Supreme Championship Wrestling

SCW United States Championship Tournament

Semi-finals and Finals

2 RP Limit for singles

Deadline: 11:59:59 pm ET Tuesday, June 30, 2020

Frankfurt Prison III
Frankfurt, Germany
June 27th, 2020
4:30pm

Both women were quiet for a moment, their conversation having taken a natural pause it seemed.

"I hate when I can't read you." Came the voice of the redhead, her tone one of only mild irritation.
"Sorry." Selena replied, running a hand through her platinum locks as she paced around the room she occupied. "Just a lot on my mind."
"What else is new?"

The reply held a teasing tone and Selena could just see her wife sticking her tongue out between her lips as she had said that. "What is it today?" Deanna continued. "Saving the world of SCW? Vengeance on those that wronged you or your family? Oh, I know! Fulfilling the dream and expectations of those you love?"

"Try all of the above." Grumbled the Snow Queen as she slumped back down in her seat, her head raised to take in the ceiling and lights above her. She looked down at herself, knowing the contrast of clothes between her and her wife right now. She, in blue jeans and a black t-shirt, and Deanna in that blue outfit that screamed 'jailbird'. She deserves to be in dresses and comfort clothes. the platinum-blonde thought bitterly. "But you make it sound like my life is one big drama soap opera."

"Oh, I'd watch that!" Deanna continued in her teasing way. "'Faithfuls' starring Selena Frost! You'd be my favourite performer! My 'celebrity crush'!"
"I thought I already was." Selena teased as she raised an eyebrow. "As I seem to recall, you knew me quite well before we first met. Enough to bet a lot of money to win a date with me."

She heard Deanna sigh dreamily at that memory, the memory of how they had met. It had been in the earlier years of Selena's SCW career. She had been abandoned by her tag-team partner, Dawn Lohan, for failing her at Rise to Greatness in retaining the tag-team titles - or rather, dumped, by her girlfriend of several months, Dawn Lohan, as well. Dawn had cited that her reason was because Selena, who had pushed Dawn out of the way of a vicious attack by the tag-team of Requiem, taking the attack herself, cared too much about Dawn and that it was too much for Dawn to take - some answer like that, Selena recalled. This effectively left the Snow Queen with zero friends in SCW, and making her contemplate just leaving SCW all together and returning back to her home in Nome, Alaska. Yes, she was hated there as "the crazy miner's daughter" and "The Snow Queen", but it was a hell she, at least, knew.

Being with Dawn had changed her, made her drop her guard, Selena had thought at the time. Made her believe that she could be loved and could accomplish great things. It was Dawn that had encouraged Selena to become a double-champion, allowing Selena to capture her first singles title, the Adrenaline title, against Thomas Watson a few months prior. Dancing with Dawn at Kelcey's wedding had made her believe that her past with Adrian Scythe was just the past. Hell, Dawn had even accepted Selena's 'snow-child' Elsianna's. Only for it all to come crumbling down in that damn hospital room, a letter telling Selena it was over.

Nome had seemed the better option. She had a few friends there: Jean, Barbara, Gavin, her 'uncle' Liam, and even her friend-wolf Titania. That was at least five more friends than she had in SCW. Five people that cared about her as opposed to the zero that existed in her SCW-world at that point.

But then a phone call from Kentucky had changed all that. The local sheriff had wanted to do a bit of a fundraiser event and wanted Selena to play 'Elsa' (of course he did) while she was travelling through in-between SCW shows. The officiers would 'arrest' Selena for "all this never ending snow" before placing her on auction with the other eligible 'bachelorettes', with all proceeds going to the local charity. It had seemed like a fun way to get over her loneliness, or at least distract her from it, so she had agreed, participated...

And been won by a young, gorogeous redhead named Deanna Springs.

"Can I ask you a dumb question?" Selena asked.
"I love those kind of questions." Teased the redhead, settling back in her seat as she listened intently.
"Let's say present you could go back in time." Selena started. "Back to the morning of the day where we would first meet. Past you is about to see past me walk up on that stage, but you have the chance to tell her everything that's going to happen to her if she wins this auction. You have the chance to tell her that she'd be hated by her sister, attacked by wrestlers, deal with not only her 'crush's' demons but her own. That she'd be hunted by the crush's insane family and clan, and ultimately end up in jail for a crime she didn't commit. Would you-"

"No."

The question was so sharp and certain that Selena almost missed it, her jaw stammering to try and keep her train of thought. "You didn't let me finish." She tried.
"Doesn't matter." Deanna stated, her tone flat and unflinching.
"Just let me finish, please, Deanna." Selena sighed, reaching up with her free hand to massage her temples with her thumb and index fingers, some strands of platinum-blonde hair getting caught in her fingers. "You have the chance to warn yourself about all the bad stuff that's going to happen. Would you-"
"No."
"De!" Why was her wife being so difficult? It was a simple question. "Maybe I just need to get this out for my sake, okay?"
"Fine." Huffed the now irritated redhead, becoming silent as she waited for Selena to speak again.

"If..." Selena breathed, inhaling through her nose and exhaling out her mouth. "If you could go back and warn your younger self about all of that, what would you tell your younger self?"

She had altered her question, knowing that Deanna would have just said 'no' again. There was a moment of silence and, now, Selena was the one that couldn't read her wife.

"I'd tell myself to make sure she won." Came the answer.
"Really?" Selena asked. "You wouldn't have warned her?"
"No." Deanna stated.
"Why not?"

"You want to know why not?" Deanna asked. "Because that little girl spent that last night gathering up her courage to go to that auction and bid on you." She started. "She was beyond scared. Scared that she'd lose her chance to meet you. Scared that if she did win, her sister would kill her. But most of all, she was terrified of meeting you."
"Meeting me? Why?" Selena asked. "I wasn't a superstar or anything - certainly wasn't the Face of SCW-"

"You really don't get how much I idolized you." Deanna sighed. "You were a woman discovering her path, having just come out, and you weren't a snob or brat like those others on television..." Deanna paused, her voice catching. "And you were so brave. You were fighting people like Red Rayne. What if I got to meet you and was a blabbering mess? What if I met you and you were different? The whole 'don't meet your heroes' thing?"

There was a pause between the two, only for Deanna to take a few calming breaths. "Nothing in my life has been scarier than that moment except when I have thought that I lost you - which is more often than I care to admit, thank you very much. If I met younger me, Selena, I'd do all I can not to change a thing."
"But you're in prison!"
"And you'll get me out." Deanna replied. "I know it. No matter what happens or what people say or how long it takes, I know this will work out. But would I risk the chance of maybe not meeting you? Falling in love with the real you? Having children with you? All so that I could avoid a few near-death situations?" Selena could 'see' her wife smiling and the shake in her voice belied the tears in the redhead's eyes. "Not in a million years."

Lowering her head, Selena bit her lower lip. Deanna was so much more than her. So much better. Stronger. Smarter. Much in the same way Regan Street was. They both knew what they wanted and believed in the things that gave their lives meaning. Family - their loved ones.

It was something Selena envied. Deanna wouldn't have changed anything if she could back to a time and fix her mistakes. She was so certain of that.

But Selena? She was certain that she would if she could - she'd fix so many times that had gone wrong in her life.

Times she had failed - and a loved one had paid the price.


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

DoubleTree/Hilton Hotel
Little Rock, Arizona
June 25th, 2020
3:13am

She stood outside the door, the burgundy shawl wrapped around her bare shoulders. The purple, sleeved nightgown shimmered as the lights on the ceiling bounced off it with her movement, the platinum-blonde shifting her weight from foot to foot as her free hand, the one not clutching the ends of the shawl together against her chest, remained frozen in place, a few inches from the pale door with the room number on it. She sighed, lowering her head to stare at the matching purple slippers with white trim at the top that she wore on her bare feet.

She couldn't imagine how she had looked to the onlookers and hotel staff, coming out of her luxury bus in the parking garage across the street, crossing the street in her sleepwear, entering the lobby, taking the elevator up the few floors and walking across carpeted floors to stand in front of this door.

They probably thought I was drunk or having a late night smoke...or buying drugs. the Snow Queen mused as she tried to distract her mind for a moment from the reason she was there instead of resting in her bed on the bus. Or at least trying to sleep.

She had been restless since earlier that night. Well, technically it was yesterday. Again, another episode had come and gone and, again, Selena had been left feeling hopeless and failing. No, it wasn't about the United States Tournament. She had, actually, felt rather happy with how that turned out. She had expected the Beauty Network to get involved and cost her the match with Glory Braddock, using their typical 'pack mentality and methods', but they hadn't, and now, Glory "The Best in the World" couldn't brag that Selena had 'never beaten her'.

It had been a wonderful match, one Selena was proud of. Glory had, certainly, proven her skill and it had started and ended without true incident, which actually unnerved Selena more than she was willing to admit. Did the Beauty Network just not see her as a 'threat' to their plan to 'own and win' this United States Title Tournament? Were they overconfident in Glory's ability? Or did they just think that, against someone like Chris Cannon, Selena would have no chance, even if she made it to the finals to fight him?

The Snow Queen had contemplated that while she had showered after her match- Why the hell had I taken that damn shower?! her thoughts angrily interjected, the familiar sensation of blame and guilt filling her. She had been so excited to not only beat Glory Braddock, at long last, but also to be one step closer to possibly winning back the United States Title and furthering her sister, Regan's, plan in dealing with Giovanni and The Wonderland - that she had completely FORGOTTEN about the Wonderland in the first place!

She had barely come out of the shower, dressed in a pleasant dark-blue summer-dress, when she had heard people yelling and screaming outside her changeroom, one she shared with Regan, her Frozen Hell partner. What had followed effectively swallowed any excitement and pride she had felt that night. She saw so many people rushing towards the medic room further down the hall. She saw faces like Jay Gold and Owen Cruze and... She wasn't sure, but she thought she saw someone from the Beauty Network - was it Cannon?

It took waiting till Regan had returned to the changeroom for the platinum-blonde to be informed. That the Wonderland - possibly added by Shilo Valiant - had struck again, this time after another non-wrestler.

Kelcey.

Selena had barely been able to keep it together after hearing that and had marched after the mob of superstars. She only managed to travel halfway down the hall, unable to get past the large group of other superstars, effectively being blocked out of the medic room so the staff could have the space to tend to Kelcey.

Selena had been shut out and she hadn't seen one of her oldest and best friends since then. She had tried to be understanding. Tried to leave Kelcey be. She has so many other friends... She doesn't need me. she had reasoned. Peyton, Owen, Alistaire, Jay, there were so many people looking out for her... Yet still, sleep had eluded the young woman. Still, she couldn't stop thinking about what Giovanni had done, smashing that picture frame over Kelcey's head. Still, she couldn't just stay still.

So, she was here, trying - desperately trying - to have the courage to knock on the door.

KNOCK! KNOCK! She froze... When had she... She checked her knuckles. There was nothing wrong with them, but she distinctly felt the slight tingling after-effects of having knocked on the wood of the door. With a light gulp, swallowing her spit, she knocked again, cursing herself for not waiting after the initial knocks. She was too nervous to listen to any sounds coming from the inside, but her ears were more than able to pickup the sound of a latch being moved and a lock being turned before the door was opened.

Before Selena's eyes stood the focus of her anxiety and worries for the night. Last week, it had been Mr. D.. Now, it was the woman in front of her, wearing black sleep-shorts and blue and white t-shirt. She had no makeup on her face, which allowed the small patch of stitches on her forehead to be noticed. Her dark hair was tosselled from trying to sleep and she certainly didn't look thrilled at being-

"Selena?"
"Yeah..." The Snow Queen replied shyly. "Hi." She shrugged.
"It's after three in the morning." Groaned Kelcey.
"Yeah..." Selena bit her lower lip. "I know. I just. I mean." She stammered.

