OOC: Posted in two parts due to length.
The Dark Side of the Sun
”Counting Down the Days Until We Meet Again…”
American Airlines Center
Dallas, Texas
March 13, 2021
6:31pm
The only sound, aside from her soft breathing, was that of the air conditioners with the limo-bus, the coolers working a little extra to combat the mere idea that the bus was sitting in Dallas Texas, complete with a 23 degrees Celsius evening that most would say “My! How lovely!” but the young woman sitting on the bus would have appreciated the current high 20+kmh winds more, at least hoping they would offer some chill if she decided to take a walk later that night.
Eric had gone to a hotel at her request. He preferred that whenever they had made their destination as opposed to staying in the place that was Selena’s ‘second or third home away from home’. There was a level of privacy the young man respected and Selena was beyond grateful for that. The driver was a dear friend who had got along beautifully with her family in the past – who always looked out for. Hell, that even included in special instances in SCW-
For a moment, Selena shuddered, her memory flashing back to that fateful Breakdown that saw Kelcey Wallace and Sienna Swann drive a car straight into the side of her bus. It had taken Selena, who had been busy with Regan, discussing things like the Tag League, ten minutes after to get wind of it – and she recalled feeling a panic not only for Kelcey, a dear friend to her, but also to Eric, who often stayed on the bus during the shows. Sadly, Kelcey had been hurt, but Eric had not been around when the event had happened…
Strange I would think of that now… Selena thought, her eyes casting away from her hands and the fabric she held, though as she thought about, her eyes taking in the interior of her bus from where she sat on the couch, it actually seemed less and less strange to her.
Deanna – in prison.
Elsianna – her arms scarred, probably for the rest of her life.
Kelcey – injured in the car crash.
Regan – her sister… injured with no idea on when or if she could return.
Her family – shaking in fear in the Schonburg castle as it was ransacked.
To the young woman, she felt like she was losing more and more of the people that meant something to her, be it love, respect, kinship, sisterhood or whatever. And in every case, she spent so much time being powerless – unable to stop any of it from happening or unable to ‘take it all away’ and ‘undo the damage’.
She wanted to beat the hell out of Xander for what he did to Regan and reclaim the United States title for both her and her sister. She wanted to punish Wentworth and Aaron Stanton for what the latter had done to her poor snowflake – her young Elsianna… she wanted to deal with Sienna and Bree. She wanted to put the nail in the coffin of that bastard Castle – lock him away for a few years and see how he felt! She wanted to make every scum-bucket who stepped foot in the castle in Oberwesel pay for their trespassing!
But she couldn’t. She couldn’t ‘jump the line’ and get a rematch with Xander. She couldn’t attack people like Bree or Sienna, who were also injured. She couldn’t do anything more against the Stanton’s, the law having run its course against them, or those that were either arrested for the castle invasion or had escaped.
With a slow exhale, Selena did her best to quiet her pounding heart, which had adopted a sudden (and short) surge from the family spike of frustration. Maybe that was partly way she had been so trigger-happy and hungry to shut up Ravyn. Was that part of it?
She sat back against the cushion, the cool leather-upholstery feeling good against the exposed back, neck and shoulders that her silver-blue nightgown granted. No, it wasn’t just that. Yes, Ravyn had opened her mouth and disrespected Regan – running her mouth when Regan wasn’t around to shut it. That certainly had lead Selena to several of her more recent actions when dealing with Ravyn, Syren, and the rest of Infamous.
To the Snow Queen, she knew what Regan would have done if she had been backstage and heard the slander coming from Ravyn’s lips. She wouldn’t have waited or cared of the consequences. She would have simply left the changeroom, march down to Infamous’ locker room, looked Ravyn dead in the eyes and dared her to say that ‘crap’ again – which would have followed her beating the hell out of the woman.
So I skipped a couple of steps… Selena smiled to herself, recalling last Breakdown. As was expected, Infamous had plenty to do and say during her match with Syren. They had played their own little trick to remove David Helms and whatever support he could offer the platinum-blonde, leaving Selena to contend with Ravyn and CHBK… her jaw clenched at that memory.
So close… she heard the growl in her throat from the thought, her pale hands clutching the back fabric in her hands.
I had her! She wasn’t certain on that – at least not entirely. She had Syren just centimeters away from being locked into the Frost Bite – every passing second driving Selena further and further to pull her in place… but CHBK and Ravyn had interfered, not wanting to see if she would succeed and risk their “chosen champion” in Syren being seen tapping out to Selena, of all people.
All that had followed? She wasn’t sure. Was it Mikalea that had played Regan’s theme music to distract the remaining members of Infamous long enough? She was certain it was, but in that moment, it hadn’t mattered to Selena.
