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+--- Thread: Deanna Frost vs. Chris Lawler (/showthread.php?tid=4593)
Deanna Frost vs. Chris Lawler - Konrad Raab - 10-21-2025
Shot of Adrenaline Tournament
2 RP Limit for singles
3500 Word Per RP
Deadline: 11:59:59 pm ET THURSDAY, October 23, 2025
RE: Deanna Frost vs. Chris Lawler - Chris Lawler - 10-22-2025
The Lock Clicks Open
RE: Deanna Frost vs. Chris Lawler - SnowQueenSCW - 10-22-2025
Frost No More
”The Mind Wanders...”
Eyrie Tower
New York City, New York
October 18th, 2025
1:45pm
The sun filtered through the tall windows of the penthouse suite, casting golden rays on the immaculate hardwood floors, though it also highlighted the specks of dust in the air, despite the redhead’s best efforts.
Deanna refused to let her gaze linger on them. She had spent too many minutes swinging the handheld vacuum like a noisy wand trying to suck them up, only for more to appear or for them to ‘glide’ out of the way.
It shouldn’t be this hard to clean a damn house... the redhead thought grumpily. Even if it is a damn mini-castle.
For what it was worth, the Eyrie Tower penthouse suite was lovely. It was opulent, luxurious – perfect for a Snow Queen. And it wasn’t uncomfortable or anything... she knew she had no reason to complain...
And yet...
She had lost track of how many times she had checked the calendar. How many times she had done the math in her head, counting down the days until her house was rebuilt. Her wonderful, beautiful ‘Forever House’ in Manhattan. She missed the softness of it. Missed the small lake that linked the Black Arrow neighbourhood together. Missed her friends, few as they were.
But it was like the fire had returned to claim the last part of her that was ‘her’. Her home. Now? She had to wait. Wait and wander through the uncertain waters that was her life, her marriage, and her SCW career.
The latter of those three couldn’t be more unsettling. She had started in the Shot of Adrenaline tournament and attacked it with gusto. Then, she was abruptly plucked out of the tournament and tossed into the Trios Tournament, her one match there turning into utter bedlam and chaos before it ended. Was she upset over the loss? That her team had devolved into little more than squabbling? No. She had expected it with Oskar and Creek as partners – the important thing was that Amelia hadn’t been hurt. Besides, if she were honest with herself, she had not been as excited about the Trios Tournament as she had been with the SoA tournament. There was just something about it, all of it, really, that made her feel like this was her path. Like it was meant to be this way for her... and she could not deny the relief she felt when Amelia’s team had moved on, meaning she could be return to it.
Still, it didn’t make the waters any less choppy for the redhead. She didn’t want to overthink anything today, least of all SCW. She was still dealing with the recoil from Oskar’s thoughts on her – What fucking good are you? – the voice mocked in her mind – the damned Heart of Vial – and she still felt uncertain about how far she could go.
It didn’t help matters that she was set to face Chris Lawler of all people! It wasn’t that she had anything against him. Hell, she wasn’t even upset with him suckerpunching Selena all those weeks ago. It had been dealt with – none of her business, she firmly believed. He was a good man, a good wrestler, troubled just like she was and looking to move up in the world of SCW. That wasn’t what bothered her.
It’s too soon...
Quietly, the redhead sighed at that singular truth. She would have been happy to face anyone else in her return back to the tournament. But Lawler? His fight with Selena was still fresh – still recent – and that was the issue. CHBK had alluded to Deanna and Selena last Breakdown and Deanna had been interrogated again and again about Selena potentially ‘teaming with her’ in the Snow Queen’s new feud with the Glimmer Sisters – if feud was the right word. With this, all that was going happen would be everyone comparing her match with Lawler with the one Lawler had at Apocalypse with Selena.
Even if you manage to win... came the voice. It will be “Was it as good as when Selena did it? Did it look easier? Harder?” And if you fail... if you lose... The voice seemed to laugh at the idea, the implication clear. Hell, she was expecting Chris to make some inevitable comparison, either using the redhead for vengeance on Selena or making some big show that he wouldn’t just to ‘look good’, Deanna wasn’t sure which she would have to deal with, but the point was... This was supposed to be her being on her own... yet fate seemed to want to keep putting her in positions that forced the comparison.
