DISCLAIMER: The following is a work of fiction and not to be confused as complete or accurate representation of any beliefs, religions, etc. Please refer to research/articles by experts for that.
The Witches of Alden
”Aftermath”
Interstate I-44
Passing through Ohio
March 5th, 2024
7:04am
Deanna’s eyes flew open, her body shocking itself awake with an acute jolt of awareness. It wasn’t from a nightmare – truthfully, she hadn’t been dreaming at all this time around, which was strange, in and of itself to the redhead, she realized as her eyes scanned the room wildly for a moment before her senses slowly returned and her brain caught her up to her current predicament.
She slept lightly this time around but it had come on suddenly and ended suddenly, which explained her shock, not to mention the lack of the usual dreams she had had. For a moment, the woman did not move, merely keeping her body still as she felt her surroundings gently rock a little here and there, and allowing herself to breathe in and out slowly, calming her racing heart.
She reminded herself where she was. Her wife’s limousine-bus. As that fact hit her, Deanna ran her eyes along the bedroom she lay in – one she had shared with Selena for years. It was the same. The bed, the cupboards, she could even see the adjoining bathroom where there was a large shower and tub (the latter not recommended while the bus was in motion – showers only during that time). A sad smile crossed her features. She and her wife had found that out the hard way in the early months of acquiring the bus. Selena had needed a cold bath following a harsh match. Of course, ice cubes and water had filled the tub and -
Gods, what a mess. Deanna remembered with a twinge of sadness. Eric had merely been doing his job, starting the bus and moving it, but it had been enough movement for the full tub of water to flow out and onto the floor. So many towels had been used that night to dry the floor!
A slow exhale and Deanna allowed herself to rest her head back on her pillow for a moment. It was still dark outside, she could tell that by the windows on the other side of the room (away from the bathroom). And the secured digital clock on the nightstand (held to it by suction cups on the underside) told her that it was morning. She felt her heart calming further as her brain slowly lifted from the fog of sleep.
She was travelling home with her wife – begrudgingly – because she had been in no state to drive the 36-hour travel from Arizona to Manhattan. She was pretty sure Selena’s assessment of her had been correct and that she had suffered a mild concussion from Retribution. Truthfully, the idea didn’t bother Deanna. She had had concussions before, and she couldn’t really be mad at Polly for giving her one – it had been Deanna who had asked for the Last Woman Standing match. It had been her wish to back up her grit – so of course she was going to have to endure some damage.
It had been worth it. She was still the United States Champion, outlasting an incredible opponent in Polly for a third time, this time with no controversy and no asterisk to the victory. It was… for a moment, Deanna allowed herself to feel it… relief. To finally put closure on such a feud, at least until next time Polly came around as a challenger. After three title shots, Deanna wasn’t so sure she’d be ‘next’ in the lineup, even though she would take the woman on again the moment it was so.
Still, part of her wished she could be anywhere but here, a fact that only saddened the redhead. She had spent the first day simply recovering from her match, sleeping the day away as soon as it was safe to do so. She had stayed in this bedroom the entire time, getting up only to use the private bathroom when necessary.
I probably reek… she thought to herself, wincing at the thought. Carefully, and slowly, she removed herself from the bed, getting to her feet, a little tricky at first after so many hours of sleep, but she managed. Moving around the room as needed, however, allowed her to spy the folded clothing on top of the dresser, with a note placed there over what looked like her cellphone for a bit of weight. Carefully, Deanna lifted her phone, checking its battery-life before moving onto the paper, reading the elegant handwriting easily.
Message me if you need anything.
She recognized Selena’s penmanship, placing the paper back onto the dresser before taking up the offered clothing. She felt the fabric in the dimly lit room and, immediately, recognized it. It was one of her kimonos. She and Selena owned a few from the SCW shows they had performed in Japan years ago, Selena simply a defending Adrenaline Champion at the time. It was… it was off-putting to Deanna as she moved into the bathroom, stripping out of her underwear, and stepping into the shower after hanging the kimono on a hook.
The bus.
The note.
