-lipped due to the chocolate in her mouth) cross her features. "That's good!" She mumbled, causing Selena to laugh despite herself.

"Deanna, can you please finish your mouthful before you speak." She giggled. "Last thing I want is you to choke on it or something."
"What a way to go." Deanna replied after swallowing her latest mouthful. "Death by chocolate!"
"Yeah, except I don't want you dying at all." Stated Selena offhandedly, but when Deanna didn't laugh at the joke, the redhead's features morphing to something more akin to worry and uncertainty, the older Frost woman gave a tilt of her head. "What is it?" She asked.

"What?" Deanna asked, trying to re-adopt her look of calm and nonchalance.
"Oh no." Selena shook her head, taking the chocolate out of Deanna's hands as the prisoner attempted to eat another piece to distract from the conversation. "What is wrong? I said I didn't want you dying and you suddenly became somber. This have anything to do with why you looked ready to pass out when you walked in here earlier?"

"No..." Deanna's voice trailed off, but when Selena's glare did not shift or alter, the young woman could only wiggle uncomfortably under the stare. "Yes..." She whispered, putting her hands together and placing them in her lap. "I haven't been sleeping lately." She whispered. "There's been a lot of noise in the... The..." She tried to find the word.

"Cells?" Selena tried to help her. "Groups? Rumours?"
"Yeah, rumours." Deanna stopped her wife's guessing with her response. "That's really the best way I can put it. There's been a lot of whispering of 'something happening'. Queenie and her goons have been talking about it. Even the other inmates are nervous as hell."

"What does Shar think?" Selena asked, referencing Deanna's cell-mate and the sort of 'protector' Deanna had when Selena could not look after her inside the prison walls.
The redhead beside her gave a slight shrug, but she answered honestly. "She's uneasy. I think more so for me. She thinks..." A sigh escaped Deanna as she ran her hands through her red hair. "She thinks it's one of two things."

"And those are?" Selena asked, not liking her wife's hesitation for a single moment.
"Either someone's coming in... Or someone's breaking out." Deanna whispered.
"What does that mean?" Selena asked, not wanting to assume a damn thing with something that was already filling her with an uneasy fear.
"It means either someone is going to do something to get someone out or someone that's already in is going to try and break out. Either way, Sharlene is expecting some kind of massive riot."

"A riot?!" Selena's eyes went wide in alarm, her hands shaking and causing her to drop the chocolate bar onto the floor. Neither woman moved to pick it up. "Have you told the officers?"

"Are you kidding, Selena?" Deanna asked in disbelief at the question. "This isn't Elsianna's school. I say something, two things will happen. One, I'll get laughed at by the officers because I don't have a shred of proof or two, they believe me and investigate everyone. In either scenario, they'll find out I'm the one who blabbed. And-"

"Snitches get stitches?" Selena asked, instinctively reaching up to feel the stitched in her forehead.
"More like snitches end up with missing teeth, broken limbs, or dead." Deanna replied darkly, looking down at her hands.

There was silence between the two women after that statement, both staring at their empty hands and the unwrapped chocolate bar at their feet.  "No wonder you can't sleep." Selena whispered, earning a nod from Deanna.
"Shar says that if anything happens, I just need to stay out of the way, either in the corner of my cell or wherever I am. I'm not to try and get involved with anyone or anything."

"Does she have any experience with this?" Selena asked, doubting the tall woman that was serving as Deanna's cell mate.
"She's ten years in of a life-sentence, Selena." Deanna replied. "She's seen her share. And she's promised to look after me. I think... I think she feels responsible for what happened earlier with Queenie and...well..." Deanna pointed to her healing eye, still a bit off-color of green and yellowish from the assault she had suffered a few weeks ago.

"Well, let's just hope she's right." Selena sighed, finally reaching out to wrap her arms around Deanna, the redhead not resisting as she was tucked back into her beloved's arms. "Fuck..." She whispered - her swearing last Breakdown had made doing it more often a little more easier. "We have to get you out of here." She continued. "I can't... I can't stand you being here with this happening."

Deanna merely nodded, but she could not fully understand. She didn't see the haunted look in Selena's eyes as a certain event played in her mind. An event involving a mannequin in a blazer being thrown out of a building to the unforgiving concrete below. But in her mind, this dummy that was left on the ground broken and dead did not have dark hair or wear a blazer. This figure had red hair and wore a blue, prison jumpsuit and laid on the concrete of the inside of a cell...

And it wasn't a mannequin...