She knew she wasn’t as good as Selena and, truly, that was okay! She didn’t need to ‘be’ anything. She just wanted to have fun in SCW again. She wanted the thrill of competition again. She wanted her strength again. She wanted to be... to be... to be seen again. Seen as her own woman and not just a connection to the Snow Queen.
Quickly, Deanna shook her head to dispel the thoughts, feeling the familiar headache of overthinking threatening to overtake her again. This was why she had chosen to keep herself busy while Selena had disappeared to go train in the gym located at the 15th floor of the tower. She almost had to laugh at the last words the two of them had shared before the platinum-blonde had departed.
“You know we get cleaning services here, right?”
“So I’ll be making their job a little easier.”
“I just don’t see the point.”
“Because it beats the hell out of thinking right now.”
Deanna still believed that, clearly, as she knelt down in front of the coffee table, taking the dust rag in one hand and the bottle of cleaner in the other. She had spotted the stain on the table midway through her mental tirade and dammit if she wasn’t going to win this fight with it! With a spray and a spritz, she scrubbed at the stubborn mark, the scent of lemon slowly wafting through the air, a refreshing, peaceful contrast to her own thoughts to be sure.
At first, the mark refused to go away, a slight discoloration apparent on the wood of the table. Still, she kept scrubbing with the rag, her hand gripping the cloth far tighter than necessary. What even was this mark even from? She couldn’t be sure. It was a dark color, like dried blood, but when the hell would Selena had bled on this table? And why the hell would she have stopped for a drink while she had been bleeding. Yes, it was Halloween, but the very idea was just stupid!
Though, as the redhead continued to spritz the dusty surface of the coffee table, the reference to Halloween did bring with it a pang of sadness and pain to her heart, causing her scrubbing to slow slightly as her attention was drawn to the large room she occupied. The room was lavish with many fine things decorating it. A large television, an elegant clock, the brickwork in some parts, photos of Selena and her and their family throughout...
But, like the entire suite, it lacked something. A personal touch – in this case... no Halloween decorations.
Yes, the thought of the holiday-season, had just furthered Deanna’s feeling of homesickness. It was truly the first Halloween where there was, simply, no decorations put up to celebrate.
It felt so... so... unlike them.
Since she had moved into her ‘Forever Home’, Deanna had made it her mission to celebrate every holiday in grand fashion. The epic decorations, neighbourhood competitions, she had been part of it all (minus the time she had been forced to stay in Germany). Still, even last year with the divorce being finalized, both Frost women had refused to let that affect the home of their children. They had still gone all out for the holidays. But this year...
She saw how stale everything looked – how normal – and her heart ached a little. She wanted Jack O’Lanterns! She wanted the gargoyle statues she had poached from Leslie! She wanted eerie candles and spooky hangers! But with only ten or so days till Halloween and the idea that few people would be travelling an elevator this high up for trick or treating (even if they somehow HAD an access card-key), the chance of her house suddenly being turned into a spooky rendition of a Halloween-town seemed less and less likely.
One more thing I’ll have to get used to... she sighed, not wanting to think about what that meant for Christmas and what her children would think.
However, her thoughts turning to them, specifically to Elsianna, brought another pang to her heart. Her eldest was so like Selena and neither could see it. Selena was trying to play distant to Elsianna and get her to forgive the Snow Queen on her own time while Elsianna was too stubborn to simply forgive and wanted her mother to do the work first, which Selena wouldn’t do because she wasn’t fully certain she had done anything wrong in the first place! It was all a vicious cycle that the redhead couldn’t explain to either them. Why couldn’t they see that all they had to do was sit down and talk, listen, and then forgive?
Was Elsianna wrong for lying and hiding so much from the family? Yes.
Was Selena wrong for lashing out at Elsa in the first place? Yes.
Was Deanna wrong for not stepping up more? She cringed at that one but admitted. Yes.
But if those two didn’t talk soon and work this out, there would be nothing left of their relationship to salvage. Elsa had already been driven to try smoking without Selena there to help Deanna guide her. Who knew what would happen if this friction continued or, worse, escalated!
That’s why you need to get stronger! To win this! the voice whispered like a snake. So that when you speak... they will listen.
It was a warped perception of what the redhead wanted. “Stronger” was a subject term. Selena was one of the most decorated superstars in SCW history; strong enough to knock out someone as tough as Xander and as intelligent as Ravyn Taylor. Yet, Deanna knew Selena would complain about her lack of power. Her lack of strength in SCW, as she was shot down time and time again by CHBK. It wasn’t ‘stronger’ Deanna wanted to be necessarily – physically stronger? Emotionally stronger? Yes, of course. But where the Heart wanted Deanna to have more ‘strength’ as in power, Deanna wanted to change that to ‘confidence’.
