End of the Year Open Invitational

[SnowQueenSCW]

OOC: And offhand remark on Breakdown inspired this...so, consider this my entry into the EOTY Royale for Deanna Frost. Takes place after Selena’s first roleplay. CD only.

Project: Black Ice

”Seeing Things in Red…”

Frost ‘Forever’ House
Manhattan, New York
December 23rd, 2021
2:31pm

I’m not going to try and get the title on Deanna…
Sorry…

That’s how it had started. An offhand comment. Something that had meant nothing to her when it was spoken was now something that Deanna couldn’t get out of her head.

She had been standing in the ring on the final episode of Breakdown before the End of the Year event – about a week ago – when she had heard Selena say it. And, even now, she believed that there was nothing wrong with what Selena had said, and Deanna sure as hell wasn’t going to believe that her wife had meant anything ill towards her. How many times had the platinum-blonde credited her victories to Deanna? Or celebrated in the ring with her? Hell, they had a framed photo of them kissing in the middle of the ring at Rise to Greatness – the greatest moment of my career… Selena had said.

So why is this bothering me so much?! The redhead asked in thought, driving her hands into her hair in frustration.

There was just so many other things to think about! More important things! Deanna tried to remind herself of that as she stuffed the folded shirts into her bag.

There was only two days left till Christmas, till her wife’s birthday and till their anniversary – the first of all three since her release from Frankfurt…

For a moment, Deanna’s eyes fluttered shut. Frankfurt, that prison where she had suffered two years of hell for a crime she never committed. Two years of not seeing her children beyond a few times a week. Two years of fearing she would be hurt or worse by Queenie and her goons – she felt a shiver grip her spine at that painful memory. Two years where she could only hold her wife’s hand whenever she visited. Two years of only having one day a month to do more than that with her beloved. All the tears she could not be there to remove from Selena’s sapphire eyes and vice versa. All the things of her children she had missed: David’s ‘babyhood’, Amiliah’s first words, Elsianna growing more and more into a look alike of Selena.

When she had been released from prison and deemed innocent, Deanna had quietly vowed to not only never miss a thing of her family’s ever again, but with all of this – all this pain and loss – having been orchestrated by Killjoy, she had vowed never to allow herself to feel that weak, that powerless ever again…

And yet here we are… came the teasing voice in the redhead’s mind, causing her to shake her head aggressively.

I’m not going to try and get the title on Deanna…
Sorry…

Biting her lower lip, she slammed her thoughts down onto that memory, just as she slammed her suitcase shut, trying to banish it away. She took a few slow breaths to clear her mind. Get over it. she told herself. Selena needs you.

There was no doubt of that – and it was the reason behind the entire packing. Malcolm’s memorial service was happening in two days in Nome, Alaska, the late, former mayor’s bitter son, Ryan, having arranged the service and ‘inviting’ Selena to attend. More like daring her not to… Deanna reasoned. Still, she had refused to let Selena face that nightmare alone, the children and herself opting to travel with Selena back to the winter-country Selena had called home. If there was going to be some kind of scheme played by Ryan and the other Scythes, Deanna refused to let Selena face it alone. They would overcome it together, just like they always had.

Except when she said-

“Chargers!” Deanna thought, pushing the thoughts out of her mind and rushing around the bedroom she and Selena shared to her nightstand. She had almost forgotten her phone charger. Despite the various roles she had played in SCW the past few months, from enforcer to valet, she was still Selena’s manager, and with the End of the Year drawing so close, which involved Selena finally getting her hands on Holly Adams, who had been chosen as the End of the Year World Title Shot recipient, the last thing Deanna wanted was to miss a call from SCW if something had changed or if Holly released some kind of statement. Selena had already done one promotional video – a Royal Letter – and was working on a second, this one her traditional ‘Frozen Central’, and if Holly was as much of a loudmouth as Deanna thought she was…

The redhead stopped herself. She was lying to herself a little. Yes, she was keeping an eye on Holly and The Brand’s activities in order to assist her wife… but there was another reason she wanted continuous access to the SCW media…

Biting her lower lip, she pulled out her phone from her blue-jeans pocket, unlocking it with her thumb print and opening up Google Chrome. Immediately, the page flashed as it was restored, before showing the list of media links to various videos posted on Youtube, Blogs and other websites, all with one thing in common.

These were the entries of wrestlers looking to enter into the End of the Year Invitational. People from all across the world entering into the free for all battle for money, a car, and bragging rights.

For Deanna, she merely stared at the page for a moment, her eyes taking in the list of superstars that had already made their entry clear. Some she recognized from her own time with Selena like Marie Jones and Mitch Sanders, and even Beard, while others, like the rest of the Braddock family whose name wasn’t Glory, she had only heard about. She had even laughed at the idea of the Dalek showing up again, as it had in the Underground title match between Lucas Knight and Kimberly Williams a few weeks ago.

