Xander Valentine vs. Selena Frost

[Konrad Raab]

SCW United States Championship

3 RP Limit

Deadline: 5 PM ET Saturday, October 17, 2020

[SnowQueenSCW]

OOC: CD occurs at posted times. Promo occurs earlier this week.

The Dark Side of the Sun

"An Eye for an Eye"

Frankfurt Prison III
Frankfurt, Germany
October 16th, 2020
11:51am

She pressed her head gently against the cold metal of the chain-linked fence, feeling the mixture of cold and sharpness that pressed into her skin. Her lungs inhaled and exhaled just as slowly, the fall chill filling her lungs. For the umpteenth time, for she had easily forgotten the number of times her mind had thought this, she questioned everything. What she was doing, if she could do anything, the whole list of "can I"s and "should I"s. Would her actions change things? Would they alter the way she saw herself? Would it alter the way Deanna saw her?

Deanna...

She only had to think of that name for her jaw to tighten and her spine to become rigid. That name sparked a rage and a pulsing within the very center of her core and the edges of her brain, beating the questions into the dust once more. She felt the autumn wind blow against her body, covered by her choice of clothes - a black t-shirt, pants and leather coat, her hair tied back in a simple but confined bun. It cooled her white-hot anger back into a cold temper, a cold fury that she was far more familiar with. A fury that said 'wait...almost there'. A fury that reminded her that it had taken weeks to get to this point. Weeks of planning and questioning every part of herself. Weeks where her rage had to keep her going. Keep her reminded on what she was doing and why.

She had felt such rage against only a few people in her life: Malcolm Scythe and the rest of his family being at the top of that list with Evangeline DeWinter and her great-grandson, Brachiss, a close second. Or, that's how the old standings were. Selena wasn't sure where things stood now, but she knew she was beyond a certain point...

Another inhale... Another exhale, and Selena stayed in place as the autumn leaves, a multitude of colours both bright and dark, freshly fallen and crumpled dead foliage, blew around her booted feet...


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

Frankfurt Prison III
Frankfurt, Germany
September 28th, 2020
10:09am

This is ridiculous... Selena thought as she stood inside the simple room. She recognized every element of it, for she had been here about a dozen or so times! She knew where the bathroom was... Just eighteen steps from where she was standing in the middle of the room. She didn't need to turn her head to the left to know of the queen-sized bed located on the far most wall on the east-side of the room. She knew that there were a total of three bars running vertically against the only window in the room, whereas the clock hanging above that window had 5 skinner bars running vertically in front of it and five more running horizontally, creating a sort of 'waffle' design that one could just make out the time through the holes.

Yes, Selena knew this room well, so the fact that she felt more nervous than the first time she had dared asked Deanna out on a date, the fact that she felt like she was in a room she did not recognize, only irritated her.

Nothing's changed... she told herself bitterly. She's still the same... You're still the same...

Biting her lower lip angrily, Selena turned on the spot to place her hands on the counter-top of the sink. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the small bag she had brought in with her, just some treats that she knew were Deanna's favourites like chocolates and toffee-candies.

She had seen the look on that bitch's face as the platinum-blonde had made her way through the prison. After visiting her wife on the same fourth Monday of every month for the past year for conjugal visits, an idiot would have figured out the 'schedule' that Selena would have appeared. Because on that Monday, every month, Queenie was there... Smiling with a nasty tongue running over her pearly-white teeth. Sometimes, she would just stand there, eyeing Selena as the young Frost made her way across the walkway to the proper room. Other times, she would loudly call-out or cat-call the blonde.

But not today...

Today, the woman had been far more brazen. She had thrown herself against the fenced 'wall' keeping Selena and the guard guiding her from the inmates and, despite the warnings given by the guard, glared at Selena, who could barely control herself.

Guess what I had for breakfast today? she had teased, rolling her tongue out in the most disgusting manner. Sweet...sweet strawberries...

She had been forcibly pulled back by a few guards - the woman was not a strong one by any imagination, her power coming from her connections and followers. Still, she continued to laugh and heckle Selena, who had pushed her way forward, that damned woman's lewd taunts ringing in her ears.

She wants to ruin this... Selena shook her head. She wants to just take more away from Deanna and I...

It was why Selena had dressed herself the best she could, wearing a brand new backless, sleeveless dress with a slit that ran up to her upper-mid-thigh. The front reached up and tied around her neck. Her hair wasn't in its iconic braid, but rather spun into a mermaid-do, and she had opted to have only a slightly more moderate amount of makeup than usual, not wanting to appear to be 'overdoing it' for a reason, which was exactly why she was doing it - for a reason. Because it was more than just trying to arouse her wife - though that was a rather important goal. It was about sending a message back to Queenie, just as she had tried to send a message to Selena as the young wrestler had made her way through the prison.