She desired more than anything to have more confidence in herself. To stand strong, yes, but CONFIDENT in all she did. That was the difference. She had been that way before the incident. When everyone had told her to run away from those like The Brand or, worse, The Enigma/Veil, she had refused. She had stood up for her friends and loved ones, walked into abandoned buildings, risked so much without hesitation because she was confident – because she believed she was strong enough to survive and overcome!
Now? She just felt hollow. Her heart raced with the excitement of wrestling in the SoA tournament, even winning it, yet cringed at the thought of being compared to Selena afterwards. She desired so badly to win it all, yet found herself at a loss of how to do that when she didn’t know how to do anything in her private life. How to fight for something as simple as Halloween decorations or for her daughter and ex-wife/lover to talk!
The sound of heavy footsteps broke her reverie, Deanna hearing them before hearing the entrance/exit door swing open. The steps continued, drawling closer to where she scrubbed – how long had she been scrubbing that area anyway? Quickly, the redhead sprung to her feet, immediately regretting it as her knees protested. Fortunately, the ache faded as quickly as it had come, just in time as Selena walked in. With Deanna’s back to the large window, she was able to easily see the sweat-soaked black t-shirt Selena wore, along with the black shorts. The platinum-blonde’s hair was tied in a tight ponytail, which only further showed the gleam of sweat.
“Hey,” Selena greeted, a satisfied smile creeping across her lips, no doubt from the workout. “Still cleaning?”
“It helps,” Deanna replied half-heartedly, giving a shrug of her shoulders as she moved around the room, mindlessly spraying and wiping any random surface. “You know how it is. If I’m not doing something, I’m thinking… and that’s dangerous.”
Selena chuckled softly, dropping her gym bag onto the floor with a thud. “You should have gone to the gym with me.” she offered. “You’re the one competing this week...”
“Yeah, but nobody’s coming after me with championships to the face.” Deanna shot back. “Need to be quicker on your feet, ‘World Ruler’.” she couldn’t help the chuckle at that.
“What?” Selena asked with tilt of her head, tired but not annoyed. “What’s wrong with ‘World Ruler’.”
“It sounds like something you buy at Staples or Target!” Deanna laughed. “Next to the ‘Country-Staplers’ and the ‘Nation-Binders’! On sale for Halloween!” she added teasingly.
“As opposed to yours?” Selena raised an eyebrow. “What was it again?”
Deanna’s laughter died instantly, as did her smile. “I don’t have one anymore.” she answered honestly. “I barely know who I am or what to do out there.”
She saw the flicker of worry flash across Selena’s face. Selena had gone a step too far and the both knew it, something the Snow Queen was doing and more of. But with SCW shifting more and more at such a rapid pace, Deanna wasn’t so sure who was who and where people stood. With a world champion that was loved but nailing superstars with the title, to tag-team champions ambushing people. To Adrenaline champions making up matches they couldn’t lose? What was ‘good’ and what was ‘bad’? It wasn’t always so clear some days – at least from an observational standpoint, and it just further confused the redhead.
Dropping her rag and spray-bottle onto the coffee table, Deanna sat on the couch and crossed her arms over her knees. The air was thick with tension and neither spoke for what felt like several minutes.
Slowly, Selena stepped closer, her gaze settling on Deanna. “Why don’t you join me for a workout?” she hesitantly offered again. “I could help up your training, get you back in top form. I mean – I’ve looked at the tournament and you’re more qualified than most, if not, all of them. I’d say your biggest threat is Kimberly but you already beat her and-”
“Selena, stop it.” Deanna ordered quietly, effectively silencing the platinum-blonde. “Any one of them could beat me. Just because you beat them doesn’t mean I can.”
“No, but, me beating them has nothing to do with it.” Selena stated. “I’m saying it because I think you’re genuinely good enough to beat them.”
“Nice, but you’re a little bias.” Deanna half-laughed. “Can’t really be objective when I’m sleeping with you.”
“Sure I can. Watch me.” Selena took a deep breath to steady herself. “From our experience... you have...” she gave a dramatic pause, causing Deanna to roll her eyes. “Stamina. So much stamina!”
