11-05-2022, 11:59 PM
(This post was last modified: 11-06-2022, 12:00 AM by QueensGuardSCW.)
OOC: Deanna’s first. Counts for both matches.
Black Arrow Neighbourhood
Manhattan, New York
October 28th, 2022
2:47pm
Her fingertips hurt a little, but it only spurred her to dig harder. She knew she was being stupid. They had a set of tools in the garage. A simple hand-shovel, what was it called? A trowel? Yeah, that. That would have worked far better for the task… but not for her mental state. She wanted to hurt – it allowed her to be angry, and she also wanted to be angry.
Deanna knew that being angry never solved any problems. Hell, if she had learned anything from her time in Frankfurt, it had been that lashing out and acting in anger usually lead to bigger problems! But that was just it! She knew that! She wasn’t an idiot! She wasn’t stupid! She wasn’t weak-
Again, that familiar spike of anger laced through her, churning away inside her as she finished clawing the rough dirt out of the way enough to drive the solar-panelled lawn lamp into the ground, her dirtied hand immediately sweeping the dirt she had moved back over it, burying the spike end and securing the lamp into the Earth.
With a sigh, the redhead rolled off her haunches where she stood, rolling backward and against the nearby tree – one of many that were part of the forest-path/trail that eventually lead to the front of her house in Manhattan. She felt the thick bark press against her back and the back of her head as she breathed deeply, letting herself bring her heartrate down from its slight elevation. Gazing down at her hand, she spied the dirt-stains on her fingers and the clumps of soil that lined the underside of her fingernails. With a turn of her head, she spied the long trail of similar lamps – two parallel lines that ran from the trail to the front of her property and, eventually, back onto the trail to the next house.
Selena had kept her alone all day after the angry morning they had had and, alone with her thoughts, Deanna was able to admit a few things to herself.
First, how unfair she had been, giving Selena the silent treatment all morning until exploding at her to ‘leave her alone’.
”You think I don’t know what I am doing?!”
“I think you don’t understand what you are signing on for. There’s a reason she chose you.”
“What? You think I’m going to care more about becoming world title number one contender than us being tag-champions?”
“I think you’re going to be distracted when you see the chamber hanging above your head during the tag-match. I think it’s a distraction that we don’t need. I think-“
“You know what I think?! I think you WANTED so badly to be the number one contender for the world title, but you lost to Kimberly! And now that I have a REAL chance at becoming a challenger for the world title, you’re afraid that you won’t be able to EVER get your rematch! That’s what I think! I think you’re upset because it’s me and not you!”
Even at the time, she had known she was being unfair… but so was her wife. And that was the issue.
“She still thinks I’m a porcelain doll…” Deanna whispered to herself, lifting her hand to rub at her eyes, only to stop the motion just before touching her face when she recalled the amount of dirt that covered both her hands. Irritated, she drove her arm up to rub at her face with the rolled-up sleeve of her maroon sweater. Gods, she wanted to apologize to Selena, like she had in so many other of their fights, but this wasn’t a fight where she needed to be the one to apologize first, and even by herself now, she knew that.
Everything with the Scythes and the Frostmeres.
Everything with Frankfurt Prison III.
Everything with Killjoy!
Did Selena forget that Deanna had survived it all with her? That Deanna had been there through it all, and sometimes worse, and come out of it alive? So how…how could she say that to Shaun?
She’s not ready for that!
Angrily, Deanna slammed her eyes shut, trying to stop the tears from escaping her. “Dammit, Selena…” she half-whispered, half-cried for the umpteenth time, feeling the similar spikes of anger, pain, and sadness, both at her wife, but also at herself:
Why had she gone looking for Selena? Why had she wanted to shower with her wife after that whole ordeal with Ducky’s birthday party? Yes, it had been a few days since they had made love but it wasn’t like that! She had just wanted to shower with her wife, make her Selena feel loved after coming so close to winning the match that would have put The Snow Queen as the number one contender. Instead, she had gone looking for the Snow Queen throughout the Capital One Arena in Washington DC, searching through the halls, still in her leaf-covered onesie, asking various crew and superstars if they had seen Selena.
Of course, when she had reached the office of Shaun Cruze, she was already feeling rather nervous. What if the Farmstead Friends had jumped her wife on Lexy’s orders? They had already bailed on the birthday party and Lexy had arranged the mess that was Deanna in the elimination chamber – which she did NOT want to think about right now. She was still partially in denial about it being her name that was spoken. Maybe Shaun had made a mistake and meant ‘Selena FROST’ – that made a hell of a lot more sense!
REGARDLESS, she remembered thinking, The Farmstead Friends, and more accurately Lexy and Dancing Bear, were willing to do anything to keep the House of Frosts from being at 100% heading into Under Attack and the SCW World Tag-Team championship. Attacking the strongest member backstage in Selena was not beyond impossible and Deanna regretted, in that moment, not changing into more appropriate clothes in case she found Selena in the throngs of some kind of brawl.
But back to approaching Shaun Cruze’s door, the redhead had been ready to just knock and ask politely if the young man had seen Selena. However, as her hand reached up to rap her knuckles against the painted wood, she could hear the voices on the other side. Yelling voices.
They were muffled and not very coherent, but the pitch and accent, Deanna recognized one right away as her wife’s, which gave her a momentary wash of relief through her system. Least Selena wasn’t being attacked. Still, as her breathing slowed, the young Frost had begun to wonder what Selena was talking about that was making her so angry…
And this is where Deanna had wished she had stopped. Had just, knowing her wife was safe, turned back around and walked back to their dressing room. She could just pretend she hadn’t wandered through the arena in her onesie and, maybe, still get that shower with her beloved….
But that isn’t what happened. Instead, she slowly reached out towards the door, turned the doorknob and slowly, imperceptibly, pushed the door open. The voices immediately became crystal clear.
“How could you allow this?!”
“It’s not something I can prevent! It’s out of my hands!”
“You’re in charge!”
“Not in that regard!”
It sounded like a damn shouting match, back and forth, each person trying to get the other to see their point of view. The emotional sounds of it all was enough to make Deanna instinctively gulp.
“Selena…” she heard Shaun Cruze’s voice. “I didn’t want to choose her, either. You know that. She’s doing well, but she’s not…” he seemed to sigh. “She’s not ready for that.”
“Tell me something I don’t know!” Selena shot back. “I barely survived those things. Shaun…” her voice trailed off for a moment. “You know what that thing does to people! It shortens careers! And if she was further along, I’d…I think I’d be okay with it. But she isn’t even done her first year! She barely survived the Underground Division-“
Deanna felt her spine stiffen. They couldn’t have been talking about her, could they? No, it wasn’t her that had made Selena so angry, was it? And again, she should have just left there – left well enough alone - but instead, she moved closer to the door, as if the millimeters of space could amplify the sound tenfold.
“I can’t undo it.” Shaun sighed. “I’ve got those investigators up my ass over some trumped up ‘conspiracy’ nonsense. But…” his voice seemed to lift at the idea. “Deanna could refuse to participate in the chamber.”
Hearing her own name, Deanna’s jaw dropped. They WERE talking about her. Worse yet, they were talking about her being in the chamber match – or rather, refusing to be in the chamber match.
“She would never agree to that.” Selena sighed. “She would feel like a coward.”
Damn right I would! Deanna’s mind screamed, but she covered her hand with her mouth to keep from speaking those thoughts aloud.
“Well, then convince her. For her own sake, yours, and for that of your tag-team.” Shaun advised. “At this point, I have to go through with the booking and say she is ‘planned’ to be a participant. But I can’t be at fault if she refuses to participate in order to ‘focus on being a good tag-team partner’ rather than a ‘pawn to Lexy’s games’.”
A long silence filled the space and, for a moment, Deanna felt her heart skip a beat or two in panic that she had been discovered in her less than ideal ‘hiding spot’ near the ajar door. However, she heard no steps approaching the door. And…for the third time – THIS should have been where she left things alone!
“I’ll talk to her.” She heard Selena sigh. “Convince her to drop out. You’re right. She’s not ready for that.”
It wasn’t entirely clear which emotion emerged first in the redhead. Shock or pain. How could her wife say that? Shaun was one thing. He had to put SCW’s image and the business first but Selena was her wife! How many times had she doubted herself and Deanna had helped her through? It had been her that had first convinced Selena to go out and try to win the SCW World title almost six years ago at the End of the Year event against Alexis Quinne. Her that had pushed Selena to try again for the world title years and years later! Never doubting! Always believing in her! And here Selena was… thinking that she wasn’t ready… good enough…
Even presently, Deanna wasn’t sure which emotion came first, but she knew which emotion had won out. Rage. Worse yet, a familiar rage. One she had felt after hearing those words over and over again from everyone else in SCW!
And for the fourth time- NO! Deanna was past that now! She was down the rabbit hole and too angry to care. With a shove, she had pushed the door open fully, earning the surprised attention of both Shaun and Selena. “Excuse me.” She had spat darkly. “If you’re going to be talking about me and my career, perhaps I should be present in such discussions, don’t you think?!”
“Deanna…” Selena tried.
“No, please, Mrs. Frost.” The redhead marched over to a nearby plush chair in the office and sat down, crossing one leg over the other. “Don’t let me stop you. You were just deciding for me how I should handle this big mess Lexy Chapel has thrown us into. Please! Continue to think and speak for me! I’ll wait!”
“Deanna…” Shaun tried, easily sensing the tension this mistake had made. “We are only thinking of your well being.”
“Says the man that picked Owen to be in the chamber.” Deanna scoffed.
“Owen has been involved in chamber matches before. As has Allocco.” Shaun countered. “And the others have far more experience in wrestling than you do. You literally just began less than a year ago.”
“Alistaire Allocco did it in less time!” Deanna, for a moment, had actually been proud that she had been able to think of that counter so quickly. Despite her lack of years as a wrestler, she still had nearly a decade as a manager, dammit! She almost miss Selena stiffen a little from that memory, as it had been her that Allocco had pinned in the chamber to win it and become SCW world champion via a cheap shot from behind. ‘Not going to regret that hitting that nerve.’ Deanna thought. ‘She asked for it.’
“Allocco wasn’t double booked.” Selena slowly spoke. “Would you rather we quit our tag-team title match so you can focus on the chamber? Because I will if we have to.”
“No!” Deanna shot in. Despite everything that had just occurred and everything she had just heard, the redhead still wanted nothing more than to become world tag-team champions with her wife! It was beyond ‘the dream’, it was… it was why she had transitioned from manager to wrestler in the first place. Still, she couldn’t just ignore what she had heard.
“Okay…” Shaun seemed rather pensive as he sat at his desk, mulling over options. “There is the option of isolating Deanna.”
“What does that mean?” the redhead asked.
“It means…” Selena explained. “That I wrestle our tag-match and you just stand in the corner. Simple.”