Hearing her sister’s theme music – knowing what she would have thought at the screwjob that had robbed Selena of a victory – one the Snow Queen needed after the months of short-comings and failures she had suffered – due to the damned egos of Infamous, Selena had been
robbed of that, just like Ravyn was trying to rob Regan of her dignity and Helms of his worth.
You know what Regan would have done…
It had taken her half a second. Maybe less. The span of a blink, she had launched herself at Ravyn as the damned woman had turned around and Selena held nothing back. She put everything she had into that kick!
Her anger.
Her frustrations.
Her sadness.
Her hope.
Her growing belief in herself.
She dumped every emotion and every bit of energy she had left into that kick and felt it connect like no other kick she had thrown this year.
And…and…
“Fuck…did it ever feel good.” Selena whispered, lowering her head to release a shaky breath from the growing emotional high she was feeling. For the first tine, perhaps in that entire year, she had achieved something on her own. Without David there to ‘even the odds’ thanks to Ravyn’s meddling having him removed along with Christy Matthews, Crowe and Richter, she had to rely on herself to not only survive but… but…
Another sigh escaped her. For so long – longer than she cared to admit – she had tried to prove her place in SCW, reminding the world of who she was and what she could do. However, fate had seemed to interject time and time again, leading to failure after failure – letting down Regan, the fans, herself…
But last Breakdown… she hadn’t failed. At least not entirely. She had kept fighting until Infamous didn’t want to fight anymore. And when the moment struck, she had as well – finally standing tall above her foes, the people that had slandered Regan’s and David’s name and reputation.
It was a small win, no doubt about that, but after the year plus Selena had had? A small win was still a win and the joy it had filled her with, the energy causing her entire body to vibrate in excitement?
She was certain she never wanted that to end. Never wanted to lose that. Never wanted to fall so far behind again. There was a reason her peers believed what they believed of her. There was a reason the SCW Universe was developing doubts about her abilities in the ring…
But now? Ever since that kick had landed in Ravyn’s smug face? A part of her – one that believed she could fight the naysayers and advance forward, back to the force she was – had grown. It was definitely stronger now than it had been after the gauntlet… flowing into her private life…
And what changes awaited her there…
*************************************************
Three Days Ago
Local court Frankfurt Center
Frankfurt, Germany
1:22pm
“I apologize that we are meeting under such circumstances…”
The dark-skinned woman sat back in her chair at the head of long, mahogany table. Her hair was done in tight bun and she had golden-thick rimmed glassed that almost magnified the size of her eyes, but not distractingly so.
“I’m just grateful you gave me time.” Selena admitted as she stood there. Unlike the judge, who wore the proper robes befitting her status, Selena was dressed in a black pant-suit with a white undershirt. Normally, under such attire her hair would have been tied into a tight bun at the back of her head. Instead, what little was there (in comparison) stayed in place, the pale features of her face adding to it and making her sapphire-blue eyes sparkle.
Standing there, in the small courtroom office used for such matters, it was all Selena could do to keep herself from revealing the condition her legs were in. How her legs shook, her heart raced. Parts of her ached to fidget, but fear of any such movement leading to her being rejected and ejected out of the courthouse kept her in place.
“After receiving your call from the head office and being briefed on the recent circumstances prompting-“
The judge paused for a moment, lifting her head up to rub her temples. “You understand that you must convince me. Here and now. What you’re asking me to do is not something that is viewed highly here in Frankfurt.”
“Or where I am from, your Honour.” Selena answered meekly. “I wouldn’t have wasted your time if I didn’t think this was…”
She felt her breath hitch in her throat, her nerves threatening to overtake her. Despite the developments – despite what she now knew. Despite the hope she dared to have, hope that Breakdown had given her, that David Helms had tried so hard to help her regain with his insight, wisdom and patience (like a wise teacher to a young student) – there was still fear lodged inside her. Fear of failure. Fear that, in spite of what she had – what she knew - the judge would still say no and cast her out. Fear that fate was not through with her being its punching bag – and then that would be it for Deanna for the next seven or so years.
Conceal… her mind begged, trying to will away every emotion she felt. Deanna didn’t need her to be emotional now. Selena needed to be cold! She needed to be direct! She needed to be the Snow Queen…
Don’t feel… she repeated her mantra…
Even as she felt her left hand tremble as she stood there.
“Mrs. Frost?” the judge asked, seeing the suited woman there, eyes shut tight and one hand trembling.
“I’m…” she tried to speak – to answer like a damn normal human being! Her lungs gulped to take in air. “I’m sorry.” She managed to wheeze out as the anxiety continued to grow. The room – was it always so small?! – seemed to shrink before her eyes.
