Glory Braddock vs. Selena Frost

[SnowQueenSCW]

The Dark Side of the Sun

"Uncertainty"

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

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

Selena dared not wake her. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

Another concussion.

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

A tournament for the now vacated United States Championship!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Sel-"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

______________________________________

The Royal Letter

Hello SCW Universe,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Keep fighting for what you believe in.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Something to consider, right Glory?

Sincerely,
Selena Michelle Frost