Owen Cruze vs. Deanna Frost

[SnowQueenSCW]

The Witches of Alden

”Moments”

Trader Joe’s
New York City, New York
January 23rd, 2023
11:54am

Deanna usually liked these quiet moments in her life. Times where she could simply escape from the noise of being an SCW superstar, the ‘recognition’ of being a celebrity (though not in the same league as her wife, Selena), and even the demands of being a mother (though she loved her children dearly).

Locations like the Trader Joe’s she currently walked through, after seven years, knew her on a first name basis. She wasn’t “the wife of Selena Frost” or “The Queen’s Guard”. She was just-

“Hey, Deanna!” She looked up quickly, smiled and waved at the young girl – Penny by name - that worked the produce aisle, refilling the apple stand with red-delicious. That was exactly the point. She was ‘Deanna’ here. She didn’t need to go off to the cold of Nome like her wife sometimes needed, nor was there anything in her hometown of Kentucky that ‘beckoned’ her back (though she still felt an ache for the absence of her sister, Amy, in her life).

She had these moments. Moments where she could disappear into her own life. Moments in her neighbourhood, the ‘Black Arrow neighbourhood’ and be a woman with a family and… and that was it. Moments like these were like a ‘recharge’ for the redhead and, while she would rather have shared them with Selena, the two often enjoying these days off-work together while the children attended school, the younger Frost wife, slightly begrudgingly, understood her wife’s absence today. The Snow Queen needed to stay home for a Zoom-interview on some podcast regarding SCW, the BHS pay-per-view, the World Series of Wrestling, her future with TIA productions, the Denzel Porter Invitational, and gods knew what else she had signed on for in regards to the supercards outside of SCW in the coming months. Selena was growing the brand of herself, The House of Frost, and SCW to greater, grander levels of worldwide renown and she could not begrudge her wife such things.

It was actually related to why this particular ‘moment’ felt off to Deanna.

To say that The House of Frost had been on a ‘roll’ as of late would have been a slight understatement. While both women had failed in winning the Trios Tournament, both being eliminated in the first round, they had, seemingly not lost a step as a tag-team or singles competitors. While Deanna had done well, scoring a win over Amelia Stone, albeit with more interference than she would have liked, Selena had silenced practically every critic that seemed to doubt her since Rise to Greatness due to her ‘decreased presence’ in the singles circuit, the Snow Queen opting to ‘give others a chance’ to maintain the integrity of the world championship rather than mindlessly horde it for her own glory and fame. Still, the former world champion had managed an impressive win not only over the current Adrenaline Champion, Bree Lancaster, but one of the viable contenders for the world and United States titles, Glory Braddock, AND, most importantly, the future contender for the world title, Adam Allocco, the Snow Queen even pinning Adam to do it!

As she reached for a plastic jug of chocolate milk for herself and Selena (the two wives avid drinkers of the sugary goodness), Deanna let a smile grace her lips. She envied her wife that particular win. Selena had been haunted far worse than Deanna had over a loss to Allocco, the supposed ‘King of Strong Style’ having used his single RTG victory over the Snow Queen and promenading it throughout SCW long after it had happened, even using it to ‘dampen’ Selena’s award win as The Female Wrestler of the Year – as if The One hadn’t done that already! The platinum-blonde had needed a win over Allocco to move on, restate her place as one of the best in SCW, and just put the man’s arrogance to rest.

And Deanna envied that…

She still had not managed such a win over Adam and she wasn’t sure she would be able to get one for some time. Some people still remembered that damn “5 moves of doom” match Adam had put her through before Rise to Greatness, a humiliation that still stung in Deanna’s mind whenever she thought about it. It wasn’t the shame of losing to a man with decades more experience than her. There was nothing wrong with that. It was the fact that he had chosen such a strategy… and gotten away with it! She was supposed to be The Queen’s Guard. She was supposed to be ‘good enough’ to stand by her wife as a viable contender for top-titles like the Adrenaline and the United States title – hell, she had been the Television Champion when it happened. Losing to Adam like that – as if he hadn’t needed to really ‘try’ - had hurt her in more ways than one, leaving the redhead unable to fully believe in herself like before – something that only compounded itself when she had lost the next week to a known ‘jobber’ in Clamydia or whatever name she had been going by. And though the second loss had all but been forgotten, chalked up to unfair interference, that first loss hadn’t and still played a part in Deanna’s mind.

