Ace Marshall vs. Selena Frost

[SnowQueenSCW]

Project: Black Ice

”On A Train Out To Nowhere…”

Nome, Alaska
July 20th, 2021
9:38am

Nothing could stop the two women as they marched through the elevator doors as they opened, the morning sunlight streaming through the large windows and spilling onto the floor, creating a panel of glow along the stone slates that covered the ground of the office-waiting room. 

None of these details went noticed by either women as they marched into the space, the taller woman knowing every detail of this accursed space and her sapphire eyes laser-locked onto the set of doors in front of her.

“Excuse me…” the voice came from someone, perhaps out of concern over the sudden intrusion of the women – or perhaps it was the pair’s appearance: the wild eyes, slight redness in them and bagginess in both pairs of eyes (sapphire and emerald), indicating a lack of sleep. Whatever the reason, however, the ‘salutation’ from the secretary was ignored as both women marched past the desk, ever closer to those infernal doors. “Hey!” the voice called out again, demanding attention – a notion that only became incensed when the tallest one, with shoulder-length platinum-blonde hair, reached up and pulled both doors open with authority. “You can’t go in there!” ordered the secretary, rushing after the women.

She did not get far as the shorter of the two intruders, with hair like a dark red rose, turned her head, her eyes staring strongly into the secretary’s as she stood there, her mere presence blocking the employee from following the leading woman. 

“Sorry, but I have to insist.” The redhead stated calmly, turning her head to calmly glance at the back of the advancing platinum-blonde. “I’m sure he’ll see us after the night we’ve had.”

Without another word, the redhead turned on her left foot, marching faster to catch up to her partner, who’s voice could now be heard as it rang throughout the room.

“-Isn’t that a tad convenient?!” barked the older woman in the middle of her tirade as the second caught up with her. Standing next to her, the redhead could see the old man, his arm and hand raised as it held a steaming cup of coffee.

“I don’t know what to tell you.” The seated mayor replied calmly. “Other than, ‘please sit down and calm down’ or, as I told you yesterday… ‘get out of my office’.”

The redhead could see it in her wife’s posture. The way her shoulders rolled back, the way her fists clenched tighter – even the subtle bending of her knees, engaging the powerful leg muscles the younger woman knew that her beloved possessed. She had seen these signs so often in the older woman’s world, of which she had returned to only recently. Still, the red flag went up in the shorter woman’s mind. Her wife was going to attack… 

Quickly, small hands wrapped around the closest hand of the pale-skinned woman, gaining her attention almost instantly. “Selena… no.” Deanna pressed firmly, emerald eyes boring into sapphire ones. 

The Snow Queen’s jaw clenched, seeing no point in denying what her wife had recognized. Unable to act on the feelings she felt so strongly, Selena’s jaw clenched and she turned from both the mayor and Deanna, stepping around the desk towards, oddly enough, the coffee maker positioned on the table at the back wall.

“She’s going to make me coffee.” Deanna replied simply as she turned her gaze back to the composed gentleman, her tone booking no room for argument. In response, the mayor lifted his free hand in a simple gesture of ‘be my guest’ before taking a moment to sip his own hot beverage.

“You lied to us.” Deanna stated simply, moving to sit in the closest seat, a dark red faux leather piece. “You’ve been lying to us from the very beginning.”

“Hardly news.” Malcolm Scythe replied calmly with a shrug of his shoulders. “I would think you would come to expect that of me.”

“We did.” Deanna stated simply, speaking because she knew that if she allowed Selena to, the mayor would be missing a few incisors and Selena would be missing Rise to Greatness, with her now being the incarcerated Frost. “But I’m not talking about yesterday.”

Slowly, the redhead reached into the pocket of the jacket she wore – the one Selena had draped over her to keep her warm this morning – her fingers grazing against the leather as it pulled out the framed picture and handing it to Malcolm, watching as the man’s eyes widened by a fraction, but otherwise he gave no emotion. Selena, meanwhile, had appeared with a Styrofoam cup filled with coffee in her hands, in which she carefully handed it to her wife, who took it just as gently, sipping it to test its heat.

“You’ve been hiding something for years, Malcolm.” Deanna replied. “And now it’s trying to kill us.”

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

24 hours ago
Nome, Alaska
July 19th, 2021
9:12am

“What if we actually did incorporate mermaids and unicorns?” 

Deanna thought out-loud as she pressed the eraser end of her pencil into the slight bend of her chin below her lip, working the other end up and down as she stared at the notepad in her hands, taking in the words and drawings she had etched into the pages. She didn’t care if she looked ridiculous or inappropriate as she sat in her wife’s lap, the smaller Frost nestled snugly in Selena’s embrace, her legs hanging off one of the armrests comfortably.

“No.” came the firm voice of Selena as she sat in the seat in the office, keeping her arms wrapped firmly around her wife. True, she wasn’t quite sure what had possessed her pet to be so brazen with this PDA, but she wasn’t going to complain simply because of where they were. She refused to let Malcolm Scythe have any power over her. Even though the mere history with him was enough to bring you here in the first place. Her mind mocked.

In truth, it hadn’t – at least not for her. It had been her promise to Deanna weeks ago that had brought her here. For the Snow Queen, her mind was on little else except Rise to Greatness…

There was no use lying. She was nervous about the event. After firing insult after insult, overused and cliché as they were, Lexy and Ace had, inadvertently, landed upon something of actual truth last Breakdown. Of course, they had moved on in favour of more insults and cheap shots – trying to ‘say it all’ and ‘do it all’ to hedge their bet – but there was no point in Selena denying it to herself.

She was nervous, maybe even scared, of the weekend that awaited her. Has it really only been a year? she asked herself quietly as Deanna continued to doodle and etch away in her small notepad.

In truth, it was just six days shy of a year – technically – but it could have been yesterday for how Selena had been feeling since Taking Hold of the Flame. 