“Oh, nice.” Deanna laughed. “That’ll sound swell in a promo. ‘Hey, Chris! Remember how you lost to my wife? Yeah, well I can outlast her in bed! So what do you think I’m going to do to you when we’re in the ring? That’s right! OUTLAST YOU IN BED! Stellar, Selena.” Deanna waved her hand exaggeratedly throughout the whole ‘performance’ before settling it back down on her knee as she sat on the couch. “I can’t have you involved with this.” she slowly spoke. “Everyone is already drawing so many parallels between you and me. You winning this tournament, what it did for your career, and now you beating Chris. If I do anything more with you, it’s never going to end. To the point where, even if I win the tournament, it won’t mean anything for me. So, just... just...” she sighed, lifting her head to gaze at her wife’s sapphire eyes. “Just let things be... like we promised.”
It was certainly not what the Snow Queen wanted to hear, but she gave a sigh before nodding her head. “Fine.” she acquiesced before her head suddenly stopped, eyes focused on something regarding Deanna.
“What?” the redhead asked. “What is it?”
“I just realized something...” Selena spoke distantly, sapphire eyes gazing down to her own pale hand before drawing back up to Deanna. “I went to this speakeasy... and someone said...” she stopped, taking a deep breath before suddenly gazing back at Deanna, eyes refocused.
“You still wear your wedding ring,” she stated, her voice even but loaded.
Okay, not expecting that. Deanna admitted silently. Instinctively looked down, she saw the jewelled band glinting softly in the light. “Uh...yeah...” she shrugged, “I mean, we are trying, aren’t we?”
“No...” Selena shook her head. “I just realized. This whole time... you’ve always worn it. Like I can’t recall a time where you weren’t wearing it...”
The question wasn’t asked but Deanna heard it as loud as if the Heart had shouted it in her skull. “I… I don’t know why I haven’t taken it off.” she confessed, her heart suddenly plummeting. “Did... did you want me to?”
Again, Selena took a step back, folding her arms across her chest. “Deanna,” she began, hesitation draping over the words, “we’re divorced. You know that, right?”
“Yes. I know. But I didn’t... I didn’t want to...” she sighed before shaking her head. “What does it matter? You still wear yours. You call me your wife on TV. I call you my wife. I still love you – you still love me. We’re trying again so what does it matter?” she said, the truth spilling out unbidden, startled by her own boldness.
Selena's brow furrowed slightly, the admission striking a chord within her that released itself with a sigh. “I do love you,” she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. “But we can’t go back to—”
“Can we not try?” Deanna challenged, her breath hitching as she searched Selena’s eyes, pleading for understanding. “We’ve been through so much, and I can’t help but think that maybe there’s a way back-”
“We had a deal, Deanna.” Selena countered firmly, a frown creasing her brow. “One year.”
“I know! I know! But what if I can?” Deanna replied, rising from the floor to stand toe-to-toe with Selena. The familiar spark ignited in her chest, the kind that wrestled between longing and desperation, hope and fear. “What if I win the tournament? And not only am I right about that, I am right about you and SCW and that things can get fixed? What then? What if, after a year, you decide to stay? What will you do then?”
Sapphire eyes went wide and it was all Deanna needed to see to know that such an outcome was something Selena had not truly considered. “You’ve never thought about it have you?”
“Not...” Selena sighed. “Not so long-term, no.” she added in admittance.
“Maybe you should.” Deanna countered, her voice now firm. “If you want me to believe that I can get through this tournament because I’m good enough – then you need to believe you can survive this year because you are ‘good’ enough.”
She stopped, eyes suddenly uncertain. “You know I meant a different kind of ‘good’ right?”
“Yes.”
“Because you meant ‘good’ as in talent and ability and I meant ‘good’ as in morals and goodness and-”
“Deanna!” Selena held up a hand to stop her. “I got it.”
“Okay.” Deanna nodded, exhaling a bit. “So all I need to do to aid the cause is win a tournament... easy... cept I never have before.”
“Oh, once you win one, it’s like riding a bicycle.” Selena puffed. “You never forget.”
“Not helpful.” Deanna sighed.
“Okay.” came the slow voice of the Snow Queen, a pale hand – wearing a wedding ring of her own – gently grasping Deanna’s. “I’ll tell you what.” she smiled knowingly. “I’ll look ahead right now and make you a deal.” Sapphire eyes met Deanna’s emerald ones. “You do all you say and change my mind? Don’t care how you do it. But you change my mind at the end of the season... and we’ll fix this whole wedding rings thing.”