“That’s not tag-wrestling!” Deanna countered. “That’s a handicap match!”
She couldn’t believe these ideas! Each one involved some kind of ‘non-wrestling’ role for her or something to that effect! “Why can’t I do both?” she blurted out.
“The very fact that you are asking that question…” Selena’s expression darkened as she crossed her arms over her chest. “Is why Shaun and I are having this conversation.”
“I survived the Underground Division!” Deanna countered.
“For less than two months.” Selena countered.
“Longer than your second reign as world champion!” Deanna shot back, immediately regretting it as she saw the flash of surprise in Selena’s eyes, true as the statement was. “I…” she sought new words desperately. “I mean… I’m not afraid to do both matches.”
“Nobody is questioning your drive, Deanna.” Shaun tried to explain. “What we are concerned with is the danger this puts you in.” he took a deep breath. “Let’s say you win the tag-team titles at Under Attack, but you immediately get injured in the chamber. What then? Now, Selena either has to drop the titles or find a new partner until you return. Or worse, what happens if you get hurt in the tag-match and then have to wrestle the chamber?”
There was a moment of silence between all three individuals, Shaun and Selena watching Deanna’s moves as she fidgeted uncomfortably on the chair in her onesie. It’s not that she hadn’t thought about these things when she had first gotten the news of Lexy hijacking a spot in the chamber for her. The chamber was one of the most dangerous structures in SCW. It was nigh-impossible to win a match at 100%, let alone wrestling two matches in one night. But they thought she hadn’t considered the danger at all since the announcement.
And the truth was, despite her best efforts, she had. But the reality was that, after facing Kimberly Williams, Konrad Raab with his mace, and so many people at Apocalypse… to be the only person besides the winner that had walked out of that match of their own volition? Was it wrong that she felt that she had become used to the dangers? The risks? And that made the chamber a little less scary to her? No less dangerous! But a little less scary?
Casting her emerald gaze up, she saw Shaun first, the man appearing… did he always look so tired? Weary? Like the weight of the world was on his shoulders? Slowly, her eyes found Selena’s, and that mental bond between them forged from nearly seven years of marriage. She wanted Deanna to concede. To not go through with the chamber match, not because of the tag-titles, though Deanna knew Selena wanted them as much as she did, but because…because…
“Answer me one question and if it’s not what I think it is, I’ll concede…” she had spoken, eyeing both Shaun again. “Would this be an issue if Lexy had chosen Selena?”
There was a moment of hurtful silence between the three, forcing Deanna to push the question. “Would we be here, having this conversation about ‘safety’ and ‘conceding a match’, essentially forfeiting, if Lexy had chosen Selena instead of me?”
She was no longer looking at Shaun, but rather directly at her wife, lover and partner, watching as the woman, known for her integrity in SCW, could no longer look her in the eyes. It was all the answer she had needed.
“I thought not.” Deanna replied, feeling that spike of anger wrap around her again, the truth more apparent than Selena’s platinum-blonde hair. Bitterly, she pushed herself out of the seat. “You can be sure that I will be attending Under Attack, Mr. Cruze. And I WILL be wrestling BOTH matches that night!”
“Deanna…” Selena tried, but withered under the cold glare of her emerald-eyed wife.
“Consider the matter closed and your little ‘problem’ solved. That should take care of any ‘guilt’ you may have.” She spoke sharply to Shaun, who merely nodded his head.
“I’ll ensure the rest of management knows. They’ll want to get started on publicity posters as soon as possible.”
Deanna didn’t wait to hear anymore, finally choosing to turn and leave the room. She didn’t take many steps down the hall of the arena before she heard steps coming up behind her.
“Deanna…” of course it was her voice, accented and beautiful. “I was just looking out for you-“
It was the worst thing she could possibly have said, and it was enough for Deanna to feel the snap of whatever patience she had left. Turning around, she glared back at the Snow Queen, still in her own onesie of snowflakes. “You were trying to make my decisions for me without talking to me first. Just like you’ve done over and over again! That’s what you were doing!”
“I didn’t-“
“The hell you didn’t!” Deanna shot back. “I am tired. I am angry and I have a damn Halloween contest to try and win! Home is a four-hour drive from here and poor Eric is waiting for us. I am going to bed.” She spun on her foot, leaving her wife standing there before throwing back, “You can sleep on the couch tonight!”
Deanna felt the tears rolling off her cheeks as she opened her eyes, her vision immediately impaired by the water in her eyes before it, too, rolled down her cheeks. She felt the tree against her, holding her up, supporting her…
Why couldn’t Selena do that? Why did every step Deanna took as a wrestler, in life, have to be a minefield where Selena thought she needed protection – like some princess in a castle or some fragile doll?
That’s not why you’re upset… She heard the thought in her head mock her slightly, angrily wiping at her face with forearm. Her timing was perfect for, as she lowered her arm, she spied her youngest daughter, Amiliah, running down the short hill towards her, Elsianna following her. The small child bounded towards Deanna and was by her side within seconds.
“Mommy! Mommy!” cried out the child, her plaid pants’ bright colors of green and blue contrasting with the dark, earthly colors of the ground, as did her pink sweater – all of which was different to Elsianna’s black leggings, gray long-shirt, black jacket and matching gloves and boots. “Spencer said that we could help carve pumpkins for his display! Can we?! Can we?!”
It took Deanna a few seconds before her brain registered what she was hearing. Spencer Cunningham was the son of Walter and Hannah Cunningham, one of the many neighbours down the street from the house. An older couple, a decade or two older than Selena and Deanna but still lively and kind. Their sons were Kurt and Spencer (Spencer the youngest and a late ‘surprise/miracle’ for the family).
“They want help carving pumpkins?” Deanna asked, not needing to change her position from sitting as she was eye-level with her red-headed daughter, who nodded eagerly.
“Spencer said his mom and dad had a supercool idea!”
Amiliah’s cuteness was just enough to make Deanna smile. “Alright.” She sighed. “Long as you let Elsianna and Mrs. Cunningham help. And you only use what they give you.”
“Okay!” Amiliah didn’t wait, immediately scampering off back up the hill towards, Deanna assumed, was the Cunningham’s house. She saw Elsianna standing there, a worried expression on her face as she regarded her mom.
“Elsa?” Deanna tilted her head. “You going to make sure she uses only the ‘safety, orange-plastic, carving tools?”
“Y…yes, mom.” Elsianna looked away, seemingly embarassed.
“Something wrong?” the redhead asked, shifting to push herself up to her feet, groaning as her back and legs protested a little.
“No…” Elsianna shook her head, only to look back at her mom. “Well, I mean…” she closed her mouth again. “No. Sorry.”
Quickly, the child excuse herself, jogging back up the hill to follow Amiliah.
“Strange.” Deanna thought aloud with a tilt of her head before checking over her work. The lights were all set and would be the perfect guide throughout her Halloween display.
To say that things were heating up a little in the Black Arrow neighbourhood as the night of the contest drew ever closer would be an understatement. In fact, despite the unpleasantness that had occurred at Breakdown, the Queen’s Guard had been grateful that the show had been a mere four hours from Manhattan, making it easy for them to travel there and back rather than needing a plane-ride or days of travel. And the fact that she would have a solid few days after Halloween to get to Under Attack meant she wouldn’t have to miss anything for the holiday. In short, she could devote a good amount of time in making sure everything was as perfect as it could be.
She needed to win – at least beat Leslie Sanderson. Although, as of late, the annoying woman and her ‘tendencies’ towards Deanna and her marriage to Selena was occupying less and less of the redhead’s mind. In fact, if Deanna were honest with herself, this whole competition had devolved into more of an outlet.
Leslie believed that Deanna’s win last year had been a fluke. That she couldn’t do it again. That she wasn’t capable of such things. It was not so different than in SCW and since she couldn’t do anything about SCW until Under Attack now, this was the next best thing… or fighting her wife in their ring in their home-gym.
“That’s still an option…” Deanna growled under her breath as she adjusted one of the ground lamps before making her own way up the hill her children had travelled, passing the first display she had built last week – that of The Wolfman. It wasn’t until she had reached the frontyard and saw the ‘house section display’ of a graveyard that lead into the Frankenstein lab (he did make his Creature out of dead bodies, right?) that Deanna spotted the platinum-blonde there, the taller woman standing on the porch in blue jeans and a simple magenta sweater. The neckline was larger and exposed a bit of her tattooed shoulder, the black-snowflake visible even from where Deanna stood.
Of course, she’s wearing THAT sweater… Deanna thought with a grumble. She loved when her wife wore that sweater because she could cuddle her fluffiness and have access to the neck and shoulder for ‘kissing purposes’. No, you’re still VERY mad at her. Deanna reminded herself, which wasn’t hard given the argument they had had this morning. And when Selena, not seeing her wife standing there, reached out to adjust one of the jars on the table – the one with the brain on it that read ‘abnormal brain’- that anger prickled up to the front.
“What are you doing?” Deanna asked, marching towards the display where her wife stood, Selena jumping a little at the redhead’s outburst. “I told you that I didn’t want or need any help with this now.”
Recovering from her slight scare, the Snow Queen gestured towards the table. “I was just adjusting one of the jars. It was turned the wrong way. I think David was having a laugh.”
“Or maybe…” reaching out, Deanna grasped the large, glass jar, forcefully turning it back the way it was. “Maybe I would have noticed it and fixed it later, but that wasn’t good enough for you so you just had to ‘fix it’ yourself because you thought I wouldn’t notice it myself.” She turned her head back to the jar. “Oh look! An askew jar!” she turned it back over the way Selena had done it, allowing the ‘abnormal brain’ sign to be in full view. “Guess I could do it.”
With a long exhale, Selena rolled her eyes at her wife. “You’re being childish.” She said simply.
“Oh, am I?” laughed Deanna. “Well how else can I act when you won’t treat me like a grown-ass adult capable of making her own decisions?”
“OH FOR ODIN’S SAKE!” Selena half-yelled. “I was just trying to do the right thing, okay?! Do you honestly believe that you would be in that chamber match if not for Lexy? Tell me you do! Please! Tell me you saw yourself in that chamber match when it was announced.”
“Doesn’t matter.” Shrugged Deanna. “I’m in it now.”
“Yes! But why?! It doesn’t make sense! It’s on after our match with Penguin and Bear, so at BEST – AT BEST – she’s screwing you over for a match that you didn’t even want to be in in the first place! So why?!” Selena shrugged. “Did you even think about that during your temper tantrum?”
“You’re the one that’s yelling.” Deanna observed, only for Selena to ignore her.
“Of course you didn’t. You’re too busy feeling slighted and hurt that ‘no one believes I can do it! No one wants me to go for these titles! No one believes in Deanna!’. All about you!”