Standing in the ring at Rise to Greatness, embracing her sister, Regan.
Rushing down to the ring later on as David Helms, Regan’s husband, was crowned the NEW SCW World Champion.
Standing in the ring with Jordan, Mikaela, Jason, Deliliah and, of course, Regan and David as they celebrated.
Embracing the new champions as the fireworks continued to go off… the happy ending to her sister’s and David’s great story….

Quietly, Selena exhaled a breath through her nose. She had longed for such a moment of her own. Yes, she had shared in her sister’s delight and David’s triumph that night, to which she would always be grateful and would always cherish as one of the greatest moments in her career – in her life – but regardless of how hard she tried, she had not been able to completely dismiss or destroy that dark emotion: jealousy mixing with need.

Because, in truth, Selena’s family – her own family – couldn’t be there. Her children had been safe in Oberwessel and her wife was in jail…

She was the only Frost there. The only Frost to celebrate her own success: Becoming United States Champion, retaining said title with the disadvantage that had come with the rules of a tag-match, becoming tag champion…

Part of her, more than she wanted to admit that night, had longed to have what her sister, Regan, had. To be able to turn around, see her wife, and embrace her in the ring – to feel her lips on her own – as they revelled in the success of their victory…

Now, a year later, here she was – on the cusp of getting what she wanted and more than she had hoped for. What she had dreamed of…

Her sister would be there.
Her children would be there.
Her wife would be there…

And all she could think about was the look on their faces if she were pinned and lost the title in front of them all…

Their looks of disappointment.
Of sadness.
Of having their time wasted because they believed in her…

Was that way she had so eagerly agreed to Deanna’s wish to come here? To distract herself with personal tasks because her nerves were threatening to overwhelm her? Because time seemed to move slower whenever she was here – a symptom of her upbringing in the hell that was Nome, Alaska. Was she simply running away from facing that possibility? 

Her vision, still somewhat in a daze, was suddenly changed and she was seeing red… not out of anger, but because of the red mane that obstructed her vision! She immediately felt warmth against her face as Deanna nuzzled her forehead and cheek to the side of Selena’s face.

“Come on.” She purred quietly. “Stop overthinking.”

Unable to stop herself, Selena partially returned her wife’s affections, eyes fluttering closed as she savoured Deanna’s touch and gently nuzzled the redhead’s face. “What makes you think I’m overthinking?” she asked simply, only a hint of playfulness in her voice.

“Because I could literally see the gears in your brain working to the point where I was sure steam would come out of your ears.” Deanna whispered.
“I don’t think those two allegories are supposed to go together.” Selena shook her head, leaning further back a short ways to regard her beloved.

In response, Deanna gave a shrug. “You also thought we shouldn’t go together. Look at us now!”

With a flourish, Deanna sat up straight in Selena’s lap, lifting her arms to opposite diagonal directions like some grand display. “Taa-dah!” she added with a bright smile, the sunlight from the windows pouring on the floral pattern of her long-sleeved shirt and some of blue jeans. Selena could see the shadow of her own head against her wife’s chest as she sat in front of the window, the back of her neck feeling some of the warmth from the sun. 

“Six years.” Selena smiled gratefully up at her wife. “Nearly six years…” a pale-hand reached up to caress Deanna’s soft cheek. “Must I still suffer for that?”
“Of course!” Deanna cheekily replied with a bright smile and closing her eyes. “How else am I to keep my celebrity of a wife humble?”

There was certainly some truth to Deanna’s words, the platinum-blonde admitted. In the beginning, when she had first met the young girl, Selena had kept her distance as much as she could. How could she not? First of all, Selena had still very much been ‘in-the-closet’, her past relationship with Dawn Lohan being chalked up to a ‘one-time thing’. Second, Deanna was barely eighteen at the time, hardly an adult in the eyes of most western societies. Third, she was almost eight years younger than Selena! 

Looking back, Selena could only shake her head. How foolish of her. All of those reasons had been mere excuses, the Snow Queen making up reasons simply to fool herself from the reality. The reality that her attraction to women was not a one-time thing with Dawn. The reality that this young girl, somehow, had barged into her life, stolen her heart, and given her own without thinking twice. It was almost unreal… but was that so different from everything else that had happened in Selena’s life to this point?

Deanna watched her wife, gazing into her eyes as a certain expression flitted across the older woman’s face, one Deanna recognized all too well. Without a word, Deanna leaned in, pressing her lips against Selena’s, feeling her wife happily respond in kind, the two sharing a strong, deep kiss as Selena held Deanna and the redhead simply held on.

Slowly, the pair moved back at the same time, breaking the kiss. 

“I was overthinking.” Selena sighed in admittance.
“Knew it.” Deanna smiled contently before flipping open her notepad once more. “Okay, so that’s an ixnay on the mermaids and unicorns?”
“Yes.” Selena laughed. “Not all of Ace Marshall’s ideas are good ones, Deanna.”

“Yeah, well, I’m running out of ideas.” Laughed the redhead. “Nothing feels right.”

Selena tilted her head at her beloved, amused but also envying her wife. While Selena was wrestling with the nerves and fears of failing in front of her family – of being denied the moment she had wished for since last year, and even longer if she were honest – Deanna was simply… well, being Deanna.

It was almost insane the childish wonder Deanna had adopted as they moved closer and closer to the big pay-per-view. Not once had the redhead given thought to Selena failing or losing the title – even though, with Ace Marshall being in his ‘on’ mode, that was a very real possibility. Rather, the young girl had spent most of her free time (away from being a mother to their children, of course) trying to find the ‘perfect outfit’, the ‘perfect wrestling attire for Selena’ – on and on she had gone until she had started working on her current project: the perfect entrance for her and Selena.