*****************************************************

Chesapeake Energy Arena
Oklahoma Cita, Okalhoma
June 17th, 2020
10:55pm

"WHAT THE FUCK?!"

Regan's scream could probably be heard echoing throughout the halls of the Chesapeake Energy Arena, but it didn't gain any attention despite's its volume. All eyes within the arena were, no doubt, glued to whatever television or screen was nearby as the scene played out before the world.

It had been Giovanni's voice that had grabbed the attention of the members of Frozen Hell as they stood in the changeroom, Selena, still queasy and roughed up from the attack she had suffered at the hands of the current tag-team champions, Tommy Valentine and his girlfriend, Kandis, but it was the realization that Giovanni's location - the SCW Headquarters in Toronto, Ontario, Canada - and the sight of his entire Wonderland pack, now with a brand new member, were attacking the SCW Owner, Mr. D. in his own office, that had caused Regan's outburst!

Immediately, adrenaline kicked in and Selena was on the move, rushing away from the door she had been standing near to rifle through her bag until she found what she was looking for: her cellphone. "No. No. No." she whispered, her fingers shaking and trembling as she unlocked the phone and all but smashed through her contacts to find the SCW Headquarters number, hitting dial as fast as she could. "Come on. Come on." She begged as she heard the dial-tone, which sounded more like a death-knell of some kind.

"Hello." Came the automated switchboard. "You've reached the offices of Supreme Championship Wrestling. All of our offices are currently closed. Our offices are open 8am-5pm, Monday to Friday-"
"Come on!" Selena didn't mean to yell that, but it came out as one regardless as she tried to speed up the recording by force of will.
"If this is an emergency, please press 11 to speak with our on-site security-"

The line was cut due to Selena pushing the numbers she had been prompted to... Only for the "line busy" sound to cause her heart to leap into her throat. "No..." She whispered, before turning to Regan, who had been watching the television screen the whole time as the vicious assault continued. The Hellcat had already deduced that what they were witnessing was pre-recorded, the sight of her match with Cookie Dreams on the television screen having proven as much to the brunette's well-trained eyes.

"The line is busy." Selena paled, turning her head to her sister and tag-team partner.
"Then someone's already contacting them." Regan replied distantly, her eyes still locked on the television.

Stil, Selena had gone back to digging through her contacts on her phone. She knew two people in the SCW Corporate office, old friends that had remained so as the years at gone by. Adam and Fiyero Ulric. Two brothers that worked in different sectors of the office. She tried Fiyero first, but only got voicemail and her heart sank when the call to Adam suffered a similiar outcome. "Dammit!" She cried out before angrily throwing her phone against the wall, watching it bounce off the painted brick with a clang before hitting the ground. She had to do something! Anything!

Meanwhile, both women's eyes remained fixed on the television, the assault on the SCW owner continuing before their eyes and them, over a thousand miles away - they might as well have been on another fucking planet!

"This can't be happening..." Selena whispered, her hands reaching out to clutch the top of the sofa, pale fingers gripping into the soft cushions for support.

"This is beyond sick." Regan growled, feeling as useless as her partner. "What is he hoping to gain out of this? He'll be fired if anything else!"

But if logic was anything the two women were looking for, there was none to be found in the scene before them. All four members, from Giovanni to Cain to Alice to the new individual that stood with them, shared the same look. A look of obsession - toxic and destructive beyond anything Selena had seen before, even on the face of Xander Valentine when he had declared war on she and Regan. The scene switched over to Giovanni standing outside the building and Selena wished with all she had that she could reach through that television screen and wrap her fingers around that bastard's neck! She didn't care if she was fired for it! Hell, if she was lucky, maybe she could be transferred to Frankfurt with Deanna!

The Mad Hatter, meanwhile, unfettered, continued with his actions. "See, we said we would destroy. And you know, Owen, it's simple. See, Lizards... They're like snakes. Cut off the head... And the body dies...well..."

The change room filled with screams, one a loud "NO!" And the other an equally loud "FUCKIN' SHIT!" As the two members of Frozen Hell watched the 'body' of their boss sail through the window and towards the ground, landing with a bounce before being still.

The single second moment after... There was nothing. It was an eternity of silence. Of disbelief. Of shock that rocked Selena and Regan to their core. Neither could move. Neither could speak. They could only stare at the television at the sight before them. Nothing registered in their minds: not Regan's match with Cookie, not the assault on Selena, not the upcoming United States Championship Tournament... Nothing. It was like Giovanni had stopped them all - killed the 'lizards' as he had said by throwing Mr. D. out of the headquarter building.