“Well SOMEONE has to think about me.” Deanna shot back. “You clearly aren’t!”
“ALL I DO IS THINK ABOUT YOU!” Selena yelled, jumping to her feet, standing several inches taller than Deanna. “All I’ve done is because I think about you.”
“Yeah! Like your porcelain doll!” Deanna countered, refusing to back down from her wife, staring the woman down – or up in this case. “As your ‘fragile little princess’!”
“You’re wrong.”
“Then how come you couldn’t answer my question last night? If it was you and not me that was picked, would it have been okay?”
“I’m different!” Selena countered. “I have nearly ten years of experience here! You don’t even have one!”
“And what? I would have had to take it? I would have to just accept that you were going to walk into a show where you’re double-booked? What’s good for Selena isn’t for Deanna, that it?”
“It’s two different scenarios, Deanna!” Selena tried. “You’re comparing us, but I am prepared for this. You’re not. You’ve never even been in a chamber match before! You’ve barely been in tag-matches! I have. I’ve won the tag-titles twice!”
“Yeah, and how did that end up for both your partners?”
Deanna wished she could take that one back – even in that moment, that microsecond of time where you hear what you say before the person you’re talking to does. Because the way she saw Selena’s eyes widen in shock at the inference of not only Dawn Lohan but Regan Street – the two women she had won the tag-titles with and the history between both…
Something faded in Selena’s eyes, Deanna could see it. A bit of light wasn’t there anymore, replaced by hurt, the platinum-blonde’s head lowering to look at her own pale hands. Immediately, Deanna wanted to apologize for that lowblow. But again, she still believed that she shouldn’t be the one to apologize first! Selena had started this by going behind her back to Shaun Cruze, discussing convincing her to quit the chamber match. For not believing in her!
“Fine.” Selena breathed, snapping her head back up. “Do what you want. I hope you win.”
“I’m…” Deanna caught herself from apologizing, choosing instead to roll her shoulders and stand her ground. “I will.”
“Good.” Selena nodded. “I’m going back inside then. I have some promos to write.”
“Be my guest.” Deanna gestured towards the house. “I’ll make sure this place is looking first-prize worthy!”
Biting her lower lip, Selena nodded her head before walking the short steps, opening the door and disappearing back into the house, leaving the redhead with her heart full of hurt and her mind full of self-aimed mental curses.
“Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!” she muttered at herself, even striking her temple with her palm. How the hell could she say that? Bring up that pain of Dawn and Regan to her wife?! They were supposed to be ‘The House of Frost’. A well-oiled machine! A growing tag-team with asipirations to be a great tag-team in SCW! Bringing integrity back to divisions and whatever… and now they couldn’t even look at each other without getting into a fight.
“I’ll fix this.” Deanna whispered under her breath as she needlessly ‘adjusted’ some of the Halloween-décor around her. “I’ll win this competition. Then, I’ll go to Under Attack and win us the tag-titles. Then I’ll win the chamber and prove everyone wrong. And then Selena can apologize, admit she was wrong, then I’ll apologize, and we’ll be alright again!”
She had to believe that things would work out in that fashion. Or, at the very least, surviving the chamber would prove… something, though she wasn’t entirely sure what that was but it had to prove something to both Selena and Shaun Cruze.
Casting her eyes around, the redhead was relieved to see that there were no neighbours on the street looking at her or having heard the argument she and Selena had. Last thing she wanted was for that tiff to find its way back to Leslie…
Speaking of which… Deanna thought, once more gazing around the area. She’s usually outside soon as she sees me just to annoy me. She gazed the short distance down the street to where the large stone-gargoyles stood… the poor things… but still, no sign of Leslie. “Maybe she’s out.” Deanna said aloud, partially grateful for the respite. Her main competitor’s house was now covered with so much lights and decorations it looked like the house was made of it. Clearly, Leslie was going for ‘quantity’ over ‘quality’ and Deanna wasn’t going to fall into that trap. Yes, she wanted to win, but she also wanted her children to love the displays. She wanted the neighbourhood to enjoy it.
She wanted…
Her eyes flashed towards the door Selena had entered and closed moments ago, a sigh escaping her. She wanted to walk the trail holding her wife’s pale hand. She wanted to steal kisses in the dark of the night. She wanted to sit in one of the displays and enjoy the night with her beloved wife. She wanted to go trick-or-treating with their children, standing at the driveways on Selena’s arm as their daughters and son ran excitedly to each door. But she also wanted that apology. She wanted Selena to treat her like an adult all the time, not just when there wasn’t any danger. She wanted Selena to trust that she was strong enough and smart enough to survived and endure like the Snow Queen had against so many opponents. She wanted… she wanted…
Those damn tears threatened to fall from Deanna’s eyes, the young woman swiping at them. I just want her to believe in me when it’s not easy as hell to believe in me… she refused to voice that thought, locking it away as she adjusted the Frankenstein Creature’s thick coat on the mannequin’s large frame.
She slowly lost track of the time as she kept herself busy adjusting the various scenes of Wolfman, Dracula and Frankenstein in similar fashion, trying her best not to think about the platinum-blonde that remained in the house. However, when she heard the sound of laughter coming down the street, she instinctively turned her head to see, a bit in the distance, her children carving their pumpkins on the Cunningham’s front yard. Smart… Deanna thought with a smile as she saw David, who had joined his sisters, pull out a huge glob of ‘PUMPKIN GUTS’ – as she heard him scream, grabbing a second handful before running around the yard with his hands full of the vegetables ‘inners’, even dangling it in front of Elsianna, Amiliah and Spencer. A ways back, standing on the porch, Walter and Hannah Cunningham gazed down the distance to spot Deanna on the front porch, waving widely so she could see them do so. With a smile, she waved back just as big before casting a glance over at her work.
I can take a break… she decided before quickly marching the distance necessary to reach the Cunningham’s abode. It was about the same size as hers, the Cunningham’s being one of the few families that had moved into the neighbourhood rather early in development and, thus, getting their pick of spots and choosing the building they wanted. It wasn’t like their house was a castle-style like Leslie’s but it had a homely-
Deanna’s eyes grew wide as she saw the multitude of pumpkins strew on the lawn, many of them carved.
“Whoa…” Deanna remarked as she reached Walter and Hannah, casting her gaze to watching her children. “That is a lot of pumpkins! Did some place have a sale or something?” she eyes Hannah and Walter, the latter laughing a little.
“Well, pumpkins are never THAT expensive considering.” He shrugged. “Plus, I’ve got a farmer-friend on the country side that gave me a good deal.”
“So there WAS a sale!” Deanna teased. “But why so many?”
“Oh, Walter has one of his ‘ideas’ again.” Hannah sighed. “Poor man is going to break his neck.”
“Ah ah, hunny! No spoilers before Halloween!” Walter playfully demanded. “I want Deanna to be surprised too.”
“Oh, is this for the contest or something?” Deanna asked.
“Something like that.” Walter shrugged. “But really? I just wanted to get the neighbourhood something to share in. Almost every neighbour has contributed by carving one or more of the pumpkins we brought.”
“That’s wonderful.” Deanna beamed. “Such a fun idea!”
“Well…” Walter shrugged. “I don’t know how many more we’re going to have with both Spencer and Kurt – Kurt’s going to be going to college soon. So… I wanted this year to be special for us.”
For a moment, Deanna cast her eyes back out to the yard. “I have to admit, I don’t envy you that.” She sighed. “I’ve still got at least seven years with Elsianna and more with Amiliah and-“ the breath left her body as the boy in discussion, David, was no longer in view. Looking up and down the yard, Deanna couldn’t spot the young boy… that is until she looked down the sidewalk… halfway towards her house – where Leslie’s gargoyles were…
And David hanging off the arm of one as he phenangled the pumpkin guts in his free hand onto the maw of the ‘beaked gargoyle’, the first one Leslie had bought.
“Oh no….” Deanna exhaled before beginning to march down the sidewalk. “DAVID!” she called out. “Get off that immediately! We told you-“
“AAAAAHHHHH!” the shriek came in front of Deanna before she was even a third of the way there. Before her eyes, she saw her son turn his head towards the source of the voice, immediately release the arm of the gargoyle he was hanging from, and drop down to the ground just before Leslie Sanderson reached him.
Angrily, the woman grabbed the boy by the ear, her head twisting in almost inhumanly directions before settling on the approach Deanna. Without a word, the black yoga-pants wearing woman dragged the poor boy by the ear towards Deanna, causing more than just alarm to race through her. She immediately broke into a sprint, closing the distance between them.
“WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’RE-“ Leslie started but stopped as soon as Deanna acted, the redhead grabbing her wrist and squeezing as hard as she could, earning a yelp of pain from the whiny brunette.
“UNHAND HIM RIGHT NOW!” Deanna growled.
Perhaps from meer shock, Leslie released the now teary-eyed boy, who immediately ran behind Deanna’s legs to hide there. Soon as he had, Deanna threw Leslie’s arm away, the older woman rubbing the sore limb in shock.
“Your son-“
“I don’t care!” Deanna interjected, stepping forward and glaring down Leslie. “I saw what he did which is why I was rushing towards him. But that does NOT give you the right to lay a hand on MY son, you understand me?!” she was practically growling at the woman, Leslie’s expression morphing between anger and fear multiple times.
“You son was intruding on MY property!” Leslie countered. “You know I could have shot him if I felt so inclined.”
“Oh for Odin’s sake, Leslie! He’s barely six!”
“And what if he damaged my GARG-oyles?!” Leslie asked before narrowing her eyes. “Did you put him up to this?”
“Did I what?”
“Oh, Deanna…Deanna… Deanna…” Leslie tsks with a shake of her head. “Using your own children to sabotage my decorations? You’re that insecure?”
Deanna felt her jaw clench at the accusation. “I don’t need to sabotage you to beat you, Leslie. I rather my work speak for itself. Sounds like you’re just trying to make excuses for yourself when you lose.”
“When I lose…” Leslie laughed before suddenly growing serious. “What are you going to do about his actions?” she gestured to the still-hiding David. At this time, Elsianna and Amiliah had reached the other Frosts. “Those gargoyles are expensive!”
“So you told me many times.” Deanna replied. “And as for my son. He and I will clean the mess-“
“Oh no you won’t!” Leslie shot back. “You’ll probably break it with your bear hands.” She held her wrist again, causing Deanna to look down at her small hands, only a little stubbier than Selena’s long, slender ones. “No. I will clean it.”
“Fine.” Deanna shrugged. “David? Do you have something to say?”
“I’m sorry…” David tried, staying behind Deanna. “I won’t do it again.”
“You better not! Cause next time I am calling the cops!” Leslie warned before eyeing Deanna. “Keep your children… and yourself… off my lawn. Got it?”
“Understood.” Deanna narrowed her eyes but said nothing else as Leslie turned and walked back down the street towards her house. She almost didn’t hear the sigh of relief come from David.