The Perfect Ten - the ONLY Perfect Ten in SCW as far as Selena was concerned (Cannon and that fraud he was with could go to hell in that regard) - sighed, reaching up to run a tired hand through her hair to scratch her scalp.

"Please tell me you did not come here to tell me how stupid I was to be out there tonight- because I've already heard it a dozen or so times."

"N-no." Selena's voice trailed off. "I just...wanted to..." Her mind searched. She wasn't 100% sure why she had come here. She had felt useless in that hallway, unable to see or check on Kelcey right after Giovanni and the Wonderland's latest attack. Did she want to chastise Kelcey? Was this just a check-up out of concern that had been delayed by the masses? Whatever it was, Selena realized she couldn't just ask 'why' to her dear friend. "Needed to check up on you..." She stammered before suddenly acting on instinct as she saw Kelcey's small patch of stitched. "And show you!"

Without thinking, Selena pulled back the front of her hair, revealing her forehead and the still recovering patch-work that had been done on her a week and a half ago due to the attack from Tommy Valentine and Kandis. "Look!" She exclaimed. "We're twinsies!" She tried. Hers was a bit more recovered, obviously, but Kelcey's were nowhere near the size of Selena's. Still, it was almost laughable to see - The Snow Queen, Face of SCW, and semi-finalist in the United States Championship tournament, standing there in her nightwear, holding her hair up to show off her stitches at three in the morning.

Laughable enough that Kelcey managed a quiet snort before shaking her head. "Come in." She sighed. "I won't be able to sleep much now anyway."
"Sorry." Selena repeated, dropping her hand and scurrying into the hotel room as Kelcey turned on the lights as she re-entered the room. Selena been there earlier that day (technically the day before) just to say hello to Kelcey before they had made their way to Breakdown. The room space was small but comfortable, a large bed in the center section, television on the other side, balcony to the far end - it was your typical hotel room.

"So." Kelcey started, reaching down to open up the mini-fridge to pull out two bottles of water, handing one to Selena. "Where are you staying?"

Taking the bottle of water from the patient manager, Selena stepped towards the end of the room where the balcony was. Looking out the window/glass door, she realized that she was on the wrong side of the building to adequately point out the location of her bus. "Umm..." She turned back to face Kelcey. "In my bus across the street. There's that big parking garage?"

For a moment, Kelcey, still appearing rather tired, held a look of confusion. "Wait a minute." She held her free hand up, the other holding the bottle of water. "You went out of a parking garage, cross the street... In that?" She gestured towards Selena's attire, causing the sapphire-eyed beauty to look down, observing her appearance, before shrugging her shoulders.

"Kinda." She settled on answering before looking up at her friend. "It was just crossing the street..."

With a roll of her eyes, Kelcey turned make her way back to the bed to sit upon the mattress, unscrewing her bottle of water to sip it slowly. "Least now I have something to throw back when we inevitably get to you telling me I was stupid tonight."

"I'm not going to say you were stupid." Selena countered, mirroring Kelcey's moves to unscrew her bottle and drink the cold water, filling it refresh and energize her. "It's just..." She turned away a bit, walking away from the window/glass door to walk to path between one end of the room to the other. "Hey!" She suddenly said, trying to change the topic. "There's a chance I'll be facing Chris next week! I mean, if I make it to the finals. I owe him a few good whacks and kicks for all those times he jumped me with Bree and the others. Want me to re-arrange his face a little with a few strong wha-bams?" She threw her leg forward a little, simulating a kick for Kelcey. "Maybe a black eye here or a broken jaw there? Be doing the world a favour, eh?"

Another roll of her eyes, but this time a tired smile graced Kelcey's face as well. "I appreciate it." She replied. "But just focus on winning if you face him, okay? Twitter's bad enough. Last thing they need is more things to post about."

"Yeah..." Selena sighed. "Did he... Did he say anything - or do anything? After the attack, I mean..."

She knew she was treading on sensitive ground with this question, but it was bothering - had been bothering her all night. First, Sienna had fully endorsed Giovanni, as had the rest of Beauty Factory, and his actions against Mr. D., even going as far as to tell him to go after Sasha, D.'s daughter and current handler of SCW, next. Of course, Giovanni had responded to that by flat out revealing that he was going to target Kelcey next. This in itself brought out Chris Cannon, advising the Mad Hatter not to do so only because he didn't want to get blamed for it, with his custody battle with Kelcey over their son still going on.

Giovanni had done it anyway, leaving Selena to wonder what had happened.

"Did Chris or any of them do anything to you?" She asked, her voice shaking a little.
"No - it's not important." Kelcey sighed as she answered before turning her head. "Everything's okay."
"Okay?" Selena asked in disbelief. "Kelcey, you got cracked in the head with a picture frame!"
"Selena-"
"No, I need to say this, okay?" Selena stated. "I've been up all night, unable to sleep thinking about this. Why didn't Sasha do anything?! She was out there at the beginning of the show! Nothing happened! How did he get into the arena?! Why is he still here?! Why wasn't he fucking arrested?!"

There it was - the first set of questions that had plagued the Snow Queen. Sasha had declared that she was not going to be like her father. That, unlike Mr. D., she wasn't going to let such people like Giovanni, Infamous, and Beauty Network, run roughshod in SCW... But that's exactly what was happening! "He's broken into SCW headquarters, attacked you, and as for Infamous and Beauty Factory, half the time we can't have them in a match without some kind of controversy! I mean, it was a miracle to me that none of their matches in the tournament had an interference or something!"

Kelcey was silent for a moment, her eyes watching Selena. "What do you want me to say?" She settled on asking.

"I..." Selena slowed, casting her eyes on Kelcey. "It was me, Regan, Owen, and Kennedy that secured Sasha's position in SCW - we were on her team that won Tacitical Warfare..." She bit let lower lip as she stood before her friend, eyes cast down to the water bottle in her hands. "Now I'm wondering if we made the right decision in doing so."

"Would you rather have had Giovanni, Katya, or someone like Sienna calling the shots?" Kelcey asked. "All three hate you."
"Yeah...and I get that... But at least the non-wrestlers would have been safe, right?" Selena sighed. "I mean, why would Giovanni attack anyone if he was running the place? Why would Katya endanger non-wrestlers with Infamous if she had the power?"

"You can't think along those lines, Selena." Kelcey stated, her more years of experience showing.
"But that's all I have been doing." The Snow Queen replied. "I keep... I keep going back to every moment that something bad happened and so many of them... I'm there, in the thick of it."
"What do you mean?" Kelcey asked.

"Why did Xander Valentine attack those fans last year? Because I beat him at Rise to Greatness. Why didn't I just let him beat the hell out of me? They would have been safe. Yes, my ego would have been hurt, but that's happened so many times! Least the fans would have been safe."

"Selena, I just said-"

"I know, but I can't help it!" Selena interjected, her voice raising a little in anxiety. "Giovanni! He took the US title from me and began breaking it off into pieces! He was after me, but I just happened to have the title. Why? Because I used my Trios to take it from Bree! What if I had just let her keep it?"

"That's-"

"And Sasha - she let Xander stay in SCW after all he did! She's done nothing to Giovanni and his Wonderland beyond a light suspension that did nothing - and I helped put her in power! I just... I just..." Selena wasn't even sure she meant or entirely believed everything she was saying but she was sick of it. She was sick and tired of watching people she cared for be threatened and hurt: Mr. D., Kelcey, Regan, Sasha... Deanna. Deanna in that damn prison for a crime she didn't commit - Selena was certain, on some level, it was her own fault that Deanna was there as well, though she wasn't sure how.

She felt a soft hand take her free one, causing the platinum-blonde to lift her head and gaze into Kelcey's eyes. "You can say it." She whispered, giving the hand a light squeeze. "I won't judge you."

"I..." Selena took a deep breath, trying to steady her nerves. It was hard for her to speak again, but she struggled through. "I feel like the world is burning around me... And while we've been trying to just put out the fires here and there, I'm inadvertently pouring gasoline all the time!... Dammit." Selena spat, reaching up to rub her eye angrily with the palm of her hand. "I'm sorry." She whispered. "It's late and I'm bitching to you - see? I came here because I was worried about you and I end up just making things worse for you."

Through the one eye she wasn't rubbing, the young Frost woman saw Kelcey shake her head. "It's actually a relief." Kelcey sighed. "Everyone's been asking me 'what I was thinking' going down to the ring when we all knew I was the next target... They're seeing me as a victim when I want to be managing and helping people." She patted a spot on the bed mattress beside her. "Sit down, Hun." She politely ordered, which Selena quietly obeyed. "How long as this been on your mind?"

"Couple weeks now." Selena sighed. "Basically when they attacked Mr. D. in his office. They literally broke the law and nothing was done. And... And it made me look back on that stuff with Xander and how she's actually done so much for the Beauty Factory and what she's given Infamous despite them slandering her - please stop me. I don't want to start that tangent again." she quietly begged.

"Okay - listen, I can't say that you won't ever have more moments where you doubt your past self and the choices you made. I think we all have that. We all have regrets and moments were 'Oh! If only I knew then what I knew now'. But the thing is, it's unfair to do that to ourselves. I watched you - you know that."
"Yeah." Selena nodded. "After my unsanctioned match with Xander, you were one of the first people to call and check up on me."
Kelcey snorted. "I texted 'You dead?'."
"It was one of the sweetest texts I've ever received." Selena smiled sadly, tears still rimming her eyes.

"What I'm getting at is this: every decision you made was because you were trying to do something good. Protecting someone, defending SCW, proving your abilities through hard work and skill. You've never done something malicious like Giovanni or Chris or Sienna or any of Infamous. I mean - how many years have we known each other?"
"Since I've been in SCW." Selena answered. "So close to seven."
"And not once have I seen you do anything that they do. You've always done what you felt was the right thing."
"That's what I'm saying." Selena sighed, feeling her exhaustion fill her. "What if I was wrong? What if I made the wrong decisions?"

"Just because you make the wrong decisions doesn't mean you made them for the wrong reasons." Kelcey countered. "That's the difference. Your intentions. They've always been good and unselfish."

A sigh escaped Selena as she looked towards the wall with the television screen. She didn't see Kelcey tilt her head.

"Why do you want to win this tournament?" She asked. "I'm sure you'd be fine if you faced Christy or Chris, but you're set to try and win the Tag-Team titles with Regan. I know that's what you really want, because you promised Regan. So, why do you want to win this tournament?"

Another sigh came from the platinum-blonde. "Honestly?" She asked. "It's partly because of ego." She was too tired and emotionally fried to be anything but blunt. "This is the first time in over a year that the SCW board has given me a chance to win a title and I have to win a damn tournament to do it. I don't know when I'll get another chance, if I even GET another chance. And also... It's Bree."
"Lancaster?" Kelcey confirmed.
"Yeah. I know I'm the last person in the world that she wants to see win that title... And I so badly want to see her face if I do." Selena chuckled tiredly. "I loved being the United States Champion and I never had a chance to end it on my terms. No rematch or anything. I want to fix that too. And..." Her voice trailed off.

"And?" Kelcey asked.

"And Regan has a plan." Selena stated. "She thinks that if she and I win the tag titles and I win the United States Title too, it'll get Giovanni and the Wonderland off you guys - the non-wrestlers - and back on us. He won't be able to resist trying to repeat history."
"You think he's that stupid to try and take both you and Regan on?"
"No." Selena shook her head. "He's that arrogant. He's like Chris and Christy - with their pack, they think they're untouchable. And even if they are, at least they won't be hurting you or the Drachewychs anymore."

"Selena..." Kelcey warned. "Last time you tried this... Giovanni could have killed you."

The bold statement - true as it was - caused Selena to close her eyes and breath deeply. For a moment, she felt that familiar sensation, a memory in her mind, of free-falling. Being tossed of the scaffold and falling down, past the ramps and into the abyss, her wife, Deanna, endangered, slipping further and further away from her before oblivion took the platinum-blonde. Sapphire eyes flew open as the memory receded.