"It's a fake..."

The whisper came from Regan, who seemed to regain her senses first. "It's a fake." She repeated, a bit stronger, turning her head to Selena, who was still in shock. "Selena!" She urged, rushing over to take hold of Selena's arms with her hands, trying to shake her out of her stupor. "Did you see how he- it fell? The rigidity? It's a fake! Snap out of it-"

The sound of Giovanni's laughter filled the room and seemed to work in tandem with Regan's urging to break Selena out of her stupor. Shaking her head, Selena's sapphire eyes stared at the screen as Giovanni showed off his 'handiwork', the mannequin with Mr. D.'s blazer and a wig that matched the owner's hair-color. The Snow Queen's eyes flew from the screen to Regan's green eyes and back and forth for several seconds before, suddenly, without any warning, the platinum-blonde pushed herself away from Regan and bolted out of the room, Regan's cries of protest left behind.

She just ran. Ran as fast as she could, adrenaline pumping through every part of, placing her in 'flight or fight' mode. She didn't care that the room was spinning around her tunnel vision. She still had enough focus to see where she was going, running and ducking through the halls and past other superstars and crew, countless of them gathered before any available television screens throughout the backstage sector of the arena. She only stopped to duck her head inside a change room or washroom, checking for any sign of the person she sought. A split second to know and then she was running again, faster and faster she pushed herself until, when every "office" and "room" of the backstage had been searched, she found herself in the parking lot, amber lights on top of the ceiling illuminating the night sky. Her eyes, still focused, caught sight of countless vehicles, from limos to trucks to rented cars, even her luxury bus was seen way in the distance, always parked in the far back for the convenience of the other travellers.

Her heart pumped wildly and her lungs burned but Selena refused to succumb. She needed to find - her thoughts stopped as she spotted the limo leaving the parking lot, having just turned onto the main-street and driven off. Standing there, between the now departed car and the Snow Queen was the bald man in the black suit, but someone Selena recognized immediately.

"DEAN!" She called out, catching the head agent by surprise as he spun around, taking a moment to recognize the caller.
"Selena?" He asked in surprise, but was unable to ask what Selena was doing, as the Snow Queen rushed to his side, her hands reaching out to hold the SCW staff member desperately.

"Where's Sasha?" Selena asked. "It was fake! Do you understand? He didn't get thrown out of the building! It was some sick..." She stuffed as she felt something wretch and convulse inside her. "Some sick..." The pain came back, clawing away at Selena's insides. She fought back with all she had. Sasha needed to know! Needed to know her father wasn't dead! "Sick pr-"

Her body told her she had failed before it fully acted, giving Selena only a second to react. Reputation and pride going out the damn window, Selena covered her mouth with her hand before throwing herself to the black concrete, away from Dean Black, just in time as her stomach gave one last clench and expelled her dinner through her system and out, over and past her hand and fingers. Her body burned painfully as she lay on the ground, her hands and knees now supporting her weight as her body unleashed the consequences of Selena's actions, the adrenaline out of her body and now back to suffering the consequences of her concussion.

Fuck... her mind cried as her body continued to heave, her eyes releasing streams of tears as the pain continued to wrack her frame. Make it stop... her mind begged. Please... Just make it stop!

But it did not. She had made a choice to push herself past the limits she could handle in her condition, and she was now paying the price. She wasn't sure if she heard Dean call her name. She wasn't sure if anyone else was there besides here. All she knew was burning pain that swept through her and the sound of liquids escaping her system and the cries that filled her ears that were hers.

It was between that and her mind playing that horrific scene in her head - the scene she had witnessed on the television - the combination of mental and physical pain crashing upon her like a never-ending series of waves until... It stopped. Her body stopped convulsing, she stopped throwing up. As sudden as it had sprung on her, it was over, and she just lay there, every part of her still in shock over everything. She barely heard the door opening from the arena and Dean Black's voice of "she's over here!"

She barely heard the sound of feet running towards her and two pairs of hands reaching down to gather her up and away from the mess she had left. All she could see, through tear-blurred eyes, was the collage of colours that she had made on the parking lot ground. The vibrant blue from the cold slushi treat she had had, the white from the grilled chicken, and the red from the blood from her own systems. It was almost beautiful to her in her current mental state. Like a flag...or a US title... she lazily thought as she felt herself being pulled up to lay on the lap of someone, her eyes drifting close as she lay still. She remained that way for several minutes until, suddenly, a soft, wet, warm cloth was wiping against her mouth and face, gently, comforting, cleaning the mess of puke and tears from her face. She could fill the dizziness in her brain ease and slow, fading back into the recesses. Her senses returned and she could hear voices, people calling her name gently.