Not now… Selena begged, her heart racing as she felt the oncoming signs of panic from her claustrophobia – the symptoms never been truly forgotten from the dark parts of her mind. Reaching a hand out, the platinum-blonde managed to grasp the top of one of the nearby chairs to support herself.
She was moving before she felt the hands on her shoulders, the judge having moved rather swiftly to guide her to sitting on the chair she had used for support. Instantly, Selena felt the support of the chair against her back and she leaned hard against it. For a moment, as she felt the firm cushion press into her spine, her mind flashed to the familiarity of the feeling of the turnbuckle cushion from inside an SCW ring. In her mind, she pictured the bright lights above her, arctic-blue like in one of her “Frozen Central” segments – all within the large, quiet arenas…
Slowly, Selena felt her heart slow, the beating no longer like a jackhammer but quietening to its usual pace and strength. She felt herself able to breath again, allowing her to open her eyes, her senses further returning to see the alarmed look of the judge, who, as close as she was to Selena, allowed the young woman to see the various degrees of wrinkles across her eyes and mouth, the only things indicating her older age.
“Are you alright, Mrs. Frost?” the judge repeated, her voice only lowering a fraction of the alarm within it. “Let me call for some-“
“No…please…” Selena breathed, reaching out on instinct to place a still shaky, assuring hand on the closest forearm of the judge. “I’m sorry.” She took a few more slow breaths. “Just a bad anxiety attack…”
A moment of silence passed between the two women until the judge’s voice, deeper and more accented in tone than Selena’s, broke it. “Here.” Judge offered, holding up a glass of water from the tray that had been set up by the staff (no doubt mainly for the judge working in said room, but Selena wasn’t about to state such an observation aloud). With a slow hand, the young Frost quietly took the glass, drinking the cool water slowly, allowing herself to further ease back into some semblance of normalcy.
Still, the event, even as it was ending, unnerved her. She hadn’t had a panic attack spring on her so strongly or viciously in a long time. It was often gradual, building up until an episode hit, which, even then, so you could usually hold it at bay or at least delay it for a short while until she was alone and able to get through it.
Perhaps it’s the stakes and…and being so close…
The thought was quiet in her mind, like a whisper ghosting across her consciousness, but she found herself clinging to it for some level of understanding. This was more than simply a big match or title opportunity like in SCW – a feeling she had experienced a few weeks ago in the buildup to that gauntlet match.
641 days…
The number drifted into the forefront of her mind. Simply spoken, it didn’t seem like much. In some cases, the number could have been something to be proud off. Dark Fantasy, for example, had accomplished a record of close to that as being the tag-team champions. Hell, Regan and Selena had joked, upon becoming the tag-team champions and entering into the Tag League, that, if they won it, they would do nothing but try and beat that record – an impossibility now…
But that number was more than that – it had nothing to do with how long Selena was holding a title or anything to do with wrestling.
It had been 639 days since Selena had been without Deanna. 639 days that her redhead had been ripped from her arms, tossed into a cage and left there to serve a sentence that wasn’t even hers to serve. 639 days since Selena had slept with her wife in their home in Manhattan or even the Schonburg Castle. And while the conjugal visits had helped with that, the truth was that a single such visit allowed every month could not compare to the four years she had lived with her beloved pet. And for 639 days, Selena had fought tooth and claw, chasing every lead, aligning herself with her enemies, even slicing her braid off, for this moment.
The chance to free her beloved wife.
“I’m okay.” Selena repeated, her voice a little stronger. “I’m sorry.” She added, her posture straightening on instinct, the years of her step-mother, Anastasia’s, teaching coming through, giving the Snow Queen a far more proper and, almost regal, bearing. “I think the anxiety of all this just got to me.” She sipped a bit more of the cool water, letting it comfort her throat. “I’ve been trying to get here, to this moment, for a long time.”
“Nearly two years, according to the file.” The judge nodded as she returned to her own seat nearby where Selena sat, her gaze giving Selena a quick ‘check-over’ to ensure the woman wasn’t going to have another episode.
I guess the last thing she needs is some ‘wrestling celebrity’ collapsing in her meeting room… Selena thought.
“Before we continue…” the judge warned. “Do you understand what you’re asking for?”
“I do.” Selena nodded.
“And you understand that it’s a decision I can’t make willingly without a very compelling reason?”