“Fix it?” Deanna asked in confusion. “How? You want to downgrade to promise rings or something?
“No...” Selena shook her head. “I mean if the world knows we’re married – might as well fix that and make ourselves honest about it.”
It took a second but Deanna’s eyes suddenly went wide. “Are you... are you saying...”
“Who knows?” Selena shrugged honestly. “I’m just saying ‘what-if’. That’s all I’m saying. Something to...” slowly, she leaned down tracing her lips over Deanna’s with a whisper of a kiss. “Maybe something to look forward to...”
She was gone a second later, walking up the stairs towards the showers. For Deanna, she could only just stand there, too stunned to speak or even think – all she could smell was lemon cleaner.
And all she could hear was her heart hammering away inside her chest.
RE: Deanna Frost vs. Chris Lawler - SnowQueenSCW - 10-23-2025
Frost No More
”A trick and a treat...”
Streets of NYC
New York City, New York
October 21st, 2025
6:54pm
Deanna Frost pulled her red hair into a tight ponytail as she walked down the street, her irritation of the dark auburn locks being blown everywhere (including into her face) leading her to a rather quick decision, which now resulted in her having to ignore the slight pangs of pain she had felt from inadvertently pulling her own hair in the profess.
She had been walking up and down the streets of New York City for close to two hours, which was long enough for her to receive a concerned text from Selena, the platinum-blonde asking if she was alright. Of course, Deanna could barely type back a civil “I’m fine, baby.” reply in her restlessness, though she was sure to add a heart emoji just so the Snow Queen hadn’t overthought the short response or the ‘tone of it’.
[Overthinking... Deanna sighed. Like I’m one to talk...
It seemed to be a trait for Frost women, either born or married into – maybe that was the type for all Frost men and women that sought female-companies? Must overthink – HARD! It wasn’t really that funny but Deanna giggled at her own joke quietly as she pulled the olive longcoat tighter around her frame.
It wasn’t anyone’s fault for her living the Eyrie Tower. Nothing ‘bad’ had happened per say. It had just been a matter of getting out of the penthouse suite for a little bit. She had already cleaned the apartment – twice – in the last few days, done laundry, rearranged some things (which had REALLY thrown off Selena), helped her kids with their homework last night, and watched each match of Chris Lawler’s that she could find twice.
Yes, while she would not admit this to anyone, Deanna (to her slight shame) had tried turning her little bout of ‘cabin fever’ and ‘homesickness’ into focus for her Breakdown SoA match. Maybe it had been the short promo that Chris had fired at her a few days ago – a short little clip where the veteran of SCW had said his peace to the redhead, declaring up and down that she would be facing a ‘new’ Chris Lawler. That he ‘wasn’t holding back anymore’. That he ‘knew Deanna’.
It was sort similar to his promo against Selena at Apocalypse – same kind of promise. Same kind of ‘you don’t know me’ talk. And while the younger Frost had certainly been slightly intimidated by the intensity of his gaze and his words, there was no ignoring the other little voice that kept speaking to her.
How cliche can a man get?
Is he trying to make you feel guilty with his little sob story? ‘On the edge! Oh no....”
Didn’t see him sitting on the sidelines with PTSD this year, did you?
Does he really know just because he said he does? Sounds more like a gloss over than an actual analysis... and after all your hard work studying him...
Deanna shook her head in memory of such words that weren’t her own. That had been the Heart’s commentary all day, the wretched thing picking away at Lawler’s small recording. Despite the shortness, Deanna had watched it over and over again – she had lost track around the sixth or seventh time. Just trying to better understand the man. Trying to better understand the choices of such a message.
Was he trying to scare her?
Was he trying to make her feel sorry for him? That if she beat him, she would be adding to his misery?
Was he trying to look untouchable and all powerful when Selena had proven otherwise?
Deanna still didn’t know – and her need to leave the apartment had only been fuelled by this irritating train of thoughts. Especially when Selena had appeared in the room and sat to just Deanna for the last set of viewings. Why? Because her commentary matched the damn Heart’s!
“He doesn’t have a clue.”
“Hasn’t done a single thing of work studying you.”
“Generic.”
Words like that, combined with a few laughs and shaking of the head, had been too much, and Deanna had simply walked away, citing her need for some fresh air away from her ‘studies’. Except now, two hours, she was still thinking about it and still not sure what Lawler had meant.
