Giovanni 'GiGi' Aries vs. Selena Frost

[SnowQueenSCW]

OOC: In two parts due to length.

Project: Black Ice

”Frost No More”

The Frost Gold-Mine Cave
Nome, Alaska
June 2nd, 2022
12:03am


“Almost like looking in a mirror, isn’t it?” 

Killjoy smirked as she stepped closer to Selena, the Snow Queen unable to take her eyes away from the approaching madman – no, madwoman. How had she not figured it out sooner? After all these months, all this time, the way Killjoy fought, how she moved – no, Killjoy had purposefully hidden the reality of her identity with the leather jacket and gloves and distorted voice, Selena’s short time being Mr. Oscar Craven over in Paris was still enough for her to know that it was more than possible if disguise was the intent.

This was what Killjoy had wanted. She had wanted to reveal herself like this. To stare into the woman that was so like her in appearance, at least on the surface. Their hair color looked similar, their eyes were alike and their features – Killjoy was right. It was like looking in a mirror, perhaps in the same way that twins looked similar at first glance.

“You’re not so scary without the skull mask.” Selena remarked, crossing her arms over her chest and standing her ground.

Giving a smirk, a little laugh escaped Killjoy as she shrugged out of her leather jacket, revealing the charcoal-gray, tight shirt that clung to the toned body underneath. “Interesting that a woman that goes around dressed as some demented Frozen superhero on TV and then hides around in Paris as a man is going to mock me on a little ‘dramatics’ of costume.” Tossing the leather jacket to the ground, along with her gloves, Killjoy turned to see the, somewhat, surprised expression on Selena’s face. “Oh you think I didn’t figure out where you were hiding?” she scoffed. “It wasn’t exactly hard. You did propose to Deanna there, didn’t you?”

Selena said nothing, merely narrowing her eyes and lowering her head a little to glare at Killjoy for several seconds. “Oh come on!” Killjoy further mocked. “After all these months – all this time I gave you, you say you’ve figured it out and you won’t let me have my fun? You won’t humor me? Talk about ungrateful. After all the time I gave you.”

“You stole two years from Deanna’s and my life, ran Talia off the road in a car accident, shot at Gavin... You killed people…” Selena countered. “And you threatened to kill Deanna. I’m not interested in humoring you.”

“I see.” Killjoy scoffed, shrugging her shoulders before running a hand through her platinum-hair, longer than Selena’s, though hers flowed down her back while Selena’s was tied up in its braid. “I suppose I’ll have to live with the lack of…reaction…” she gestured towards Selena’s cold expression. “At my revelation and instead let you have your ‘AHA!’ moment. So, go ahead…” she teased with a hand towards the woman. “You know who I am? Enlighten me.”

“You’re Atlas. Resident 222 of Operation Snowman.” Selena stated.

“I see you spoke to Rebecca.” Killjoy smiled. “And she took you to the facility?”

“You were born there.” Selena continued. “And you matched whatever criteria existed… to replace me.”

“To replace Selena Frost, yes.” Killjoy replied. “Though you’re skipping a few steps along the way.”

“What do you mean?” Selena asked, tilting her head towards the pacing killer. Without meaning to, her feet began walking, adopting the pacing circle that Killjoy was taking, the two women circling one another.

“Picture if you will a very powerful man.” Killjoy began, her voice so like Selena’s, the wrestler could almost imagine she was watching one of her old promos from the past. “A man that continues to grow in power in a small town with each passing day. His methods include intimidation, blackmail, coercion, but also honest deals of the politician. One day, he makes a deal with an equally power-hungry family and an accord is struck, with a third family being drawn in.”

“The DeCarlos and the Frosts.” Selena stated. “I know this story.”

“I’m sure you do.” Killjoy smirked at Selena, casting a glance towards her as she continued to slowly pace. “Your father’s gold mine-“ Killjoy raised a pale hand as she gestured to the nearby cave that stood several yards back from her. “-the DeCarlo’s fortune, the Scythe’s empire – all wrapped up together in a union between one of Malcolm’s kids and one of the children of the Frost/DeCarlo family. Perfect on paper, most would say.”