“It’s gotta say ‘World Champion’ and ‘Face of SCW’ at the same time!” she stated as she shifted in her seat on Selena’s lap, moving her body so she could lean against the world champion’s chest, her head resting on the back of the chair and against Selena’s face. “But it’s also gotta say ‘Rise to Greatness Pay-per-view’! Once a year! Super Stanley Oscar Tony Bowl!”

“What?” Selena asked in confusion.
“Super Stanley Oscar Tony Bowl.” Deanna repeated as she wrote the letters on one of the pages. “S.S.O.T.B. Like the big nights of sports and entertainment-“

“Okay…” reaching out, Selena grasped the notepad and the hand holding it. “How about you S.T.O.P for a bit, pet. We’re here for a reason.”

With a huff of mild annoyance, Deanna crossed her arms as she continued to sit against Deanna. “Not my fault he’s taking forever to see us.” She turned her head back to Selena. “I mean… I made an appointment.”

Selena wasn’t sure why, but at that last statement, as soon as it reached her ears, her head jerked back as she released a full laugh, one that rang through the waited area, earning her the attention of the secretary that sat behind the large desk near the broad, tall, wooden doors that lead to the mayor’s office.

“That must have shocked him.” Selena stated in a chuckle, trying to calm herself from her spurt of amusement. “I never made an appointment with him. I just showed up and demanded to see him.”
“Oh…” Deanna remarked, casting a glance towards the door. “Should…should we try that?”

“Oh no!” laughed Selena. “After all the trouble you made to get us an appointment – I’m sure he’ll just be a minute-“ another fit of giggles left her as she reached up with a free hand to cover her mouth with her palm and her eyes with her thumb and fingertip.

“It’s not that funny…” grumbled the redhead. “There’s nothing wrong with being civil.”
“Oh, my love.” Selena sighed with so much affection. “I don’t mean to laugh at you. Normally, you would be more than right. But this is hardly normal.” She gestured to the door. “Knowing Malcolm, there’s probably no one in there but him – no meeting or anything – he’s probably just enjoying a large breakfast and watching tv or something.” The platinum-blonde shook her head. “He’s taking his time to annoy us. That’s how he works. So you can’t be civil with him. You have to be direct – maybe even a little immature as him.”

“I can be direct!” Deanna stated, her chest puffing up a little. “I can definitely be a little immature.”. Her eyes widened as she saw Selena bit her lower lip, trying to hold back a response. “What?!” Deanna asked. “I can! I can be direct.”

“Sweetheart… I love you… but no.” Selena shook her head. “You’re my everything – you’re sweet, you’re kind, gentle, and fiercely loyal – fighting for what you believe in and for our family and for me! Gods, how you fight for me…” she smiled, her mind flashing back to how Deanna had tackled Christy Matthews to keep Selena’s match with Syren fair back at Careful What You Wish For. Back to just last week with how Deanna had warned Selena of Ace’s sneak attack, allowing the Snow Queen to quickly formulate a counter which had sent the royale winner packing. “You are so amazing in so many ways… but direct? You have too much patience for that.”

“Unlike you?” Deanna asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Well…I’ve spent years learning when to fight, when to talk, when to be the aggressor and… well, so forth.” Selena tried to explain. It was her years in Nome that had made her into a fighter, refusing to quit or be broken by life or anyone. But it had been her years with SCW and her time with those like Kennedy Street, Kelcey Wallace, and, of course, her sister, Regan, that had taught her so much about the mental side of confrontations. “It’s like that Kenny Rogers song!” she quickly looked away to the floor to better focus on her memory of the words:

“You’ve got to know when to hold ‘em.” She sang softly, her voice barely loud enough to be heard by Deanna. “Know when to fold ‘em. Know when to walk away-“. Her hand was suddenly enclosed by Deanna’s, the other tracing Selena’s jawline to tilt her head back up to the redhead.

“Know when to run?” Deanna asked, her voice also singing in a low whisper.
“Exactly.” Selena smiled.

“Well…” Turning her head back to the receptionist, Deanna steeled her shoulders before, suddenly, she was out of Selena’s lap and stepping towards the large desk the employee hid behind.

Watching her wife move closer to her target, clearly spurned on by Selena’s assessment of her, the Snow Queen could not help but smile as her voice whisper-sung the song stuck in her head.

“You never count your money… when you’re sitting at the table. There’ll be time enough for counting… when the dealing’s done.”

“Hello!” she heard Deanna state briskly as she leaned over the desk, Selena not quite sure her redhead was doing so to look tough or serious or if the poor girl’s legs were asleep from sitting for so long. Still, amused, Selena kept in her chair as the scene unfolded.

“Yes?” the large woman behind the desk replied, giving the young manager her attention as she stared at Deanna through thick, round glasses. Her hair was up in a bun and she had lipstick on that was not only too thick, but a poor choice of color for her skin tome. Be that as it may, Deanna did not seem to notice – more focused on proving her beloved wrong and ‘keeping her celebrity wife humble’.

“Hi…” she read the name plate on the desk. “Hailey. My wife and I made an appointment with the mayor for 8 am and, as you can see… we’re still here.”
“Mayor Scythe is very busy. He will see you when he can.” Came the monotone reply. “Please sit down and you will be called when he’s ready.”

“Right…” Deanna tried, looking back at the chair, towards her wife, Selena throwing up a pair of ‘thumbs up’ and big, open grin in support, or was it a little mocking, Deanna wasn’t sure. “But that’s the thing, Hailey… the REASON we were here at 8 in the morning was because we were told he was free at that time.”

“Mayor Scythe is very busy.” Repeated Hailey in the same tone. “Please sit down and you will be called when he’s ready.”
“Yeah, you just said that.” Deanna nodded her head. “And I was saying that we’ve waited an hour. Can you please call him or something and see what the holdup is?”