The clothes.
And it didn’t stop there! Her wife had been…had been… she sighed. Her wife had been just like the Selena she remembered. Looking after her, caring about her… the platinum-blonde had just done it as if it was second nature. She had slept on the couch the last few days, only interrupting Deanna’s privacy when she had to use the shower once or twice, and usually trying to creep in and out so not to wake Deanna up (though the younger Frost had always been awake – merely faking sleep – when Selena had tried). It was all so damn confusing! How could her wife be that way?! Cold and distant, walking out on her, moving out to that Eyrie Tower…
Not wishing me good luck on my match at Retribution… Deanna wasn’t entirely sure why that still bothered her so much… and then be so kind and caring towards her now.
Irritated, Deanna stepped into the shower, immediately turning the water on to embrace the hot water. None of this made sense. Still didn’t make sense! Her wife was the Blue-Eyed Devil! She was only interested in doing things her way and damn the SCW Universe. Yet… she was… this. This caring woman that wanted Deanna to be okay.
Maybe it wasn’t so confusing. Maybe Deanna was overcomplicating it, she thought. Maybe SCW-Selena was one thing and- no, then why leave their ‘Forever Home’? Why break their family apart? Despite herself, part of her still couldn’t forgive Selena for that. She still loved the platinum-blonde – gods, she couldn’t do a damn thing about that no matter what happened! – but part of her still could not forgive Selena for what she had done to her and their children. Even if she looked past everything that had happened at the Aldens’ graduation ball, like the Eyrie Tower, their current ‘living conditions’ was a glaring remember of their situation, and the choices Selena had made on her own.
Quickly, Deanna was out of the shower, dried and dressed in the kimono, her red hair freely falling.
Not going to get anywhere stewing in my thoughts. She realized. With a sigh, she moved out of the bathroom, back into the bedroom and opened the adjoining door to the rest of the luxury bus. The hall was dimly lit, save for the slightly brighter lights at the head of the bus, serving as the display of the dashboard. There was also a dim light coming from her left, where the kitchen table- she recognized the face illuminated by the glow of the laptop, their eyes now on her. For a moment, Deanna just started into those eyes, letting them study her.
It only took half a minute for Selena to be on the move, the world champion closing her laptop and moving towards Deanna before veering further into the kitchen space and flicking on the overhead light, using a dimmer switch to keep it low enough to not cause a disturbance.
“Good morning.” She whispered, the light showing her magenta nightgown and her hair in its iconic braid.
Deanna gave a nod in reply before speaking. “Where’s Eric?”
Selena gestured to the large couch at the mid-hallway-mark. Focusing on it allowed Deanna to hear the familiar snoring her friend/chauffer.
“Otrera took over a couple of house ago.” The older woman explained. “Sit down.” She gestured to the table she had occupied. “You must be starving.”
As if to screw with her, Deanna’s stomach growled at the idea of food.
Traitor… Deanna thought of the lousy organ as she looked back at Selena. Judging from the knowing expression on her wife’s face, Selena had heard it too. With a defeated sigh and a nod, Deanna moved over to the chair, taking it up as Selena moved the short distances needed to grab some thing.
“Charcuterie.” She offered, placing a platter of meats and cheeses and crackers before Deanna. “I rather not make something overly complicated while the bus is in motion.”
“This is fine…thank you.” Deanna added the last part in quickly, almost forgetting to do so, before picking up some pieces of salami and Swiss-cheese and quietly nibbling on them. She barely noticed Selena taking up a seat near her, the platinum-blonde merely watching her wife eat. “Are we close to home-“ she stopped herself, gulping down a bit of her food before correcting herself. “To New York.”
Selena nodded. “A couple more hours.” She answered. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen you sleep a whole day away.” She added in genuine surprise.
“You’d have to be home to see that…”
Deanna’s eyes widened. She hadn’t meant to say that, but it had just slipped up. Immediately, her eyes flew up to gaze at the sapphire-eyed woman before her. The knowing smile of her wife faltered as the words hung in the air, Selena’s eyes casting down before she gave a nod of her head.