"I know." Selena admitted. "But at least you and the others would be safe."
"That's your plan?" Kelcey asked. "Become martyrs?"
"See, when you say it like that, it sounds so bad."
"That's because it IS a bad plan." Kelcey huffed. "You're so desperate to save everyone when...when..." The hall of Famer huffed before turning her head back to her friend. "You can't, Selena. You just can't save everyone. No one can."

She knew it was true, the logical part of her brain told her so, but Selena's heart - she could feel - hammered and fought it with every beat. She needed to save everyone. She needed to stop the bad people. Needed to save her wife. If she couldn't do any of that - if all she could do was watch while her wife, the Drachewychs, Regan and Kelcey got hurt...

"What good am I?" She whispered unintentionally, and a silence followed between the two women for several moments, only to broken if one of them took a sip of water from their bottles, Selena fingernails picking at the paper label that wrapped around hers.

"You know..." Kelcey's voice suddenly broke through the silence. "This whole custody battle thing..." She paused for a moment. "It's made me rethink about a lot of things the last few years. And, yeah, some things I wish I did differently." For a moment, her eyes were distant, Selena could see her friend almost trying to look through time itself, trying to recapture those memories. It was only for a moment until Kelcey's focus returned to the present. "But you can't change the past." She stated. "And I know I'm doing the right thing for my son."

Selena was about to say the name she knew the boy as, thanks to Chris Cannon, but clenched her jaw. She knew that 'Nathaniel' was not the name Kelcey wanted for her son. It was just one more thing in a long line of things that that bastard, Cannon, had stolen from her - a fact that caused Selena's blood to boil and her hands clench the water bottle tightly. Gods how she wanted to be in that ring with him in the finals next week... Just so she could kick him so hard in the face...

"I don't want him with... With Chris and Sienna." Kelcey shook her head. "I don't want to lose my child."
"I don't blame you." Selena whispered. "Being a mother, right?" She shrugged. Kelcey knew what hells Selena had gone through for her children, so when the Snow Queen said she understood, Kelcey believed her. "You'll win." Selena whispered. "And your son will thank you."

"I hope so." Kelcey sighed.

Biting her lower lip, Selena leaned forward, her voice becoming high-pitched. "Mommy." She pretended. "Is it true that I was once named 'Nathaniel'?"
"Stop it." Kelcey rolled her eyes, a smile forming.
"I mean, what kind of name is 'Nathaniel'?" Whined Selena, still in that voice. "It sounds so pompous! I'm so glad you gave me the name Thor!"
"Thor?!" Laughed Kelcey.
"No?" Selena asked in the 'kid-voice'. "How bout Hugh? Dominic?"
"No." Kelcey shook her head, appreciating the distraction.
"Oh!" 'Kid Selena' teased. "I got it! Augustus Mercantile Wallace!"
"Augustus Mercan... AMW?"
"America's most wanted baby!" Selena spat. "The perfect, most wanted baby!"
"That he is." Kelcey laughed and then sighed. "You're too much sometime."
"Well, it's late and I get crazy when I'm tired." Selena smiled. "Terribly emotional. I might be crying again in another fifteen minutes."

The two friends smiled at one another before Kelcey returned her gaze to her hands. "All we can do, dear, is what we've been doing all along. What we think is right and for the best for ourselves and those we love. That's the best we can do."

"Even if it's not enough?" Selena asked, back to her normal voice.
"Even if it's not enough." Kelcey smiled sadly. "It's all we can do."

It would be another hour before the two could settle down to get some sleep, Kelcey convincing Selena to stay and share the bed with her, the manager not trusting the idea of Selena having to walk alone by herself in her nightwear again, even if it was just crossing the street. Before she nodded out, however, she heard Selena's voice as the Snow Queen lay next to her.

"Kels?"
"Yeah?" She kept her eyes closed.
"I'm sorry. I did come here because I wanted to ask you..." Selena whispered. "Not that you were stupid, but, I just wanted to know why. You knew Gio was after you... So why did you go to the ring?"

There was a moment where no answer was given, and Selena thought her friend had fallen asleep, until she heard Kelcey's voice.

"Same reason you won't back down from trying to win the tournament and be there for Regan." Kelcey whispered. "It's the right thing to do. You can either live in fear... Or fight."
"The right thing..." Selena whispered with a sigh.
"You'll figure it out." Kelcey promised with a yawn as the two drifted off to sleep. "When it's time... You'll figure it out."



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

Frankfurt Prison III
Frankfurt, Germany
June 27th, 2020
4:45pm

"You slept with another woman?!" Deanna gasped, though her tone showed that she was clearly mocking Selena.
"It was a kings size bed." Selena stated dryly. "She had a rough day, I didn't want her to worry about me."
"Uh-huh." Deanna replied. "Sure it wasn't because you missed having someone to cuddle?"
"Irrelevant." Selena huffed. "Besides, she's too tall for me."
"Too tall, huh? You calling me short?"
"More like 'Selena's perfect size'." The Snow Queen replied with a smile.

She heard a light laugh escaped her wife's beautiful mouth. "Are you okay?" Deanna asked.
"Yeah." Selena sighed. "I'm sorry about having to go."
"Don't." Deanna warned. "This is important. You need to focus on this. And I know there's only one way you can really do that."
"But you know I'll make it up to you." Selena promised. "Anything you want me to bring next time, I'll bring it."
"I know." Smiled Deanna. "Just bring yourself." She stated. "You really don't know how often that's all I need."

Selena sighed at the same time her wife did, lifting her hand up to touch the receiver. "Maybe I love you."
"Maybe I love you." Replied her wife in earnest. "Is your hand on the receiver too?"
"Yes." Laughed Selena.
"I knew it." Replied Deanna.

Again, Selena sighed, casting her eyes to check on the clock on the wall. "Is it time?"
"Pretty much." Replied Deanna sadly. "When will I see you again?"
"If I can get there with no trouble?" Selena thought. "Friday if they don't need me for the house shows. Sunday if they do. I'll call either way, okay?"
"Yeah." Deanna replied. "I won't hear from till after it's over, will I?"

She wanted to say no to her wife - wanted to assure her that she would hear from her sooner, but Kelcey's words had rang in her head over and over again. Because she wasn't her wife. She wasn't Deanna. She had regrets. She wanted to go back and change so much. And because she couldn't, because she didn't have a time machine, Selena knew that left only one option of Kelcey's advice: do the right thing and fight for it.

And I can't do that being 'the wife of Deanna Frost'. Selena thought darkly as she held the phone to her ear. "No." She slowly answered. "I'm sorry, Deanna."
"It's okay." Deanna replied, though Selena could hear the sadness in her voice. "But as soon as it's over? Like the moment you have a moment after Breakdown - win or lose?"
"Absolutely." Promised Selena. "Early in your morning. Like seven or eight a.m maybe."
"Okay." The redhead nodded. "I'll...I'll let you go."
"Okay..." Selena replied but neither woman moved to hang up. "I don't want to."
"Me neither." Deanna stated back. "We're like lovesick teenagers."
"Yeah." Giggled Selena. "Okay, how do we do this?"
"Umm... Okay." Deanna huffed, as if to prepare herself. "First, I'll say 'I love you, Selena, with all my heart and soul. That I'm yours always.'."
"Is this a goodbye or a love-speech?" Selena asked.
"I'm trying to give an epic farewell so we can say goodbye and hang up." Deanna explained. "Mood-killer."
"Okay, okay. Sorry. Go on." Selena apologized.
"Like I was saying, then I would give you a kiss." Selena heard a smooching/smacking sound in her ear. "Now you."
"Okay." Smiled Selena, biting her lower lip before following Deanna. "I love you, Deanna, with all my heart and soul. I'm yours always."
"And the kiss..." Prompted Deanna.

Rolling her eyes, Selena blew her wife a kiss into the receiver.

"I feel better now." Deanna replied happily. "Give 'em hell!" She laughed.
"Alright." Selena smiled. "Talk to you soon, pet."
"Can't wait, minx - now wait! Can't wait... Future United States Champion!"

With a roll of her eyes, Selena hung up the phone that hung on the wall of her private plane. With a quiet sigh from her nostrils, she spied the time on the clock beside the phone.

Nome Airport
Nome, Alaska
June 27th, 2020
6:50am

"I'm home." Selena whispered as she gazed out at the still dark sky of the cold world that she belonged to. She heard the strong winds howling outside against her docked plane. She had landed over an hour ago, but had wanted to call Jean and tell him she was here for a pickup in an hour and then call Deanna one last time before departing, because she knew it would be the last time for a while until she would talk to her wife again.

Quietly, the Snow Queen grabbed her large suitcase, rolling it on its hind wheels through the plane. A few minutes passed and she was standing on the docking area of the Tarmac for private planes. It was a small airport but it was enough for a few commercial flights and private planes, not many people travelling to Nome, Alaska, especially now.

Still, Selena closed her eyes and inhaled the cold air deeply, loving it despite the painful memories she had in this place. The cold, it was part of her, part of the very blood in her veins. She needed to be back her for what was to come her way next week. The wind blew her braid back strongly but not enough to move her. Opening her eyes, she could see the first beginnings of the sun rising for the morning, but she also saw the headlights of a car parked, waiting for her.

To her surprise, however, it wasn't Jean Black, whom she had called for the pickup, that got out of the car. No, the man that approached her was shorter, larger and balder, his round face breaking into a shy smile.

"Hey, kid." He said, shoving his hands into his big pant pockets. "Get here alright?"
"Uncle Liam?" Selena asked as her eyes were able to see him despite the headlights. "What are you doing here?"
"Jean said you had arrived. I asked him to let me pick ya up. There's... There's something I gotta tell you."
"What?" Selena asked, her head tilting. The way her 'uncle's' voice was... Was unnerving.

"I...I don't really don't know how to tell you this, kid."
"Just tell me." Selena ordered quietly. "Whatever it is."
"It's..." Liam sighed. "It's Titania. She...uh...she was found dead last week."

__________________________________________


The camera slowly fades in, but the only after the sounds of a howling wind is heard. As the picture becomes clear, what is seen is a crackling fire, the light from the embers dancing around the ground and off part of the walls. The sound of fire burning is almost peaceful, calming, which explains the young woman staring into the flames deeply, her sapphire eyes capturing a bit of the fire's glow within them. She wears a simple leather jacket and her hair, platinum-blonde, is tied in its iconic braid as it rests against her chest. She rests against the wall made of stone, uneven in appearance, as the edges and crevices are further detailed by the glow of the fire. Slowly, the woman lifts her head to gaze into the camera, to the audience she knows will be watching.

Hello, Bree. Selena smiles as she settles more against the wall, her hands wrapped around her knee. I know this is where I should be speaking directly to Gavin Taylor, my semi-finalist - and next - opponent in the tournament, or maybe even Chris Cannon or Christy Matthews, who I might face if I can make it to the finals. But, the truth is, after last week, I kept coming to the same conclusion. The conclusion that I needed to speak to you. See, Glory Braddock, she gave me an amazing fight. Definitely deserving of all her accolades - those fourteen world championships she'll talk about in every promo - but she said something that kind of sat with me afterwards.

She said that I didn't deserve to be in this tournament. That I was only there because of Sasha D.. Yeah... And as much as I wanted to believe that I was added to this tournament because of my abilities and solid record so far this year, I have to admit that there was some truth to it. I mean, let's face it, Bree, we both know that little 'list' you had when you announced that you were 'dropping the title'? That list of people you thought were 'deserving' of having the title, I'll wager I wasn't on it. In fact... an amused smile breaks across Selena's lips. I'll wager that I am the last person you would put on such a list - a list of people that 'deserve' a chance to be the United States Champion.