Slowly, still painfully, she opened her eyes, sapphire orbs taking in the lights above her before settling on the three faces that stared down at her. Furthest back, and thus closest to the lights, was Dean Black, keeping his distance to allow the two women nearby to handle the Snow Queen. At Selena's side, she recognized the brown hair and warm eyes of one of her oldest and closest friends in SCW, Jessica Winters. It was she that was wiping Selena's face with the washcloth and calling her name. And the second, Selena had a bit of difficulty seeing her because it was in this woman's lap that Selena's head was rested, but a bit of strain and she was able to make out the face of her best friend and sister, Regan.

"It...it was a fake." Selena whispered, her voice hoarse and raw from the stomach acid that lingered in her throat. Gently, Jessica offered a bottle of water, tipping it slowly as she poured it into Selena's mouth.

"Drink first, Selena." She gently ordered. "Slowly."

It hurt to do so, but Selena powered through it. Compared to what she had been through, the irritated pain she felt now was easy to handle. A few slow sips of water later and Selena felt more of her voice return.

"It was fake." She repeated, casting her gaze up at Dean. "Sasha needs to know her father is okay."
"I don't know if that's the proper word." Dean replied. "But we know the final part - the 'throwing out of a building' - was certainly fake. I've already called and informed Sasha. She's still heading back to Toronto, security has been called and medical staff were heading there last I spoke to her."

Rather than replying right away, Selena merely nodded her head. "I'm sorry." She slowly whispered. "I didn't mean to make a scene."
The head agent nodded his head before turning to Regan. "What's her issues?" He asked matter-of-factly, casting a hand towards Selena.
"Concussion." Regan replied simply. "From that attack earlier in the show."

"I see." Black sighed, rolling his shoulders back. "Well, I'll check with the medical staff and see if a leave of absence for a few days is necessary. In the meantime, I recommend we all be on our way. The night's events certainly have left a mess that needs to be cleaned up." His eyes glanced over to the pile of vomit a few feet away from the group. "And I don't mean you when I say that, Mrs. Frost." He added before casting his eyes back on Regan. "Can you see that she gets to her bus alright?"
"Of course." Regan nodded, keeping Selena's head balanced and supported in her life.

"Excellent. Jessica, I'll need you to come with me. I'm certain there's a mob of superstars and staff that will require some answers." Black ordered before turning on his heel, his work far from done given the night's events. With a sigh, the SCW interviewer placed a comforting hand on Selena's.
"Text me when you're feeling better, please." She asked before joining Dean as the two re-entered the arena.

That left the two "sisters" of Frozen Hell there in the parking lot, neither moving from their spot, Regan, instead, running a hand gently along Selena's head and hair, brushing it with her fingertips. "You okay?" She whispered.
"I feel utterly stupid." Selena admitted. "I just up chucked in front of the head agent. Can you imagine if he had filmed that and put it on YouTube."
"He's more professional than that." Regan shook her head, smiling in good humour.
"Doesn't make it any more embarrassing." Selena rasped. "I guess I don't panic well."
"No, you do not." Regan laughed. "Half the people I asked said you were running around like a chicken with your head cut off."
"Probably looked that way." Selena muttered.

A silence blossomed between the two as Selena held the water bottle Jessica had given her, taken careful, slow sips to try and ease some of the pain in her throat. "Is it too early." She finally said. "To say that I absolutely hate today?"

It wasn't very funny, but, for some reason, Regan laughed any way. "I would definitely classify this as 'not one of our best days'. Between me losing the TV title, you getting jumped, and what just happened? I am ready to say that things can't get any-"
"Don't you dare- OH!" Selena rasped, followed by yelping in pain. "You did that just to irritate my throat!" She whined in a whisper.
"Consider that a lesson for running off and not listening to me." Regan stated, sticking her tongue out at Selena to emphasize the point.

"You're mean." Selena huffed, though she relaxed further in Regan's lap. "Meanie." She added.

The Hellcat shrugged for a moment before casting her gaze out towards the parking lot. From where they were, having moved Selena to the corner and out of the way of departures and vehicles, she could see some superstars and staff leaving. None of them looked in their direction and she knew that Selena, like her, would be grateful for that. People were too distracted with what the Wonderland had done, allowing some peace for the two girls to allow Selena time to recover without being seen lying on the ground in the parking lot.