Her wife had gotten that proverbial monkey off her back in beating and pinning Allocco last Breakdown… Deanna hadn’t.

Perhaps it was why she both dreaded her upcoming match at Breakdown but also needed it more than she cared to admit. Because she was going to face Owen Cruze – the SCW WORLD CHAMPION!

Without meaning to, the young woman released a shuddering breath as she gathered another item off the shelf. Cashews for Elsianna. Smarties for Amiliah. Pretzel-sticks for David. Dog treats for Oberon. Her hands shook a little every time she reached out to grasp an item or bag, her mind unable to wrap her head around it, yet stopped as she spied her arm reaching out. Emerald eyes took a moment to take in the appendage, as if Deanna could look right through it. She had just been given the green light to wrestle without the cast and take on Amelia, even with the now abandoned ‘cheer girl’ for Glory no longer with SCW. Yeah, she was better, but now management was recognizing this by throwing the world champion at her?!

It didn’t make sense beyond one single possibility that kept gnawing at Deanna. An explanation she tried so hard not to fully analyze, yet more and more it grew and festered in her head.

She was being set up.

It had worked when Allocco had feuded with Selena in the build to Rise to Greatness. To showcase Adam’s ability and intellect, they had thrown her, fresh off her Television title win (after three consecutive tries for a match with Jenni Anderson – months of attempts at a decent match) and she had been destroyed, Adam looking like a true challenger to Selena’s world title.

Was this just the past looking to repeat itself? Was she being sent to Owen not because management believed she could beat the amazing athlete, but because they believed she couldn’t?

Why not? She had beaten Owen’s challenger, Kim Williams, at the RTG preshow, taking the Underground title from her, and Kim had, not once, pinned her to regain it. It was like math – and as a former manager, she could see the implications! She beat Kim, Owen beats her, therefore, by the ever-popular transitive property, Owen was better than Kimberly. Bonus! Allocco, a future challenger, had JUST been pinned and beaten by a Frost! Owen winning showed he was better than that! Better than Allocco! Better than Kimberly! A true world champion! It was an easy sell!

Except Deanna was the one being sacrificed for it like she had been back in July.

Another shaky breath ran through the redhead, the young woman wishing that she had insisted on Selena being here with her. She wanted to talk about this with her wife. She wanted to listen, not to Selena’s praise of her talents or abilities or even her faith in her, but to her wife’s advice on how to survive this without making The House of Frost look worse after such a momentous win by the Snow Queen, especially with the tag-title match on the horizon.

Deanna almost shrieked out loud as she, distracted with her own thoughts, let the package of tortilla-shell wraps slip from her hand and flop to the ground, the redhead managing to stifle the sound to mere yelp. Quickly, scanning left and right around the large, doomed-roofed marketplace and not spotting anyone paying the slightest bit of attention to her, she quickly knelt down to pick up the package, placing it into her shopping cart. She had promised tacos for Selena tonight, even grabbing – she quickly checked her cart to ensure she had picked up the ‘Extra Hot’ salsa her and her wife loved. Yes, it was there, so she wasn’t completely hopeless.

And that was what she felt. Yes, this match screamed her being ‘fed’ to the world champion so the man maintained his momentum heading into Body, Heart and Soul against a very game and strong Kim – even Deanna wasn’t sure if she could beat the Underground champion with the level she was competing at now. It was like losing to Deanna had lit a fire under Kim, or maybe it was Kim’s mother showing up. Deanna wasn’t sure, but regardless, Owen, as talented as he was with his speed, power, and intelligence, able to take victory from certain defeat like he had with Xander Valentine – who everyone thought was untouchable? – even Owen had doubters about whether he could survive a match with Kim, especially when the match had been made an ‘Underground rules’ match last Breakdown? Who better to beat than Deanna Frost?

But it wasn’t entirely hopeless…

Deanna felt the ping of hope in her chest. What if she could win? What if, even with the glaring odds against her, she COULD beat Owen Cruze? Beat the world champion? Like the build in the Jurassic Park theme song, which she had listened to on the way to Trader Joe’s, Deanna felt the swell of possibility. Gods, if she could win… Screw being considered for the world title! She didn’t need that! Screw being put on some kind of list! She didn’t need that! But if she could beat the ‘world’s best’, as she was sure Owen was calling himself behind closed doors…

Gods, what that would do for her! For Selena! For the House of Frost! Could she attain the freedom her wife had gotten last Breakdown in pinning Adam Allocco? Could she be able to let the past lay where it was and chalk up that ‘5 moves of doom’ match to just a learning lesson or a mistake or something that could, dare she say, be forgotten from her mind?