Selena shrugs. And that's kind of the reason why I wanted to speak to you first. You know, before I go too deep into talking about next Breakdown. Because I want to ask you, now that the first round of the tournament is done - is this 'everything' you dreamed of when you tossed the title aside? I mean, I will probably guess that Sienna, Chris, and Glory were the three names on that list of yours, and you were probably so certain in Chris and Glory that you were still happy to drop the title. Now, here we are, and there's a chance, however large or small, that the United States Title could go to either Infamous... Selena licks her lips. Or to me.

How about that? she smirks, somewhat amused. It's both amusing and sad at the same time, Bree. Sad that it's had to come to this. Slowly, Selena's sapphire eyes scan the area she is in. Do you recognize this place, Bree? I haven't really been here in over a year... Since before our last match. This is my father's mining cave, where I filmed my first promo against you for our match at Making Things Right in 2019. A match that I spent my Trios contract on - a roofed cage match...

Let me just go back a bit and tell you about that match, Bree. You want to know why I chose it back then? It wasn't to 'punish you'. It wasn't to 'get revenge'. No. I chose that match because I wanted to see, when push came to shove, if everything you said was true. You said that you would do anything to remain the United States Champion. That you would endure anything for that title. Do you remember that? You said that your passion was far greater than mine. That your talent was far greater than mine. You also said that you and I were a lot alike in that we care about being on the top, but where you succeed in SCW and I fail is that you "don't try to hide by acting like a hero or playing to popularity'.

Selena takes a deep breath. I wanted to test all of that. I wanted to see if 'anything' would include actually fighting me on your own merit and beating me clean. If you really would go the distance and be better than me, Bree. Because I wanted to be the United States Champion. That's all I wanted. Not so I could be Supreme Champion, but because it had been a dream I wanted for years, ever since I won the Best of the Best Tournament in 2016.

And while you sat away in your comfortable penthouse rooms, sipping wine and placing the U.S title over a fireplace, I was here, in this cave, pushing myself to a place that I needed to be in order to be ready. Putting myself through the elements and enduring it so I could take you on. That's how much I not only respected the United States Title, Bree, but how much I respected your ability in the ring. That's how far I knew I had to push myself in order to have a chance to beat you! So, now that I'm here again, you can imagine how much I know that I'll have to push myself to become United States Champion again, be it against Gavin or Chris or Christy - it's going to take everything I can do and everything I have to win.

And yet... Being here, and remembering your words, I have to say that I can't believe that I believed them for a second. That you 'care' about the United States title. That you "would do anything for it". And no, let's just ignore that whole crap about you "letting me win", that joke has been dead for over a year, no matter how many times you repeat it. Selena sneers. I'm talking about you dumping the United States Title now that you have the World title.

You think I don't know the burden of holding two titles at once, Bree? Hello! I held the Adrenaline and the Tag-Team titles at the same time in my first year of SCW! Actual titles in SCW, not the dozens or so Gavin Taylor keeps in his closet. And yes, having two titles was the hardest thing I ever did at the time, trying to be a good singles champion and a good tag-team champion at the same time. But not once, Bree - not once! - did I think about quitting because it was 'too tough'. I kept fighting and fighting until I couldn't be champion anymore. Not for spotlight, not for money, but because of it was a privilege to reach those heights - to be a champion - and that status came with a responsibility. But you? The woman that 'would do anything for the U.S title'? You threw it away.

It's funny... My last promo, against Glory Braddock - your 'messenger of the Beauty Factory'? I remarked that if I knew I'd have to wait over four-hundred days for another chance at the United States Title, perhaps I would have savoured my reign more... I mean, compared to your three reigns of months and months, mine doesn't even come close in terms of length. But you know what? I would rather have had my shorter reign, where I defended it every match I was in, losing it while fighting with all I had, then to have what you had. You said that we were a lot alike, Bree, but never - NEVER - would I believe that now. Because never would I willingly throw away a title. I would defend it with everything I had until I was beaten for it! So that THAT person can say they EARNED it! That's what every title in SCW deserves! Not to be tossed away when you get 'a higher tier one'. Selena shakes her head.

You cheapened that title, Bree. You slapped SCW in the face, slapped what that title means, slapped the faces of everyone that's ever held it and thought it meant something to their careers and even now, you're slapping the faces of every person that has fought tooth and nail to survive this tournament! Even the people I don't like, you're slapping them in the face! And it makes me sick, Bree. To think that you've reached a point where you feel you're "too good" for the United States Title.

The United States title, where Hall of Famers like Shilo Valiant, Ravyn Taylor, Dillusion, Shawn Winters, where future Hall of Famers like Lucas Knight, Regan Street, Amy Chastaine and James Evans - I could go on! - fought wars for it... is 'not good enough' for Bree Lancaster...

You know what? Selena shakes her head. I am wishing that this works out the way I want it to... Because if I'm right and I can get to the finals, I'm gonna have the opportunity to kick you in the face so hard, it will make 2019 look like a slap on the cheek!
Selena takes a deep breath to calm herself.

What am I talking about, Bree? To be honest, I'm talking about what I'm hoping will happen on Breakdown. See, to me, every possible opponent in my way, well... They are the ones that have more in common with you. Not me. You've got a talented young man in Gavin Taylor - the All-Star - a man so secure in his abilities... That he wears replicas of old SCW titles and calls himself 'the champion' of whatever belt he brings in each week.

Biting her lip, Selena shakes her head. A man that pulls on tights and grabs ropes on people he can't beat like Jay Gold... Just like you did against me, remember? So much like you, Bree, calling yourself "the greatest champion" and 'caring' about the titles you hold. Both talented - and both a couple of liars and pretenders. Selena runs a hand through her platinum locks, grasping her braid with that hand. He pretends he's this be all and end all talent with every title in his possession to the point where I think, even if he wins this tournament, he'll show up one week with the actual United States Title and then cast it aside for another of his replicas, just like you cast the title aside that led to this tournament.

And do you honestly think I am going to let that happen to the U.S title again?! Another champion that treats it like a prop or a stepping stone rather than defending it till they can't anymore? And pay attention, Bree. I said 'can't', not 'won't'.

Which brings me to Chris Cannon, the biggest 'I won't' whiner with his contract negotiations and your last hope for the Beauty Factory, and Christy Matthews, who is no stranger to me in the ring. I said that I would explain how alike they are to you, Bree, but really? All you have to do is tune into last week's Breakdown. Chris Cannon, Sienna Swann, Xiomara, three on one - attacking en masse on Jordan Majors. Christy Matthews? She brought the whole damn Infamous stable to the ring against Jake Starr!

Hell, shall we go back to you interfering in that six person tag match between the Beauty Factory and Asher, myself and Ace Marshall? Costing my team the match? No? How about where you, Glory, and the rest of Beauty Factory, including Chris Cannon, ganged up on me backstage and after my match with Madison Steward?

You want me to spell it out plainer, Bree? You, Chris, Christy? Infamous and Beauty Factory? You may hate each other but you're all the cut from the same cloth - cowards. You hide in your packs and you quit when the going gets tough. You quit when you faced me over a year ago, you quit when things got tough for you as a dual-champion, just like Christy and Chris have quit over and over again in their careers, only to come back after X amount of time when they're feeling frisky.

Selena shakes her head. Not one of you four - that includes Gavin as well - not one of you, have fought through the bad times. Not one of you have taken loss and accepted it - accepted failure - and gotten back up. You've either lied about it, run away from it, blamed someone else or pretended you were something else or that it never happened. And the idea of someone like you, Bree, be it Gavin or your 'pick' or Christy Matthews of Infamous - the idea of any of them holding that United States Title, like I said, makes me sick.

Because SCW is tired of the pretenders. SCW is tired of the liars and the cheaters. SCW is tired of the tainted wins and the ambushes and the pack-attacks that seem to ooze out of those like you, Bree. That is not what the SCW United States Championship should be about! Let me say that again: That is not what the S-C-W United States Championship should be about. That's not what this tournament should be about. This tournament is about doing what you couldn't do, Bree. It's about finding a champion that won't abandon the division when things get tough. This tournament is about showing the true SCW standard of what that title means, not what you made it into. This tournament is meant to represent SCW and set the standard for what comes next: a literal Rise to Greatness!

Turning her head, Selena stares back into the fire. I may be the only person left in this thing that actually wants that and believes in it. And to survive one match at Breakdown, I'll need to be smart and observant, ready for whatever 'your kind of desperate ploys' that I know Gavin will use to try and sneak past me like he did with Jay Gold. But in the finals, Bree? I am hoping...praying... That I get to face Chris Cannon. Selena is quiet for a moment, letting that revelation settle.

It's not that I have an issue with facing Christy Matthews. Far from it. But, to be honest, it's my ego again. Because, knowing that I'm the last person you want to see with that title, I want to be the person that eliminates both of your Beauty Factory picks - Glory and Chris. And I want to be in the ring, facing Chris, for when the Beauty Factory, inevitably does what it always does when things get tough and doubtful. When Chris realizes that he can't just 'take me down'... When he gets desperate and Sienna starts panicking, and you start panicking that I might just get that title you abandoned...

That will be when you all come running to the ring. Picking up a stick, Selena pokes the burning logs with it. That's when I'll have my chance. she whispers. To kick your damn head off, Bree. For SCW, for me... For the United States Title... Right before I fight like hell to win it.

Taking a deep breath, Selena throws the stick into the fire before casting her eyes back at the camera. Another 'you' is not going to hold that title again, Bree.

I won't let it happen. Believe it.

The camera fades on the sight of Selena, the fire burning before her before it all goes to black.

The smoke from the fire stung her eyes, causing them to water. Not that she needed any more tears. She had already cried more than her share as she stared into the tall pyre, the massive pile of logs, forming a rather odd-shaped cone, crackling as they burned in the night. Again, for the umpteenth time, she stared into the fire, trying to see the creature that was at the center of the burning pile. She saw the orange glow of the flames and parts of the wood breaking down but it was almost like the fire itself didn't want her to see more beyond that.

Another sniffle escaped her and she reached up to rub her nose with her hand. You're really gone... She thought. This wasn't some joke - which a small part of her had crazily held onto with all she had till this moment. Again, her eyes stung from the smoke and more tears fell. She didn't want to think in that moment. She had come here to push herself and prepare for one of the most important nights of her professional life... To be ready to fight like never before for the SCW and the United States Championship Tournament.

Now? She just wanted the world to stop for a moment. Stop and allow her a second to breathe. Stop for a second so she could try and stop this growing sense of numbness that was slowly consuming her. Stop and...and...

Just stop...

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

Nome, Alaska
February 14th, 2006
11:13am

She just wanted them to stop! Why couldn't they? She angrily thought as she kicked a stone down the dirt and snowy road, watching it skittle ahead a few feet in front of her. She knew she was supposed to be in school - it was a Thursday, after all - but she wasn't going to give Gavin and his goons the satisfaction!

Having reached the stone on the ground, the sixteen year old kicked it again, harder this time, and again, the small rock tumbled and danced its way further down the trail. It become a sort of action and reaction as Selena Frost walked down the trail, taking her frustrations out on the stone as she made her way back home from her high-school.

The day had actually started pleasant. The classes were in full swing and already heading towards the midterms. She had done well last semester in terms of grades, at least well-enough that her mother wouldn't punish her - the young girl bit her lower lip angrily at the thought. And in English class, their teacher had given them a new Shakespeare play to study - A Midsummer Night's Dream! It was about these lovers and these fairies named Oberon and Titania and magic and love, it sounded hilarious and fun!

But as the day had turned into the lunch break, Selena had been sitting by herself in her private space, the small garden in the center of the school, when the next thing she knew, she was soaked from head to toe in something that smelled like orange soda. Gavin and his cronies had splurged and bought out the soda vending machine, buying as many cans of Orange Crush as they could. Emptying them all into a cooler one of them had brought, they had snuck up on Selena and dunked the contents on her, screaming "Welcome to Orange County!".