"There's some good that came out of it, though." Regan tried, casting her eyes at Selena.
"What good came-" Selena stopped as she realized what Regan was implying, sighing heavily. "I'll call Sasha tomorrow and tell her to remove me from the tournament." She insisted.

"Are you serious?" Regan huffed. She would have thrown Selena off her in frustration if not for the Snow Queen's current predicament of health. "After all that just happened?"
"If anything, more so." Selena sighed, her voice still raspy. "Regan, I can't be pulled in every different direction. I can't be the best tag-team partner I can for you-" She spoke slowly. "While at the same time being a top contender for the United States Title, while at the same time trying to think of how to deal with the Wonderland again. Last time I was torn in that many different directions, Giovanni threw me off a damn scaffold."

It was a dawning conclusion that she had come to as she had slowly regained consciousness. Too many things - too many people - needed her. Regan and David, Deanna and her children, and now, she was, most certainly, going to be brought back to the fight against the Wonderland at some point. What time was left to accomplish something she had wanted for so long-

"I need you to steal a page from an old book of mine..." Regan started, gaining Selena's attention. "And you're not going to like where this goes."
"Are you going to bash my head with a monitor again?" Selena asked.
"No, but it does touch on our history." The Hellcat warned. "Remember-" she pointed out. "You already said you forgave me for all that."

With a roll of her eyes, Selena sighed. "Go ahead." She stated, slowly pushing herself up to sit beside Regan, the brunette helping her do so.

"Do you remember the Trios Tournament you won?" Regan asked, though it was rhetorical question.
"Yes."
"I looked at it long-term. I saw the immediate - me beating you or Sienna beating you - and if that failed, then there was the long-term. Sienna did the same. We knew that if we injured you, you'd be so infuriated with us that you'd put yourself at any risk to face one of us. In this case, Sienna. She played the long-game, lured you out and had a distinct advantage in that ironwoman match."

Selena inhaled through her nose and exhaled bitterly. It was a match that she was not found of remembering. It was where the "Iron Angel" was born. Sienna's solo victory over Selena that had haunted the Snow Queen for the better part of her career. It was worse than Bree Lancaster's "I let Selena win the United States title" bullshit that had followed the platinum-blonde around for over a year and a half.

"The point?" Selena asked, turning her head to gaze at her friend.
"I need you to think of this tournament long-term." Regan implored.
"In what way?" Selena asked. "Where I potentially win? Become champion?"
Slowly, Regan nodded.
"We went over this already." Huffed Selena. "Even if I win, I do that and I'll be made to defend it at Rise to Greatness. I'll be removed as your partner or, worse yet, I'll endanger your chances of becoming Supreme champion." She took a moment to collect her breath and thoughts, speaking slower this time. "If you want me to tell you what is more important to me: being the United States Champion and being Tag-team champion with you? It's you, Regan. Hands down, by a country kilometre, every day and twice on Sunday."

"I get it." Regan replied, though she could not hide the slight smile that came at the corner of her lips. "I'm flattered but we both know that this has become much bigger than anything we have dealt with before. And I know we can win the titles at Rise, but what about after that? What about after we become tag champions?"

"Well..." That was an element Selena had not thought much about. In truth, she didn't want to think that far ahead. Things were too out of control, both in her professional and personal life. "I guess... We'd go about defending the tag-titles. Proving we're a solid, competent pair of champions?"
"Uh-huh." Regan nodded her head. "And the Wonderland? How do we stop them?"
"I don't know." Selena shrugged. "We watch for them and fight back?"
"We couldn't be there for Mr. D. tonight, could we? We couldn't be there for Jason, could we?"
"Regan-"

"And what about Owen? He's one guy against four members of the Wonderland."
"Owen is a competent, amazing wrestler." Selena countered. "He can certainly take care of-"
"What about Kelcey?"

That question stopped Selena's mouth quick. Kelcey Wallace, managing talents like Owen and Peyton, a legend in SCW, and one of Selena's dearest friends. Like Regan, their friendship had been forged from competition and honour. But, unlike Regan, Kelcey was still not medically cleared to compete as a wrestler. If Giovanni targeted her next... If the Wonderland targeted her along with Owen Cruze...

"What do we do?"  Selena asked, looking at Regan, feeling nothing but the sinking feeling of being absolutely lost.
"That part you're really not going to like." Regan winced before casting her eyes at Selena. "We give them a bigger target."

"Who?" Selena asked, perhaps unable to put the pieces together because of her concussion.