“And he doesn’t care about clean wins or match-of-the-night honors...” Deanna whispered to herself, repeating a line from Lawler’s video. What the hell did that mean? Was he going to cheat? Was he going to snap like he had earlier this year and just angrily attack? She got that he was pissed at Dante Slayton and Selena and his mounting ‘less-than-stellar’ matches/match-record but the man’s only win in this tournament had been a disqualification win. Didn’t he want to earn his victory? Didn’t he want to prove what this ‘new version of Chris Lawler’ could do? Why would he just accept a win ‘by any means’ if he wanted to intimidate and show the world how much better he was?
It’s a damn contradiction! Deanna thought angrily, not for the first time. It doesn’t make sense!
"Just focus, Deanna," she muttered to herself, shaking her head slightly to dispel the thoughts that insisted on intruding. Carefully, she pulled the dark blue hood of the hoodie, her favorite (splashed with Selena’s snowflakes along the shoulders as embroidery), as if the hood could silence the thoughts like alumin foil could stop mind-readers – she had watched too many old black-and-white movies this week in her attempt to silence her nerves. “Focus on anything else...” she further instructed to herself.
The crisp autumn air wrapped around her, the fall colors filling her vision. It was beautiful, Deanna could still appreciate what autumn brought to NYC. Yellow, red and orange leaves danced along the sidewalk while the chatter of pedestrians filled her ears. She watched as children skipped past her, their laughter blending into the symphony of car horns and hurried footsteps, the kids blissfully unaware of the complexities that adult lives often bore.
Such is life... Deanna sighed to herself as she strolled along.
That is until she spotted the flash of black, green, orange and white out of the corner of her eyes. Turning her head, the former champion couldn't help but notice the Halloween decorations sprouting up on every corner, this time a series of ghosts and bats and even the Frankenstein monster in some kind of display behind a window of a costume shop. She had seen dozens like them. Storefronts adorned with cobwebs and smiling jack-o'-lanterns, restaurants with hanging decor and stickers on the windows...
It all beckoned her to stop and observe – enjoy - but she kept moving each time, determined to escape the memories of past Halloweens spent with Selena and their children. Back when the air would be filled with the scent of pumpkin spice and laughter, as they all carved out terrifying or beautiful or funny or silly or ‘What-the-hell-is-that-supposed-to-be’ faces on pumpkins together.
Even so, with each display passed, the heartache seeped deeper. That reminder of what she would not be having this year. No colorful lights strung across the living room, no cauldron bubbling with treats, no trick-or-treaters knocking at the door. The absence of those familiar touches in Selena’s penthouse still felt like a gaping wound, even if the walk helped a little.
She just wanted to go back – even just a year and some. Back before everything started being taken from her, bit by bit. First, by Veil and then by life.
She wasn’t sure at what point she decided to head home, but in a second, her eyes suddenly recognized where she was, as if she had turned the corner and was suddenly back near the Eyrie Tower. All those house of walking, of trying to make sense of everything – and she hadn’t achieved any of it. Least I’m tired now... she thought in sad humor, even laughing a little at her own private joke, feeling the fatigue of her day settle into her bones, before she opened the door to the building, made her way to the elevator, and rode it up the many floors to the penthouse, her body feeling weaker and weaker with each passing second.
Hot shower, check on the kids, check on Selena, then maybe go to bed early and... she was met with an unexpected sight as the doors opened, one that stopped her in her tracks and derailed her thoughts.
The penthouse she had sighed as ‘bland’ was transformed! Bewitching shadows danced across the walls as candlelight flickered from a dozen small jack-o’-lanterns, their grinning faces illuminating the space with warmth! Cobwebs draped elegantly over furniture and on the walls! Eerie decorations hung from the ceiling! The dullness of the penthouse had been stripped way to a hauntingly beautiful scene—the embodiment of Halloween. It was all too much to take in at once.
“Am I in the right house?” she slowly asked, her steps even slower as she stepped over the threshold and into the space. The noise was enough as, from the corner, a head of platinum-blonde hair poked around it, a knowing smile beaming at Deanna.
“Selena?” Deanna breathed, barely audible as she stepped further inside, her heart pounding in her chest.
The Snow Queen’s hair was pulled back into a messy bun, a smudge of black paint across her cheek. She wore a mischievous smile. “Welcome home,” she said, gesturing expressively at the setup. “REALLY glad you took a longer walk!”