“Wow…thanks Mom-“ he stopped as he gazed up at the cold, emerald-glare that bore down on him, forcing him to gulp loudly.
“Don’t thank me.” She stated coldly. “You’re grounded.”
“What? For what?” He asked.
“For disobeying your mothers. Did we not say not to climb on those gargoyles?”
“Y…yes…” David slowly nodded his head.
“And what did you just do?”
“Climbed on the gargoyles?”
“Yes, you did. So you disobeyed and you dirtied a neighbour’s property!”
“But mother…” Elsianna tried. “She’s so mean and you don’t like her either.”
“That doesn’t mean it’s okay to act like that, Elsianna!” Deanna shot back. “How would you feel if, for no reason, someone that didn’t like you smashed Sir Crackshell?”
That silenced the eldest Frost child instantly, the nine-year-old shrinking back a little at the thought, causing Deanna’s glare to refocus back on David. “You are grounded until I, not mother, says so! Understand?”
“Y…yes…” David nodded. “Can I…” he looked around the neighbourhood for a moment. “Can I still go trick-or-treating?”
“I don’t know yet.” Deanna answered honestly. “I don’t think you deserve it.”
“Please, mommy!” David tried.
Biting her lower lip, Deanna thought for a moment, remembering something her older sister had taught her when she was young. “I’ll make you a deal, David. You go home and write ‘I am very sorry for disobeying my mothers’ – single-spaced, double-sided on each line of a sheet of line paper in your room. Do that without cheating or taking shortcuts and behave the next few days and MAYBE – ONLY MAYBE – will I let you go trick-or-treating.”
“Both sides?” David’s eyes grew wide. “But that will take all day and…” his voice died down as he saw the unyielding glare of Deanna. “Yes, mom.” He nodded. “I’ll go right now.”
He was quietly followed him by the three Frost women, his head low as he made his way of the stairs, barely noticing the open door and the platinum-blonde that stood in the door frame, arms crossed over her chest.
“What happened?” Selena asked, eyes wide as Deanna reached the porch. “I heard shouting-“
“I took care of it.” Deanna stated sharply, allowing Elsianna and Amiliah to enter the house before she spoke again. “Contrary to your beliefs, Selena, I know how to act like an adult and mother.”
“I never said-“
“Just…” Deanna held her hand up. “Stop. I don’t want to fight with you for a third time today. I took care of and will continue to take care of it. David is grounded till I say so – not you, just so you know.”
Selena opened her mouth to speak but chose instead to close it for an extra second before shrugging her shoulders. “Anything else?”
“Yeah.” Deanna sighed. “Watch the kids for a bit.” She ordered before beginning to walk off the porch and around the house to the large ‘home’ that served as the indoor-pool and gym. “I’ve got to blow off some steam…”
_______________________________________________________________
You know, I thought this could be about just the world tag-team championship… A match without the farm setting, without bleach or fire. Just a match about two teams fighting to see who is the best in tag-team wrestling. I wanted it to be about that! And with my wife as my tag-team partner, I dreamed about that.
I mean, Bear and Penguin, what more could we have done? We shared with you that our son, David, was a fan. He’s grounded right now, so he won’t be watching you guys for awhile, but like Selena said, he wouldn’t watch now even if he wasn’t.
Still, we showed you respect. We wanted to respect you as a tag-team. Has that been happening for you guys at all since you won those titles? Or have you been treated like a joke and a slight against the World Tag-Team Championship? You don’t have to answer, I’ve paid enough attention to know what the consensus has often been where you two are concerned.
But Selena and I didn’t see that. We saw two guys – A penguin and a bird, fine! – but we saw two wrestlers that had beaten so many teams, endured being bleached and set on fire, and gods know what else to stay the tag-team champions. A team that, while unconventional, was creating something that SCW had never seen before. We respected that. And we tried to respect you two.
And we wanted a tag-match with you two. Try and picture that for a second. Maybe you’ll scoff at that where I am concerned, but Selena? She’s the longest reigning world champion in history! She’s won more titles than Penguin has feathers! She’s headlined Rise to Greatness twice! Possibly, and in my opinion, undeniably, one of the greatest wrestlers in SCW… taking you two seriously as wrestlers! That’s respect!
But instead… you wanted to make this personal. You wanted to insult me, my wife… our children! And Lexy? You just couldn’t let this stay a decent two-on-two match, could you?
Let me address the first issue. Bear, you want to insult my children? You want to say they have ‘no future’ because they don’t watch your show, huh? Insult Selena and I all you want. In terms of accolades, you’re not really in a position to sound credible where Selena is concerned, but insult me? Fine. You want to say the same old schtick about being in Selena’s shadow? Go ahead. You want to make a jab about Selena controlling me and making all the calls? Be my guest!
We’ve heard worse and we’ve dealt with worse. We took on The Brand together, a group that ran a smear campaign against us, trying to make us out to be bullies while they were the ones manipulating and hurting people. So, if you want to twist the narrative like Lexy does every time she opens her mouth, than be my guest!
But you insult my children? My Elsianna? My David? My Amiliah? Yeah, that’s a line you shouldn’t have crossed, Bear, and you shouldn’t have dragged Penguin across it too. Because now? Selena and I don’t just want to beat you for the tag-titles. We don’t just want to put on a clinic between two actual teams and not some thrown together number like Kimberly Williams and Sarah Wolfe. We don’t just want to bring some more integrity to this division anymore. No… now?
We’re beating you now because we have something to prove, and this needs to end.
This whole conspiracy act needs to end! On and on you’ve gone, week in and week out, letting Lexy talk about conspiracies and ‘who’s in on it’ and whatever. And you know what? At first, I thought it was just sour grapes because her golden boy Ace Marshall couldn’t beat Selena at Rise to Greatness over a year ago. But now? I think she needs there to be a ‘conspiracy’. I think you two need her, so you need there to be some kind of conspiracy against all of you.
But the truth is, there is no conspiracy against you. Just one woman that has run every resource she has had into the ground, just like Holly Adams has done with The Brand. Autumn Valentine? Gone. Katsumi? Gone. Nate Chapel and Ace Marshall? Gone. And her rational is that it’s this big conspiracy driving them out, but the fact is that no one believes in ‘Lexy Worldwide’ anymore or the ‘Lexy Nation’ anymore.
More accurately, most of us can see right through it. We see through it because it’s just the same scam The Brand was promoting, just with a different paintjob. The Brand served one true purpose: to keep Holly Adams relevant. Lexy Worldwide? Made to keep Lexy Chapel relevant.
You think I’m lying? Why the hell would she need to address you as “Lexy Chapel presents The Farmstead Animals”? Why does she have to carry YOUR SCW World tag-team titles to and from the ring? Why does SHE call the shots when you two are the ones risking your lives with fire and bleach? Why does she do most of the talking, while you, Penguin, just shuffle your feet and chime in once in awhile?
It’s because Lexy only cares about you because you’re all she’s got left. And rather than see that, Penguin, you act more like a flamingo. You bury your head in the sand and you ignore it. And Bear? I’ll bet you’ve already figured it out but this arrangement of yours keeps your TV show going and whatever else you need so you go along with it. Hell, you agree with it because it gets you what want. It keeps YOU relevant.
You want to say my children have no future? You two are too afraid to even have a future in SCW without Lexy Chapel. Without someone making all the decisions because then with her, you don’t have to be held accountable, right? “Oh! Lexy told us to do it! We were following Lexy!” Excuses, excuses and more excuses, when if you truly believed in fighting for what you have, fighting for what you believe in, then it would be just you two and the House of Frost and all this nonsense of the chamber wouldn’t even be a factor!
Yes, I am going to talk about that, because again, Lexy was the one that did this. Not me. Not Selena. Not Shaun, not Owen, not One, not Ducky, not even Greene or Adam Allocco. Lexy chose me. She could have given it to either of you! Given one of you the chance to spring ahead! You’re more than good enough, Penguin! Even Bear, though I don’t like him at all at this point. But she could have given you the chance – really helped your career! Instead, she chose me simply because she wants me to get hurt. She wants me in the ring with people driven to become world champion or, in Adam Allocco’s case, just to win and get his mojo back since he can’t challenge Xander while The Executioner is champion.
She wants me in the ring in case we beat you. Cause I learned that if I get ‘removed’ like my wife’s last tag partner was… The House of Frost does not last in SCW.
So I don’t just have to worry about Bear wanting to destroy me, I have to worry about five other people – ONE of them, literally The One, almost succeeded last Pay-Per-View when we fought for the Underground title! Another? Almost killed Ravyn and my wife that same night!
You want to talk about a conspiracy, Farmstead Friends? Let’s talk about Lexy trying to end my career to keep another Frost from running SCW and setting the new standard – one of grit and passion - across other divisions? Let’s talk about Lexy doing all she can to ensure that I am the one that “has no future”. Let’s talk about that? I can’t fault the incredible talent in the chamber for wanting to put me away – that’s how this works! That’s how the chamber works! I saw what it did to my wife year after year. Fractured ribs, concussions, the blood and tears from all the pain? That isn’t a match for stuffed animals and costumes! It’s brutal and unforgiving! That’s how we find a worthy person to challenge a man like Xander for the SCW World title!
But if you expect me to pretend that I wanted this? That I wanted to jump the line and get put in the chamber with dangerous people like Adam and Owen and Ducky (or Luna) and One and Greene? If you think I wanted to endanger the dream I had of becoming SCW World tag-team champions with the woman that means the most to me in this whole world, you are beyond wrong!
And I don’t care if the others in the chamber use this fact, I won’t hide it. I became a wrestler for this purpose. To one day become tag-team champion with my wife. That was my dream. That was what I wanted for ‘our moment’. My wife and I, working together to make the tag-division better for all teams, including yours, Farmstead. I wanted to be her partner, her equal in wrestling, even if I have so much farther to go to be on that level as her in the ring.
I didn’t want the chamber. I didn’t want this. But now that it’s here, I have to see it through, because I refuse to let you two or Lexy try and steal MY future from me. And if that means I have to walk into the chamber and survive five other incredible talents, including one of the guys on the biggest run right now, the man that beat my wife in Adam Allocco, if that is what I have to do keep my future alive, than – I don’t know how – but I will find a way!
And, one way or another, while you three – Penguin, Bear, and Lexy – are licking your wounds and watching the chamber match begin… there will be one thing that will ring in your ear. One little thing that will sit with you as it is declared at the start.
‘Making her way to the ring… The NEW SCW World Tag-Team Champion… Deanna Frost!’
Checkmate, bitches!