Patiently, Regan spelled it out. "The Face of SCW... One half of the World Tag-Team Champions... And the SCW United States Champion..."

Selena's eyes widened. "You're serious..." She whispered.

"Tell me I'm wrong. Tell me Giovanni won't be after us like a mouse finding cheese. You know he will! He'll try and repeat history with you, taking the title from you. He'll forget about the others, about the staff, because we'll be too tempting to pass up."

"But that still doesn't do anything regarding the fact that we might not even have a chance at the tag titles if I win the United States Title." Selena tried to reason, though it was becoming harder and harder not to see the joy in Regan's plan. She wanted revenge against Giovanni. She wanted to make him pay once more for what he had done. She wanted to unleash the woman that had laid waste to Xander Valentine over and over again. She wanted to be that 'beacon' Regan was envisioning, not just for SCW but for herself. She wanted to protect Kelcey and Owen and the others from the Wonderland. It sounded so...so... Wonderful.

"We'll talk to Sasha." Regan explained. "See what she says about the situation."

The Snow Queen breathed slowly, casting her eyes back at Regan. "You really want to risk your chance at being Supreme Champion?" She finally asked. "You really want us to go through with this plan? You really want me to be United States champion?"

Slowly, the Hellcat nodded her head. "But it won't matter one way or another what I want, Selena. I know you and I know the people you're going to face. And you won't win it, you won't last, unless you want it." Green eyes glared into sapphire ones. "So... I'll ask you one more time, sister." Those green eyes narrowed, imploring an honest answer.

"Do you want to be the SCW United States Champion?"

______________________________________


The camera fades in to reveal the interior of the Verizon Center in Little Rock, Arkansas. It is the site for tonight's episode of SCW's Breakdown. And without even an advertisement, the whole world is already talking about this particular night. First, and foremost, the SCW Universe remains haunted by the actions of Giovanni Aries and the Wonderland, who assaulted the SCW Owner, Mr. D., in his own office in Toronto. To say that such an act is taking a backseat to anything would be a damn lie and the world is waiting for what SCW and those loyal to it will do. Those like Owen Cruze, Kelcey Wallace, just to name a few. But it does not end there. For happening tonight, in this very arena, is the beginning of the tournament that will crown a new United States Champion. Eight competitors will compete in the quarterfinals tonight. Some are former world champions, some have been itching for the opportunity such as this. It is a night that may, very well, rival Rise to Greatness itself in expectations.

And yet, at this moment, the arena is empty. There are no noises. No fans. No shouts or demands and, sadly, no answers to be given. All that is there is a ring that will serve as a battleground for many tonight, and perhaps as a platform for some. And sitting there, amidst the Arctic blue and white lights, right in the middle of the ring, is Selena Frost. The camera changes to a closer shot, allowing those viewing to see the young woman better. She wears a black hoodie sweater and blue jeans, the hood covering part of her head, though her face is still clearly visible and her iconic braid, platinum-blonde, flows from out of the hoodie and down against the front of her sweater. She sits with one leg crossed and one bent at the knee, an arm wrapped around the bent leg as her sapphire eyes glare at the bit of wrestling mat in front of her. Still, she says nothing right away. Instead, a voice echoes through the arena. It is Selena's voice but it is not Selena that is speaking. Rather it is the last line she said in her Royal Letter to one Glory Braddock.

Which one of us will want it more?
Which one of us will want it more?
Which one of will want it more?

Slowly, the echo of that phrase fades to silence, though the camera remains on the unmoving Selena Frost. And as silence settles, a single sound is heard of Selena taking a deep breath before her voice, her actual voice, is heard.

Four-hundred and seven days.

She takes a moment to let that number settle.

You want to talk about numbers, Glory Braddock? Numbers like "fourteen" and "one", as in fourteen world championships and only one singles title shot this entire year. Well, there's my response to that. Four hundred and seven days. Slowly, Selena lifts her head, cold sapphire eyes glaring into the camera.

It has been four hundred and seven days since I held the United States Championship. A belt that risked everything for inside the roofed cage match against the now World Champion, Bree Lancaster. A match that she will never forget, because she can't stop lying about it. Four-hundred and seven days have passed since I last held that prestigious title - a title that I defended over and over again in every match I competed in. I didn't want for contenders to be 'named'. I didn't hold 'tournaments' or 'royales' or whatever. I put that title on the line against anyone that wanted it. If you faced me, consider the match a title match. That was what I believed that title deserved.