“Well… you’ve got me there.” She settled on saying, causing a tirade of mental curses to rampage through Deanna’s mind. Gods, fighting Polly in another Last Woman Standing match would have been preferrable than this.
“I’m…I’m sorry.” Deanna replied, eating only to stop her stomach from its continued growling. “I’m…thank you for looking after me.”
“It’s fine.” Selena shrugged, as if it was nothing. “I’m not going to leave you like that. Or put that on Eric.” She shook her head. “You’re free to join me on return trips whenever you want.”
“I…” Deanna tried to choose her words, not wishing to upset Selena again. At least they were talking at this point. “I rather not make a habit of it.” She slowly replied. “In case things get dicey at work.”
“I don’t see how they could.” Selena shrugged. “We’ve both kept our promise.”
Well… for the most part. From the beginning of this whole thing – Selena’s return, moving out of Manhattan and into New York City, becoming world champion – she had made a promise to Deanna. That she would stay out of Deanna’s way, provided the redhead stayed out of hers. They were, clearly, going down different paths, and the last thing they needed was to give SCW any idea of some kind of confrontation between them. It was a messy idea and one neither woman wanted to explore, especially with their marriage hanging at such a delicate space.
Still, Deanna hadn’t been asleep the entire trip back to New York… she vividly recalled the other night, watching some of the clips from Retribution. She had wanted to see her friends, Amelia and Luz, regain the world tag-team titles (she had missed that due to being checked by the medics) and a few other matches. Eventually, maybe because it was late or perhaps she wanted to know more than just ‘Selena won’, she had watched her wife’s match and seen Aaron Demitria actually make a mistake.
On the surface of it, it wasn’t that much of an issue. Officials made mistakes. It happened. Her match the other night with Polly had been a result of an official’s blunder in not seeing a rope break. But something didn’t sit quite right with Deanna. Aaron had been specially picked by Selena… and he had errored in a way that had given Selena an opening to beat Kandis. It was… Deanna didn’t want to say it aloud in front of the older woman, but it seemed too coincidental. An error was one thing, but this?
In the dim light, her eyes spied her wife, who was merely sitting back in her chair, watching her. Did… did she plan this? Was it so much of a leap? Selena had manipulated things with Asher, becoming world champion, and even the buildup to her match with Kandis. Was this so much of a leap? Yes, because it was Aaron, a man that Deanna was certain could not be bought.
I need to ask him myself… she decided, casting her eyes down so Selena could not read her expression.
Even if it means breaking my promise… I need to figure this out.
“Deanna?”
“Hmm?” Her head shot up, her mouth half-full of ciabatta and genoa, earning a slight laugh from Selena.
“I said…” she chuckled a little again. “I don’t see how things can get dicey at work-“
“Oh, sorry. Yes, I heard you.” Deanna replied after her mouth was no longer full. “And I…” she hated how much a true statement could hide so much. “I want to focus on being a good United States Champion. That’s my main priority.”
Her answer, though it made her feel guilty, seemed to appease the world champion, who gave nod of her head before moving out of her chair. “Did you want some coffee?”
“Yes, please.” Deanna nodded, watching her wife immediately get to work, carefully gathering the required ingredients and setting up the coffee maker. “Oh…now that’s new.” Deanna remarked, pointing at the large, black machine secured on the kitchen counter.
“Yeah.” Selena nodded. “It makes regular coffee and iced coffee.”
“What happened to the old one?”
“Went out with a bang.” Selena replied with a knowing smile.
“It blew up?!” Deanna’s eyes went wide.
“Not blew up…” Selena shrugged. “But it did blow something internally.”
“What did you-“
“Deanna…” Selena tilted her head at her wife. “We’ve had it since 2015. And even then, we bought it used, remember? From a garage sale before we moved to Manhattan?”
“I…I guess.” Deanna shrugged her shoulders. “So, you just threw it out like that?”
“Oh no.” Selena remarked. “I held a memorial service, there was flowers, and then we had it creamted.”
“You’re messing with me.”