The Witches of Alden
”Capability”
Black Arrow Neighbourhood
Manhattan, New York
October 28th, 2022
2:47pm
Her fingertips hurt a little, but it only spurred her to dig harder. She knew she was being stupid. They had a set of tools in the garage. A simple hand-shovel, what was it called? A trowel? Yeah, that. That would have worked far better for the task… but not for her mental state. She wanted to hurt – it allowed her to be angry, and she also wanted to be angry.
Deanna knew that being angry never solved any problems. Hell, if she had learned anything from her time in Frankfurt, it had been that lashing out and acting in anger usually lead to bigger problems! But that was just it! She knew that! She wasn’t an idiot! She wasn’t stupid! She wasn’t weak-
Again, that familiar spike of anger laced through her, churning away inside her as she finished clawing the rough dirt out of the way enough to drive the solar-panelled lawn lamp into the ground, her dirtied hand immediately sweeping the dirt she had moved back over it, burying the spike end and securing the lamp into the Earth.
With a sigh, the redhead rolled off her haunches where she stood, rolling backward and against the nearby tree – one of many that were part of the forest-path/trail that eventually lead to the front of her house in Manhattan. She felt the thick bark press against her back and the back of her head as she breathed deeply, letting herself bring her heartrate down from its slight elevation. Gazing down at her hand, she spied the dirt-stains on her fingers and the clumps of soil that lined the underside of her fingernails. With a turn of her head, she spied the long trail of similar lamps – two parallel lines that ran from the trail to the front of her property and, eventually, back onto the trail to the next house.
Selena had kept her alone all day after the angry morning they had had and, alone with her thoughts, Deanna was able to admit a few things to herself.
First, how unfair she had been, giving Selena the silent treatment all morning until exploding at her to ‘leave her alone’.
”You think I don’t know what I am doing?!”
“I think you don’t understand what you are signing on for. There’s a reason she chose you.”
“What? You think I’m going to care more about becoming world title number one contender than us being tag-champions?”
“I think you’re going to be distracted when you see the chamber hanging above your head during the tag-match. I think it’s a distraction that we don’t need. I think-“
“You know what I think?! I think you WANTED so badly to be the number one contender for the world title, but you lost to Kimberly! And now that I have a REAL chance at becoming a challenger for the world title, you’re afraid that you won’t be able to EVER get your rematch! That’s what I think! I think you’re upset because it’s me and not you!”
Even at the time, she had known she was being unfair… but so was her wife. And that was the issue.
“She still thinks I’m a porcelain doll…” Deanna whispered to herself, lifting her hand to rub at her eyes, only to stop the motion just before touching her face when she recalled the amount of dirt that covered both her hands. Irritated, she drove her arm up to rub at her face with the rolled-up sleeve of her maroon sweater. Gods, she wanted to apologize to Selena, like she had in so many other of their fights, but this wasn’t a fight where she needed to be the one to apologize first, and even by herself now, she knew that.
Everything with the Scythes and the Frostmeres.
Everything with Frankfurt Prison III.
Everything with Killjoy!
Did Selena forget that Deanna had survived it all with her? That Deanna had been there through it all, and sometimes worse, and come out of it alive? So how…how could she say that to Shaun?
She’s not ready for that!
Angrily, Deanna slammed her eyes shut, trying to stop the tears from escaping her. “Dammit, Selena…” she half-whispered, half-cried for the umpteenth time, feeling the similar spikes of anger, pain, and sadness, both at her wife, but also at herself:
Why had she gone looking for Selena? Why had she wanted to shower with her wife after that whole ordeal with Ducky’s birthday party? Yes, it had been a few days since they had made love but it wasn’t like that! She had just wanted to shower with her wife, make her Selena feel loved after coming so close to winning the match that would have put The Snow Queen as the number one contender. Instead, she had gone looking for the Snow Queen throughout the Capital One Arena in Washington DC, searching through the halls, still in her leaf-covered onesie, asking various crew and superstars if they had seen Selena.
Of course, when she had reached the office of Shaun Cruze, she was already feeling rather nervous. What if the Farmstead Friends had jumped her wife on Lexy’s orders? They had already bailed on the birthday party and Lexy had arranged the mess that was Deanna in the elimination chamber – which she did NOT want to think about right now. She was still partially in denial about it being her name that was spoken. Maybe Shaun had made a mistake and meant ‘Selena FROST’ – that made a hell of a lot more sense!
REGARDLESS, she remembered thinking, The Farmstead Friends, and more accurately Lexy and Dancing Bear, were willing to do anything to keep the House of Frosts from being at 100% heading into Under Attack and the SCW World Tag-Team championship. Attacking the strongest member backstage in Selena was not beyond impossible and Deanna regretted, in that moment, not changing into more appropriate clothes in case she found Selena in the throngs of some kind of brawl.
But back to approaching Shaun Cruze’s door, the redhead had been ready to just knock and ask politely if the young man had seen Selena. However, as her hand reached up to rap her knuckles against the painted wood, she could hear the voices on the other side. Yelling voices.
They were muffled and not very coherent, but the pitch and accent, Deanna recognized one right away as her wife’s, which gave her a momentary wash of relief through her system. Least Selena wasn’t being attacked. Still, as her breathing slowed, the young Frost had begun to wonder what Selena was talking about that was making her so angry…
And this is where Deanna had wished she had stopped. Had just, knowing her wife was safe, turned back around and walked back to their dressing room. She could just pretend she hadn’t wandered through the arena in her onesie and, maybe, still get that shower with her beloved….
But that isn’t what happened. Instead, she slowly reached out towards the door, turned the doorknob and slowly, imperceptibly, pushed the door open. The voices immediately became crystal clear.
“How could you allow this?!”
“It’s not something I can prevent! It’s out of my hands!”
“You’re in charge!”
“Not in that regard!”
It sounded like a damn shouting match, back and forth, each person trying to get the other to see their point of view. The emotional sounds of it all was enough to make Deanna instinctively gulp.
“Selena…” she heard Shaun Cruze’s voice. “I didn’t want to choose her, either. You know that. She’s doing well, but she’s not…” he seemed to sigh. “She’s not ready for that.”
“Tell me something I don’t know!” Selena shot back. “I barely survived those things. Shaun…” her voice trailed off for a moment. “You know what that thing does to people! It shortens careers! And if she was further along, I’d…I think I’d be okay with it. But she isn’t even done her first year! She barely survived the Underground Division-“
Deanna felt her spine stiffen. They couldn’t have been talking about her, could they? No, it wasn’t her that had made Selena so angry, was it? And again, she should have just left there – left well enough alone - but instead, she moved closer to the door, as if the millimeters of space could amplify the sound tenfold.
“I can’t undo it.” Shaun sighed. “I’ve got those investigators up my ass over some trumped up ‘conspiracy’ nonsense. But…” his voice seemed to lift at the idea. “Deanna could refuse to participate in the chamber.”
Hearing her own name, Deanna’s jaw dropped. They WERE talking about her. Worse yet, they were talking about her being in the chamber match – or rather, refusing to be in the chamber match.
“She would never agree to that.” Selena sighed. “She would feel like a coward.”
Damn right I would! Deanna’s mind screamed, but she covered her hand with her mouth to keep from speaking those thoughts aloud.
“Well, then convince her. For her own sake, yours, and for that of your tag-team.” Shaun advised. “At this point, I have to go through with the booking and say she is ‘planned’ to be a participant. But I can’t be at fault if she refuses to participate in order to ‘focus on being a good tag-team partner’ rather than a ‘pawn to Lexy’s games’.”
A long silence filled the space and, for a moment, Deanna felt her heart skip a beat or two in panic that she had been discovered in her less than ideal ‘hiding spot’ near the ajar door. However, she heard no steps approaching the door. And…for the third time – THIS should have been where she left things alone!
“I’ll talk to her.” She heard Selena sigh. “Convince her to drop out. You’re right. She’s not ready for that.”
It wasn’t entirely clear which emotion emerged first in the redhead. Shock or pain. How could her wife say that? Shaun was one thing. He had to put SCW’s image and the business first but Selena was her wife! How many times had she doubted herself and Deanna had helped her through? It had been her that had first convinced Selena to go out and try to win the SCW World title almost six years ago at the End of the Year event against Alexis Quinne. Her that had pushed Selena to try again for the world title years and years later! Never doubting! Always believing in her! And here Selena was… thinking that she wasn’t ready… good enough…
Even presently, Deanna wasn’t sure which emotion came first, but she knew which emotion had won out. Rage. Worse yet, a familiar rage. One she had felt after hearing those words over and over again from everyone else in SCW!
And for the fourth time- NO! Deanna was past that now! She was down the rabbit hole and too angry to care. With a shove, she had pushed the door open fully, earning the surprised attention of both Shaun and Selena. “Excuse me.” She had spat darkly. “If you’re going to be talking about me and my career, perhaps I should be present in such discussions, don’t you think?!”
“Deanna…” Selena tried.
“No, please, Mrs. Frost.” The redhead marched over to a nearby plush chair in the office and sat down, crossing one leg over the other. “Don’t let me stop you. You were just deciding for me how I should handle this big mess Lexy Chapel has thrown us into. Please! Continue to think and speak for me! I’ll wait!”
“Deanna…” Shaun tried, easily sensing the tension this mistake had made. “We are only thinking of your well being.”
“Says the man that picked Owen to be in the chamber.” Deanna scoffed.
“Owen has been involved in chamber matches before. As has Allocco.” Shaun countered. “And the others have far more experience in wrestling than you do. You literally just began less than a year ago.”
“Alistaire Allocco did it in less time!” Deanna, for a moment, had actually been proud that she had been able to think of that counter so quickly. Despite her lack of years as a wrestler, she still had nearly a decade as a manager, dammit! She almost miss Selena stiffen a little from that memory, as it had been her that Allocco had pinned in the chamber to win it and become SCW world champion via a cheap shot from behind. ‘Not going to regret that hitting that nerve.’ Deanna thought. ‘She asked for it.’
“Allocco wasn’t double booked.” Selena slowly spoke. “Would you rather we quit our tag-team title match so you can focus on the chamber? Because I will if we have to.”
“No!” Deanna shot in. Despite everything that had just occurred and everything she had just heard, the redhead still wanted nothing more than to become world tag-team champions with her wife! It was beyond ‘the dream’, it was… it was why she had transitioned from manager to wrestler in the first place. Still, she couldn’t just ignore what she had heard.
“Okay…” Shaun seemed rather pensive as he sat at his desk, mulling over options. “There is the option of isolating Deanna.”
“What does that mean?” the redhead asked.
“It means…” Selena explained. “That I wrestle our tag-match and you just stand in the corner. Simple.”
“That’s not tag-wrestling!” Deanna countered. “That’s a handicap match!”
She couldn’t believe these ideas! Each one involved some kind of ‘non-wrestling’ role for her or something to that effect! “Why can’t I do both?” she blurted out.