“Sure.” Hailey replied, reaching over to pick up the phone that was near her. Without pushing a button, she held it to her ear. “Hello, Mayor Scythe, I’ve got your 8am here. Okay.” She immediately hung up the phone. “Mayor Scythe is very busy. Please sit down and you will be called when he’s ready.”

Deanna’s mouth hung open, her emerald eyes flying from Hailey to the phone and back and forth several times. “You…uh… you didn’t push a button.”
“That’s cause you’re already pushing enough buttons.” Hailey replied curtly.
“Rrrright…” Deanna nodded, her jaw moving left and right as she slowly processed her thoughts, before at least turning around to make her way back to Selena.

Oh poor dear… Selena sighed as she watched Deanna’s little walk of shame, the redhead’s head a little low. It was both amusing, based on their previous conversation, but also infuriating for the Snow Queen that someone had upset her beloved so.

“Wanna tag me in?” Selena offered, offering her hand to Deanna, and waited until the redhead, begrudgingly, with a huff-sigh, slapped her wife’s hand with her own. 

Smothly, Selena pushed herself out of her chair and adjusted the black pant suit she wore with a matching dress shirt. With a march that was far more deliberate than her wife’s had been, the young woman reached the desk. 

“Hi.” Selena smiled at Hailey as she approached...
“As I said-“ only for the wrestler to walk right past her and towards the door.
“Yeah, I heard you.” Selena smiled, gesturing to the door. “I’m just gonna get a word in.” she grinned before suddenly slamming her palm hard against the door, causing a loud BANG to ring throughout the room!

“HEY, MALCOLM!” shouted the Snow Queen. “It’s Selena. You’ve got ten seconds to unlock the door and let us in or I’m kicking it down and come what may!” she threatened, her words stunning Hailey into silence, the receptionist’s mouth hanging open. “10….9….8….” Selena counted. “7… you know I barely graduated high-school, Malcolm. I can’t promise I remember all the numbers – my job’s go-to count is only to three most of the time! 6-“

There was a beep on the intercom that came from Hailey’s desk. 

“Ms. Porter.” The familiar, slightly distorted by the machine. “Send them in.”
“Yes, sir.” Hailey answered before turning back to Selena. “Mayor Scythe will see you now.”
“Oh, he will?!” Selena smiled brightly. “Well isn’t that nice!” she turned back to Deanna. “Come on, De. Looks like he’s not so ‘busy’ anymore.”

Reaching to the doors, Selena pulled them open, the Snow Queen strolling into the room with her wife following her. The office space, large and immaculate, was the same as it always had been, and, as always, the mayor of Nome sat behind his desk as he greeted the women.

“You realize that if you had broken down my door.” Malcolm started, removing his reading glasses to regard the Frost wives. “I could have you detained and arrested for destruction of property. Which means you would miss this upcoming weekend.”

“Maybe.” Selena shrugged. “But let’s see: you do that, I get out on bail long enough to leave for the weekend, come back for the month or so off I have post-pay-per-view, pay the fines or settlement or whatever. Oh, and we still get what we want, so…”

Deanna wasn’t sure, but she could almost see a shadow of a smile cross the man’s features. “You sure? I could also say I thought you were here to harm me by breaking down the door – suppose I just defended myself and shot you?”

“An unarmed woman that’s the mother of your grandchildren?” Selena laughed. “Really, Malcolm? That’s what you’re going with?”
“Perhaps.” He replied. “Or perhaps that would be enough to incarcerate you. Deanna….” He turned his attention to the redhead. “You’ve spent some time in prison – anyone put in there for breaking into a mayoral office?”

“N-no…” Deanna replied, shaking her head.
“Really? You’d think in Germany…” Malcolm started before waving his hand. “No matter. I’d leave that for my lawyer.”
“Well, if we’re calling lawyers, then I’ve got dibs on Talia.” Selena stated.
“Conflict of interest much.”
“Coming from the man that just said he could shoot me? Pretty sure you’re the king of ‘conflicts of interest’.” The Snow Queen countered.

For Deanna, she was more than stunned. She was barely able to keep up with this back and forth, both Selena and Malcolm throwing retorts one after the other in rapid succession.

“Um…” she tried to speak. “We didn’t break the door, though.”

Both Selena and Malcolm stopped, turning their attention to the woman that stood beside Selena, the wrestler and mayor’s expression quite similar in their surprise.

“I mean…” Deanna tried shyly, looking down at her hands. “Why are you arguing about something that didn’t happen?”

With a click of his tongue inside his mouth, Malcolm returned his attention to Selena. “She doesn’t quite get it.” He stated.
“No, she gets it. She just doesn’t want to waste time on what-ifs.” Selena defended.

“Well, so much for small-talk then.” Malcolm playfully huffed before sitting back in his chair. “So, then, let’s get this taken care of. Why are you here, Selena?”

Deanna opened her mouth, ready to explain that coming here was her request and the blame lay solely with her. However, the sound of her wife’s voice caused her jaw to clench shut.

“Someone…” the wrestler spoke slowly, allowing each word to properly sink in. “…is stalking Deanna and myself.”

Malcolm did not say a word, assuming correctly that there was more to this than that.

“It started after Deanna was released. Someone called me, claiming to be behind everything.”
“Everything?” Malcolm asked, his curiosity evident.

“Yes.” Selena answered, her eyes studying every expression and gesture the mayor gave off. “Deanna meeting Castle and…” the platinum-blonde’s body stiffened, causing her to grow silent for a moment before she powered through – Deanna understanding why as she wrapped her arms around herself, refusing to remember that particular event. “Her incarceration, the attacks on the castle, Talia’s car accident, everything. And-“

“You want to know if I am behind it.” Malcolm replied simply, pushing himself out of his chair.

“Or if you know anything!” Deanna blurted out, unable to stop the words from leaving her mouth. As she realized who had spoken, she saw her wife turn her head to her sharply, her eyes telling the redhead to be careful what she said in front of the mayor.