And now? She was sticky and, as far as she was concerned, never wanted to go near orange soda for the rest of her life. After composing herself from the initial shock, she had just grabbed her lunch bag and left the school, not a word to anyone and ignoring any onlooker that saw her as she walked, be it out of the school or now.

Bullies! she growled as she thought. Cowards!

They always attacked in groups now, ever since she had beaten up Gavin years ago when she was in public school and took his leather jacket, which still fit her and her growth spurt, she was happy to say. She was beyond grateful she had not worn it when she had gotten drenched, though she wasn't excited about explaining to her mother how the new white winter jacket she had gotten for Christmas, that her mother insisted on her wearing as it was 'stylish', was now stained with Orange color.

"Say goodbye to the Internet for a couple of weeks." Selena grumbled, kicking the stone again.

As she reached the top of the hill, she left the rock where it now lay, trekking up the path till she reached her house. Using the spare key that was under the porch ornament, a stone dragon - the symbol of her family clan - Selena unlocked the door, put the key back, and walked inside, leaving the door open. She was quick to strip off the stick coat and clothes off her body and take a cold shower. Changing into clean clothes, she dumped her wet clothes into the tub in the bathroom and refilled it with hot water to soak them, hoping it would remove the soda. She used the heavier plates her family owned to weigh the articles of clothing at the bottom of the bathtub. That accomplished, the young girl - recently declared 'Snow Queen' of Nome - now changed into her jeans and a dark-blue hoodie, made her way to the tool shed to grab her digging tools. She was going to spend some time in her father's cave to clear her head.

She had just stepped out of the shed and was now making the journey toward the cave when she heard a soft whine. Ordinarily, sounds of nature wouldn't have bothered the sixteen-year-old. She heard them all the time, part of being so close to the forest and different game reserves. This time, however, when the sound came a second time, it sounded like a cry for help. A high yelp that indicated fear or suffering, she wasn't sure. And when the sound came a third time, the young girl began following it, leaving her tools on the ground near the shed as she walked around her house, stopping every so often to focus on hearing the sound again. After about ten minutes of listening and searching, the young student even began to hum back, trying to match her voice to the pitch of the sound. Whether that did anything or not, she had no idea.

Still, as she turned towards her backyard and the old barbecue that her father used to use all the time - but her mother never did - that sat in the corner near the fence, she heard the cry again, as loud as it had been. Taking a deep breath, Selena slowly approached the large, black, metal tank and lowered herself onto the snow-sprinkled ground to look under it.

She couldn't believe her eyes.

For there, under the legs of the barbecue, was a small puppy!

"Wha...what are you doing there?" She asked slowly and the pup merely continued to whine, its small body shaking uncontrollably. It was no bigger than Selena's hand and its fur was a series of colours of white, gray, and tufts of black. It reminded Selena of the husky one of the fisherman's kids brought to school years ago for show and tell. "Did you get lost or something?" She asked. She remained perfectly still on the ground, her leather jacket keeping her dry from the patches of snow beneath her. She had no desire to scare this pup off. Odds were it belonged to someone. The pup, itself, for the most part, remained still, either too scared to leave or not knowing where else it could go or what Selena was.

"Uh..." Selena decided to try. "Are you hungry? I'll be right back."

Slowly, she got to her feet and made her way back to the house as calmly as she could to avoid scaring the pup. Raiding the fridge was her goal and she dug through whatever she could find, setting on a pack of hot dogs she found in the freezer. Boiling the water and cooking them took about five minutes and she was soon back outside, a dozen or so hot dogs in a plastic bag. A few feet away from the pup's hiding place, she stopped and tilted her head a little towards the ground, checking to see if the pup was there. Sure enough, when she mimicked its cry, it came right back as a reply from under the metal machine.

"Okay." She said slowly, lowering back down. "Hope you like hot dogs." She slowly spoke, taking out one from the bag and slowly bringing it towards the pup. The poor thing jumped back in alarm, causing Selena to keep her arm still. "It's okay." She cooed, eating one herself to show it was safe. "Yummy!" She insisted.

Slowly, almost painstakingly so, the small animal sniffed the air and approached Selena's hand and the offering. It sniffed again and drew a little closer. It sniffed for a third time before tentatively biting into it - right before it devoured the first one.

"Holy..." Selena laughed as she watched the little thing eat, offering it another one slowly, which it ate as well. She just kept feeding him until he had gone through four hot dogs and now just lay on the ground, unsure of where to go. Being this close to the animal, Selena realized, with sudden worry - the pup didn't have a collar on.

What do I do? She asked herself. He's not mine, but what if he's lost? What if he's sick? What if- she kept thinking of a hundred different what-ifs, each more absurd, but no less depressing, than the last, until finally, she made up her mind. Slowly, and calmly, reaching out, she reached under the barbecue until she felt the soft fur of the pup. The little one gave a quick yelp of surprise and fidgeted wildly as Selena pulled it out from under the metal cover.

"It's okay." She gently whispered, using her free hand to pet the small animal. "I've got you." She added, continuing to comfort the pup. She didn't move until the poor thing calmed down and began to lay still.

Keeping the pup in her arm, Selena awkwardly began the long walk back down the hill and towards town. She was going to get this fellow looked at, she decided. Because maybe she was wrong... It wouldn't be the first time... But as she had first held this pup in her hands and seen the look in its eyes, she suddenly had seen something... Familiar. Something that was driving her actions now.

An abandoned child recognizes another abandoned child...

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Wait..." Selena's eyes widened in shock. "It's not a puppy?"
"No, it is." Smiled the young man. "But it's not a dog like you think."
"But then... What is it?" The platinum-blonde child asked in disbelief.
"Well, Ms. Frost, see the nose here and ears. It certainly could be confused for a dog... But it's actually a wolf."
"Wait...I found a wolf pup?" A smile broke across Selena's face. "Awesome! Can I keep him?"

The young girl stood in the back room of the animal clinic, having brought the small pup there to be checked on. Now, the little fellow was on the table, being looked at by the young man, a Dr. Gillian by name - the pup's wide eyes turning this way and that to take all these new surroundings in. The veterinarian chuckled at Selena's question as he continued to look over the small animal. "I wouldn't recommend that. Wolves aren't meant to be kept as pets." He replied. "That being said, you did the right thing bringing her here."

"Well, he was just- wait..." Selena caught the doctor's words. "'Her'?"
"That's right." Gillian grinned. "It's a girl."
"Oh..." Selena's mouth hung open. "I...I never checked. I just assumed..."
"Well, she seems in good spirits." Stated the doctor.
"Um..." before that moment, Selena's eyes had been on the pup as it, too, stared back at her, barking a little. But as she considered her question, she turned her attention to Gillian. "How did a wolf find its way to my backyard?"

The veterinarian was quiet for a moment as he turned the pup gently onto her back, Selena instinctively rubbing the wolf's belly with her hand to keep her calm.

"Well, judging from her size... I have to guess that she was born a runt."
"A what?"
"A runt." Gillian repeated. "Means born smaller and weaker than the others. Some mother wolves, if they think they're baby isn't strong enough, will abandon it."
"What?!" Selena's eyes widened. "How could her mother do that?"
"You have to understand, Ms. Frost." The doctor patiently explained. "Most wolves give birth to a litter of puppies. And sometimes, the mother has to make a choice, based on keep her family alive. Let me ask you: You have three puppies and only enough food to keep two alive. If you try and keep all three alive, all three will starve and die. Do you let all three die or do you abandon the weakest for the sake of the other two?"

Selena was quiet, lowering her gaze to stare at the wolf pup staring up at her. Reaching out, she rubbed the top of his head. "I think I understand - but I still don't like it." She whispered. "I don't think I'd ever be able to get rid of my kid-"

The door to the main lobby suddenly flew open and the receptionist, a young, dark-skinned lady, that Selena had met when she had first arrived with the pup in tow, was suddenly staring at the two of them in alarm. "Uh... Dr. Gillian, there's a bit of a disturbance in the lobby. I think the young girl's mother is here."
"Who- my mother?" Selena asked, pointing to herself in surprise. "How did she even know I was here?" She asked aloud, more so to herself that to anyone else, as she picked up the small wolf and made her way back into the lobby. She had only taken a few steps out the back door when she spotted the tall woman with blonde hair, not quite as white/platinum as hers, dressed in a black dress. Seeing her daughter emerge from the back, the woman's eyes narrowed at her.

"Selena." She replied curtly. "Care to explain why I got a call from a friend who says they saw you walking through town with an-" her words stopped as she stopped the furry companion in her daughter's arms.
"I found her under the barbecue in the backyard." Selena explained simply. "She looked like she needed help."
"Why were you even home in the first place, young lady?" Anastasia DeCarlo scowled. "You were supposed to be at school."
"Same problem as every other time." Selena stated back flatly, holding the pup close to her. "I tell you it was Gavin, you don't believe me and they do it all again next week."
"Gods, this again?" Anastasia huffed. "You'd rather I believe that the mayor's son has a personal vendetta against you rather than the simple truth that you're just a disobedient little girl?"

The young girl bit her lower lip and kept her thoughts to herself, not wanting to cause a scene in the clinic and frighten the little pup. Turning to the doctor, she handed her over to Gillian. "Will she be alright?" She asked.
"I think so." Gillian replied, taking the pup gently into his arms. "We'll keep her here for a few weeks, make sure she gets the needed food and nutrition in these crucial, growing weeks. Then when she's safe, we'll transfer her to the animal shelter on the outskirts."
"What then?"
"Well, they'll watch over her, train her, and with any luck, they'll be able to release her back into the wild-"

The doctor was stopped as the little pup suddenly started to shift and move, its paws and whines directed towards Selena. Without thinking, the student opened her arms and quickly took the pup back into her embrace, where it slowly calmed down.

"Of course..." Gillian stated in mild surprise. "That may be a little tricky if she thinks you're her mother."
"Oh, you can't be serious." Selena heard her mother whine, but she ignored her.
"Will that be a problem for her?" She asked.
"Not with time. She might be a little difficult to train, but the shelter will know more than me." Gillian answered. "I'll give them a call in a few days."

The idea came to Selena as Gillian was explaining, and before she had throught it through, she had blurted out the question. "Do they accept volunteers? Like young people to help look after animals-"
"Absolutely not!" Came the shrill voice of Anastasia. "You are not spending your time with filthy animals." She declared. "You have your studies and lessons!"

Despite her mother, Selena kept her eyes on the young veterinarian. She didn't want to see her mother's expression, though she could imagine that the older woman's face was turning red. "Do they?"

Gillian held a look of uncertainty, sort of caught in the middle between mother and daughter. "Yes." He answered slowly. "They do, but I recommend you being on the same page as your mother before approaching them."

Not likely. Selena huffed mentally before looking down at the pup, who by now was back to being comfy in her arms. "I'll think of something." She replied quietly before handing the small creature back to Gillian. She had to leave before she heard the wolf's whine again. Turning on her foot, she marched past her mother and out of the clinic, making her way down the streets in the direction towards her house once again.

"I hope you understand how humiliated I am." The voice came from behind her, harsh and sharp, her mother marching beside her. "That my daughter was skipping school and seen carrying some kind of wild animal."
"I thought it was dog." Selena sighed. "I didn't know till I got there that it was wolf pup..." She cast her sapphire eyes towards the woman she reviled. "Though I still would have brought her here."
"Of course you would." Hissed Anastasia as the two marched home. "You'll do anything to get a rise out of me."
"Not everything I do is about you, mother!" Selena hissed back. "The poor thing looked hungry and alone and scared. What would you have done?" She caught herself. "You know what? Don't answer that. I don't want to hear how you would eat a wolf-cub."
"Don't be childish." Chastised her mother.