“No one would say that.” Selena replied darkly. “My family – the Frosts – were forced into it.” 

“Never said any of them were saints, did I?” Killjoy teased. “But a funny thing happened after the accord was struck. No heir was provided on the Frosts’ side. Malcolm had his children: his sons from Rebecca – Gavin and Ryan. But your father, Donovan, couldn’t provide what he was being coerced to offer.”

“A daughter?”

“A daughter, yes. But also any child at all.” Killjoy corrected. “Turns out Anastasia DeCarlo was unable to conceive children and kept that little fact from the families in order to be chosen as ‘the one’ to be part of this epic plan, knowing she would never be able to deliver on her end of the bargain.”

“She was unable to have children?” Selena asked in surprise, earning another grin from Killjoy, who watched her.

“Anastasia failed to mention that to you, didn’t she?” came the knowing reply from Killjoy, her eyes locked on the other platinum-blonde.

Selena felt the muscles in her jaw tighten and clench, another fact having never occurred to her. Her step-mother’s hatred of her was burned into the depths of her memories – scars from her past, but she had always attributed it to the fact that father had had an affair with her biological mother, Alejandra, and her being proof of that. Was it much deeper than that? 

Why not? Hadn’t Selena witnessed atrocities of all kinds in SCW over such bitterness. Of others wanting what someone else had! Schemes, assaults, an entire book could be written of such things just by focusing on Syren! Stables like The Wonderland and Infamous had been formed based on some self-established ‘controversy theory’ of being held back and denied – an excuse that even ran today with Lexy Chapel running around with some kind of lawyer-dog! Hell, how many times had The Brand tried to cheat and screw Selena out of her matches just so they could hold the world title? From interferences to pushing her into that “DQ and you lose the title” match that was the fault of their OWN meddling previously!

Was it so hard to believe that her own step-mother had hated her simply because Anastasia would never have a daughter of her own flesh and blood?

“You’re connecting the dots, aren’t you?” Killjoy teased, still pacing along the dirt path, though with Selena stopping, she had started merely pacing back and forth, keeping the distance from the Snow Queen for now. 

“I’m waiting for that ‘killshot’ you promised would ‘destroy me’.” Selena threw back mockingly. “So far, you’re just filling in a few gaps of things I already know.”

“Oh, don’t worry, I’m getting to it.” Killjoy smiled back, unfazed by Selena’s words. “But as you can imagine with Anastasia’s barrenness, Malcolm was left in a rather difficult position. He couldn’t exactly get rid of Anastasia without incurring the DeCarlos’ wrath but a union between them and the Frosts would never yield an heir… but…” She held up a finger, turning her head to regard Selena. “If one could be ‘brought in’? One that matched the criteria of a supposed heir than who would think twice? Who would question it?”

“So he adopted?” Selena asked. “Or looked for one? That would be easy. Pilgrim Springs, Anchorage - What does that have to do with Project Snowman and Project Black Ice?”

The smile turned into a smirk as Killjoy stopped, turning to glare down Selena. “Project Snowman was the ‘adoption process’.” She stated darkly, causing Selena’s eyes to go wide, the implication beyond clear in her mind. “Or the first step of it.”

“It wasn’t a homeless shelter or an orphanage…” the wrestler whispered. “It was a breeding ground.”

“Take a few dozen homeless people desperate for food, shelter and money, impregnate them – suddenly you’ve got a pool of genetic lottery. Malcolm thought if he was going to ‘adopt an heir’, why not choose one with the perfect genetics? With optimal health, optimal brain activity, someone that would be ‘the perfect heir’ for such a contracted union of Scythes, DeCarlos, and Frosts. All he had to do was wait for his ‘lucky number’ to be called. And all on the taxpayer’s dime – unknowingly.”

“Dr. Spencer…” Selena’s voice trailed off, earning a nod from Killjoy.
“In charge of vetting the children born. Any fault, any inconsistency not living up to Malcolm’s ‘standard’, well…”

“Well, what?” Selena asked. “Weren’t they taken to Anchorage? Or Pilgrim Springs?”