“Well…” came the slow response from Malcom as he paced around the room – for Deanna, it almost reminded her of how her wife would methodically pace around the ring during her “Frozen Central” segments. Was that where she learned it from?

“I must admit that I am somewhat surprised by this news.” Malcolm answered honestly. “The events of the last two or so years seemed rather haphazard and unrelated. You’ll recall that Deanna’s running to Germany was because of our little spat.” He gestured between Selena and himself with his hand, earning a scoff from Selena over the oversimplification of their war that had cost the Snow Queen her step-mother. “The idea that someone had manipulated things from that point onward and now all of this? It’s… well it’s an intriguing notion.”

“And right up your alley.” Selena stated, earning a smirk from Malcolm.
“Is that what you really think, Selena?” He asked. “Or are you projecting someone’s insecurities onto me?” 

He turned his head, dark eyes meeting Deanna with a scrutinizing glare, causing the redhead to look away at her hands. She heard steps drawing towards her as Selena stepped in front of her, effectively guarding the younger Frost from the mayor.

“Just say it.” She ordered Malcolm. “Say it and we can get the hell out of here.”

“But must I?” Malcolm teased, strumming his fingers on a nearby table. “I mean, you already know the answer, don’t you, child? After all we’ve been through. Yet, you’re just entertaining your wife’s fears with this. I almost…” he chuckled. “Almost feel sorry for you. Wasting so many hours of travel and study for something that you already know.”

“You’re not saying, ‘no’.” Selena’s eyes narrowed.
“You’re right.” Malcolm replied. “Because you’ve come all this way already knowing what I will say… I might as well give you what you want.”

“What I want is an answer.” Selena replied.
“You already have it.” Malcolm countered sharply. “You’ve always had it. But what she wants-“ he pointed a hand to Deanna. “- is confirmation. Security. Something to diminish the probabilities of the unknown. And I’m not going to give that to you.” He returned his eyes to Selena. “I’m not the one that’s married to her.”

The trio stood there in silence, the residents of Nome (former and current) staring down one another. 

“I’m sorry.” The voice came from Deanna, and it was barely a whisper. One only Selena could hear. It was enough for the Snow Queen to turn her head and regard her wife, her gaze gentling before reaching up to caress her wife’s face with a pale hand. 

“Let’s just go.” She whispered. “It’s not him.”
“You’re sure?” Malcolm’s voice came in mockingly from, once again, behind his desk.
“Yes.” Selena replied. “But I’d be worried if I were you. Whoever this person is, they know you as well.”

It was Malcolm’s turn to be somewhat surprised, the mayor tilting his head up just a little.

“Do they?” he asked.
“Yeah.” Selena stated. “What part of ‘stalker’ was too complex? Apparently, they know all about you, me, Deanna… and are obsessed with ‘making everything right’… and it’s funny…” Selena regarded the mayor. “It seemed like they weren’t just talking about me.”

Let THAT sit in your head for awhile.

“Well…not that this hasn’t been fun, child.” Malcolm smiled sternly. “But I do have other matters to handle today – so, if you please… get out of my office.”

With a small nod, Selena turned and was making her way out of Malcolm’s office, leaving the mayor alone with his thoughts, Deanna quietly following behind her. The two Frost women said nothing as they made their way over to the elevator, rode it down and out of the building. Didn’t say a word when both got into their rent a car and were driving along the roads.

It wasn’t until Selena, who was driving, made a turn onto an exit road heading away from Nome and towards the vast country expanse that surrounded the small town.

“Where are we…” Deanna stopped herself before turning her head. “You lied to him.”
“Yes, I did.” Selena admitted with a slow breath.
“The caller never gave any indication that they were after Malcolm.”
“Nope.”
“So why?”

“Because you were right. I needed to get Malcolm off the board.” Selena admitted. “And I had to see his reaction when I told him that the person smart enough to cost us two years of our lives was after him.”

Sitting back in her seat, Deanna fidgeted with her hands. She tried to recall Malcolm’s expressions. The tilt of the head, the tone – but she had rarely ever seen the Nome mayor.

“What did you see?” she finally asked.

Turning her head for a moment as she drove the black corvette, Selena thought about her answer for a moment before slowly singing. “You got to know when to hold ‘em…”

Deanna nodded her head. “And he didn’t?”
“Not in that moment.” Selena shook her head. “He’s now worried. Meaning it isn’t him.”

“Was….” Deanna spoke softly, her eyes regarding her hands as she sat in the passenger seat. “Was he right? About me?”

Looking up, the redhead saw her wife’s closest hand strumming a little on the steering wheel. 

“You don’t know how to deal with him.” Selena answered. “You’ve never had to face to face. Someone of his… manipulations takes time to learn how to play his game. That’s the only reason I could back there. I’ve had most of my life to watch him. He saw you as the weak link and fixated on you when it suited him.”

“But that’s my point, Selena.” The redhead tried. “Am I the weak link? I mean, I drag you to Nome when you knew better.”
“I-“
“No.” Deanna held up a hand to stop her wife. “You KNEW that this would be a waste of time and I didn’t listen. We’re a few days away from the weekend – THAT should have been my focus! But I wanted…”

A sigh escaped Deanna for a moment, the redhead casting her eyes out of the car window, taking in the landscape as it changed from the city of Nome to the trees and mountains of the Alaskan wild, with a farm or a house being seen once in a while.

“What is it, Deanna?” Selena tried gently. “What is it you wanted?”

There was no answer right away, the redhead’s body tense – it was now Selena’s turn to see the gears working in her wife’s mind. Still, she waited while she drove the vehicle, letting the minutes tick by along with the miles as they travelled down the road. Every so often, her eyes would glance at the clock, reading the time as it passed as well. It wasn’t until 38 minutes had gone by that she heard Deanna’s voice.

“I wanted it to be him.”