“The very fact that you are asking that question…” Selena’s expression darkened as she crossed her arms over her chest. “Is why Shaun and I are having this conversation.”
“I survived the Underground Division!” Deanna countered.
“For less than two months.” Selena countered.
“Longer than your second reign as world champion!” Deanna shot back, immediately regretting it as she saw the flash of surprise in Selena’s eyes, true as the statement was. “I…” she sought new words desperately. “I mean… I’m not afraid to do both matches.”
“Nobody is questioning your drive, Deanna.” Shaun tried to explain. “What we are concerned with is the danger this puts you in.” he took a deep breath. “Let’s say you win the tag-team titles at Under Attack, but you immediately get injured in the chamber. What then? Now, Selena either has to drop the titles or find a new partner until you return. Or worse, what happens if you get hurt in the tag-match and then have to wrestle the chamber?”
There was a moment of silence between all three individuals, Shaun and Selena watching Deanna’s moves as she fidgeted uncomfortably on the chair in her onesie. It’s not that she hadn’t thought about these things when she had first gotten the news of Lexy hijacking a spot in the chamber for her. The chamber was one of the most dangerous structures in SCW. It was nigh-impossible to win a match at 100%, let alone wrestling two matches in one night. But they thought she hadn’t considered the danger at all since the announcement.
And the truth was, despite her best efforts, she had. But the reality was that, after facing Kimberly Williams, Konrad Raab with his mace, and so many people at Apocalypse… to be the only person besides the winner that had walked out of that match of their own volition? Was it wrong that she felt that she had become used to the dangers? The risks? And that made the chamber a little less scary to her? No less dangerous! But a little less scary?
Casting her emerald gaze up, she saw Shaun first, the man appearing… did he always look so tired? Weary? Like the weight of the world was on his shoulders? Slowly, her eyes found Selena’s, and that mental bond between them forged from nearly seven years of marriage. She wanted Deanna to concede. To not go through with the chamber match, not because of the tag-titles, though Deanna knew Selena wanted them as much as she did, but because…because…
“Answer me one question and if it’s not what I think it is, I’ll concede…” she had spoken, eyeing both Shaun again. “Would this be an issue if Lexy had chosen Selena?”
There was a moment of hurtful silence between the three, forcing Deanna to push the question. “Would we be here, having this conversation about ‘safety’ and ‘conceding a match’, essentially forfeiting, if Lexy had chosen Selena instead of me?”
She was no longer looking at Shaun, but rather directly at her wife, lover and partner, watching as the woman, known for her integrity in SCW, could no longer look her in the eyes. It was all the answer she had needed.
“I thought not.” Deanna replied, feeling that spike of anger wrap around her again, the truth more apparent than Selena’s platinum-blonde hair. Bitterly, she pushed herself out of the seat. “You can be sure that I will be attending Under Attack, Mr. Cruze. And I WILL be wrestling BOTH matches that night!”
“Deanna…” Selena tried, but withered under the cold glare of her emerald-eyed wife.
“Consider the matter closed and your little ‘problem’ solved. That should take care of any ‘guilt’ you may have.” She spoke sharply to Shaun, who merely nodded his head.
“I’ll ensure the rest of management knows. They’ll want to get started on publicity posters as soon as possible.”
Deanna didn’t wait to hear anymore, finally choosing to turn and leave the room. She didn’t take many steps down the hall of the arena before she heard steps coming up behind her.
“Deanna…” of course it was her voice, accented and beautiful. “I was just looking out for you-“
It was the worst thing she could possibly have said, and it was enough for Deanna to feel the snap of whatever patience she had left. Turning around, she glared back at the Snow Queen, still in her own onesie of snowflakes. “You were trying to make my decisions for me without talking to me first. Just like you’ve done over and over again! That’s what you were doing!”
“I didn’t-“
“The hell you didn’t!” Deanna shot back. “I am tired. I am angry and I have a damn Halloween contest to try and win! Home is a four-hour drive from here and poor Eric is waiting for us. I am going to bed.” She spun on her foot, leaving her wife standing there before throwing back, “You can sleep on the couch tonight!”
Deanna felt the tears rolling off her cheeks as she opened her eyes, her vision immediately impaired by the water in her eyes before it, too, rolled down her cheeks. She felt the tree against her, holding her up, supporting her…
Why couldn’t Selena do that? Why did every step Deanna took as a wrestler, in life, have to be a minefield where Selena thought she needed protection – like some princess in a castle or some fragile doll?
That’s not why you’re upset… She heard the thought in her head mock her slightly, angrily wiping at her face with forearm. Her timing was perfect for, as she lowered her arm, she spied her youngest daughter, Amiliah, running down the short hill towards her, Elsianna following her. The small child bounded towards Deanna and was by her side within seconds.
“Mommy! Mommy!” cried out the child, her plaid pants’ bright colors of green and blue contrasting with the dark, earthly colors of the ground, as did her pink sweater – all of which was different to Elsianna’s black leggings, gray long-shirt, black jacket and matching gloves and boots. “Spencer said that we could help carve pumpkins for his display! Can we?! Can we?!”
It took Deanna a few seconds before her brain registered what she was hearing. Spencer Cunningham was the son of Walter and Hannah Cunningham, one of the many neighbours down the street from the house. An older couple, a decade or two older than Selena and Deanna but still lively and kind. Their sons were Kurt and Spencer (Spencer the youngest and a late ‘surprise/miracle’ for the family).
“They want help carving pumpkins?” Deanna asked, not needing to change her position from sitting as she was eye-level with her red-headed daughter, who nodded eagerly.
“Spencer said his mom and dad had a supercool idea!”
Amiliah’s cuteness was just enough to make Deanna smile. “Alright.” She sighed. “Long as you let Elsianna and Mrs. Cunningham help. And you only use what they give you.”
“Okay!” Amiliah didn’t wait, immediately scampering off back up the hill towards, Deanna assumed, was the Cunningham’s house. She saw Elsianna standing there, a worried expression on her face as she regarded her mom.
“Elsa?” Deanna tilted her head. “You going to make sure she uses only the ‘safety, orange-plastic, carving tools?”
“Y…yes, mom.” Elsianna looked away, seemingly embarassed.
“Something wrong?” the redhead asked, shifting to push herself up to her feet, groaning as her back and legs protested a little.
“No…” Elsianna shook her head, only to look back at her mom. “Well, I mean…” she closed her mouth again. “No. Sorry.”
Quickly, the child excuse herself, jogging back up the hill to follow Amiliah.
“Strange.” Deanna thought aloud with a tilt of her head before checking over her work. The lights were all set and would be the perfect guide throughout her Halloween display.
To say that things were heating up a little in the Black Arrow neighbourhood as the night of the contest drew ever closer would be an understatement. In fact, despite the unpleasantness that had occurred at Breakdown, the Queen’s Guard had been grateful that the show had been a mere four hours from Manhattan, making it easy for them to travel there and back rather than needing a plane-ride or days of travel. And the fact that she would have a solid few days after Halloween to get to Under Attack meant she wouldn’t have to miss anything for the holiday. In short, she could devote a good amount of time in making sure everything was as perfect as it could be.
She needed to win – at least beat Leslie Sanderson. Although, as of late, the annoying woman and her ‘tendencies’ towards Deanna and her marriage to Selena was occupying less and less of the redhead’s mind. In fact, if Deanna were honest with herself, this whole competition had devolved into more of an outlet.
Leslie believed that Deanna’s win last year had been a fluke. That she couldn’t do it again. That she wasn’t capable of such things. It was not so different than in SCW and since she couldn’t do anything about SCW until Under Attack now, this was the next best thing… or fighting her wife in their ring in their home-gym.
“That’s still an option…” Deanna growled under her breath as she adjusted one of the ground lamps before making her own way up the hill her children had travelled, passing the first display she had built last week – that of The Wolfman. It wasn’t until she had reached the frontyard and saw the ‘house section display’ of a graveyard that lead into the Frankenstein lab (he did make his Creature out of dead bodies, right?) that Deanna spotted the platinum-blonde there, the taller woman standing on the porch in blue jeans and a simple magenta sweater. The neckline was larger and exposed a bit of her tattooed shoulder, the black-snowflake visible even from where Deanna stood.
Of course, she’s wearing THAT sweater… Deanna thought with a grumble. She loved when her wife wore that sweater because she could cuddle her fluffiness and have access to the neck and shoulder for ‘kissing purposes’. No, you’re still VERY mad at her. Deanna reminded herself, which wasn’t hard given the argument they had had this morning. And when Selena, not seeing her wife standing there, reached out to adjust one of the jars on the table – the one with the brain on it that read ‘abnormal brain’- that anger prickled up to the front.
“What are you doing?” Deanna asked, marching towards the display where her wife stood, Selena jumping a little at the redhead’s outburst. “I told you that I didn’t want or need any help with this now.”
Recovering from her slight scare, the Snow Queen gestured towards the table. “I was just adjusting one of the jars. It was turned the wrong way. I think David was having a laugh.”
“Or maybe…” reaching out, Deanna grasped the large, glass jar, forcefully turning it back the way it was. “Maybe I would have noticed it and fixed it later, but that wasn’t good enough for you so you just had to ‘fix it’ yourself because you thought I wouldn’t notice it myself.” She turned her head back to the jar. “Oh look! An askew jar!” she turned it back over the way Selena had done it, allowing the ‘abnormal brain’ sign to be in full view. “Guess I could do it.”
With a long exhale, Selena rolled her eyes at her wife. “You’re being childish.” She said simply.
“Oh, am I?” laughed Deanna. “Well how else can I act when you won’t treat me like a grown-ass adult capable of making her own decisions?”
“OH FOR ODIN’S SAKE!” Selena half-yelled. “I was just trying to do the right thing, okay?! Do you honestly believe that you would be in that chamber match if not for Lexy? Tell me you do! Please! Tell me you saw yourself in that chamber match when it was announced.”
“Doesn’t matter.” Shrugged Deanna. “I’m in it now.”
“Yes! But why?! It doesn’t make sense! It’s on after our match with Penguin and Bear, so at BEST – AT BEST – she’s screwing you over for a match that you didn’t even want to be in in the first place! So why?!” Selena shrugged. “Did you even think about that during your temper tantrum?”
“You’re the one that’s yelling.” Deanna observed, only for Selena to ignore her.
“Of course you didn’t. You’re too busy feeling slighted and hurt that ‘no one believes I can do it! No one wants me to go for these titles! No one believes in Deanna!’. All about you!”
“Well SOMEONE has to think about me.” Deanna shot back. “You clearly aren’t!”
“ALL I DO IS THINK ABOUT YOU!” Selena yelled, jumping to her feet, standing several inches taller than Deanna. “All I’ve done is because I think about you.”
“Yeah! Like your porcelain doll!” Deanna countered, refusing to back down from her wife, staring the woman down – or up in this case. “As your ‘fragile little princess’!”