“That how you dispose of a faulty experiment sample?” Killjoy asked darkly. “Or a broken piece of lab equipment?” 

Selena’s mouth hung open. No…it couldn’t be… how many children… how many women had Malcolm ‘disposed’ of to get his ‘perfect specimen’?! She could feel the breath being taken from her like a punch to the gut at such a revelation. She had known – always known – that Malcolm was a monster, but never did she imagine such lengths as this…

“You’re forgetting who we’re talking about.” Killjoy stated coldly, regaining Selena’s focus. “Who would miss a bunch of homeless women or abandoned children? Who’d miss people that the world had abandoned?” 

Why did so much of this sound familiar to Selena – why was she thinking of Giovanni Aries at a time like this. She quickly gave a shake of her head. “Rebecca said that the center was closed three years later – but you were in Spencer’s notes two years after that.”

“Timing.” Killjoy nodded. “An outlier in the plan, just like with Anastasia’s condition, that no one foresaw.”

“My mother.” Selena realized.
“Alejandra.” Killjoy confirmed. “Forgotten by everyone but Donovan. A man so in love that he risked the wrath of the other two families to be with her – and just like that… Malcolm had his heir. He no longer needed Project Snowman.”

“But then how does that explain you?” Selena pressed, the Snow Queen stepping forward, only about ten yards away from Killjoy now. “Why are you even here?”

“Because Malcolm couldn’t let it go. The idea of the ‘perfect heir’. The perfect person to leave his legacy to – a person that would build on it.” Killjoy explained. “And when the aforementioned child was born and brought back to Nome, imagine his frustrations when he found that she was ‘less than perfect’. That she wasn’t as smart as some of the others or as strong as the others. All he could see were her many faults. A good scare from a biological condition she had and suddenly, he couldn’t handle it anymore. Not when he had come so close to getting the heir his family deserved.”

“So, he restarted the Project…that’s where you come in.” Selena surmised.

“But with far more resources than before.” Killjoy explained. “He was farther along as a politician, remember? He had access to far greater pools of money. Of course, with the child being a girl with certain-“ she gestured to her own hair, so similar to Selena’s. “Features, the vetting process became even more haggard, but bringing in a couple more dozen or so subjects can even that out… like getting three World title shots back-to-back and just needing one to succeed?” She smirked at Selena regarding the reference, though the smile quickly disappeared. “He was more ruthless than ever.” there was a growl in her accented voice, as if recalling something. 

“What’s phase 2?” the question from Selena caught Killjoy off-guard from her distracted musings, the woman turning her head to, once more, regard Selena. 

“Phase 2 was to become Selena Frost. To replace her… AKA…”

“Project: Black Ice.” Selena finished. “But I don’t understand…” she shook her head as if in thought. “I never have had any ‘biological conditions’ in my youth – and why wouldn’t Malcolm replace me? Why would he hold off on it?”

“Don’t get ahead of me.” Killjoy remarked with a knowing smile.
“Did… Did he try to dispose of you?” the question came out as a whisper from Selena’s lips.

Killjoy gave a shrug. “By that point, he had invested too much. Seemed a waste to him, especially when you could still screw things up at any moment. No – I imagine Rebecca told you about her ‘granddaughter’ found on her doorstep?” Selena’s eyes widened at that statement, earning a laugh from Killjoy. “It never occurred to you how I knew that place so well? How I could lead you to it with ease? Or get in?” she shook her head. “I spent years there – never forgetting what Malcolm had taught me. How to think like him. How to predict like him. How to manipulate… but I’ll admit…” she gave a quiet sigh as she continued to pace again. “I’ll admit that after a few years with Rebecca, I began to feel…happy. I began to see her as my mother and I thought… I thought maybe that was enough for me. That I could let go of what I was denied…”

“What changed?” came the inevitable question from Selena. “I heard Rebecca. She doted on you. Loved you. How could you turn your back on that?”