Anyone else hearing this might have gotten the impression that the judge was looking for a bribe or something to that effect. Fortunately, the idea didn’t even cross Selena’s mind – or else she might have taken that offer. Rather, the platinum-blonde, once more, gave a nod of her head before reaching down to the nearby leg of the table, where her black, faux-leather bag (which matched her pant suit – at least she had learned a thing or two from her ‘Platinum’ time with Sienna when it came to ‘style’ and ‘presentation’) rested, pulling out a yellowish-white folder that she handed towards the judge, who accepted it graciously.
“There’s a reason I waited as long as I did.” Selena answered honestly, not a hint of any particular emotion in her voice.
Don’t let them in… Don’t let them see… another part of her mantra rang in her mind in reaction to that observation, but the Snow Queen powered through. “I knew that I would have one chance at this to be taken seriously. Because I know what I’m asking-“
Her breath hitched, forcing her to silence herself, as her eyes caught the bold print of the piece of paper. While it was written in German, Selena still recognized the form for what it was. She recalled sitting there with Talia and Gunther, the two listening and filling out the proper spots as the old man translated the meaning of which question, statement, and instruction on the form. She saw the judge’s dark eyes scan across the form – probably because she had already read a copy of it that Selena had submitted in order to get this meeting.
“Mmmhmm.” The judge replied, through pursed lips, to Selena’s statements before placing the form down beside the folder it had come from. “I’m glad that you know.” The statement was flat, much like Selena’s voice, but it was still genuine. “Judges aren’t too thrilled having their decisions and trials thrown out and ‘redone’ as it were.”
“And I get that.” Selena sighed. “But if you…”
A swift, raised hand by the judge, who was not gazing at the other forms and papers in the folder effectively silenced the pale lady sitting there, forcing Selena to clench her jaw and quiet herself.
For the next five minutes, the judge simply read the folder’s contents before her, taking in the details. For a few moment, with the only sound being the ticking of the clock that hung on the right side of the room against the wall, Selena found herself irritated by the woman. Not because she was taking her time in reviewing the details, hell, she could take a week for all Selena cared, as long as it got her to grant her and Talia a new trial for Deanna!
No… what bothered Selena was just… what was in front of her.
The pieces of paper the judge went through, the evidence that Selena had fought for nearly two years to acquire… People had been hurt, almost died, for this information. Talia had been threatened and put in the hospital, her children’s safety within the castle had been compromised, same with Gunther, Margarette and Gerda – her husband Kai had begged her to return home to Manhattan, but the older woman had refused, feeling a need to protect the children, viewing them and Selena and Deanna as part of her family (a feeling that was more than mutually shared by the Frosts).
And Deanna… being locked away for something Selena knew – that anyone would know if they spend just five minutes with the redhead…
Their whole lives had been turned upside down and inside out – scars etched emotionally upon all their souls – all over what those pages represented and held…
And there the judge was, flipping through them as if they were just… pieces of paper with ink on them…
Trying to distract herself from this unwanted frustration, Selena returned her attention to glass of water in her hand, draining the rest of its contents in one quiet gulp before returning the glass to the table without a sound.
“Why wasn’t this presented at the trial?” the sound of the judge had altered – or rather the tone. It was sharper, direct – it actually sounded far more authoritative than it had moments ago.
“Your honor…” Selena tried. “I… I don’t know.” She answered honestly. “When my wi…” she stopped, slowing herself with a deep breath before she continued. “When Deanna, my wife, was arrested, I thought I had hired the best lawyer money could buy.” Pale hands found themselves in her lap. “When he claimed to ‘not find anything’, I went to the next, and the next, and the next. I tried appeal after appeal while asking every lawyer I could find – even the community ones. There was apparently nothing…”
A sigh escaped her lips. “But an old…” she stopped herself, wanting to say ‘enemy’ or something to that effect to describe the raven-haired woman that had first invaded her life as part of some plan with the Scythe family to destroy her and her family, to invading it a second time to goad the young Frost into some twisted version of the ‘Snow Queen beauty pageant’ she had won ten or so years ago.
“Friend.” Selena settled. “An old friend stumbled across me and she had become a lawyer here recently too.”
“And she managed to find all this?” the judge asked with a raised eyebrow.
“To be honest, your honour-“ Selena continued. “And I know this will sound cliché – but my wife is innocent. She can’t lie to save her life. I always catch her on it. When she tries to surprise me with something? I always know something’s up. This one time, on my birthday, she wanted to-“
“Mrs. Frost.” The older woman interjected.
“Right, sorry.” Selena mentally chastised herself. “The point is that, I knew that my wife was innocent. And if my wife was innocent and being declared as guilty, that meant that something was being messed up in all of this. A simple ‘my word against yours’ wouldn’t have gotten her ten years, let’s be honest…”
“I…” she paused again. “My friend knew something was up. And she was ruthless enough to dig deeper – further. At first, I thought she was just spewing hot air, but…” Selena’s sapphire eyes cast down to the pile of papers in front of the judge. “If you could observe the next set of papers, please.”