"I'm being childish?" Selena laughed. "No, childish are the people that poured orange crush soda all over me today. Speaking of which, my clothes are soaking in the bathtub. Including my coat." She hesitated on the last part, knowing it would not sit well.
"You ruined your brand new coat?" Anastasia asked in disbelief. "Why?"
"Did you miss the part I said about someone pouring orange pop all over me?" Selena asked.
"Why do you constantly have to make up-"
"I'm not making it up!" Spat back the Snow Queen. "You'll see when we get home!"
"That you spilled pop on your coat?"
"No!" Huffed Selena before throwing her arms up and dropping them back to her sides.

The two walked in silence, Anastasia the taller of the two. Selena preferred the quiet, for it allowed her mind to drift back to the small wolf pup. As the mother and daughter were ascending the hill, she turned her face to gaze at her mother. "I want to volunteer at the Animal Shelter."
"No." Anastasia sharply answered. "I believe I made that clear."
"Dr. Gillian said it would help."
"That man is not a doctor." Anastasia laughed. "He's a drop-out from medical school."
"Just because he's a veterinarian doesn't mean he dropped out." Selena countered.
"Regardless, the answer is still 'no'."
"Why not?" Selena asked, rushing in front of her mother to cut off her walking. "It be my free time, I won't miss out on my lessons or classes."
"I just caught you skipping school." Laughed Anastasia. "Your promises are useless."
"Mother, please!" She was begging now, eyes pleading with the cold DeCarlo. "I'll do anything if you let me have this."

It was a phrase she hated using when she wanted something, but it was the only way to get Anastasia to concede. To bargain. Give her some power over Selena. But what choice did she have?

She needs me. Selena thought, thinking of the little pup that had been in her arms.

Anastasia, meanwhile, had not taken her eyes off of Selena, had in fact narrowed them a little in scrutiny of her daughter. "Alright, child." She spoke coldly. "You'll be allowed one day a week to volunteer there - PROVIDED -" she stressed the last word. "That you do not miss a single class or single lesson."
"Three." Selena tried. One day a week wasn't nearly enough.
"Be grateful I'm considering one." Warned Anastasia, but Selena pushed.
"Okay. Two and I'll..." She thought quickly. "I'll start taking those piano lessons." She groaned.

"Really?" Anastasia tilted her head in disbelief. It had been a subject that they had fought over again and again. Selena had no desire to learn something has boring as the piano and had fought her mother every inch along the way. But now, she was relenting! "Fine." Anastasia quickly replied. "But not one lesson skipped. Not one class missed. Or you'll have nothing for that week. Is that clear?"

"Yes...mother." Selena nodded her head, as if in surrender, but inside, her heart was doing backflips. She would see her little pup again. Not only that... she decided as she continued on the walk back to her house with her mother in tow. But next time I see you, I'll give you a name!

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

Liam Jack's Bar and Grill
Nome, Alaska
June 27th, 2020
7:30am

Selena was still in shock as she sat in the booth inside her uncle's restaurant, her sapphire eyes, unblinking, staring a hole through the scratched up table in front of her. Her senses were still working. She could hear the clicking of old dials and the sizzling of grease that was coming from the back as the fryers and ovens were already turned on and prepared. She could smell bacon and eggs and several other different things. And she could see her uncle Liam shuffling around the store, keeping it closed when he usually opened around this time for the breakfast groups. The place hadn't changed she had worked there almost seven years ago.

Still, Selena didn't move, her hands clutching one another, fingers fidgeting, as they rested on the marked-up table. The lights were on, which offered the most illumination in the place as the sun slowly began to rise, still covered mostly by the horizon and taller buildings that ran down the streets and the trees further back from there.

"Hey." Came the soft whisper as Liam stood just to the side of her table. In one hand, he held a simple, white porcelain cup, filled near to the rim with hot chocolate, half a dozen or so small tiny marshmallows and Liam's special ingredient (according to him), chocolate powder made from a grated up Kit-Kat bar. It was a drink the large man would always make Selena when she was younger, her favourite drink, and his way of cheering her up. Without another word, Liam placed the cup on the table and gently pushed it towards Selena's hands, which opened instinctively to wrap around the warm beverage. Quietly, the bar and grill owner shuffled into the other side of the booth, resting up against the dark-green with blue speckles cushions before, like Selena, he rested his hands over the table. "I...uh...I wanted to call you sooner and tell you what happened..." He started, trying to explain. "But Jean wanted us to be sure and let you know the next time you were here. When you called last week and said you'd come by this weekend..." He stopped mid-sentence, noticing that Selena hadn't moved from her spot, hadn't even flinched, her eyes locked on the steaming mug in her hands. "We held off the funeral to tonight so you could join us." He finished.

Nothing was said for the longest time, the only sound being the tick-tock of the battery-operated, analog clock as the hands slowly moved their various speeds.

"Are you sure it's her?"

Selena's voice came out broken but clear. She didn't shift her gaze from her mug, which only made Liam sigh sadly.

"Yeah." He answered. "She was in the wild, kid, but... She was the only wolf that came near the town."

Slowly, Selena nodded her head - only once - as she watched her pile of marshmallows slowly melt in the hot drink. "How did it happen?" She asked.

"Well, that's just it." The older man took a deep breath to steady himself. "I mean... It's beyond clear but... You sure you want to hear this?" He cast a glance at Selena, worry in his voice for the platinum-blonde, and didn't look away until he saw her slowly nod her head.

"Alright." He sighed. "I guess, the first things you should know is where we found her. It was by Terry's farm, just up the hill from his backyard. You know my nephew Terry? You've met him a few times, right?"

She didn't answer at first, mostly because she was trying to get her brain to work amidst the shock and grief. She remembered Liam's nephew - tall, thin man, a solid ten years older than Selena, for sure. She didn't see much of him because he lived on the outskirts of Nome, further than she did, operating a farmhouse. She nodded her head slowly. From what she could recall, Terry was the big supplier for most of the stores and business in Nome when it came to produce and specific meats and diary products - most larger commercial companies that filled the States weren't really keen in coming to a small town like Nome, where the only way to travel out and in was by plane. Terry provided a grand surface for all of the town, including his uncle Liam.

"Well, for the last couple of months, he'd been having a hell of a time with those red foxes raiding his chicken farm. Digging under the fences-" he moved his hands, imitating the movement such a creature would make. "And running off with his chicks, you know?"

Again, Selena only nodded, but her head had moved up to gaze at Liam's eyes, sapphire glistening near droplets of tears. It made Liam almost forget himself, the large man stammering for a moment before continuing. "An-an-anyways, kid." He recovered. "You know I'm more of a hunter than he is..." the platinum-blonde again nodded. Whole she didn't really knew Terry, she knew Liam - the old man acting as a sort of second-father to her when her father had disappeared all those years ago. And hunting was something she knew Liam enjoyed. He was a sport about it, only hunting what he was allowed to and never more than a few animals a trip during the proper seasons to help keep the population under control. The Snow Queen had been to his house and seen some of his 'prized hunts' decorating the walls of her 'man-lair'.

Is that where Titania is now... Selena's eyes shut closed as she tried to banish the thought from her mind.

"You alright?" Liam asked, alarm in his voice.
"No." Selena finally spoke. "But please keep going."
"Well, the foxes... You see, we tried everything to slow them down. Traps, tricks, better fences and barbwire, making the place seem like unappealing territory - nothing worked." he waved his hands. "Crafty bastards. They'd eventually figure it out and sneak in and take the hens. And..."

She heard Liam's voice shake as he looked away, biting his thick, lower lip as if he was ashamed.

"And what?" Selena asked.
"And I made a mistake." Liam admitted. "A couple of years ago, we had a problem like this and we ended up solving it with using this thing that the foxes thought was a piece of meat. Looked like chicken and had a smell like it, but..."
"Fox poison." Selena finished. She had heard of it. Hell, it was on sale at some of the stores for 'pest control', though only as a last resort if traps and altering the territory didn't work.
"Yeah." Liam sighed. "You gotta understand, kid, the only animals that were coming close to that farm were the foxes. Wolves had never gone there, not even yours."
"She wasn't mine." Selena whispered. "I didn't own her."
"Well..." Liam looked down awkwardly. "Anyway, Dr. Gillian said that she must have ate some of it and..."

He ended it there. He didn't need to explain the last part.

Selena didn't know what to feel. She didn't even understand how this was even possible. Terry's farm was not Titania's territory. It wasn't far from it, but still! The forest near her home and mine was where Titania had stayed. How had she gone all the way over there-

"How did she get there?" Selena asked. "I mean, yes, she came down into town, but only a certain ways. Terry's farm is a far longer travel."
"I'm not sure." Liam shrugged, "But Gillian had a theory when he...um... When we brought her to him."

The wrestler remained silent, waiting to hear from Liam what the local veterinary had seen.

"Kid... Did you know Titania was pretty much blind?"
Selena's eyes widened in alarm. "Blin- No. Of course I didn't know."
"Well, she was old." Liam explained. "Or at least that's what the guy said. Slowly lost her sight."

Quickly, Selena tallied up the years. She knew, just from how long she had known the wolf, that the lupine was at least fourteen... She was old... Selena realized. How could I have missed that? sadness struck her again. Wolves lifespans were different according to expert, but none lived more than 17 years according to the most optimistic ones - Selena had done hours of research when she had been taking care of Titania at the animal shelter, remembering certain facts even to this day. But blind?

"He figures that she got lost somehow, turned around from her hunting ground, and ended up walking to Terry's, smelled the poison, thought it was food..." Again, he trailed off. Again, he did not finish the train of thought, and again, he didn't need to.

"I guess..." Selena's voice was hollow and soft. "I guess that's that then." She settled on saying but it did little good. All she could imagine was her little pup, scrambling around blind, lost and scared - and she wasn't there to help her. To protect her. The guilt and pain gripped her fiercely. "She's gone. What now?"
"Well..." Liam tried. "We're gonna do the funeral tonight if you want to join us." He offered. "Jean said we could do it at your place cause that where she often was."

Her territory... Her home... Selena's eyes finally released a few tears, a pale hand releasing the cooling cup of hot chocolate to wipe at them harshly with her palm. "Yeah." She whispered. "I just... I'll just be back home. Thinking."
"You got a place to stay?" Liam asked as Selena pushed herself out of the booth, leaving her cup on the table.
"In the cave." Selena replied.
"Come on, kid." Liam tried, a look of genuine care on his face. "You know you can bunk with me and Angie-"
"I know, uncle." A sad smile came to Selena. "But I... I need to be there - now more than ever after this..."
"I..." The old man stopped himself, perhaps because he knew the woman his little girl had become or perhaps he knew that if she didn't do this, she wouldn't be able to get any kind of closure. "Yeah..." He settled on saying. "You do what you gotta do."
"Thanks." She nodded her head, making her way to the backdoor exit, Liam following her so he could lock it behind her.

As she opened the door, the cold, morning air hitting her full force, she adjust her leather jacket, otherwise unfazed by the cool breeze. She was down the two wooden steps and just a few steps away when she heard Liam's voice again.
"Hey, Selena?" He called out, causing her to turn around. "I...I wish I could undo it, you know? I never meant to hurt her... Or you."

Eyes still moist with tears, Selena could only offer him a sad smile as her head slightly tilted. "I know, uncle." She replied. With a small wave of her hand, the Snow Queen continued on her way, the path she knew by heart to get to her old house and - more importantly - to her father's cave...


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

Donovan Frost Mining Cave
Nome, Alaska
December 7th, 2013
1:36am

She hated feeling this big, but loved it at the same time. None of her old clothes fit her and, what little money she could put towards new clothes wouldn't fit her a few months from now. Still, she was happier than she had been in a long time. She was engaged to be married to a wonderful man - the love of her life - and, more importantly - she took a deep breath of the cold air as a her hand drifted down over the large swell in her abdomen.