“You” Deanna looked around, unable to really believe her eyes. “You did all this?”
The older woman shrugged her shoulders. “Well, the kids helped. I had to promise them ice-cream after their homework.” Biting her lower lip, Selena eyed Deana carefully. “I wanted to bring back some memories,” she slowly admitted, stepping forward. “I know things haven’t been easy, but…I miss those times. I miss us.”
Deanna melted a little at Selena’s words. Why hadn’t she seen it before? She had been so upset and homesick over all the changes in her life... that she hadn’t even thought about how Selena had handled it. The divorce had taken away all that and more from Selena – and she had lived these kind of emotiomns now plaguing Deanna for over a year. And yet, despite it, the platinum-blonde had done this— a careful effort to reignite a spark that had dimmed but never fully extinguished.
“I-it’s beautiful,” Deanna managed, taking in the sight before her.
“It’s just a bit of fun,” Selena shrugged, nonchalantly, fooling no one. “Besides, we need something, don’t we? A reason to enjoy being here together, however long that is.”
A bittersweet ache tugged at Deanna's insides. “I miss it too.” she confessed, stepping closer to the taller woman, not caring about the Snow Queen’s disheveled appearance.
Selena’s smile softened as she caught Deanna's gaze, the woman reaching out and brushing her fingers lightly against Deanna’s cheek, a whisper of a touch.
“I know I said things can’t be the same as they once were.” Selena admitted. “But that doesn’t mean I don’t want so many things back in our lives while we’re still here.”
The confession sent a wave of hope through Deanna, and she nodded slowly, heart racing. In that moment, simply enjoying a simple Halloween decor – perhaps the most beautiful she had ever seen – the voices weren’t as loud. The doubt wasn’t as strong. And it didn’t matter to her whether her opponent really knew her or didn’t...
In the end, she was the one that needed to know herself. And one way or another, she was not going to stop until she found herself in this tournament!
Even if I have to defy every odd to do it!
_________________________________________
So… where do we start?
I mean, I could talk about Trios. That was the last thing I did right? But if you’ll indulge me, I’d like to not do that. See, while I have a lot of respect for the Trios Tournament, while I have a lot of respect for so many of the men and women fighting in that tournament, I have to admit to you all, gritters, it didn’t feel right for me to be in that tournament.
I did my best to be a good partner. I did my best to try and help my team to victory. I didn’t hold back, but every step of the way, every second I was there, I didn’t feel exhilarated. I didn’t feel excited. I didn’t feel any of that. I felt ‘out of place’. Because as much as I respect the Trios tournament and what it is and what it means and what it proves... it didn’t feel like ‘my tournament’. It didn’t feel like ‘my place’, you know? It didn’t feel like my tournament to win.
No... that’s because I already had one...
I already had a tournament to win and it was The Shot of Adrenaline Tournament! This tournament! The tournament that, FINALLY, I get to continue along my journey to trying to conquer! Trying to become the SCW Adrenaline champion! I may have been the first match with Spencer Pryce that, maybe, set the pace for this thing, but I have sorely fallen behind because of distractions and that ends tonight! It ends tonight on Breakdown when Deanna Frost returns and I’m not returning quietly, oh no, I am returning loud, proud, redheaded, full-hearted, gay, married, and everything else I could possibly be!
And I know that is a contrast to you, Chris. Because while I am coming into this thing fast and passionate, you are lurking in dark rooms with dim light, telling me to be afraid. Telling me that I don’t know what I am facing...
And you may be right. I might not know who I am facing. Because I’ve done a bit of research on you, Chris, and what you are doing? Well, it sounds kind of familiar. It does! I mean, if you’re not ‘holding back the darkness’, you’re embracing it! If you’re not embracing it, you’re defying it! If you’re not defying it, you’re finding a middle ground! You’re ‘a beacon for SCW’ one moment, ‘a desperate villain’ the next, and if we blink, we might miss the guy that wanted to ‘show Selena Frost what a true class-act of SCW looks like’.
You’ve got more faces than Jason Zero, Lawler, and you change them faster than I change my shirts!
And I envy that of you...
Don’t get me wrong! For all your talk about me not knowing you, I don’t think you know me at all. You can’t just ‘get me’ by running off some adjectives. I’m not JUST what you can gleam off my bio and my accolades, if you even looked. I am much, much more than that! Just like you are much more than a man that’s wandered back and forth in the midcard or played back and forth with the Television title, or DQed his way to a few victories in the last few months! I know you are more than that!