She was tired of being haunted by it. She was tired of being told about it. She wanted to move on. Wanted to continue fighting for titles and big matches! She wanted to, one day, headline Breakdowns and, maybe even, pay-per-views like others had. Others she had beaten. Could that be possible with her shocking the world with such a win?

She released a huff as she reached the confectionary aisle, seeing the rows of frozen foods. It wasn’t going to be easy. She was the ‘underdog’ in this match for a reason.

First, she wasn’t her wife. Selena would have walked into that match, beaten Owen like she had back in July and then walked away as if she had other things to do – which she did with Body, Heart and Soul – that was how good the Snow Queen was. “But I’m not her…” Deanna whispered under her breath. She wasn’t as fast or strong and her attacks weren’t as fluid or dangerous as Selena’s. Sure, she had her Burnout knee strike that had taken out several superstars but nobody feared that move like they feared Selena’s Glass Shard and Defying Gravity – gods, those were iconic!

Second, Owen was on a tear! Winning the chamber, which she had been in – again, she felt the phantom-itch on her arm, thinking about the match that had seen the injury happen at The One’s hands… gods, Deanna couldn’t wait to get her hands on The One!

The distraction from her immediate fate was a welcome one as she felt the cold against her fingertips as she reached her ‘repaired’ arm out to grab the tub of moosetracks ice-cream, testing her strength against the tub by using only that arm. She felt the twinge of discomfort, but otherwise, she powered through, lifting the tub into the cart. She knew she would have to quickly finish her shopping before the ice-cream started to defrost or melt, but she was almost through anyway, and she was in better spirits mentally with this distraction…

Specifically, the fact that One had chosen Nicole Kinneck as her partner against the House of Frost. Now THAT was a riddle in and off itself! First off, regarding this ‘out with the old nonsense’ One was spouting, Nicole had been in SCW on and off longer than either of the tag-team champions, being around when names like Anthony Wallace, Shilo Valiant, and Thirteen were still around. Second, there was no telling who was going to show up. Yes, Kinneck seemed to be in the ‘driver’s seat’ with this vendetta against the Farmstead Friends, but why the hell was “taking the tag belts from the House of Frost” the way to go to get to them? It seemed like a long walk for a short drink of water for the redhead, who remembered to stop and grab a box of bottled water, sliding it into the shopping cart. And who was to say that Nicole would even be there at Body, Heart and Soul? It could be that one that Selena had mentioned: Pro – the older Frost understood these ‘others’ or ‘alters’ or whatever they were that Nicole had – or Ducky or-

Deanna found herself stopping in the middle of the ‘international aisle’, her fears gripping her. While she didn’t know that much about the multiple personalities of Nicole, there was one she HAD paid attention to…

Luna…

The one Nicole was afraid of. The one that was, supposedly, the most dangerous of all of Nicole’s ‘others’. The person that had made Ravyn Taylor afraid to the point that the ‘baddest woman in SCW’ and easily the smartest didn’t want to fight her anymore. The one that had forced Selena to use a weapon during a match and not just a weapon! A taser gun to stop her! The idea of Selena forsaking her own rules of ‘earning a win through sheer will and ability’ – the noblest, kindest, most wonderful woman Deanna knew and loved with all her heart – forsaking the nobility of an ‘honest win’ just to stop Luna…

That was how dangerous Luna was…

What if she showed up at Body, Heart and Soul? Or worse… what if she showed up at Breakdown when Selena wasn’t immediately around to protect her? She highly doubted Owen Cruze, for all his own righteousness, would risk losing momentum or even injuring himself right before his world title defense to help Deanna. The title was too important to him, and understandably so. Deanna would happily admit that the world title was in a better place with Owen as its champion – hands down better than Xander or Adam and, Odin-forbid, Kimberly Williams! The redhead wouldn’t honestly blame him if he high-tailed it if Luna showed up. After all, Deanna had, without thinking, thrown herself at Nicole when she had been attacking Selena after the Snow Queen’s Breakdown match! She hadn’t considered it – merely wishing to protect her exhausted wife from an unfair assault.