Taking a deep breath, Selena releases her leg to place her hands in her lap. And truth be told, if I had known that it would be a long time until I would have another chance at it, maybe I would not have been so reckless. Maybe I would have savoured the hard journey, the years it took to reach that point. Hindsight, right? Do I regret being so adamant of defending that title? No. Never. But you, Glory, you talk about not having opportunities. You talk about not having enough 'title shots'. And the truth is, not only are you just showing what an entitled brat you are, you're also making me sick to my stomach.

Sapphire eyes narrow as Selena pushed herself to her feet. You want to talk about waiting, Glory? You want to talk about passion? That's my number! Four. Hundred. Seven. Days. Know why else that number is so damn important, Glory? Because that was the last time I held a singles title in SCW to this day. And no, it wasn't because I "couldn't hack it". It wasn't because I "couldn't measure up". It was because SCW needed me for something more. For something more important. They needed me to defend SCW's name and be SCW's standard. Because with champions like Bree and Sienna running in around and people like Syren and Infamous dragging the SCW reputation through the damn mud, and people like Xander attacking fans, SOMEONE had to be the what the company truly wanted to represent. You think it's you, but we both know that's a load of crap.

Where were you, Glory, when Xander attacked those innocent people in the audience? Hmmm? Where were you when Giovanni Aries attacked the Board of Directors in the middle of the ring? Where were you when our very future was being determined in Tactical Warfare?

Selena shook her head. You weren't fighting for "wrestling" then and you aren't fighting for wrestling now, Glory. You were doing what you always do. Looking out for number one, right? Looking out for yourself. Me? I don't say "I care about this place" and then spit in the face of everyone that disagrees with me. I put my body on the line, I put my livelihood on the line over and over again in matches that you haven't even attempted here in SCW. I risked everything over and over again to keep SCW meaning something wonderful. And people like Owen Cruze, Regan Street, Kelcey Wallace, Alistaire Allocco, David Helms, and so many more? They inspired me and I wanted to inspire them.

So I stepped aside. And I let other people like you get their shot. I stepped aside and fought wars, waiting for the time when I could re-enter the field of competitor and once more make myself a singles champion of SCW! And for Four-Hundred and Seven days... Let me put that in other numbers you may get, Glory. That's nine-thousand, seven-hundred and sixty-eight hours. Five hundred and eighty-six thousand and eighty minutes. And over thirty-five million seconds. Selena pauses, shaking her head. And for all that time, Glory, I waited, waited for my chance to get it back. Doing what I felt was right for this company - doing what I felt was responsibility to do. And finally, after passing me over in favour of other people, SCW has finally granted me an opportunity at the title I lost those many days ago.

So, you wonder which of us wants it more?

For a moment, Selena looks away, as if trying to find the right words to speak.

See, the thing is... If that had been asked to me a little over a week ago? When I was with my wife in Germany? If you had asked me before last Breakdown which of us, Glory Braddock or Selena Frost, wanted the United States Championship, I'd have said you. Selena shrugs. It's true, Glory. I won't deny it. Out of the two of us, you are the one that has never held SCW gold, have you? Two years here, several opportunities but you couldn't ever close the deal, could you? I mean, you did what I haven't done before, you headlined Rise to Greatness with your Trios contract... Selena shakes her head. Still couldn't do it. And I know how badly that plays on your mind. How desperate that makes you. Especially for someone with the accolades in other federations that you had. But it's more than that.

The thing is... I was ready to turn down the chance to be in this tournament.

Biting her lower lip, Selena looks down at the mat, her honesty, no doubt shocking a number of people. In my first year in SCW, I was given the opportunity of a lifetime by Dawn Lohan. She picked me to be her tag-team partner to try and get the tag-team titles from her former partner, Kennedy Street, who is now I am honoured to call a friend. We fought like hell, and because Dawn took a chance on some new girl like me... We became tag-team champions. Selena licks her lips, her mind going back to her memories.

But the thing is... I didn't want to stop there. I wanted to do more. I wanted to be more. I wanted to win singles titles. And Dawn was supportive. Always supportive. And, before you knew it, I was both the tag-team and the Adrenaline champion, all within my first year. I thought I could do it all... she smiles sadly. I thought I could be the perfect tag-team partner and the hard-working Adrenaline champion that SCW was asking of me. Selena sadly shakes her head. But I couldn't. I cost Dawn the one thing she wanted more than anything: to retain the tag titles at Rise to Greatness. And I couldn't do it. I wasn't ready to be a dual-champion on such a grand stage.

It's an event that has haunted me for most of my career. And now, there I was again, with the opportunity to be a double-champion like Tommy had, like Bree had... And all I could think about was how I was going to make the same mistake I made almost six year ago...