I know you HAD Dante Slayton before he took the easy way out.
I know you were seconds away from beating Polly Pignotti.
And I know you pushed Selena to the brink at Apocalypse.
I know all these things, I get what’s in your head – those frustrations – and I know that you are every bit as dangerous, as focused, and as determined as you say you are! But when I say that, that’s not me coming up with stuff off the top of my mind, Lawler. That’s me doing the work. The research. The learning because that is what I needed to do to be ready to face a man like you!
But I envy you, Chris. I said that. I said I envied all the ‘faces’ you keep changing while you make simple cliche lines about me – trying to sum up my story, my struggles, my life, in so few, generic words as possible. I said I envied all that because while it’s confusing, while it’s odd, while it’s even screams of desperation from you to try and get some quick attention like Jason Zero did with his masks...
It’s definite. It’s definite that, any given day, whether you are hiding the darkness or embracing it or whatever, Chris Lawler knows EXACTLY who Chris Lawler is or who Chris Lawler wants to be! Chris Lawler knows what Chris Lawler wants! Chris Lawler knows what Chris Lawler is going to do! And Chris Lawler knows Chris Lawler period!
I can’t say that about myself. If you look back at things since my return, I have rambled through this scene, bumbling and fumbling my way around, sometimes not even appearing on Breakdown episodes, not because I’m not there but because no one knows what to do with me and that included myself.
I don’t have different ‘views’ or ‘masks’ or ‘personas’ to put on each and every week, Chris. And I can’t do a sudden ‘turn’ just to try and get ahead. How can I when I don’t even know where I stand? Am I good for wanting to do the right thing? Or am I bad because my last name happens to be ‘Frost’?
I don’t have any more nicknames.
I don’t have any catchy gimmicks.
I don’t have a dark-edge that I bring out ‘when I have to’.
All I have is myself, my fists and my feet, and that is all I am bringing to Breakdown this week against you, Chris. But somewhere – SOMEWHERE – I have to believe I’ve still got some of that GRIT in my bones. The grit that let me conquer an Elimination Chamber. The grit that had me survive a building burning! The grit that pushed me to come back sooner than anyone expected. And I didn’t do any of that for ego. I didn’t do any of that for pride. I didn’t do any of that because it was ‘cool’ or ‘dark’ or ‘to get ahead’, Lawler. I did it because it was the right thing to do and never, not for a second, do I stop fighting!
And while I don’t entirely know who I am like you know who you are, Lawler, I do know what I'm meant to be and no, it isn’t you. I may envy your certainty, sir, but I do not desire it. Not that kind. I don’t want to be relying on gimmicks like ‘switcheroos’ or ‘turning heel or face’ or whatever. I don’t want THAT kind of identity, Lawler. I rather be myself every minute of every day than switch just because I can’t accept a few losses along the way!
No, Chris. The one thing I want to be! The one thing that I want to become? Is the Shot of Adrenaline Tournament winner! The one thing I want to become is the SCW Adrenaline Champion!
That is where I belong! That is my purpose! That is my light, my guide, my drive, Lawler! It is the one certainty I have amidst the sea of doubt I have tried to navigate in for months. That I am meant to be in this tournament and I am meant to win it! Not for the accolades, not for the ego, but to find myself and where I fit in the world of SCW!
So I want you to keep snarling, Lawler. I want you to keep swearing that I don’t know you. Because while you’re coming in – according to you – with no strategy and all scars? I refuse to be so unprepared! I am coming in with strategies! I am coming in with scars! I am coming in with every single weapon I have fully loaded and ready to unleash onto you! Because if you think being as unprepared for this match as you were in that promo talking about me? If THAT is your mentality going into this, Chris?
Then I may not know who Deanna Frost is yet... but neither the hell do you!
This Breakdown, it won’t the bell opening a door for Chris Lawler. It won’t be some ‘dark place’ for you to go, Chris. No, it will be a continuation. It will be a continuation of Deanna winning her match, getting her points, and getting closer and closer to locking her spot in the semifinals of the Shot of Adrenaline tournament!
And when you’re done losing your temper and showing your scars? You’ll know at least one thing about Deanna Frost... and that is on that night, in the SoA match? She was better than you!
Checkmate, bitches!