The match just looked so…so… fun. When had she ever used that word to describe a match? Matches had always been brutal! Tests of abilities and will and sometimes bloody and scary – things that had made her fear for her beloved wife over and over again.

But this? This felt different! There were icons and legends outside of SCW! There were jobbers, there were non-wrestlers… just like her! Maybe it wasn’t just this match was different that it had caught her eye, maybe it was also because she was different…

I’m not going to try and get the title on Deanna…
Sorry…

Quickly, her small hands pulled open the nightstand drawer to pull out the white cord of her smartphone, but as she was about to close, her eyes spotted something that froze her in place. A folded up piece of paper that she recognized instantly.

Don’t look at it… she ordered herself, even as her hands moved closer to it. Don’t look at it!

Her fingertips felt the smooth, flat end and the sharp corner of the folded paper as she drew it out of its ‘hiding place’. Nimbly, her fingers moved, unfolding it to gaze at it. A simple sketch met her eyes. A sketch filled with lines and scribbles and hard-pressed marks.

The sketch was a simple ‘body drawing’ used to draw clothing designs. It ‘wore’ a vest marks on it that indicated some mind of design that ran along the vest and down the long pants. Underneath the vest was a dark-purple shirt that added a slight accent to the outfit. To the side, there were drawings of fall leaves, complete with a dark orange/red color, as well as a list written in Deanna’s handwriting about ‘alternate color schemes’ for the leaves and the undershirt.

A sad smile formed on Deanna’s lips as she traced the design with her index fingertip. She could identify what this feeling was. What it was that was bothering her ever since she had heard Selena’s offhand remark.

She didn’t want the world title that her wife possessed. She wasn’t Holly Adams, secretly coveting the accomplishments of her ‘clients’. But, everything Selena had – everything she had earned… yes, Deanna had been part of that, maybe even a driving force… but it was Selena’s that such things belonged to. It was Selena whose name deserved to be on that list of accolades.

But if that was the case… what could Deanna really be proud of?

Her one match in SCW had been an abysmal failure, with her being pinned by Holly Adams in an impromptu tag-match. Her only match in SCW had been letting her beloved wife. Other than that?

The sound of the doorknob turning sent a shock through her spine and made her heart jump a little, the paper slipping out of her hand and ‘gliding’ through air before slipping underneath the bed. Deanna barely had time to register the paper’s location before the door opened, allowing the platinum-blonde to slip into the room.

“Presents are all packed in the different suitcases.” Selena whispered as she moved further into the room. “The kids are finishing packing.” With a huff, the world champion reached to scratch her head, causing Deanna to be lost in her wife’s beautiful features – and trying desperately not to recall that blasted offhand remark again! “I’m still not sure about all of this.” Selena sighed, giving her head a shake. “The more I think about it, the more I think that Ryan has something up his sleeve and-“

She stopped mid-sentence as she settled her gaze on Deanna, her sapphire eyes suddenly growing wide with concern. Before Deanna could ask what was wrong, the Snow Queen had strode right to where she stood, standing only a few inches from her. “What’s wrong?” she asked, her voice laced with alarm.

“Wrong?” Deanna asked in surprise. “Nothing. I was just packing and – I forgot my charger-“ she held up the white cable that was still in her hands.

Selena’s eyes never moved from her wife’s face. Instead, she reached out a pale finger towards Deanna’s cheek, moving it slightly along the soft skin before withdrawing it. Deanna’s eyes closed at the contact but opened them again as she felt the hand remove itself from her. She saw Selena staring down at the finger that had touched the redhead’s cheek, and the single tear that was on said finger.

“What the-“ Deanna said aloud, her hand flying up to wipe aggressively at the cheek Selena had touched. “When was I-“

The older Frost remained silent for a moment. “Deanna…” she slowly spoke afterwards. “Are you…I mean, you don’t have to come with me if you don’t want to.”

Emerald eyes went wide. “What are you talking about?” she asked. “Of course I want to go with you! We’re going to put this whole thing behind us – the Scythe family, all of it. And…” she took a slow breath, not wanting to admit the next part but doing so anyway. “I want to be there in case something DOES happen.”

She was expecting Selena to suggest her staying ‘for her own safety’. Afterall, her beloved had done it before multiple times when it came the dangers of the Scythes and Killjoy. Selena could defend herself, she was a fighter…and Deanna wasn’t as far along as her. Yes, she had tackled Asher Hayes and punched him in the face. Yes, she had dealt with Konrad Raab when the situation had called for it… but compared to Selena?

“So…what’s wrong?”

Deanna turned back to her wife, surprised that the ‘suggestion’ hadn’t come. Although, by a mere observation, Deanna could see the struggle in her wife’s eyes – she WANTED to suggest it but was fighting that protective nature, keeping her promise to trust her wife to take care of herself, their children and even take care of Selena if necessary.

“Nothing.” Deanna smiled back with a shrug of her shoulders and a wave of her hand. “I must have been rubbing my eye a bit too hard or something.”