The declaration was little more than a whisper, yet in the enclosed space of the car, it felt like a loud confession to both women. 

“I wanted it to be him so badly.” Deanna added. “I thought if it was, then we could handle it then and there. You would put him in his place like you did earlier before I opened my mouth. And all of this would have been nothing more than a stupid little prank by a bitter, old man. Or at the least…” she took a minute to swipe at her eyes with her hand. “At the least, if it was him, so much fear would be gone.”

Selena heard a sniffle come from her wife, the sound tempting the older Frost to pull over the vehicle right now to comfort her wife. She turned her head to view any oncoming traffic, intending to do just that, but her wife continued speaking, breaking Selena’s action.

“I keep seeing you question yourself.” The redhead spoke.
“Me?” Selena asked, mildly surprised by the remark.
“Every night at the castle since you won the title?” Deanna reminded the platinum-blonde. “You’re still torn after everything. Whether you can win… whether you should win…”

Selena said nothing to this, keeping her eyes locked on the road. The conversation had gone in a direction that she had no desire to be part of but what could she do? Tell her wife to stop when the redhead was suffering so much? 

Conceal… her mind whispered her mantra. Don’t feel…

“And I was so certain that it was Malcolm.” Deanna continued.
“Why?” Selena managed to squeak out.

“Two years, Selena.” Deanna answered. “I spent close to two years in Frankfurt prison. Lot of free time. I can’t tell you how many times I kept asking ‘Why? Why me and why us? Why would someone do this to us?’.” She looked away for a moment to swipe a hand against her eyes. “Eventually, my mind stopped asking why Fredric Castle had accused me and started coming up with bigger and bigger theories. A conspiracy from the Frostmere family. A member of the DeCarlo family out for revenge. Some elaborate plan by some enemies in SCW – that lasted me a few months because of all the enemies you have…” that last remark caused a sigh to escape Selena – truthful as it was.

“And when I reached a point where I was contemplating some sick stalker fan wanting to take my place as your wife – I sort of knew that I had hit a brick wall.”
“THAT was your ‘aha’ moment?” Selena asked in disbelief. “I would have stopped with the whole ‘enemies in SCW’ thing. I mean, the most deranged person that we have is Giovanni, and he’s beating up an old man. Accused pedophilia doesn’t really fit his, or anyone’s, MO.”

“I know…” sighed the redhead. “I never said I was smart.”
“You are.” Selena immediately pressed. “You are amazing in your own way, Deanna. Stop comparing yourself to me or to others in our lives.”

The command took Deanna’s words away for a moment, forcing the redhead to take a few breaths before continuing. “Well, eventually, I ended up back on Malcolm and for months, I contemplated how perfect this fit him. The whole Snow Queen pageant thing with Talia, banishing her to Germany, having you cut your hair for me… I was certain it was all part of his plan. So… when you told me about that call you received, I returned to that mode of thinking and it… it just made so much sense. It STILL does.”

“Except it doesn’t.” Selena spoke softly. “Deanna, you can’t force a square block into a circular hole-“
“I know that.” Deanna sighed. “But I wanted so badly to get this out of your head so you could focus on the pay-per-view and enjoy it.”

“I’m…I am enjoying it-“

“Come on, Selena.” Deanna scoffed. “If you’re not scared of letting me or Regan down, you’re terrified that this person is going to do something either now or after the show. All you’re doing is worrying and trying to predict everyone else’s moves. And it’s killing you. You only sleep when pushed to the brink of exhaustion. You barely eat because the stress forces you to throw up if you’re not careful.”

Selena was about to ask how her wife knew all these things – but the answer came to her before she could voice it. Because she’s my wife.

“I’m sorry.” Was all the platinum-blonde could utter.

Deanna shook her head. “No, I’m sorry. I know how much this means to you and I’ve been piling on trying to solve it. And I’ve made it worse by doing so.”

“Maybe…maybe we just need to restart.” Offered Selena. “That’s kind of why we’re going this way.”

Deanna’s eyes widened. “I was wondering that!” she declared. “We’re way outside of Nome now-“ reaching into her pocket, she checked on her phone. “Holy cats… there’s not even a signal out here.”

“Yeah.” Selena smiled. “Okay, don’t be mad…because I already feel bad about this… but I knew this would happen.”
“Knew what would happen?”
“That Malcolm wouldn’t be much help, and you’d get upset, and I’d get upset – speaking from experience here – so… I kinda made reservations for us.”
“Reservations?” Deanna asked. “For what?”

“Pilgrim Springs.” Selena shrugged. “So… the orphanage that raised Elsianna? In that area is a popular spa and bathing treatment…”

Deanna’s eyes widened, her mouth hanging open. “Selena Michelle Frost… are you looking to get us pampered?!”

Turning her head to gaze at her wife, the Snow Queen offered the redhead a smile. “I prefer the term ‘destressed’. Clear our heads and get back on track and-“

The loud popping sounds that filled their ears was instantly recognized as Selena’s head jerked back to the road, her brain taking only a second to recognize the sound of punctured tires. However, her reaction was a second too late, the sudden change and speed in traction twisting the vehicle to the side. She gripped the wheel and slammed back and away from the gas to try and let it coast but the car seemed to have a mind of its own, transforming into some kind of wild animal that Selena couldn’t control-

All she could do was watch and, in futility, twist the wheel left and right as she saw the road veer from them… and the nearby ditch rush up to meet them, with darkness following with one last “popping” sound. 
_______________________________________________________________

The Royal Letter

The camera opens up to reveal the interior of a living room of what appears to be a log cabin. The walls are sturdy wood and the curtains are drawn just enough to allow only a little light to spill into the room, which more than enough for the audience to see the young woman sitting on a blue and pink plaid couch. She wears blue jeans and a black lace top that reveals the top of her neck and shoulders, the black of her snowflake tattoo just peeking out on her left shoulder. Despite the homely setting, the expression of Selena Frost is quite serious and reflective as she seems to be looking just off camera, her thoughts gathering.