A brief moment of confusion from the judge passed, but she quickly recovered, flipping pages until Selena recognized the one she wanted, again written in German but possessing a yellow-highlighter streak (small so not to be too distracting) in the corner, a tabbing system of various colors Selena had employed to make up for her lack of fluency in the language homeland. “Right there.” She gestured with her hand, though keeping it away from the judge, not wishing to be demanding or annoying – anything that could tip the judge’s opinion of her the wrong way and cause an issue.
The judge scanned the new set of papers before her, with Selena continuing her narration. “Ever since my lawyer began working on this case, she has dealt with a series of threats that have arisen. The first was a phone-call prompting her to drop the case. The second-“
“Do you have any evidence on that?”
“Yes.” Selena nodded. “My lawyer kept the message though we couldn’t find the source. However, following that, when she first acquired the information – handled on a USB drive, the USB was ‘conveniently’ lost in a car crash on a country road, someone ramming into her and forcing it into a ditch. The police report of the incident is right there.”
“I just finished reading it.” The judge stated, her eyes never wandering away from the papers before her. “You understand that, unless you have proof of that – you can’t prosecute for something that seems an unrelated ‘Hit-and-Run’.”
“Yes, your Honor.” Selena nodded. “And had that been it, I wouldn’t bring it up. But as you can see on the next page…”
He quiet voice trailed off as the judge turned to the next piece of paper, also with a yellow-tab but this one, Selena knew, highlighted the police report on the recent breaking and entering that had occurred at the Schonburg castle.
“This the break-in incident?” the judge asked, regarding the event that had expedited Selena meeting with the woman.
“Yes, your Honor.” Selena answered quickly. “That is where my family, lawyer and myself, have been residing during our stay here. And as you can see, the invaders went straight for my lawyer’s room and mine.”
The last part Selena hadn’t learned till much later. After the attack on the castle, she had been, she admitted, beyond scared for the well-being of her children. As such, the mother hadn’t let them out of her sight, taking a sleeping-bag and sleeping in the room with them every night, dealing with their own fears and night terrors from the event as well, until she had no choice but to return to SCW to deal with Infamous while the room had been fixed and restored without her prior knowledge. It had only been a few days ago, after she had returned from that episode of Breakdown, that she had been given the official police record by Talia that she had realized that her room, as well as Talia’s had been targeted.
“I see.” The judge simply replied, a response that played to Selena’s previous frustrations, which she quickly forced down to keep her responses civil and respectful.
“With all due respect, your Honor.” Selena tried. “The more and more that has happened – even if all I have is very strong probably cause – I know that I can’t sit on this. And any more delays could very well further endanger my family.” Selena finished, fighting with all she had not to raise her voice to match the desperation she felt.
For a moment, the judge said nothing, merely turning back a few pages to review previous elements and evidence presented in the folder. Slowly, agonizingly so, one minute became five. Five become twelve. Twelve became twenty…
Until, at long last, the judge closed the folder, the older woman sitting back in the chair to rub her temples with one hand. She seemed to say something in her native German, to which Selena (since one of the words, “Gott”, she knew to mean ‘God’) assumed was a curse of aggravation, before reopening the file to pull out the tabbed form Selena had presented first – the form of “Requesting a New Trial”. Pulling a pen out from under her robes, the dark-skinned woman quickly scribbled something at the bottom before turning and handing it to Selena.
“Take this to the processing office down the hall.” She stated, her authoritative tone in full effect. “Then one of our clerks will issue a summons for the plaintiff.”
“Summons-“ Selena’s eyes widened, her mouth slightly open in shock. “You mean-“
“Yes.” The judge answered simply. “If this had been presented at the trial, I have every reason to believe the outcome would have been different. It’s potential exculpatory evidence.”
The platinum-blonde felt her heart skip a beat. It had worked! She was getting a new trial for her wife! With new evidence that, even the judge believed, would free her wife.
Sadly, reality could be both cruel and kind, much like fate, and the thought came to Selena like a blast of cold water like the kind she had drank in that room. “Your Honor…” she tried, beyond nervous over the chance of ‘pushing her luck’. “In terms of the court date…I’m afraid if we wait too long…”
“First, I recommend you speak to authorities in Frankfurt and arrange for a security detail, if you haven’t already. Second, I will arrange to having your wife see a magistrate tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?” Selena asked, her eyes wide.
“At most, a few days.” Corrected the woman “In order to re-process the initial hearing. With that done, I can promise you that it will only take, at most, two weeks, to get to the preliminary hearing. How much longer from there will depend on you and the plaintiff.”