“Because YOU-“ Killjoy’s eyes were suddenly colder as she pointed a pale finger at Selena. “YOU decided that all you had wasn’t enough for you! You refused to simply settle for Gavin Scythe after Ryan left you. You refused to let Anastasia guide you down the path that was handed to you. You ran away from Nome, joined SCW, and changed everything…”

“I ran away from abuse and near-insanity.” Selena corrected with no hesitation. “I left a life that was no life. You ought to know that.”

“You know nothing of having ‘no life’.” Killjoy spat back darkly. “There I was one night, watching television on New Years’ Eve and, suddenly, I’ll never forget that day, I changed the channel and there was the name I had almost forgotten. The name that was meant to be mine! Selena Frost…”

Selena thought about Killjoy’s description for only a moment. “My SCW debut. You watched it?” 

“And every moment after that. You winning the tag-team and adrenaline title, falling in love with Dawn Lohan and then Deanna… Seeing you so sickeningly happy with the world at your fingertips! While all I could hope to have for happiness was a home in exile in the middle of nowhere!”

“So, you decided to come after me.”

“Not right away.” Killjoy shook her head. “But I was alone, broken. Denied the life that belonged to me. I wanted it to end. But then I realized something… if YOU could escape Alaska, why couldn’t I?” she grinned wickedly. “And for seven years, I have worked to that end – to undo what Malcolm did to me!”

There was a moment of cold silence between the two, near doppelgangers of the other, as they stared each other down. 

“So, that’s it then?” Selena’s voice came first. “That’s what all of this is about? Everything you put me through? Everything you tried to take from me, killing Malcolm, all because you weren’t handed the life you were promised?”

Killjoy’s sapphire eyes narrowed but Selena refused to let her speak. “No!” she barked. “I am sorry for what happened to you. I truly am. But my life was never meant to be your ‘prize’ or ‘possession’! The fact that you believed that is YOUR own fault. Not mine or even Malcolm’s! You could have made something of your life just as I did! You could have left this bitterness behind and moved on! You’re clearly capable of it! Smart enough, resourceful enough – you could have done BETTER than me! But instead, you chose jealousy. You chose murder. You chose to hate me because Malcolm failed to complete a stupid project!” 

“I never said he failed.”

Killjoy’s words slammed into Selena, stopping her anger-induced rant in its tracks. “W-what?” she asked, unsure if she heard her correctly, seeing Killjoy smiling cruelly.

“I never said Project: Black Ice failed.” She stated. “Malcolm wanted ‘the perfect heir’. Someone smart enough, strong enough, and worthy enough to take the entire Scythe and Frost and DeCarlo fortune.” She took one step towards Selena. “Strong enough to leave Nome when nobody else thought she could.”

Selena’s eyes went wide.

“Strong enough to knock-out grown men with a single kick.”
“No…” the wrestler’s voice whispered as Killjoy continued to approach.
“Smart enough to outsmart him… the DeCarlos…the entire Frost and Frostmere clan and survive?”
“You’re lying…”

Killjoy stopped just a few feet from Selena, staring the woman down, her voice a dagger to Selena’s heart. “I am not resident 222: ‘Atlas’. I am not the replacer in ‘Project: Black Ice’.” Her eyes narrowed. “You are.”, her sinister grin returned. “I am the person you were meant to replace…

I am the REAL Selena Frost!”

The whole world seemed to stop in that second as Killjoy’s words ran in Selena’s ears as they stood in the clearing by the cave. Her mind rebelled, reeling against what was just spoken. “No…” she whispered. “That’s impossible…” she tried. “You couldn’t be – I… I know who I am!”

“You know what you were told.” Killjoy stated. “October 31st, 1991…” she added, causing Selena’s eyes to go wide at the familiar date. “That was when it happened. I was taken from my bed and you – my doppelganger – took my place. Only a year and change younger than me… No one was the wiser.”

“No… Donovan would have known. Anastasia-“

“Who do you think switched us?” Killjoy barked. “Anastasia knew of my health problems and knew what would happen if she lost her link to the ‘grand plan’ of three families. Donovan would leave her, the DeCarlo family would blame her – so she put her stock on a safer bet and made the switch.”