Won't be long now, snowflake. she thought to the bundle she felt sleeping inside her. She could feel the child's head resting just to the side of her left rib cage, which Selena had figured out was the baby's 'favourite sleeping spot' because she always went there. She felt a slight movement as she walked along the outside of her house, the baby turning in her sleep. "Easy, Elsa." Selena whispered. "It's hard to balance when you're moving like that." Despite that, she couldn't help but smile brightly as she reached her father's cave. She hadn't dug here or searched for gold since halfway through the latter half of her second trimester. She would get back to it afterwards, she knew, but her father would never forgive her if she put the searching for gold ahead of carrying his granddaughter.

"Oh daddy..." Selena whispered as she walked inside the cave running her hand along the cavern walls. "I wish you were here to meet her." A few tears stung her eyes, though she didn't care. It was just her inside the cave, it didn't matter. "I know you'd love her. I know you'd give her everything mother won't." Selena sighed, wrapping her arms around her bare arms. She wore only a large nightgown with sleeves. It wasn't too cold for the Snow Queen and she had brought her shawl in case it was.

"I'm going to do everything I can for this baby." Selena promised aloud as she continued to walk throughout the cave. "I'll teach her right and wrong like you taught me. I'll let her skip school once in awhile. I'll let her play pirates." Selena smiled at the fond memory of her father playing pirates on the jungle gym long ago. "I'll show her how to mine for gold." She added. "She'll be wonderful, father." Selena cried happily. "She'll never be unhappy a day in her life - because she'll have me and Adrian."

She stopped for a moment to take a deep breath again, and for a moment she felt her father's spirit inside her. This... This here and now, this was what mattered most to her. Not some title like "Snow Queen" or being "a proper lady of power" like her mother wanted. But family. A family full of love and happiness...

A sharp bark from the entrance of the cave caused Selena to spin around, clumsily with her larger frame, her eyes wide and scanning the entrance, her heart racing. However, as she spied the animal standing there, she instantly relaxed, her face forming another smile.

"Hi girl!" Selena beamed as she lowered herself to a knee as Titania bounded over to her, immediately entering Selena's embrace to lick her face and receive pets and rubs from the pregnant blonde. "Did you hear me leaving the house?" Selena asked playfully. "Did you hear me leaving the house?"

Titania was now on her back, receiving her belly rubs with the utmost joy. She used her mouth to playfully hold Selena's arm, though not enough to cause her pain. "Oh you're happy to see me?" Selena asked knowingly, changing her hands position to rub and paw Titania's furry face. The wolf continued to lap up the affection until the two were content enough, Selena pushing herself to sit against one of the walls of the cavern, Titania moving to lay beside her protectively.

The female wolf had hit adulthood two years after Selena had found her and was returned to the wild shortly before that, though she had stayed near Selena's home. The young Frost, true to her word, had kept with her studies and lessons, visiting and caring for Titania as much as she could by volunteering at the shelter. There were some hard weeks where things went wrong between her and her mother, but all and all, Selena did all she could to constantly be there for Titania.

Now? At seven years of age, the wolf was a full-sized adult, yet still the same loveable pup Selena had found when she was a teenager. Smiling down at her, Selena reached over to softly scratch the back of Titania's head. "So..." She whispered to the wolf. "In a couple weeks, you're going to have a sister."

Titania lifted her head to gaze at Selena. "That's right, girl." Selena smiled, continuing to rub her head. "A little girl is going to join our family. And I'm gonna need you to love her and protect her like you have for me."

The wolf whined a little.

"No!" Selena laughed. "I'm not gonna play 'favourites' with you." She stared at Titania's expression. "Don't give me that face!" She laughed before petting all over the wolf's face, Titania licking her hand in response. "You have kids too now." Selena laughed. "And grandkids if my math is right. You gonna say you love me more than them?"

Titania didn't answer, instead laying her head on Selena's lap.

"That's what I thought." The Snow Queen smugly replied in victory. "With mother living with her current boyfriend, it'll be just us."

The notion sounded like heaven. She had managed to free herself from her vile mother, no longer the target of Anastasia's pitiful dreams and schemes. No, she and Adrian would be married after their baby was born and their new lives would begin!

"It sounds perfect, doesn't it?" She smiled, leaning down as best as she could to kiss the wolf's head. The wolf whined but it was a happy whine. It matched how Selena felt.

Peaceful. Content. Happy.

It was a feeling she never wanted to lose...


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

Selena Frost's Alaskan Home
Nome, Alaska
June 28th, 2020
11:43pm

The fire was dying down now, the wood and all within the pyre having been burned to ashes. There was nothing she could recognize anymore. It was all ashes...

"Goodbye, Titania." Selena whispered, reaching up to wipe the last tears from her eyes. "I know...wherever you are..." Her voice shook. "They're serving hot dogs." She couldn't help the sad laugh that escaped her while she answered that. "I...I'm sorry you couldn't meet Elsianna or David or Amiliah. But you met Deanna." She smiled, remembering the day she had taken her wife hiking and introduced her. The wolf had been reluctant at this stranger, but... Selena couldn't explain it, but - maybe Titania saw that this woman was Selena's mate like the one Titania had. Whatever the reason, she had been kind to Deanna.

"I know..." Selena continued. "I know that I wouldn't be who I am if it wasn't for you, girl." Selena whispered. "You were the first person I truly fought for - you showed me what it was like to fight for someone and now... Now I'm somewhere where I can fight for so many. I have my own family - my own pack." She gasped as she smiled, a breath quickly escaping her in a mixture of a smile and a sob. "You were always a fighter, girl. And you gave me the strength every time I needed to come here and find my own, you were there to help me find it."

She turned her head, seeing Liam Jacks standing near by but remaining silent to allow Selena time to speak. Near him, watching silently, was Jean Black and Zoe Evers. She was grateful to them both for arranging this and letting her say goodbye to Titania. With one last deep breath and a sigh, Selena gazed at the fire once more. "I'll never forget you, Titania. I promise you."

With one last look, Selena turned and made her way over to Liam, who opened his big arms to embrace her. "I'm sorry, kid." He whispered. "If I could go back and undo it-"
"I've thought about that over and over again for weeks, Liam." Selena sighed. "But...She had a good life" She cast a glance back at the still-glowing embers. "And a dear friend recently told me that you can't change the past." She shrugged sadly. "All you can do is the next right thing."

A slow half-smile, earnest, spread across Liam's face. "I kinda... I mean - I wanted to do something for you... But... I'm scared."
"Scared?" Selena asked in worry. "Of what?"
"That you'll hate me for it."

Without explaining, the restaurant owner, dressed in a bright red windbreaker jacket moved to his car to open the trunk. Reaching in he pulled something out, though Selena could not see from where she was standing. Jean and Zoe said nothing, merely standing by their own car as Liam approached Selena.

"If this is bad. Tell me and I'll throw it in the pyre, okay?" He said as he handed the item to Selena. With the help of the moonlight and the headlights of Jean's car, Selena was able to look down and see what she now held. It was a medium-length leather jacket, much like the red one she always wore, but this one was black and... There was something out. Reaching her hand out, Selena ran the pale hand along the soft fur that lines the head-hole, the wrists and down both sides of the opening.

"There wasn't enough to make a full coat, but..." Liam tried. "I know she would have wanted you to have a piece of her with her." His voice shook, he was so scared that he had screwed up and upset Selena further. The woman had never worn true-fur before, the closest think being faux-fur of her Winter-Sky dress. But as she stared down at the coat, her hand still feeling the soft fur, she almost cried again.

"It feels just like her." Selena half-cried, half-laughed. "Just like when I would pet her."

Looking up, her eyes streaming with new tears, she reached out to wrap her free arm around Liam. "Thank you, uncle."
"I love you, Selena." Liam whispered.
"I love you too." Selena whispered before leaning back, just as a loud set of howling sounds filled the skies from aways away.

"Looks like the wolves are out tonight." Jean Black stated absent mindedly. No one replied, but Selena knew better.

She knew it was Titania's pups, her grand pups, and even her great grand pups. Her family. Saying goodbye.

Looking down at her coat, Selena pet a section of fur again.

It's okay... she thought as she felt herself slowly healing again... I've got you.

__________________________________________


The camera slowly fades upon the interior of the Canadian Tire Center in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It is filled with empty seats and an empty ring, preparations for tonight's episode of Breakdown, where the semi-finals and the finals of the United States Championship Tournament will take place. Last week, eight superstars battled. Now, only four remain. Two former world champions, a veteran, controversial figure, and hot-shot new face to SCW - one of these four will be crowned the NEW S-C-W United States Champion on the verge of Rise to Greatness. The excitement for the night and the tournament's end has been buzzing through the backstage, even exciting several of the roster and staff of SCW beyond the remaining participants, which almost makes the quiet in this shot rather eerie. Still, as the camera shot alters to closer to the ring, Arctic-blue and white lights washing over it, and the woman that sits in the middle of the ring, that silence is broken by the sound of voices.

You're nothing more than a woman who is playing a supporting role in this production.
A snow queen from Alaska... Who once won a beauty contest and it went so far to her head...
Your heart is elsewhere...
I want the belt for what it WILL BE across my shoulder
I will lead by example. I will prove why I am the very best in SCW!

The voices, recognized as those of Christy Matthews and Chris Cannon - one of whom shall be in the finals tonight - repeat their statements over and over again until they are overlapping one another into a cacophony of noise, difficult to discern until, after a moment, it all goes silent and the woman, who has been sitting in the ring, her legs crossed, takes a deep breath before opening her eyes, sapphire beauties staring into the emptiness of the arena. Her hair is tied in its iconic braid, but wrapped around her frame is a leather jacket with fur trim around the neck, wrists and front.

One more night. Two more matches. And a new United States Champion will be crowned... she inhales and exhales a little, her eyes holding how deep in thought she is. One more night, and history will either repeat itself or something new may happen...

Another breath before the Face of SCW shakes her head, her expression changing to a bright smile. Before that, let me say Happy birthday - happy Canada day - to the wonderful SCW Canadian fans! I have been here a few days now and, as with every year I can come to visit Canada around this time, everyone is celebrating. There are snippets on television, people re-enacting Canada's history as it celebrates another year. Fireworks will illuminate the sky in celebration, and the nation will look both behind in reflection of the precious year and ahead for the year that awaits...

The young woman's hands fidget as they hold one another, her eyes watching them do so. Like those she spoke of, she seems reflective for a moment, perhaps from the voices heard moments ago or something more personal to her, it is unclear.

History, memories, legacy - these are words that are thrown around so much on holidays like these, but more so here in SCW. Especially now - this time of year - when you not only have the SCW Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, immortalizing a chosen few, but also Rise to Greatness. You've only to see the other side of this tournament, hear the words of Christy Matthews and Chris Cannon to become quite overburdened with it.

She sighs, lifting her head to observe the camera and audience. I said a few days ago that the two of you were cut from the same cloth. I didn't speak that from a simple glance at your biographies or Wikipedia pages or whatever. I spoke from experience. I spoke from my personal history fighting and watching both of you for years. Experience and history: two things that will be my edge against Gavin Taylor. The two of you - especially you, Chris - are quite certain that I will be the one that one of you will meet at the finals of the tournament to crown a new United States Champion. Selena takes a deep breath before shifting her gaze.

That is not a slight against you, Gavin. I've said enough about you in that regard. It's a statement about me. As clever, talented, and tricky as you are, I know this ring. I know this place. I know this world that is SCW. It's not something that comes by pretending to be a different kind of SCW champion every week. It doesn't come by spending a week or even a year here. It comes from being here year after year, hardship after hardship, despite the failures. It comes from not giving up on yourself and what you believe in, even if it takes years for an opportunity to come your way. Even if things seem unfair. It's holding yourself accountable for your actions, not making excuses for them. Holding yourself to a standard that truly means "Supreme Championship Wrestling".