“You’re wrong.”
“Then how come you couldn’t answer my question last night? If it was you and not me that was picked, would it have been okay?”
“I’m different!” Selena countered. “I have nearly ten years of experience here! You don’t even have one!”
“And what? I would have had to take it? I would have to just accept that you were going to walk into a show where you’re double-booked? What’s good for Selena isn’t for Deanna, that it?”
“It’s two different scenarios, Deanna!” Selena tried. “You’re comparing us, but I am prepared for this. You’re not. You’ve never even been in a chamber match before! You’ve barely been in tag-matches! I have. I’ve won the tag-titles twice!”
“Yeah, and how did that end up for both your partners?”
Deanna wished she could take that one back – even in that moment, that microsecond of time where you hear what you say before the person you’re talking to does. Because the way she saw Selena’s eyes widen in shock at the inference of not only Dawn Lohan but Regan Street – the two women she had won the tag-titles with and the history between both…
Something faded in Selena’s eyes, Deanna could see it. A bit of light wasn’t there anymore, replaced by hurt, the platinum-blonde’s head lowering to look at her own pale hands. Immediately, Deanna wanted to apologize for that lowblow. But again, she still believed that she shouldn’t be the one to apologize first! Selena had started this by going behind her back to Shaun Cruze, discussing convincing her to quit the chamber match. For not believing in her!
“Fine.” Selena breathed, snapping her head back up. “Do what you want. I hope you win.”
“I’m…” Deanna caught herself from apologizing, choosing instead to roll her shoulders and stand her ground. “I will.”
“Good.” Selena nodded. “I’m going back inside then. I have some promos to write.”
“Be my guest.” Deanna gestured towards the house. “I’ll make sure this place is looking first-prize worthy!”
Biting her lower lip, Selena nodded her head before walking the short steps, opening the door and disappearing back into the house, leaving the redhead with her heart full of hurt and her mind full of self-aimed mental curses.
“Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!” she muttered at herself, even striking her temple with her palm. How the hell could she say that? Bring up that pain of Dawn and Regan to her wife?! They were supposed to be ‘The House of Frost’. A well-oiled machine! A growing tag-team with asipirations to be a great tag-team in SCW! Bringing integrity back to divisions and whatever… and now they couldn’t even look at each other without getting into a fight.
“I’ll fix this.” Deanna whispered under her breath as she needlessly ‘adjusted’ some of the Halloween-décor around her. “I’ll win this competition. Then, I’ll go to Under Attack and win us the tag-titles. Then I’ll win the chamber and prove everyone wrong. And then Selena can apologize, admit she was wrong, then I’ll apologize, and we’ll be alright again!”
She had to believe that things would work out in that fashion. Or, at the very least, surviving the chamber would prove… something, though she wasn’t entirely sure what that was but it had to prove something to both Selena and Shaun Cruze.
Casting her eyes around, the redhead was relieved to see that there were no neighbours on the street looking at her or having heard the argument she and Selena had. Last thing she wanted was for that tiff to find its way back to Leslie…
Speaking of which… Deanna thought, once more gazing around the area. She’s usually outside soon as she sees me just to annoy me. She gazed the short distance down the street to where the large stone-gargoyles stood… the poor things… but still, no sign of Leslie. “Maybe she’s out.” Deanna said aloud, partially grateful for the respite. Her main competitor’s house was now covered with so much lights and decorations it looked like the house was made of it. Clearly, Leslie was going for ‘quantity’ over ‘quality’ and Deanna wasn’t going to fall into that trap. Yes, she wanted to win, but she also wanted her children to love the displays. She wanted the neighbourhood to enjoy it.
She wanted…
Her eyes flashed towards the door Selena had entered and closed moments ago, a sigh escaping her. She wanted to walk the trail holding her wife’s pale hand. She wanted to steal kisses in the dark of the night. She wanted to sit in one of the displays and enjoy the night with her beloved wife. She wanted to go trick-or-treating with their children, standing at the driveways on Selena’s arm as their daughters and son ran excitedly to each door. But she also wanted that apology. She wanted Selena to treat her like an adult all the time, not just when there wasn’t any danger. She wanted Selena to trust that she was strong enough and smart enough to survived and endure like the Snow Queen had against so many opponents. She wanted… she wanted…
Those damn tears threatened to fall from Deanna’s eyes, the young woman swiping at them. I just want her to believe in me when it’s not easy as hell to believe in me… she refused to voice that thought, locking it away as she adjusted the Frankenstein Creature’s thick coat on the mannequin’s large frame.
She slowly lost track of the time as she kept herself busy adjusting the various scenes of Wolfman, Dracula and Frankenstein in similar fashion, trying her best not to think about the platinum-blonde that remained in the house. However, when she heard the sound of laughter coming down the street, she instinctively turned her head to see, a bit in the distance, her children carving their pumpkins on the Cunningham’s front yard. Smart… Deanna thought with a smile as she saw David, who had joined his sisters, pull out a huge glob of ‘PUMPKIN GUTS’ – as she heard him scream, grabbing a second handful before running around the yard with his hands full of the vegetables ‘inners’, even dangling it in front of Elsianna, Amiliah and Spencer. A ways back, standing on the porch, Walter and Hannah Cunningham gazed down the distance to spot Deanna on the front porch, waving widely so she could see them do so. With a smile, she waved back just as big before casting a glance over at her work.
I can take a break… she decided before quickly marching the distance necessary to reach the Cunningham’s abode. It was about the same size as hers, the Cunningham’s being one of the few families that had moved into the neighbourhood rather early in development and, thus, getting their pick of spots and choosing the building they wanted. It wasn’t like their house was a castle-style like Leslie’s but it had a homely-
Deanna’s eyes grew wide as she saw the multitude of pumpkins strew on the lawn, many of them carved.
“Whoa…” Deanna remarked as she reached Walter and Hannah, casting her gaze to watching her children. “That is a lot of pumpkins! Did some place have a sale or something?” she eyes Hannah and Walter, the latter laughing a little.
“Well, pumpkins are never THAT expensive considering.” He shrugged. “Plus, I’ve got a farmer-friend on the country side that gave me a good deal.”
“So there WAS a sale!” Deanna teased. “But why so many?”
“Oh, Walter has one of his ‘ideas’ again.” Hannah sighed. “Poor man is going to break his neck.”
“Ah ah, hunny! No spoilers before Halloween!” Walter playfully demanded. “I want Deanna to be surprised too.”
“Oh, is this for the contest or something?” Deanna asked.
“Something like that.” Walter shrugged. “But really? I just wanted to get the neighbourhood something to share in. Almost every neighbour has contributed by carving one or more of the pumpkins we brought.”
“That’s wonderful.” Deanna beamed. “Such a fun idea!”
“Well…” Walter shrugged. “I don’t know how many more we’re going to have with both Spencer and Kurt – Kurt’s going to be going to college soon. So… I wanted this year to be special for us.”
For a moment, Deanna cast her eyes back out to the yard. “I have to admit, I don’t envy you that.” She sighed. “I’ve still got at least seven years with Elsianna and more with Amiliah and-“ the breath left her body as the boy in discussion, David, was no longer in view. Looking up and down the yard, Deanna couldn’t spot the young boy… that is until she looked down the sidewalk… halfway towards her house – where Leslie’s gargoyles were…
And David hanging off the arm of one as he phenangled the pumpkin guts in his free hand onto the maw of the ‘beaked gargoyle’, the first one Leslie had bought.
“Oh no….” Deanna exhaled before beginning to march down the sidewalk. “DAVID!” she called out. “Get off that immediately! We told you-“
“AAAAAHHHHH!” the shriek came in front of Deanna before she was even a third of the way there. Before her eyes, she saw her son turn his head towards the source of the voice, immediately release the arm of the gargoyle he was hanging from, and drop down to the ground just before Leslie Sanderson reached him.
Angrily, the woman grabbed the boy by the ear, her head twisting in almost inhumanly directions before settling on the approach Deanna. Without a word, the black yoga-pants wearing woman dragged the poor boy by the ear towards Deanna, causing more than just alarm to race through her. She immediately broke into a sprint, closing the distance between them.
“WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’RE-“ Leslie started but stopped as soon as Deanna acted, the redhead grabbing her wrist and squeezing as hard as she could, earning a yelp of pain from the whiny brunette.
“UNHAND HIM RIGHT NOW!” Deanna growled.
Perhaps from meer shock, Leslie released the now teary-eyed boy, who immediately ran behind Deanna’s legs to hide there. Soon as he had, Deanna threw Leslie’s arm away, the older woman rubbing the sore limb in shock.
“Your son-“
“I don’t care!” Deanna interjected, stepping forward and glaring down Leslie. “I saw what he did which is why I was rushing towards him. But that does NOT give you the right to lay a hand on MY son, you understand me?!” she was practically growling at the woman, Leslie’s expression morphing between anger and fear multiple times.
“You son was intruding on MY property!” Leslie countered. “You know I could have shot him if I felt so inclined.”
“Oh for Odin’s sake, Leslie! He’s barely six!”
“And what if he damaged my GARG-oyles?!” Leslie asked before narrowing her eyes. “Did you put him up to this?”
“Did I what?”
“Oh, Deanna…Deanna… Deanna…” Leslie tsks with a shake of her head. “Using your own children to sabotage my decorations? You’re that insecure?”
Deanna felt her jaw clench at the accusation. “I don’t need to sabotage you to beat you, Leslie. I rather my work speak for itself. Sounds like you’re just trying to make excuses for yourself when you lose.”
“When I lose…” Leslie laughed before suddenly growing serious. “What are you going to do about his actions?” she gestured to the still-hiding David. At this time, Elsianna and Amiliah had reached the other Frosts. “Those gargoyles are expensive!”
“So you told me many times.” Deanna replied. “And as for my son. He and I will clean the mess-“
“Oh no you won’t!” Leslie shot back. “You’ll probably break it with your bear hands.” She held her wrist again, causing Deanna to look down at her small hands, only a little stubbier than Selena’s long, slender ones. “No. I will clean it.”
“Fine.” Deanna shrugged. “David? Do you have something to say?”
“I’m sorry…” David tried, staying behind Deanna. “I won’t do it again.”
“You better not! Cause next time I am calling the cops!” Leslie warned before eyeing Deanna. “Keep your children… and yourself… off my lawn. Got it?”
“Understood.” Deanna narrowed her eyes but said nothing else as Leslie turned and walked back down the street towards her house. She almost didn’t hear the sigh of relief come from David.
“Wow…thanks Mom-“ he stopped as he gazed up at the cold, emerald-glare that bore down on him, forcing him to gulp loudly.
“Don’t thank me.” She stated coldly. “You’re grounded.”
“What? For what?” He asked.