“She wouldn’t…”
“She’s done worse for less.” Killjoy countered. “The world is full of such people.”

Selena’s mind continued to reel. It couldn’t be true! She was a Frost! She always had been! All of her memories were of being a Frost. Her very core – her identity and pride – stemmed from being a Frost! 

“Malcolm told you all this?” she tried.
“He wasn’t shy in using it as motivation to push me to become better than you – said once I did that, he would switch us again. And I foolishly believed him far longer than I should have.”

“Yet, you believe all this?” Selena countered. “Don’t you see? It was all one lie. All of it. You’re not me. You never were! You were meant to be Malcolm’s ‘insurance policy’ for an heir!”

“Who are you trying to convince?” Killjoy smiled coldly. “Me or you?”

“I AM SELENA FROST!” Selena barked back, her voice echoing in the night, even scaring some nearby wildlife, the sound of squirrels and birds fleeing the nearby trees suddenly. Killjoy remained silent, though her smile never left her pale face. “I’m…” Selena’s voice faltered, the certainty in all Killjoy had said, the conviction in all of her words and expressions – it couldn’t be true! It just couldn’t!

How long had she believed in that name? Fought for that name? Risked for that name? She had won tournaments, waged wars, overcome odds few would even dream of to be and stay a Frost… Just like an heir to Malcolm Scythe would do… her mind mocked.

“Conceal…” she whispered, her eyes slamming closed. “Don’t feel… Conceal…” she breathed, trying to regain what semblance of control she had had when she had arrived before the deadline and waited for Killjoy. Desperately, part of her waged against this information…

What did it matter? Her name didn’t change that Deanna loved her. Didn’t change her being a mother with children that were hers – Killjoy couldn’t take any of that from her! All she was insinuating was that the very identity she had treasured all her life was a lie… CONCEAL! her mind screamed as she pushed her head up to stare down the smug monster.

“Now what?” Selena asked, gathering herself back up to stare at Killjoy. “Is this where you kill me?”

“No.” Killjoy shook her head. “But we are getting closer to the end here.”
“Where you take everything from me. Like you promised.”

That grin returned on Killjoy’s face as she held up a hand. “And I only need two more things to make it all happen. One, for you to lose enough to be driven so far into the dark – to snap – so I can take your place, like you took mine and, like before, with no one being the wiser.”

“To turn bad? Heel?” Selena scoffed at that. “That’s not possible. Deanna and I, we’ve been tempted for years to give in and be like the Scythes and DeCarlos and Frostmeres – like you.” She shook her head. “We’ve never given in!”

“Maybe not… but how much farther can you bend that bar before it breaks?” Killjoy teased. “You blackmailed Malcolm Scythe, killed Brachiss and Evangeline DeWinter with a grenade, pulled out Queenie’s teeth with pliers, hell you just set up Ryan on domestic abuse charges to get him out of the way! See that’s the thing about morals, Snow Queen! The more you bend, the weaker and weaker they become!”

Selena’s jaw clench as she shook her head. “But I haven’t broken! You not being able to act means I haven’t fallen that far! And I won’t!”

“Won’t you?” Killjoy mused knowingly. “You’re one title defence away from headlining Rise to Greatness for a second time in a row. One match away from making history as the longest reigning world champion. One win away from making integrity the new standard in SCW… and you’re facing the one person that you haven’t beaten one-on-one in years.” She grinned again, holding up a finger to Selena. “One loss and suddenly, no integrity…no record… no main-event Rise to Greatness. It all goes away… and you’re left with nothing!”

“But…” Selena stopped, her eyes growing wider. How could she have missed that? Yes, she had thought about her reign in terms of ‘length’ once or twice and certainly the ‘integrity’ had been her focus, but the idea that it could all be undone in one match-

But it was true, wasn’t it? She had no ‘guaranteed’ rematch if she lost the title now, hell, more often than not, the tradition of SCW held that the winner of the royale would face whoever the champion was coming out of Taking Hold of the Flame – meaning, unlike Giovanni, who had everything to gain and nothing to really lose, she stood to lose it all in one match!