The Snow Queen pauses for a moment to, once again, regard the camera. Of those things, Gavin, I do not believe you have yet. And that experience - that history - that will be my edge to get by you in the semi-finals. I know you will make me work for that and I will have to be on my toes every second of our battle... But I know I can win. I know I can get to the finals and I know that that I have the tools to beat the supposed 'All-Star'.

A moment of silence comes from the platiminum-blonde, her gaze hardening as she glares at her new targets. Which makes me return to the two of you: Chris and Christy. The man that thinks I'm nothing more than a 'supporting role' in this tournament and the woman that laughs at the notion of me being chosen to be in this tournament.

Why is it you laugh, Christy? Selena tilts her head with a slight smirk. Is my presence here a joke to you? You were quite lazy in using that same old line about my nickname and how I look. Do you feel, as Glory Braddock did, that I don't belong here, in this tournament? Or are you so full of yourself still that you think you can just steamroll over me?

See, Christy, that's something you've always had with you - that disrespect for me. That arrogance where you saw me as nothing more than an insect that you could crush at any moment. And you and Chris, you both have so much in common. The two of you can both claim victories over me and nights where you have taken the championships from me. That, I cannot deny, but I'll get to that.

I could almost forgive Chris' view of me, Christy, but you? You and I have fought over and over again. Hell, we have fought for the title that is on the line now, remember? Countless battles... Selena's eyes narrow. How many of those have you lost, Christy? How many of those matches did you get knocked down and pinned by me? Shall I mention a rather famous one? It was a tournament semi-final - much like one you will have tonight here on Canada day - you, the champion, facing me. How did that end? How did the tournament end?

Selena does not give an answer, the 'Year of Selena Frost' that was 2016 still a rather shining moment in the platinum-blonde's resume.

Or is that another joke to you, Christy? Selena tilts her head. You know, I find it rather hypocritical of you. You whine and complain about Adam Sharper, the Voice of SCW, undermining you, disrespecting your victories, etc... And yet...

With a flick of her wrist, Selena gestures towards the large titantron screen at the top of the ramp on one side of the arena space. The screen quickly shifts and turns, revealing none other than Christy Matthews, herself, standing in front of a camera, a clip from her promo last week against Jake Starr.

I did eventually get an opportunity, a year and a half ago, against Selena Frost. Calamity ensued. A JOKE of an ending saw her walk away with the belt...

The clip pauses, frozen in place, as Selena slowly, darkly, turns her gaze back towards the camera.

A 'joke', you say? she raises an eyebrow. Adam Sharper undermines you? 'Cheapens your wins' and 'what you do in the ring', but me defeating you is a joke?

No, Christy, what is happening between you and Sharper is the same thing that happened between you and me and it will be the same thing that happens to you if I face you in the finals. It's called karma.

Because let's go back a bit to that 'joke', shall we? Selena gets to her feet, dusting her hands as she does. There you were, having just betrayed Sasha and SCW. And I don't mean you openly sided with Katya as some did because they felt she was better. No no no. You, Christy, pretended to be on Sasha's side so you could stab her in the back. And why? For a title shot against me. A title shot, mind you, that had your associate, Alexander Crowe, by Katya's will, serve as the special guest referee. And in a match where you choked me with camera cables but didn't get disqualified, where the official attacked me and broke up my holds... I somehow managed to retain. No... Let me take words from you, Christy. Selena's eyes narrow. I outthought Christy Matthews. I outwrestled Christy Matthews. I beat Christy Matthews.

The words echo a little as Selena leans forward a bit, only to lean back and shrug her shoulders. But apparently, I am a joke to you. Apparently, you are untouchable. Apparently, it is your destiny to win. Why? Because you 'want the belt for what it will be across your shoulder'?

And what is that, Christy? You said that you would embody the 'American Dream' and that same old line of 'restoring' the title. Look, Christy, I'll be the first to say that the United States title needs something after Bree's reigns and her dumping it. I said so earlier, but exactly, what can that title 'be' with you holding it?

Because as far as I've seen... You've been nothing but hypocritical so far. You saw you're undervalued yet you call me a joke. You say you feel disrespected yet you laugh at us and disrespect this tournament.

So what can that title be with you as its champion, Christy? Is it you coming to the ring every night, surrounded by your group, Infamous? Is it needing five or six other people in your corner to face one person? Like you did with Jake Starr? Is it ambushing a six on one assault against people that stand up to you and talk back? Is that the 'American Dream'? Is that what the title 'will be' if it goes to you?

Or is it backstage deals with others to get what you want? Is it you selling out one value after another to get something more or something bigger? Like you did with Katya. Or is it making a deal with a friend just so you can say you 'held a title' like you did with Autumn Valentine and Ryan Watson, playing hot potato with the tag-team titles across house shows. Do you think anyone bought that two-bit acting, Christy? Worst kept secret in SCW. Is THAT what will happen if the opportunity presents itself to you, Christy? You play hot-potato with Ravyn so she can have 'the most US title reigns' or something? Or with Syren so she can be one step closer to being a 'Supreme Champion'?

Because if that's the case, how are you any better than Bree, Christy? How are you even remotely concerned with the 'purpose' of that title?

Selena shrugs her shoulders as she walks along the ring. I'm not interested in seeing you as a joke, Christy. I'm not interested in seeing our possible meeting in the finals as a joke. If you manage to get past Chris Cannon and the Beauty Factory, I will not question for a single second the war you and I will wage and how far you will go to finish your near ten-year 'dream'. I have seen and experienced the desperate acts you'll go to to try and win, remember? But if you think you can laugh and waltz through this tournament without a single problem. If you believe we are jokes to you? Well... Selena shakes her head. History will certainly repeat itself where you and I are concerned.

A pause, before she continues. It's not being pessimistic, but realistic. I know that I will either face the full wrath of Infamous or the full wrath of the Beauty Factory. From being a 'joke' in one, to being a 'supporting, two-bit part' in another, right, Chris?

Selena crosses her arms as she leans against the nearest turnbuckle. Chris, I would have thought you would have learned from Glory Braddock. She also thought she could write my story for me. She thought she could 'decide' where my path would go. What happened? I don't care how much power you think you have. I don't care what your obsession is. You're not one of a kind, Chris. Your 'need'? Your 'years' of waiting? Somewhere between Christy's decade of trying to win the title and my four-hundred plus days of wanting another chance at it, and no more or less powerful. But even with that need, even with your skills, Chris, you are not strong enough to determine my destiny, my role in this tournament.

But you were right, Chris. I am the favourite to win this. The majority of the SCW fans have expressed their love and made their voices heard and those voices are screaming "We Believe!". But you seem to think that 'favourite to win' is the same as 'odds are in my favour' and nothing could be further from the truth, Chris. Because, unlike you, when I say something, I genuinely mean it. I genuinely back up what I try to fight for. And against a man like you or a woman like Christy, I should bring an army. For the five or six possible people you could bring, from Bree to Sienna to Xiomara and so on, I should be bringing David Helms, Regan Street, Delilah, Jason Helms... But I'm not going to. Because as much as you think I am just a 'supporting role', I have done it, gotten here, on my own. I have clawed my way to this place, to this moment. I have fought against overwhelming odds, against failure, against being cast aside and treated like trash from my peers, trying to replace me, and still I am here. Still, I am fighting for what I believe in.

Yet you think that my heart isn't in it, Chris? Selena tilts her head and smiles, amused. 'My heart isn't in it', Chris? Do you have any idea how easily I could have dropped out of this tournament and given my spot to someone else? Do you have any idea how few phone calls or how few conversations I would have to have with Sasha to make that happen? Yes, I want to be there for my sister when we challenge for the tag-team titles at Rise to Greatness. Yes, I want to be there to help her become a supreme champion. Tell me, how is that different from you wanting to be there for Sienna when you were both locked in that chamber against James Evans, aside from the moral issues? How is that different than you staying out of last year's End of the Year Battle Royale so you didn't have to face your wife, who was defending the world title?

See you look at my love for my sister as a distraction. As something that will 'hold me back' and, like you were about my place here, you are very wrong. Regan believes in me like the SCW Universe believes in me and that doesn't make me weaker. They are my family, Chris, and they make me stronger. They make me stronger than you can imagine. But you see, you're a brilliant man. I think you know that. I don't think you would really believe that such a remark - that I'm 'distracted' or 'I don't have the heart for this' - would fly here after I've already made it this far. Selena shakes her head.

No. I think the person distracted, I think the person trying to 'distract' all of us, Chris, is you. Because one thing has remained common in every promo you've aired since this tournament began. And no, it wasn't who you could face. It was that moment... turning her head, Selena watches as the large screen of the titantron flickers before showing a clip from Taking Hold of the Flame of David Helms eliminating Chris and, thus, winning the event. The clip freezes on David Helms celebrating in the ring and Chris Cannon on the ground, frustrated and angry before returning to Selena.

Every promo, you've spoken about how you deserved to be where David was. That it was your right to be there. Yet, we both know you're not. Just like this tournament, that 'beauty factory main-event' was denied to you. So... Let me say to you now, Chris. After all of that, I can't help but think your heart is elsewhere. she smiles with a tilt of her head. I think it still burns inside of you, Chris. That, like Retribution, when you had everything to gain and you thought you couldn't possibly lose... You did. I think it burns inside you to the point where all you can think about is David Helms and the main-event of Rise to Greatness, and how you won't be there. So, much like Bree Lancaster has done over and over again in her career, you're settling.

Oh yes, I'm sure she'll be happy to hear that. But it's true. Bree failed twice over to win the World title before she went after the United States title and the second she didn't need it anymore, she cast it aside. And here you are, having failed to get the World title shot, telling us all how badly you want it. When just last week, you were preaching how you would settle for ANY title, right, Chris? You may want any title, Chris, but compared to Christy and I, who want THIS title - the United States Title - perhaps it's you that doesn't have the heart.

The Snow Queen throws her braid back, letting it settle over her shoulder, against her back. Is that what you meant when you said you would 'lead by example', Chris? That you'd just repeat what Bree did? Wait until the World title came your way, settling for the United States title until it did and dumping it like she did? Or will you take a page from Christy's 'goals' and just hide behind your stable and continue your ambushes and cheap ploys? A man that needed a handicap match, with the timekeeper, official, and enforcer in his pocket against one man. A man that had such 'strength to beat me', as you put it, that he needed to attack my wife and throw her into the barricade to defeat me. Is that your 'example', Chris? Is that the strength you are searching for in your soul, Chris? Cause if it is, you're no better than Giovanni Aries.

Sapphire eyes narrow again. You said that you were going to do me a favour, Chris. Allow me to return the gesture and give you some advice, free of charge. Find that strength in your soul. Dig as deep as you can to get it. And once you find it... Keep digging. Because you're not facing the young girl you faced in 2014. You're not facing the girl who's wife you needed to hurt in order to win. You're facing the woman that has been a thorn in your side since the days of Monarchy and into Beauty Factory. Your facing the person that you are pretending you are: one of the very best of SCW.

Selena scoffs. I may be a joke or a two-bit part to both you two, Chris and Christy, but I'm the only person that actually is going to 'lead by example'. Because I am going to earn my spot in the finals by being the better superstar. Not by cheating. Not by outside help. No! I am going to do what I have done for nearly seven years and keep getting back up and fighting every fight like it will be my last - representing this company! And I'm not going to promise an 'era' or 'a certain future'. I'm not going to claim what winning this tournament will make me or what it does for the future.

Gently, she reaches up to pet the fur on her jacket. I'm just going to be me. I'm just going to fight until I can't anymore. Because that is who I truly am. And that is who I will always be.

Believe it, guys... And let's see who history remembers as the winner of this night!

With a flourish, Selena spins her hand as the cameras slowly fade to black.