“For disobeying your mothers. Did we not say not to climb on those gargoyles?”
“Y…yes…” David slowly nodded his head.
“And what did you just do?”
“Climbed on the gargoyles?”
“Yes, you did. So you disobeyed and you dirtied a neighbour’s property!”
“But mother…” Elsianna tried. “She’s so mean and you don’t like her either.”
“That doesn’t mean it’s okay to act like that, Elsianna!” Deanna shot back. “How would you feel if, for no reason, someone that didn’t like you smashed Sir Crackshell?”
That silenced the eldest Frost child instantly, the nine-year-old shrinking back a little at the thought, causing Deanna’s glare to refocus back on David. “You are grounded until I, not mother, says so! Understand?”
“Y…yes…” David nodded. “Can I…” he looked around the neighbourhood for a moment. “Can I still go trick-or-treating?”
“I don’t know yet.” Deanna answered honestly. “I don’t think you deserve it.”
“Please, mommy!” David tried.
Biting her lower lip, Deanna thought for a moment, remembering something her older sister had taught her when she was young. “I’ll make you a deal, David. You go home and write ‘I am very sorry for disobeying my mothers’ – single-spaced, double-sided on each line of a sheet of line paper in your room. Do that without cheating or taking shortcuts and behave the next few days and MAYBE – ONLY MAYBE – will I let you go trick-or-treating.”
“Both sides?” David’s eyes grew wide. “But that will take all day and…” his voice died down as he saw the unyielding glare of Deanna. “Yes, mom.” He nodded. “I’ll go right now.”
He was quietly followed him by the three Frost women, his head low as he made his way of the stairs, barely noticing the open door and the platinum-blonde that stood in the door frame, arms crossed over her chest.
“What happened?” Selena asked, eyes wide as Deanna reached the porch. “I heard shouting-“
“I took care of it.” Deanna stated sharply, allowing Elsianna and Amiliah to enter the house before she spoke again. “Contrary to your beliefs, Selena, I know how to act like an adult and mother.”
“I never said-“
“Just…” Deanna held her hand up. “Stop. I don’t want to fight with you for a third time today. I took care of and will continue to take care of it. David is grounded till I say so – not you, just so you know.”
Selena opened her mouth to speak but chose instead to close it for an extra second before shrugging her shoulders. “Anything else?”
“Yeah.” Deanna sighed. “Watch the kids for a bit.” She ordered before beginning to walk off the porch and around the house to the large ‘home’ that served as the indoor-pool and gym. “I’ve got to blow off some steam…”
_______________________________________________________________
The Guard Tower
You know, I thought this could be about just the world tag-team championship… A match without the farm setting, without bleach or fire. Just a match about two teams fighting to see who is the best in tag-team wrestling. I wanted it to be about that! And with my wife as my tag-team partner, I dreamed about that.
I mean, Bear and Penguin, what more could we have done? We shared with you that our son, David, was a fan. He’s grounded right now, so he won’t be watching you guys for awhile, but like Selena said, he wouldn’t watch now even if he wasn’t.
Still, we showed you respect. We wanted to respect you as a tag-team. Has that been happening for you guys at all since you won those titles? Or have you been treated like a joke and a slight against the World Tag-Team Championship? You don’t have to answer, I’ve paid enough attention to know what the consensus has often been where you two are concerned.
But Selena and I didn’t see that. We saw two guys – A penguin and a bird, fine! – but we saw two wrestlers that had beaten so many teams, endured being bleached and set on fire, and gods know what else to stay the tag-team champions. A team that, while unconventional, was creating something that SCW had never seen before. We respected that. And we tried to respect you two.
And we wanted a tag-match with you two. Try and picture that for a second. Maybe you’ll scoff at that where I am concerned, but Selena? She’s the longest reigning world champion in history! She’s won more titles than Penguin has feathers! She’s headlined Rise to Greatness twice! Possibly, and in my opinion, undeniably, one of the greatest wrestlers in SCW… taking you two seriously as wrestlers! That’s respect!
But instead… you wanted to make this personal. You wanted to insult me, my wife… our children! And Lexy? You just couldn’t let this stay a decent two-on-two match, could you?
Let me address the first issue. Bear, you want to insult my children? You want to say they have ‘no future’ because they don’t watch your show, huh? Insult Selena and I all you want. In terms of accolades, you’re not really in a position to sound credible where Selena is concerned, but insult me? Fine. You want to say the same old schtick about being in Selena’s shadow? Go ahead. You want to make a jab about Selena controlling me and making all the calls? Be my guest!
We’ve heard worse and we’ve dealt with worse. We took on The Brand together, a group that ran a smear campaign against us, trying to make us out to be bullies while they were the ones manipulating and hurting people. So, if you want to twist the narrative like Lexy does every time she opens her mouth, than be my guest!
But you insult my children? My Elsianna? My David? My Amiliah? Yeah, that’s a line you shouldn’t have crossed, Bear, and you shouldn’t have dragged Penguin across it too. Because now? Selena and I don’t just want to beat you for the tag-titles. We don’t just want to put on a clinic between two actual teams and not some thrown together number like Kimberly Williams and Sarah Wolfe. We don’t just want to bring some more integrity to this division anymore. No… now?
We’re beating you now because we have something to prove, and this needs to end.
This whole conspiracy act needs to end! On and on you’ve gone, week in and week out, letting Lexy talk about conspiracies and ‘who’s in on it’ and whatever. And you know what? At first, I thought it was just sour grapes because her golden boy Ace Marshall couldn’t beat Selena at Rise to Greatness over a year ago. But now? I think she needs there to be a ‘conspiracy’. I think you two need her, so you need there to be some kind of conspiracy against all of you.
But the truth is, there is no conspiracy against you. Just one woman that has run every resource she has had into the ground, just like Holly Adams has done with The Brand. Autumn Valentine? Gone. Katsumi? Gone. Nate Chapel and Ace Marshall? Gone. And her rational is that it’s this big conspiracy driving them out, but the fact is that no one believes in ‘Lexy Worldwide’ anymore or the ‘Lexy Nation’ anymore.
More accurately, most of us can see right through it. We see through it because it’s just the same scam The Brand was promoting, just with a different paintjob. The Brand served one true purpose: to keep Holly Adams relevant. Lexy Worldwide? Made to keep Lexy Chapel relevant.
You think I’m lying? Why the hell would she need to address you as “Lexy Chapel presents The Farmstead Animals”? Why does she have to carry YOUR SCW World tag-team titles to and from the ring? Why does SHE call the shots when you two are the ones risking your lives with fire and bleach? Why does she do most of the talking, while you, Penguin, just shuffle your feet and chime in once in awhile?
It’s because Lexy only cares about you because you’re all she’s got left. And rather than see that, Penguin, you act more like a flamingo. You bury your head in the sand and you ignore it. And Bear? I’ll bet you’ve already figured it out but this arrangement of yours keeps your TV show going and whatever else you need so you go along with it. Hell, you agree with it because it gets you what want. It keeps YOU relevant.
You want to say my children have no future? You two are too afraid to even have a future in SCW without Lexy Chapel. Without someone making all the decisions because then with her, you don’t have to be held accountable, right? “Oh! Lexy told us to do it! We were following Lexy!” Excuses, excuses and more excuses, when if you truly believed in fighting for what you have, fighting for what you believe in, then it would be just you two and the House of Frost and all this nonsense of the chamber wouldn’t even be a factor!
Yes, I am going to talk about that, because again, Lexy was the one that did this. Not me. Not Selena. Not Shaun, not Owen, not One, not Ducky, not even Greene or Adam Allocco. Lexy chose me. She could have given it to either of you! Given one of you the chance to spring ahead! You’re more than good enough, Penguin! Even Bear, though I don’t like him at all at this point. But she could have given you the chance – really helped your career! Instead, she chose me simply because she wants me to get hurt. She wants me in the ring with people driven to become world champion or, in Adam Allocco’s case, just to win and get his mojo back since he can’t challenge Xander while The Executioner is champion.
She wants me in the ring in case we beat you. Cause I learned that if I get ‘removed’ like my wife’s last tag partner was… The House of Frost does not last in SCW.
So I don’t just have to worry about Bear wanting to destroy me, I have to worry about five other people – ONE of them, literally The One, almost succeeded last Pay-Per-View when we fought for the Underground title! Another? Almost killed Ravyn and my wife that same night!
You want to talk about a conspiracy, Farmstead Friends? Let’s talk about Lexy trying to end my career to keep another Frost from running SCW and setting the new standard – one of grit and passion - across other divisions? Let’s talk about Lexy doing all she can to ensure that I am the one that “has no future”. Let’s talk about that? I can’t fault the incredible talent in the chamber for wanting to put me away – that’s how this works! That’s how the chamber works! I saw what it did to my wife year after year. Fractured ribs, concussions, the blood and tears from all the pain? That isn’t a match for stuffed animals and costumes! It’s brutal and unforgiving! That’s how we find a worthy person to challenge a man like Xander for the SCW World title!
But if you expect me to pretend that I wanted this? That I wanted to jump the line and get put in the chamber with dangerous people like Adam and Owen and Ducky (or Luna) and One and Greene? If you think I wanted to endanger the dream I had of becoming SCW World tag-team champions with the woman that means the most to me in this whole world, you are beyond wrong!
And I don’t care if the others in the chamber use this fact, I won’t hide it. I became a wrestler for this purpose. To one day become tag-team champion with my wife. That was my dream. That was what I wanted for ‘our moment’. My wife and I, working together to make the tag-division better for all teams, including yours, Farmstead. I wanted to be her partner, her equal in wrestling, even if I have so much farther to go to be on that level as her in the ring.
I didn’t want the chamber. I didn’t want this. But now that it’s here, I have to see it through, because I refuse to let you two or Lexy try and steal MY future from me. And if that means I have to walk into the chamber and survive five other incredible talents, including one of the guys on the biggest run right now, the man that beat my wife in Adam Allocco, if that is what I have to do keep my future alive, than – I don’t know how – but I will find a way!
And, one way or another, while you three – Penguin, Bear, and Lexy – are licking your wounds and watching the chamber match begin… there will be one thing that will ring in your ear. One little thing that will sit with you as it is declared at the start.
‘Making her way to the ring… The NEW SCW World Tag-Team Champion… Deanna Frost!’
Checkmate, bitches!
Deanna Frost
SCW World Tag-Team Champion
SCW World Tag-Team Champion
SCW United States Champion
SCW Underground Champion
SCW Television Champion
SCW Underground Champion
SCW Television Champion
2x Winner of Elimination Chamber (2023)
Winner of Last Woman Standing Match (2023)
SCW Rookie of the Year (2022)
Match of the Year (2023)
Winner of Last Woman Standing Match (2023)
SCW Rookie of the Year (2022)
Match of the Year (2023)