Bargaining… Selena thought with a mental groan.
Oh joy…
Even so, the two words from the judge had made her heart soar. Two weeks. Two weeks away and she could have Talia reveal the evidence to Castle and his lawyer… and if they pushed hard enough, they could plea bargain…
The possibilities burned through Selena’s mind. The idea that – compared to days she had waited, ached, for her wife’s release, it was now so much closer… so much more real.
“Th…thank you.” She stammered, doing her best to control her tears.
The judge merely gave a nod before handing the folder of evidence back to Selena, who took with a shaky hand. “Ensure that your wife’s lawyer shows up to all meetings.” She warned, clearly not impressed that Talia had not been here.
I won’t blame her for that… Selena thought, not wanting to risk another ‘incident’ of someone going after her… well Selena had referred to her as her ‘friend’ in front of the judge so she stuck with that in that moment.
In answer to the judge, Selena gave an understanding nod before slowly excusing herself, wanting to leave before the judge, for one reason or another, changed her mind. She barely recalled dropping the signed form at the proper office of the clerk or getting into her car to drive back to the castle.
She needed to be alone…
Because she had a phone call to make…
***************************************************
American Airlines Center
Dallas, Texas
March 13, 2021
10:47pm
She had laid in the dark for the last two hours of the night, her nerves refusing to let her sleep. Eventually, she had settled on stripping out of her sleep wear and stepping into the shower for an ‘arctic wash’ of sorts. The cold water rained over her pale skin, chilling her muscles, which relaxed and calmed her a little as she leaned against one of the walls of the shower.
She still hadn’t received an update.
She had stayed in Oberwesel as long as she could, pushing her travelling to the last possible minute, in case she got the call and needed to be by her wife’s side for the meeting with the magistrate. But by Friday morning, she had been forced to head back to the States.
But you almost didn’t want to… her mind teased, and she simply embraced that truth with a sigh. She knew where her heart was. It would always be with Deanna. And, now that they were so close – so close – to her wife’s possible freedom, she had hesitated returning back to work, even considering calling in and telling Sasha that she couldn’t make it.
She had killed that thought the moment it have entered her brain. Maybe it it had been anyone else in a professional standing. Glory Braddock, Owen Cruze, Konrad Raab, etc. People that would understand her situation.
But to say that Dark Fantasy – Syren and Ravyn of Infamous – had made such a respectful encounter impossible at this point would have been an understatement. Especially Ravyn.
Selena’s jaw clenched at the memory of the woman’s machinations – her slandering of Regan. No, she had given her word to David and she owed him as much as she owed Regan to fight for the Hellcat’s reputation.
For a moment, with the cold water soaking her body, Selena opened her eyes, feeling the water flow into the sockets and over the sapphire orbs, cooling and warping her vision. Again, her mind drifted to David.
Since Regan’s injury, David had, sort of, begun looking out for Selena, much in the same way Regan had. It was the same, but also different. And, as she had a few hours ago on the bench to distract herself from her nerves regarding Deanna, Selena started dwelling on that difference.
The male wrestler of the year… it felt like he was coaching her or seeing something in her, Selena wasn’t sure. But it… was it like how CHBK was mentoring Syren? No! Selena shook her head briskly, sending beads and stream of cold water every which way. No, the icon of SCW was nothing more than an enabler, a man that spat on everything SCW stood – everything people like she and Helms believed in. It was the same mentality as Syren and Ravyn: Hook or crook, which they had shown, once again, last Breakdown when Selena had fought Syren.
But that still left the question unanswered. What was David trying to achieve with her?
Did he… Did he think…
The idea was absurd, perhaps an effect of the late night and the cold water and Selena’s lack of sleep, but still, she allowed it to be entertained. What if Helms was… what if he was trying to bring Selena back to something she no longer thought would come her way.
She had admitted it last Breakdown, albeit vaguely. She wanted to be World Champion again. She wanted to regain the richest prize SCW had. More than that, she wanted to be competing at that level again consistently. She wanted to be seen as a current threat to that title, allowing her to be considered along some of the best names SCW had.
Had Helms heard her promo? And did he believe she was capable of such a thing?
Well, that makes one person. Selena laughed at the thought, recalling how she had felt going into the gauntlet, admitting to not feeling worthy or ready after all the losses and failures she had, a logic that she had discarded recently but she knew was still shared by many members of the SCW roster and, possibly, Universe.
It’s more than one person and you know it… she told herself, refusing to let herself sink back into the depression she had, only recently, started to emerge from, the faces of such people flashing before her eyes.