A couple of years ago, I had a rather unique opportunity. 

In 2018, I won the Trios Tournament. And at the time, I was ready to do what I am about to do this weekend. Headline Rise to Greatness for the first time in my career. She smiles at the memory before her smile slowly transforms into a slightly amused one.

It wasn’t a secret back then. I told the world early on that that was my intention. I wasn’t going to pull a ‘surprise!’ moment like so many have done. I wanted the world to know what I was doing so there would be no surprises. For a moment, the Snow Queen before a scoff escapes her

But isn’t that life? You try and remove the element of surprise with an open declaration, and a surprise happens anyway? Cause a few weeks before Rise, I get a phone call from the boss, Mr. D.. And it’s not horrid. It’s not a warning. D. simply asked me to do one thing regarding the choice I had made:

He asked me to really think about it. quietly, Selena strums her fingers together before turning her attention towards the camera.

Let me make this clear here. Being here? At the main-event of Rise to Greatness? Fighting for the greatest title in all of wrestling? There’s nothing bigger than that. Countless people have that on their bucket list, including my sister, Regan. It’s the accolade of accolades, the accomplishment of all accomplishments here in SCW. To headline the biggest pay-per-view of the year.

And three years ago, I wanted it, almost as much as I have wanted it this year. And back then, I didn’t want to think about it. I just wanted to do it! there is a tension in her body for a moment, which the Snow Queen breathes out before continuing.

But I did think about it. I thought about it over and over again until my head hurt. And as I did, I realized what Mr. D. was asking me to really consider. He was asking me to consider not just the others in that match, but also consider myself. a pale hand rests over her chest.

I’ve been saying it for weeks, guys. There are two people that are usually part of this match. One is the person that earned the right to call themselves the World Champion. That isn’t something you just ‘get’. You fight like hell, you beat the best that come before you and you earn your right to say “I am the best there is in SCW”. The second person is the winner of the Taking Hold of the Flame royale – a person that outlasts, outwrestles, outsmarts, whatever you want to call it, 39 other wrestlers, fighting in a warzone and standing tall to proclaim “I survived. I deserve a shot for the world title”.

I was neither of those things in 2018. I was the person that was ready to cash in a shot I earned that I could have used at any other time. And I realized not only would I be disrespecting the main-event and two people that fought like hell to get there, I would also be tainting the main-event of Rise to Greatness for me. For a moment, the Face of SCW seems taken aback by her own words.

I know! I’m talking about myself. Can’t wait to hear Ace whine about that! But it’s true and it’s what D. really wanted me to think about. Because how did I want my first, and perhaps only, main-event at Rise to Greatness in my career to be? Did I want to be one of the two that earned their way to this spot? Or did I want to be the person that just cashed in and was handed entry into this match?

So, while it terrified me to… let it go… she rolls her eyes a little at her inadvertent choice of words. I relinquished my hold on the main-event that year. And since that day, I made a promise to myself that I was going to be there as one of the two possible people that earned that spot.

Selena gives a shrug. And it took three years to do it, a hell of a detour, but here I am, ready to defend the SCW World Championship in what can only be called “The Unbelievable Main Event”!

Again, as if hearing her own words, Selena holds up a hand as if to still her audience. Now, I say that and, apparently, it’s gotten quite a reaction from the man that’s challenging me. 

Ace Marshall, you scoff at those words. That I call this main-event “unbelievable”. What was it you said on Breakdown? That if you’re damn good, it’s not unbelievable? Now, I’ve got some things to say about that, but first, let me just check something with you for a second. her pale hands move as she continues to speak.

First, we have you. A man that came out of nowhere, who, by your own admission at the royale, has been ‘just skating by’, right? You come in and you do the supposed impossible. Almost twenty years and no one, not a soul, before you has won the SCW Taking Hold of the Flame Battle Royale twice. Not once has that happened in nearly twenty years. So, by that logic – by those odds – you shouldn’t even be here in this match…

Yet here we are. she gives a knowing shrug.

And then you have me. The… what did you and Lexy say over the last few weeks? The platinum-blonde stops to think for a moment. The phony? The liar? “The Queen of Spin”? before shaking her head. Yeah, I know, I think Lexy’s been listening to too many of her dad’s work with Infamous cause she sounded more like Syren and Christy and practically every other person that’s fought me – thinking those words were the ‘magic bullet’ that will put me down or ‘get to me’. A smile breaks across her face.

But the funny thing is, Ace. For all of that? For all the ‘phoniness’, all the ‘lies’ you and Lexy think I’m spewing and the narrative I’m apparently ‘spinning’, there are so many people that refused to believe that I could get past Syren and all of Infamous and then just as many people that thought I couldn’t get past Cid. That the “Year of Selena Frost”, which, by the way, was in 2016, not 2017 when we fought – maybe check your facts before you or Lexy mouth off – was behind me, the heights of which I would never achieve or surpass again. she gives another shrug.

Yet here we are.

And for me, Ace, I spent four years being told to ‘wait’ for my chance to become world champion. Regardless of who I beat, the things I accomplished, I was never chosen. And that isn’t sour grapes at management. That was just how things were. And I’ll admit that after four years? I started to doubt that I could be World Champion again, let alone headline Rise to Greatness.

Yet here we are.

Slowly, the young woman leans forward. I’m not going to sugar-coat this for you, Ace. I’m going to talk straight. This match is the culmination of all of that hardship, that doubt, and those dreams. This match, to me, IS unbelievable because, by all accounts, neither of us should be here. On paper, neither of us should be standing in the ring facing one another on the biggest night of the year.