But Selena had wanted Queenie to see her, even if the woman's remarks angered her. She wanted Queenie to see her dressed up like she was the luckiest woman in the world. That she, a five-foot-seven celebrity who, according to her sister, Regan, was a 'total bombshell with legs for days' was there to impress and court only Deanna. That Deanna, even though Selena knew what Queenie had done and was doing, was still more than worth the effort. More than worth Selena's advances. The only one in the whole world that was worth her advances.

She quickly straightened her posture a little, spinning around to face the door as she heard it being unlocked, her hands still on the counter. As it slowly opened towards her, she adopted what she felt was her 'sultry look', head slightly tilted to the right side and dropped, allowing some much needed 'bedroom eyes'.

She held her breath as she saw the young redhead quietly shuffled into the room, her emerald eyes glued to the floor. She moved in only a few steps, enough for the door to close and lock behind her. The two merely stood in silence, one because of the other's staring at the floor and the other's... Selena had no idea.

"Is the floor more interesting than me?" Selena tried, purring a little in a teasing tone, trying to goad her wife to lift her head. In answer, the younger woman merely shook her head, but kept her eyes on the floor.
"Oh..." Selena replied slowly, biting her lower lip and working it between her teeth. "Well..." She strolled - well, more in she attempted to do so in a sexy manner, her wife's reluctance to look at her placing her in a swamp of uncertainty." her voice hitched a little as she tried to keep that sultry tone in her accented voice. "Is it your feet then?"

Reaching Deanna, the Snow Queen lifted her foot out of its black-heel shoe, Selena moving it to run along the running shoes that Deanna wore. "Or your legs perhaps?" She added, drawing her foot up the pant leg and grazing the soft skin of Deanna's shin. She was hoping for her wife to react to that, yes, but in a playful way - the insistence that Selena didn't see her any different despite the recent changes. But seeing Deanna's whole body grow rigid at Selena's touch, her fists tighten together, as if she was holding back from...from...

Selena wasn't sure what Deanna was holding back from, but she was certain it wasn't good. Quickly, she dropped her foot and backed away from Deanna, one foot on the cold floor and the other still heeled, creating a sort of awkward imbalance with her stance. Instantly, Deanna's hands relaxed from their white-knuckled grip and the redhead's head actually lifted enough to gaze at her wife and the dress clinging perfectly to her curves, to the slit that, like a pair of ebony curtains, allowed a pale, yet toned leg to emerge through.

"I'm..." She started before slamming her eyes shut, taking a deep breath before opening them again. "Sorry." She stated before stepping towards the bed and sitting on the mattress. "Is this where you want me?" She asked.

Selena wasn't sure which threw her off more, the deadness in her wife's tone or the dead look in her wife's eyes. "I...where I want you?" She asked, utterly thrown off from her plan. Not one aspect of the last few minutes had been part of her plan. She was supposed to heal her wife! Make her still understand that Selena still desired her. Despite being abused by Queenie... But the way Deanna was talking and acting... To her of all people.

"Would you rather I undress or would you like to do that?" Deanna asked, her gaze lifted to her wife. "And how would you like to be undressed?" She added.
"Stop!" Selena's voice rang out in the middle of the room before she wobbled, one shoe still in its heel, towards Deanna. "What the hell is wrong with you?"
"Nothing." Deanna breathed slowly. "You're my wife. And you're here for a conjugal visit. Is it not my duty, as your wife, to perform such duties?"

Selena's eyes widened. "Conjugal?" she asked, "Whatever happened to 'sexy-time'?" She asked, using the reference Deanna had used in the past, the redhead's delight always evident on days such as these in the past.

"Would you rather I call it that?" She asked. "I'll call it whatever you want-"
"Seriously, Deanna! What the hell?" Selena interjected again. "You sound like a lifeless automaton! Snap out of it!"
"Just tell me what you want." Deanna stated, her tone still monotone and lifeless, but her hands actually moved this time, reaching up as she stood up to undo the knot around Selena's neck that tied her dress together. Quickly, pale hands shot out, capturing Deanna's hands.

"No." Stated Selena. "What I want is my wife! I don't know who you are, but you're not her!" She stated darkly. For the briefest of seconds, a look of hurt flashed across Deanna's emerald eyes, which Selena spotted, only to be replaced by the dull, lifeless look.
"I'm sorry, Selena." She stated flatly. "Tell me what to do and I'll do it. I'll do anything you ask of me." She moved in, firmly placing her lips on Selena's neck, pressing kisses to the pale flesh.