“Yep.” Selena smiled. “Yes, I threw it out, Deanna. It had served its purpose.”
A cold dread gripped Deanna’s spine, her next words unable to be stopped. “So…is that how it works with you now? Something doesn’t serve a purpose, you throw it away?”
Again, Selena’s smile diminished from her wife’s words, her laughter dying out. “Deanna…” she whispered, trying, as she turned back to making the drinks. “It was a coffee maker. Not a person.”
Slowly, not wanting to push things further in the current direction, Deanna nodded her head. “This is just… all so confusing.” She cast her eyes up to Selena. “You’re… you…but you’re also… that…” she gestured to the world title she had seen when she had first entered the room, the championship sitting beside Selena’s laptop.
“I’m the world title?” Selena asked with an eyebrow.
“No… I mean, yes… I mean…” Deanna sighed. “I just don’t get you these days.” She tried to explain. “You’re cold and you’re calculating, but then you’re not. You’re the Blue-Eyed Devil or whatever but then you’re taking care of me. But then you’re leaving me. But then you’re looking at me with that look – I know that look, okay? But then you’re not wishing me good luck with my match. But then you’re saying things like ‘you’re willing to work on being happy if I am’… I just…” she groaned in frustration. “Why is it this hard?!” she added in a whisper, curtailing her frustration so as not to wake the nearby sleeping Eric.
“Because it has to be.” Selena remarked. “I told you there would be consequences if I went back to SCW. I told you things wouldn’t be the same. Now? We’re on different ends of the board. That’s how it has to be. But that doesn’t mean I don’t love you with all my heart and it doesn’t mean I don’t miss you and the children.” She shrugged. “It’s just…how things have to be.”
Looking away, Deanna could only half-accept that answer, though she dropped the subject for now, changing topics a moment later. “What did you mean when you said you were willing to work on being happy if I was?”
The question wasn’t answered right away, as a hot mug of coffee was placed in Deanna’s hands, Selena then moving around to return to her seat, her own cup in her hands, though this one wasn’t steaming like Deanna’s was.
“I meant…” her eyes were away from Deanna, looking at a corner of the room. “…that I want to get some help with our marriage.”
“Help?” Deanna asked, the surprise unmistakable in her voice.
“My father made the suggestion… and I think it’s a sound one.” Selena shrugged. “We’re at odds in SCW. That’s not going to change. And it’s the biggest problem in our marriage right now. Cause it’s not our kids. It’s not anything outside of SCW, right?”
Deanna allowed herself to consider the question. No. It really wasn’t anything BUT SCW that was causing the rifts in their marriage. From Selena’s leaving it, to her return, to being hated and vilified, to her becoming the Blue-Eyed Devil, to leaving their house over it. Deanna gave a nod as her answer.
“Well…” Selena continued, prompted by her wife’s reply. “Then let’s get a mediator. Someone that can sit in as we discuss our concerns and issues and we can work through them. I mean… I don’t think it’ll be an easy fix, but it’ll be something.”
“Wait…” Deanna raised an eyebrow as she sipped her coffee.
Damn…this IS good. “Are you suggesting we see a shrink?”
“Marriage counselor.”
“After all your years of hating doctors and psychologists and psychiatrists and shrinks…”
“Deanna…”
“And counselors and advisors…”
“Deanna…”
“And therapists and-“
“Deanna!”
Selena cold voice, a crisp whisper, cut through Deanna’s teasing, causing the redhead to snap back to the present, a bit of guilt in her features. “Sorry.” She whispered. “I just… I guess I am surprised.”
“I said I was willing to try if you are.” Selena remarked. “I don’t like doctors or shrinks, but if it helps things with you – or at least helps us make things better – then I’ll do it.”
It was touching, Deanna could admit that, but it still left so many things unsaid and questions she didn’t have answers for. And she was no less determined to figure out the extent of her wife’s power within SCW, but that would have to wait till Breakdown or some other moment. For now, her
wife was talking to her and awaiting an answer.
“Okay…” the redhead whispered as she sipped her coffee. “I’ll give it a try…”