But turnabout was fair game, and it would not take much for The One and Kinneck (or Luna) to make an appearance, if only to keep Deanna from having any kind of incredible win over the world champion.

“Gods…” Deanna breathed as she reached the cereal aisle. “This is going to be a rough week!” she groaned under her breath. Still, with the odds against her, the notion of being ‘fed’ to the world champion, and then the increasing possibility of The One/Kinneck coming in for more parting shots… Deanna still knew she was going to show up and still go for that win.

Again, that hope over what a win – what a moment - could do and mean for her and her family. It was just too strong, even if it was drowning in negatives, she had to try. She had to try and beat Owen. Had to try and prove that she stood a chance! Had to-

Her eyes caught the bright colors of all the cereal boxes as they lined the shelves. It was the last thing on her list to get. Quickly, she checked the clock on her phone, certain that by the time she got home, Selena would be finished with her interview. Maybe they could talk about all this together – all these possibilities… after some more ‘quality time’ together… Deanna allowed the smile to come to her naturally. Since she had been allowed to move her arm again, resuming her ‘love life’ with Selena had been high on her priority list and, regardless of the issues plaguing her, she was in no mood to lose any more time giving as good as Selena had ‘given’ her during her injury.

Maybe a nice shower together… she mused, allowing her mind to wander as she reached for the box of Honey Nut Cheerios, missing the hand that reached up at the same box at the same time. Her hand bumped into the darker-skinned one, Deanna feeling the jolt in her repaired arm, but it wasn’t too bad, her brain too distracted with uttering apologies.

“Sorry! Sorry!” she replied. “I wasn’t thinking and I didn’t see your-“

Her voice died right in front of her as she turned her head to spy the woman reaching for the same box as her. The woman wore a black dress that showed a trim-toned figure that belied the age Deanna knew she must be. Her raven-black hair was only broken by the wisps of white that ran from her temples down the full mane she had and her eyes were as dark as that. In short, the woman was beautiful, but Deanna could only feel dread as she recognized the woman and what her ‘presence’ implicated.

“Hey…” the woman smiled, trying to sound innocent. “Fancy running into you here…”

Immediately, Deanna ripped her hand back, keeping her own cart between her and the woman, who had no cart and no basket of her own to carry groceries in, furthering Deanna’s suspicions. “Running into me here, my left shoe!” she growled under her throat. “Dozens of grocery stores in New York and you pick the one I frequent at the exact same time I happen to be going – which I only went to today and at this time because of circumstances at home.” Emerald eyes narrowed, the redhead being a victim of fate and circumstances too long to not know better. “There is nothing ‘happenstance’ about this.”

With a sigh, the other woman exhaled before eyeing Deanna. “Look, I just want to talk.”

“Yeah, and I just want to do my grocery shopping without the knowledge that I’m being followed, but oops! You’ve ruined that for me.”

“I’m not here to hurt you.” The woman tried.
“I don’t give a fig about hurting me.” Deanna bit back. “I’m a grown woman. I can take care of myself.”

The black-haired woman’s eyes widened in understanding. “Selena.”

Biting her lower lip to keep from replying, Deanna simply stayed her ground, though it was enough confirmation for the other woman who nodded her head. “I get it.” She admitted. “Things didn’t go as smoothly as Caius and I would have liked.”

“That’s between you and Alejandra.” Deanna stated. “Selena and I want no part of that. We made that clear.”

“I know… I just…” Scratching her head in frustration, Sage Alden looked around the large grocery store. “Look can we just talk about this. I just really…” she tried to find the words but Deanna could see she was floundering. “If you don’t care about what I have to say after I’m done, I’ll leave you alone. I promise, okay?”

Despite herself, Deanna saw the desperation in her voice, almost pleading for an ‘audience’. Still, she was ready to just write the woman off and warn her to stay away from her. But… the thought came to her… a familiar ray of hope in her chest. If she could nip this problem in the bud? Deal with this quietly so it never bothered Selena again? It would just be a blip in their lives. A moment easily forgotten. Just ‘be done with it’ rather than put Selena through more trouble, Deanna was sure.

Crossing her arms, the redhead eyed her cart. “You’ve got until the ice-cream starts to defrost.” She stated before beginning to push the cart towards the checkout lane. “Start talking.”