Her mission for integrity.
Her belief that SCW should be about non-controversial matches.
The idea of genuineness…

“That’s why you chose the deadline…” Selena realized, staring back at Killjoy. “To take it all from me with one shot.”

“Like I promised I would from the beginning.” Killjoy replied, the smugness and satisfaction clear in her voice and grin – so similar to the masterminds Selena had dealt with in her past, from Vixen Cain to Giovanni. Conceall…Don’t feel…  she mentally repeated again, refusing to break.

“What’s the second thing you need.” Her sapphire eyes narrowed. “You said you needed two things to have the life you craved.”

Despite herself, Killjoy opened her mouth to speak before stopping, as if struck by a thought. “You know… considering all this revelation on my part, it might sound childish to do… but I think I’ll keep that one to myself for the time being. But let’s just say that it’s the only thing in this life that you ever truly earned.”

The killer’s head lowered, her eyes locked on Selena and seemingly growing colder. “And when you finally break and give in to the despair…and I take your place, it will be you that is locked away in exile. It will be you that is alone and forgotten!” she pointed at Selena bitterly, her voice laced with her hatred. “You that is left missing a life that was stolen from you!”

Despite herself, Selena could not say a word as Killjoy stared her down, the deranged woman slowly turning to leave Selena in the dark. As for the Snow Queen, her mind was too lost. She had been wrong. Killjoy’s plan wasn’t to just kill her like she had Malcolm. She wanted Selena to suffer – to live the life Killjoy had been forced to life – and for what? For existing? For being unaware what was happening? For choosing to live her life the best way she could – to look for life and something greater than the bottom of a damn bottle?! To find meaning in concepts like integrity and honour and value in such morality while so many around her refused to?

”Please don’t leave me alone…” The voice flashed into Selena’s mind like a streak of red, halting every panic and spike of despair in her body from Killjoy’s words. “You think it’ll be that easy?”

She saw Killjoy stop in her tracks, the woman turning around to stare down Selena from where she stood a few yards away. “You think it’ll just be that easy to ‘be Selena Frost’?” Selena tilted her head, her own sapphire eyes cold in their glare.

“Maybe you’re telling the truth and you had the name first. Maybe you are ‘the original’ or ‘real’ or whatever… but I’m the one that spent over thirty years living the life of Selena Frost! I was there when Selena lost her father! I was there when her step-mother tried to drown her in a tub! I was there when she was drugged and forced to lose her daughter! I was there when she could only find solace at the bottom of a fucking bottle! I was there when she thought there was no hope and she would never leave Nome! I was there when she realized she was gay! Yeah, news flash, Killjoy – Selena Frost is gay! – get used to that! I was there when she finally cried tears of joy and tears of love! I was there when she bargained her hair, when she suffered scars, when she gave everything she had to be a Frost and be an SCW superstar! I was there through it all- WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN?!”

She saw Killjoy’s jaw clench at the tirade of Selena’s memories – memories of good and bad nature that SHE had survived, not Killjoy.

“You may have been GIVEN the name of Selena Frost – but I EARNED it! Every day for over thirty years! And guess what?! I don’t care how you try – you’ll NEVER take it from me! Because you’re NOT me! You never will be! Not to me, not to Deanna, not to our children, not to our friends and neighbours, and not to the SCW Universe and True-“ 

WHAM!

She didn’t see the fist flying in the dark – too little light between her and Killjoy to do so, but she sure as hell felt it as the uppercut connected with her chin, sending her flying back and landing hard onto the dirt ground with a thud. Temporarily stunned, she struggled to get to her hands and knees, only to feel an arm wrap around her neck in a headlock, Killjoy’s face next to hers as Selena grabbed the arm wrapped around her neck.