Lifting her eyebrows, Selena gave a slow, few nods of her head. Her expression said she didn’t entirely believe Deanna, but she wasn’t going to press the matter.

“Well, I confirmed all the bookings with the flights and the hotel. We’re going to be staying closer to the outskirts. Duke and George will be monitoring the plane all day we’re there, in case we need-“

“A quick getaway?” Deanna interjected, finishing her wife’s sentence. It sounded absurd, but it really wasn’t. With the whole family being in one place, and with no Malcolm around to keep Ryan in check – Deanna’s mind flashed back to what Selena had shared with her in regards to the eldest Scythe’s behaviour at Serpentine Springs. How he had swore to find ways to undermine his late father’s ruling about leaving his ‘biological children’, Elsianna and David, alone.

What if he tried to pin the blame of his father’s death on them? The Scythe family, for all that had happened, was still the most powerful family in Nome. And while Selena had some credibility as a sort of ‘celebrity’, the small town still saw her as ‘the crazy miner’s daughter’ in several aspects. Realistically, as both Frost wives knew, it would not take much for the Scythes to turn the town against the Frosts, especially over the death of Malcolm. They couldn’t arrest them on such groundless accusations, which both women were relieved over, but public opinion could be so easily swayed in such a small town, unlike the SCW universe, no matter how many people like The Brand tried.

A quick getaway was not just smart thinking on Selena’s part, it was necessary.

“Umm…Deanna…” Selena’s voice came in, surprising the redhead. When had the platinum-blonde moved towards her suitcase? When had she opened it? “Why do you only have three days of outfits?”

“Wha-“ Following behind her, Deanna cast a glance inside the bag, seeing three of everything she had packed. Underwear, socks, pants, shirts, nightgown- “Cause we arrive on the 24th, Christmas and funeral 25th, leave that day and-“

Selena’s expression was one of genuine surprise, almost as if she had been shocked. “And we’re supposed to go to Ottawa right after – De, we planned this.”

Emerald eyes went wide as Deanna’s jaw hung open. How the hell could she forget that?! The damn event was in Ottawa! Five days after the funeral! There wouldn’t be enough time to travel from Nome to New York and then back to Ottawa! They had discussed this in detail! It had made more sense to pack more and travel from Nome to Ottawa and spent the few days in Ottawa truly celebrating the holidays with the children.

“Right!” Deanna tried to laugh off the mistake. “Ditzy Deanna again…duh.” She playfully smacked the side of her head, earning an odd look from Deanna. “I’m sorry, sweetie. I’ll just grab some more-“ she made to walk past Selena, only for a pair of pale, strong hands to reach out and hold her in place.

“Deanna.” Selena pressed. “What is going on?”
“Nothing.” Deanna tried. “I made a mistake- I wasn’t thinking. I do that sometimes.”

“Not like this.” Selena insisted. “Ever since we got back from Miami, you’ve been acting weird. You’ve…you’ve drifted off more and more, you don’t want to talk about SCW or work and you’re all over the place like this. So, if it’s not the funeral, then what is it?”

I’m not going to try and get the title on Deanna…
Sorry…

I’m not going to try and get the title on Deanna…
Sorry…

I’m not going to try and get the title on Deanna…
Sorry…

“It’s nothing!” Deanna cried out, instinctively pushing Selena away. It wasn’t a forceful enough shove to knock her down, but it was enough to cause the Snow Queen to take a few steps back, her sapphire eyes growing wide, as did Deanna’s. “I…” the redhead stammered, her eyes turned down to glare at her hands. “I’m sorry – I didn’t…”

The two stood in silence, one staring at the other and the other staring at their hands.

“It’s not nothing.” Selena stated quietly. “But I’m hardly someone that can talk about keeping things to myself.” Deanna heard her take a deep breath. “Can you go check on the kids?” she finally asked. “I’ll finish packing for you.”

She was moving again, Deanna could hear her, the older woman walking around the room to get the drawers and closets to pick up more clothes for Deanna. She wanted to move her feet and got to her wife, rush into her arms and tell her everything.

Tell her how much those words spoken last week were bothering.
Tell her how she felt like she had nothing to be proud of of herself.
Tell her how she… how she wanted to compete in a match…

But she couldn’t say any of that – all her brain was doing was calling her ‘selfish’ and ‘pitiful’. Instead, she took a shaky breath, trying to force sound out of her throat.

“After the funeral…and we’re in Ottawa, I’ll tell you what’s bothering me.” She whispered, her eyes still on her hands. She didn’t want for a reply from Selena. Instead, she turned and left the room in search of her children, doing all she could to banish the memory and the feelings she didn’t want from her mind, at least for now.

The Frost family didn’t need a confused woman presently lacking in self-confidence.

They needed her to be strong. Needed her to be the woman that stood by Selena – defended Selena! That’s who Selena needed as well.

With a slow, shaky breath, Deanna put her lingering thoughts of the End of the Year and the battle royale to the side for now, making her way down the stairs to find her children and help them finish packing.

They had a funeral to attend to…