So yeah, over a week ago, I would have said you have the edge in this match, Glory. You have the passion. You have the killer instinct. And you have the desperation that I did not have in regards to the United States title, because more important to me was Regan. And she still is.

Slowly, the Snow Queen gives a tilt of her head. But the thing is... A lot can change in a week. A lot can change in one night.

Again, going back, Glory. Four hundred and seven days ago, my world - my life - was changed by Giovanni Aries. He threw me off a scaffold gods know how many feet in the air and took the United States title from me. The Mad Hatter changed everything for me, Glory.

And just like he did then, you have Giovanni to thank for changing my view of this tournament. Changing my view of my place in it.

Placing her hands on the nearby top rope, Selena looks over the empty arena from inside her hood. I have watched that segment from last Breakdown probably about dozen or so times. I've practically memorized Giovanni's entire monologue throughout it. I've asked myself over and over again why he did it. Why has he gone this far? And somewhere along the way... I realized that it doesn't matter why he did it. It doesn't matter what his reasoning is. What matters is that he did it. What matters is what he's trying to do and what you and Sienna have supported on Twitter.

See... All this year, I have let people try and dictate their 'terms' to me and SCW. I have listened to people try and force their will on my life and my career. I have sat there, in silence, listening to people try and 'replace me' as Regan's partner. Try and diminish my career and my accomplishments with twisted logic. Tried to re-tell my life for their own betterment.

And I realized that is what you and Giovanni and Beauty Factory and Infamous are all trying to do. You are trying to write our stories for us. You are trying to tell us, the SCW Universe, how OUR stories will end. How things will be! You say to the world that you "will not" and "cannot" lose to me. You say that Selena Frost "will never beat Glory Braddock".

And just like over a year ago, Giovanni wants to tell us all how this story of SCW will end. That we will all 'die' by his hands, just like you say how my dreams will die at your hands.

Her head still lowered, Selena slowly lifts it up to glare at the camera. No.

No, Glory. No. You don't get to decided how MY story ends. I don't care if you've won fourteen or one-hundred world titles. You will NEVER be powerful enough to end my story for me. You will never be strong enough to decide for me how my journey is going to end. And Giovanni? He's in the same boat as you.

You don't have the power to choose our paths or our endings and you don't have the right.

So you want to say that I don't have a right to be here? I don't deserve to be here, Glory? a soft growl escapes Selena's throat, her voice a dead calm. I have every right, you entitled bitch.

Because this tournament has become as much my fight as it has anyone else's. Because it's not just about the United States title anymore, Glory. It's not just about your ego and craving power. It's about what I have fought for all this time.

Family.

Selena's gaze does not flinch from the camera, staring ahead. I fight for family, Glory. The Helms, the D., all of the SCW Universe - they are my family. Just like my wife and my children. And those that fight with me? Those that aren't afraid of you or Beauty Factory or the Wonderland? You think they are letting Giovanni or you dictate 'terms' of their story? Selena shakes her head.

No. They are writing their own stories. They are writing their own destinies. David Helms did it at Taking Hold of the Flame when he won the Royale you were too scared to enter. And he'll do it again when he becomes the World Champion. Regan did it by becoming Television champion and will do it again when she ends Rise to Greatness as not only a tag-team champion but also a Supreme Champion.

And look around. Selena gestures to the arena, to the glowing lights and graphics of SCW. You think the D. family, you think O. D., built all this for people like you and me by letting people like Giovanni Aries dictate the terms of his life? His destiny?

None of them settled for that. And neither will I, Glory. I wasn't ready six years ago to do all this, but now? I know I am. All those days of waiting. All the matches I put myself through, the pain, the concussions, the injuries, the failures, the hardships - it's prepared me for this. To write the next chapter of my career. To decide, for myself, where my path will go.

Slowly, Selena reaches up to pull off her hood, revealing her full hair and face. I know I wasn't on Bree's list, Glory. And I know that I am the last person she wants to see holding the title she abandoned. And I know that I am the last person Giovanni wants to see holding that title, showing how little his chaos has slowed and hindered SCW. But tonight, Glory? I take that first step at making your and Giovanni's nightmare into a bonafide reality.

You can call me a 'villain', a 'lizard queen', but when it's done, you will see the what I truly am, the next chapter that I write in MY journey... Selena leans forward. Semi-finalist.

Believe it, Glory.

The camera slowly fades to black, the Snow Queen standing proud being the last thing the audience sees.