“You’re nothing more than an imposter!” roared Killjoy. “And you’ll never be strong enough to stop me from reclaiming what’s mine…”

“I…” Selena coughed out against the constrictions against her neck. “I should tell you something else I was there for… for Selena…” she groaned as Killjoy lifted her up and slammed her back down onto the ground, keeping the headlock on tight. Still, Selena refused to relent, a smile breaking across her features. “I was also there when she got married to a very fiery… VERY stubborn redhead…”

The words were barely out of her mouth when a flash of red came across both platinum-blondes’ vision as Killjoy was ripped off Selena, a figure blasting the assailant with a running bicycle knee! With no way to dodge it due to her position over Selena, Killjoy took the full brunt of the blow, being knocked back and rolling away from Selena, who, once free, coughed and wheezed as her lungs begged for air. 

Instantly, she felt a pair of hands on her in the dark but, unlike Killjoy’s, these hands were more than familiar to her – she had spent nearly seven years holding these hands, of feeling them on every part of her body, and kissing them just because. 

“What…” Selena tried to breath. “What kept you?”
“I took the scenic route.” Deanna shot back, helping Selena up to her feet to check on her best as she could. “Are you alright?”

“Yes.” Selena sighed, shaking her head. “She just got me in the jaw-“

“We’ll talk later.” Deanna pressed, the redhead turning around to face Killjoy, who was pushing herself to her feet. “Hey, jerk!” she cried out, getting Killjoy’s attention. “Wanna see what else being a Frost is like?”

Annoyance giving way to rage, Killjoy sprinted towards Deanna, ready to throw a perfectly aimed punch… or it would have been had Selena not slipped in to block it, using Killjoy’s focus on Deanna to draw close. With Killjoy now distracted on Selena blocking her punch, she was unable to stop the headbutt from Deanna and the shoot kick that followed from Selena!

“Something like that.” Deanna stated before shifting over to Killjoy’s left while Selena took the fiend’s right. The last time Selena and Killjoy had fought, it had been one-on-one and Killjoy was clearly at an advantage. But with a trained Deanna there? And trained to fight with Selena by her side? 

Even Killjoy couldn’t keep up, the look-alike barely able to block a blow or two before one would land and send her stumbling back. And when a double pump kick from the Frost wives kicked Killjoy back a few feet, the woman roared. “ENOUGH OF THIS!” 

Reaching into her back pocket, the enemy pulled out a black gun, pointing it directly at the two Frost women, effectively freezing them in place. “Maybe I just put you in the hospital!” she snapped. “And force you to miss your match AND Rise to Greatness! Or…” she turned the gun towards Deanna. “Throw you off by sending her to a hospital-“

She pulled the hammer back- and would have pulled the trigger if not for the blinding lights that filled her vision and the loud car horn that filled her ears. “What the hell-“ was all she could get out as the car bounced and barrelled down the uneven dirt-road towards the gunwoman! 

Grabbing Deanna, Selena leapt to the side, keeping her safe in her arms as the pair rolled into the ground and away from the car. As for the closer Killjoy, the woman could only leap into the air and onto the car hood, trying to avoid getting run over. The vehicle and madwoman travelled several yards until the car slammed on the brakes, sending Killjoy flying across the hood and towards the hill, the woman screaming as she flew off the hill and out of sight!

On the ground, Selena felt her heart pounding in her chest as she lay on her back, seeing the dozens of stars in the sky. Her senses returned slowly from the adrenaline high, feeling the warm body held to her chest, the red-haired head pressed into her bosom. Slowly, taking equally slow breaths, Selena released Deanna, allowing the younger Frost to lift her head. 

“Selena…” Deanna smiled gratefully.
“Deanna…” Selena sighed back, though there was something about being called that name by her wife that now felt… painful. Still, she pushed the feeling aside to cup her wife’s face. “You’re alright…” she breathed. “Thank you for coming with me.”
“I always will.” Deanna smiled, a light sob escaping her as she pressed her forehead to Selena’s. “Maybe I love you.”

“Even though…” Selena words died before she could finish them. This was NOT the time to think of Killjoy’s declarations. “Nevermind… Maybe I love you too...”

Quickly, the Frost wives helped each other to their feet, both dusting the dirt off themselves before running to the now parked red Ford Fusion, the front lights still on but blinking on and off. As the two women approached, the passenger car was pushed open, allowing Jean Black to stumble out.