David Helms
Regan
Gerda
Gunther
Margarette
Amiliah
David
Elsianna
Deanna…
Selena stopped and released a long sigh as she settled on the last face in her mind’s eye. Why had just a few days seemed like an eternity compared to the other 600+ days she spent waiting for all of this? It was laughable, Selena admitted as she reached over to turn the shower off. Allowing a few moments to let the water drip off her before opening the shower door, she fetched the stark-white towel hanging there to dry off, ensuring she was completely dry before moving into her room to pull out her favourite nightgown, the radiant magenta shimmering even in the dim light. With a soft smile, Selena pulled the gown over her frame, feeling it wrap comfortably around her curves, running down past her toes.
“I just want you here…” Selena sighed, not caring that she spoke aloud, making her way further into her bedroom. “Now that I know it’s possible…”
She stopped as her eyes took in the outfit hanging in a corner of the room via a hook and the window frame. It was the same fabric Selena had been holding a few hours ago and her eyes took in the vast differences of her previous outfits, how the black contrasted with the white.
This was her new wrestling outfit, and she had Dark Fantasy to thank for that. What she had stated in her promo against Syren – about how she had felt…. Something… the week before when CHBK had sent all of Infamous against her – a near seven-on-one massacre that SCW crew had prevented – it had inspired Selena.
Her match with Syren had only ensured that certainty.
Because if Syren’s words were true.
If Ravyn’s words about Selena were true…
If Selena’s own opinion of herself weeks ago had been true…
Then why couldn’t Syren just dominate her like Xander had? Why had Ravyn needed a plan at all to deal with David Helms when it was already a basic six-on-two (Selena had learned, from the first attempt, not to discount managers)? Why had CHBK and Ravyn still needed to interfere after that?
Strange enough, when she had rewatched the match, it was the words of Jonathan Knots that had comforted her.
Or they’re not going to concern themselves about tonight to ensure a win at Retribution! Bigger stage!
“Bigger stage…” Selena whispered, raising a hand to ran across the fabric. Had Infamous been afraid for Syren? Had they actually believed that Selena could not only win, but leave such a lasting impression on a woman like the seven-time world champion? If not, why interfere? If Selena wasn’t a threat in their eyes at beating Syren in that moment where she had almost locked in her Frost Bite submission hold, why get involved? And lastly, why… if she was as unworthy as she had believed herself to be, why would Dark Fantasy even care about beating her on a bigger stage, even with David Helms – the male wrestler of the year – as her tag-team partner?
While she didn’t need answers for those questions back then, simply knowing of their existence had filled her more with that drive she had felt before facing Syren, a sort of ‘breaking through’, as it were, for the Snow Queen. Immediately, the day after the show, as she had made her way back to Germany, she had called the SCW wardrobe team with a simple request.
I want something intimidating…
With a smile, she, once more regarded the outfit of black. How the snowflakes that covered her shoulders, the sash and the edges of certain parts, along with the boots, didn’t distract from the black but enhanced it. In a way, it reminded Selena about the rule to wear black at funeral -
don’t tell them that… she thought quickly… but it was actually a complement. Wearing black represented a sombre tone at a funeral, indicating the seriousness of the moment…
Selena was almost hypnotized by the outfit. It screamed “Snow Queen” but also reminded her of the time she had dressed in black armor for her Rise to Greatness entrance against Xander Valentine almost two years ago – a black knight amidst a sea of white knights.
“Snow Queen meets Winter’s Knight…” Selena whispered, finally lowering her hand before sighing, a small smile on her lips, her eyes going to the bed that was only a few steps from her. Slowly, she managed to gather herself onto the bed, resting her head on the pillow as she slowly closed her eyes, letting sleep take her…
The next moment she opened her eyes, it was because she had heard it – the sound of movement in her room. Shooting up to a seated position, she reached over to the switch on the wall near the head of her bed, a secondary one to turn the lights on and off in the room. Flicking the switch, her eyes roamed the room before settling on the intrude… on the intrude…
Her mind went blank for a moment at the redhead that stood before her.
“Hi.” Deanna smiled before her. “Miss me?”
Selena said nothing for a moment, her eyes merely taking in the sight before her – her wife, dressed in the emerald-green dress Selena had brought her during their Christmas conjugal visit over a year ago. How often has she dreamed of her wife in that dress? With her hair flowing like that?
With a sad sigh, Selena flopped back onto the bed, her eyes staring up at the ceiling. “Thank you stress and anxiety.” She groaned, the illusion before her proof that she had allowed her feelings over Deanna’s meeting with the magistrate to hold too much power. “I really don’t want to see you right now.” She stated simply.