Not a slant against either of our abilities, Ace. It’s because we have defied odds. We have gone against the ‘expectations’ of so many to stand here – so YES! This match is unbelievable whether you want to see it that way or not. her point made clear, Selena relaxes back on the couch a little.

And you made it adamantly clear last week that you don’t see it that way, Ace. You came into the ring, looked me in the eyes and said that you were so damn good that this match wasn’t unbelievable. That “when you’re this damn good, things like this aren’t unbelievable”.

And now that I got the logistics of that statement out of the way, I can get a bit more personal. And personally, Ace? That pissed me off far more than anything Lexy has ever said on your behalf.

Before the camera, Selena’s expression seems to grow colder, along with her tone. Because who the hell are you, Ace Marshall?! 

Let me ask you. Was Regan Street not ‘damn good’ enough just because it didn’t happen for her? Were guys like Dillusion or Christian Savior or Rachel Foxx or Amy Chastaine not ‘good enough’ because it didn’t happen for them? Were guys like Tommy Valentine, Alistaire Allocco, Kennedy Street, and Glory Braddock not ‘good enough’ because they only did it once? 

She shakes her head, her tone still cold. You did something incredible, Ace. No one can deny that of you. Congratulations. Like I’ve said before, and like you’ve pointed out that I’ve said in the past, you proved that “Ace Marshall can occasionally go”. That’s true. When you want something. When you want to win something, you’re one of the toughest guys to beat and one of the hardest people to stop from getting it. You wanted to be here – to headline Rise to Greatness for a third time – you did it. But if you think, for one single second, that that means you’re above and beyond and everyone else is beneath you because of how good you are, then you’re the one who isn’t being a realist.

Selena slowly tilts her head. Those were your words, right? A few weeks ago, you went on a diatribe about being a ‘realist’, about how you’re ‘sick of the stories’ and how you were going to bring ‘sanity’ back to SCW by picking up the mantle and representing it, right? at the mention of such ‘promises’ from the challenger, Selena cannot help but scoff.

But then you actually win the royale, and you tell me – you tell the world – that you’re so damn good that it was inevitable. You bring your manager, Lexy, and you have her try and ‘buy me’. You come at me not once but twice with cheap shots and, most recently, you sat in your house or where ever you are and instead of speaking your mind, which you’re amazing at, you have your manager do your promo for you.

Slowly, Selena claps her hands, clearly not amused by the antics Ace has employed over the last few weeks. You think I’m gonna call you lazy? You think I’m going to call you a phony? I know I will, Ace, but, realistically? I don’t have to. Because there’s millions of people – people you “think” are part of the Lexy Nation or Lexy Mania or how many different ways Lexy can put it – they are the reality that neither you or Lexy can accept. 

They are the ones that cheered when I floored you last week when you tried to cheap shot me again. They are the people that are screaming and excited about how ‘unbelievable’ Sunday night, our match, will be. They are the ones that deserve our absolute best and more – everything we have to give. They are the ones you and Lexy claim ‘deserve better’, yet this is how you treat them? By having your ‘hype-girl’ do the work for you?

And don’t get me wrong! I know, at some point, you’re gonna roll out of bed, maybe take a quick drink to dull that burning hangover and then ATTEMPT to get some words out just to spite me, because let’s face it, Ace, that’s what you really live for: to spite people and to create chaos… a slight smile forms across Selena’s lips as she shakes her hand and extended finger at the camera.

But that’s the difference between you and me, isn’t it, Ace? You come to work looking for someone to piss off. I come to work to make it better. You come to work to entertain yourself and appease whoever is giving you handouts and payoffs like Lexy and Shilo Valiant. I come to work to make SCW worth watching. You come to work and let Lexy or Autumn or Cassidy or whoever else do your job for you. I come to work because I LOVE my job! she stresses the last set of words.

So you can treat this like a ‘normal night’ or something you deserve because you’re so damn good, Ace. You go ahead and do that, and I swear to you, I am going beat you faster than I did Xander Valentine two years ago. Because if you’re not going to be ‘unbelievable’, Ace – if you’re not going to rise to the occasion like those people truly deserve and make this match ‘unbelievable’ – you can damn well believe that I will!

Because I have fought like hell against the best to get to this point – to get to this night, this match, this moment! And I will be damned if I let it just become something for you to scoff at and treat like something that’s ‘part of the norml’. I will be damned if I let this moment slip through my fingers – if I let the SCW world title slip through my fingers – by some entitled jackass who can’t even get off his ass to do his own damn promo for his matches half the time!

Taking a few slow breaths to claim herself, Selena once more regards the audience. I’ll tell you one more thing that makes this match unbelievable, Ace. Since 2006, there have been 15 world championship matches at Rise to Greatness. Out of those 15 matches, only 4 people have successfully retained the world championship. 

Which means, given those numbers, the odds of me retaining are about 27%. Not even a passing grade for a realist… practically, in the eyes of a realist, I imagine it’s… unbelievable? The Snow Queen smiles knowingly at that.

I want you to keep that in mind, Ace. Because at the rate we’re headed to Los Angeles, there’s not going to be a single moment in our match that makes any sense to you and your ‘realist’ mind. There’s not going to be a second that you or Lexy will understand, regardless of how ‘damn good’ you are.

Because, when it comes to being ‘unbelievable’, especially at Rise to Greatness, very few can do it as well as I can.

And, in the end, no matter how ‘Lexy Chapel Presents’ it, or how much she tries to steal credit for it, or how much you try and ignore it, you will NOT be the SCW World Champion. You will NOT be leaving with the SCW World Championship. she leans forward as she finishes that last statement.

And whether you believe that or not, Ace, you’ll, at least, be able to brag that you were ‘damn good enough’ to be PART of the “Unbelievable Main Event”. But good enough to win it?

Slowly, Selena shakes her head. That’s something that I don’t quite believe even you’re that damn good enough to do…

The camera slowly fades on the smiling World Champion before going entirely to black.