“Absolutely maddening!” the old man yelled out, a true mess as he stood before the women, still in his suit from the election party, only the tie and vest were askew, as was his hair! “Utter insanity! Insanity!”

The driver’s car door opened, allowing the driver to step out, contrastingly as excited and neat/clean as can be. “Wooo!” Zelda cheered, her eyes alight. “Got him!”

Selena’s mouth hung open. “You let her drive?!” she said to Jean.
“Yes, I’m regretting that!” Jean shot back in a mixture of emotions.
“Hey! It helped.” Deanna argued.
“And you’re welcome!” Zelda added. “I saw the gun – so I gunned the gas!”
“Makes total sense to me!” Deanna agreed, reaching over to hug the brunette. “Thank you! You saved us!”

“Hear that, Jean!” Zelda declared proudly, pointing to herself. “I saved them.”
“Yes, well, we could have done that without you trying to kill us.” The detective retorted. “Shaved off a good five years of my life.”

“And you have so few of those left as it is.” Selena said without thinking, her mind taking a temporary break from reality to simply enjoy the safety she felt surrounded by her wife and friends, the Snow Queen even going as far as to hug both of the Blacks before wrapping her arms around her wife. “Thank you… both of you.” She said to Jean and Zelda, earning a nod as the four tried to calm themselves.

The silence that followed was the result of the four family members thinking the same thing, their heads turning at the same time to gaze over the hill Killjoy had just been launched down, the crest of the hill illuminated before them by the car lights. Lowering her eyes, Selena spied the weapon that Killjoy had dropped into the grass from the vehicular assault, slowly picking it up.

The gun felt heavy in her hand and she turned it a little as she observed it, even clicking the hammer with her thumb. She knew what she wanted to do. She wanted to silence that damn voice that had claimed to be what she was – the REAL… she refused to say it, even in her mind. Instead, she moved slowly to the top of the hill, Deanna following her, followed by Jean and Zelda – the four staring down the hill and into the dark grass and fields below.

Killjoy was gone.

“Where…” Zelda’s voice trailed off, her dark-brown eyes scanning what little of the hill she could see in the darkness. “I know I hit him-“

“Her.” Jean replied, turning his head back over to Selena. “Mind telling us why she looked like you, Selena?”

The Snow Queen opened her mouth before shaking her head. “I don’t even believe it, myself.” She whispered. “It just…it can’t be true.”

She felt her hand grow warm as Deanna took it into hers. “It doesn’t matter.” The redhead stated firmly, giving the hand a strong but loving squeeze. “We beat her. If she shows up again, we’ll beat her again!”

There was no hesitation or indecision in her voice, emotions felt by all four of them. Killjoy would be back – that was certain. She would not stop until she succeeded in her mission, or someone else stopped her.

“Where do we start?” Zelda asked.

“That…” Selena sighed. “That is up to Deanna and I.” she admitted, the redhead giving a nod. Killjoy had said it herself. 

Taking Hold of the Flame…

Killjoy had placed everything on Selena losing that night against Giovanni Aries. On watching everything Selena had worked so long for: the integrity of SCW and the World title, the perception of it within SCW – everything she stood for be swept away from one, single match. Killjoy was certain that would be the catalyst to bringing Selena down into the dark – a place so many people in SCW desired her to be for their own sake and egos – that Killjoy could take her place without anyone noticing.

Which meant that to stop her and save the integrity of SCW and the World title at the same time… to stop The Brand from reducing Rise to Greatness into, as Giovanni Aries had put it, “the greatest infomercial of all time”… Selena Frost had to win… Selena Frost NEEDED to win.

And yet, as the four continued to stare down the dark hill… the young woman could no longer be certain if that was who she was anymore. Was it all a lie? Was everything she knew – her parents, her lineage, her grandmother, everything a complete fabrication? And if it was, was Giovanni Aries going to face  the Selena Frost that could beat him, or someone else…

And if she is truly Selena Frost… Selena thought as gazed into the dark, seeing the glowing yellow eyes from her nightmares – eyes she knew only she could see - that gazed back. If she truly is… Then who, truly, am I?

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