“You don’t?” the ‘ghost’ asked as she stood there. “I thought you’d be happy to see me.”
“I would if it was really you.” Selena sighed. “But you’re just here to remind me to relax and late things happen as they happen and yeah, I get that! But why is it so wrong to be excited about this? Why can’t I want the wait to be over?” she asked, a taste of bitterness and frustration in her voice.
“644 days!” she sighed, squeezing her eyes shut. “I’ve waited 644 days for this – and I know it’s closer than ever but… I don’t want to wait anymore! I don’t want to see visions in my bedroom! I want you in my bed! I want you in my arms every night again! I want-“
Her voice died to a mere squeak when, suddenly, the hallucination had glided across the floor, lying on the bed next to Selena.
“Tell me one thing then…” she asked, the emerald eyes boring into her sapphire ones. “One thing and I’ll ‘disappear’, okay?”
“Okay…” Selena couldn’t bring herself to look away, lost in her wife’s gaze. “What is it?”
“As a ghost… did I ever do this?”
It wasn’t the fact that the ghost pushed herself onto Selena, or crushed her lips against the pale ones of the Snow Queen. That wasn’t what made Selena’s heart stop. It was the weight she felt on top of hers, the warmth behind the kiss, the fireworks that immediately exploded behind her eyelids as she was kissed breathless…
Her ghosts had never kissed her like that. No being in this whole world ever had… except…
Slowly, the redhead pulled away, her face only a few inches from Selena, the platinum-blonde’s eyes wide as the reality slammed into her. With a trembling hand, she reached up to touch the cheek of the woman on top of her, immediately feeling the warm skin of her beloved.
“De-Deanna?” she stammered… “I don’t… how?”
The redhead smiled, lowering her eyes towards where her hand rested over Selena’s chest. “Your heart is beating so fast.” She whispered lovingly. “Mine is too.”
Without a word, Selena slid her hand down to place it over Deanna’s heart as Deanna was doing for her. The woman had been right, for Selena could feel the organ pumping strongly and quickly.
“I’m not dreaming, am I?” Selena thought. “Please tell me I’m not…”
“Do I tell you simply you’re not?” Deanna asked, tilting her head playfully. “Or do I say something sappy like ‘If you are, then I pray we never wake up’?”.
The laugh escaped Selena, short but… it felt wonderful. “Oh gods…so corny…” she laughed. “It is you.”
Slowly, Deanna nodded, leaning down again to kiss her wife’s lips, which Selena desperately returned. The kiss was shorter in its duration but neither moved from their place, nor did their hands from their spot.
“How are you?” Selena asked again. “I can’t fathom…”
“The magistrate.” Deanna answered simply. “When you reset the new trial, you threw out the verdict, so we had to sort of… ‘reset’? Is that the right word? Well, anyway, last time, they couldn’t grant me bail because they didn’t know me and there was no reason for them to believe I wouldn’t just flee the country and not return… but the warden of the prison vouched for me. Said I was a model inmate… which sounds so much better than a ‘good prisoner’.” She gave a short laugh at her own choice of words. “And with nearly two years of not a single strike against me, they saw no reason to believe I wouldn’t return and make my court days…”
Selena remained quiet as Deanna explained, until the redhead had reached the end… “So…” her thumbs absent-mindedly stroke the skin they could reach. “They are no longer afraid you flee the country… and the first thing you do with your new freedom…”
“Is flee the country.” Deanna nodded, having already made the same conclusion. “But, in my defence, I already made it clear to them that I was going to leave the country to be with you. I called my parole officer as soon as I landed.”
“I…” Selena tried, but she truly had no words. How many times had she dreamed of this? To hold her wife not on the ground of Deanna’s prison, but in a place like this, where they had embraced, kissed, and made love so many times in the past? How many times had she wised to every god she knew, for this moment… her wife brought back to me-
Unable to help herself, Selena finally pulled Deanna in this time, one hand cupping her face while the other wrapped around Deanna’s waist. She didn’t even see Deanna reach for the switch by her until the lights went out.
“I can’t…” she whispered. “I can’t believe you’re-“
She felt her wife’s warm fingertips press into her lips, silencing the platinum-blonde, while she felt another hand begin sliding the night gown off her shoulders and frame.
“No more words.” Deanna whispered as she carefully removed Selena’s night gown, her own emerald dress following. Selena could not see any of it, but her ears heard it, and she gasped when she suddenly felt the warm skin of her wife touch every possible section of her bare skin, her body instantly reacting to the touch of her naked wife’s form against her own.
“Right now…” she heard Deanna whisper in her ear… “I don’t care how late it is… we’ve got 644 days to make up for…”
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