The kisses were cold, lifeless... as if Deanna was just going through the motions. As if she was on auto-pilot. Deanna's hands, once again turning within Selena's to grasp them, were just as lifeless. Nothing about this was right. It was as if a stranger were kissing her. Some body-snatcher that had taken her beloved's body. Or some clone of Deanna that knew nothing of the redhead's love and attraction to Selena.

"Stop it." Selena ordered as she carefully tried to fight against Deanna's hands, not wanting this but also not wanting to hurt Deanna. But when the redhead's grip changed, the redhead throwing Selena's arms to the sides so she could move in and wrap her arms around Selena's torso, the platinum-blonde's hand pressed against Deanna's shoulders. "Let me go, Deanna!" She demanded, trying to gentle push her wife away from her.

If Deanna heard her, she gave no response to Selena's pleas, instead pressing her hands into the older woman's bare back and continuing her assault with her lips and tongue on Selena's skin. "Tell me what you want." She ordered coldly. "Give me an order to fulfill you." Without hesitation, she drove a leg in-between Selena's, forcing the slightly taller woman to straddle said-leg as Deanna ground it against Selena's core. In some primitative part of her brain, Selena could feel the sparks of arousal within herself, part of her simply recognizing that her wife, her Deanna, was touching her intimately. However, that part of her was currently being drowned out by the rest of her brain that was screaming against this - this- this unwanted intrusion.

That was the word that keep screaming inside Selena's head. Unwanted! Unwanted! Unwanted! UNWANTED!! She didn't want her wife like this! She didn't want to have "sexy-time" or whatever the fuck they would call it with someone like this. She wanted Deanna! HER Deanna!

"I said, 'back off'!" She roared, her body acting before her brain caught up with her as she swung her hand as fast and hard as she could. She heard the slapping sound before she felt the sting against her palm and before she saw Deanna's head recoil from the blow. But a split second later, the redhead's head jerked back to glare at the platinum-blonde. Gone was the dead-eye look and in its place... Selena barely had a microsecond to recognize it but she still could.

White-hot rage.

The next thing she knew, she had been spun around and over, her back slamming into the cold tiles as Deanna tripped and tossed her in a fluid takedown. Before Selena had time to even register that her eyes were on the ceiling, Deanna was straddling her, that same look of fury in her eyes and her hands, which a second ago had been caressing Selena's skin, were now around Selena's neck, squeezing the air out of her body!

"De...ann" Selena sputtered out, seeing spots already forming in front of her eyes, her hands trying to pry Deanna's hands off her neck, but it was as if Deanna was empowered by her anger, for her grip was like a vice-grip and even striking it with her fists did nothing.

"Is this what you want?" Deanna angrily asked. "Will this please you for today? Huh?!" She growled. "What if I poke your eyes out?!" She hissed. "Or pull those pearly teeth out of your mouth, huh?! Or pull the hair out of your head! Would that please you?!"

Despite her vision blurring slowly, Selena kept her eyes on Deanna, but it was not returned. It was as if the younger Frost was seeing through Selena - or couldn't see her.

"Or are you gonna take those from me?!" Angrily, she slammed Selena's hand into the floor, causing more spots to burst into bloom before the platinum-blonde's eyes. "Take my hair? Break my bones? Blacken my eyes? Pull my teeth out? I still won't be yours! I'll still be hers! Only hers! Only hers!" She repeated it over and over again as tears began to break through, as if the dam had burst.

Selena, meanwhile, was pushing to remain conscious. For perhaps the first time since her childhood, when Anastasia had tried to drown her in a sealed tub, part of her believed that she was going to die. Everything around her vision had blurred into a black except for Deanna, but even the redhead was becoming blurry. With one last bout of breath, she pushed out the words:

"Maybe...I love...you..." Before everything faded to the black abyss...



How long she drifted in the black abyss, she wasn't certain. It could have been days, weeks, even seconds for all she knew. She couldn't move her body, they were so heavy, and she wasn't sure which direction was which, as it was all just black and floating. But as soon as she had wondered anything more, she was blinded by a searing white light that burned her eyes. Her body acted of its own accord and she was suddenly swallowing the black of the abyss, but it wasn't blackness or water. It was air! Air rushing in to feel her lungs, which burned as they did. She breathed so quickly, she was coughing - it hurt to breath but her body refused to stop. The white light faded and was replaced by the white of the ceiling and dark gray of the floor tiles.

She coughed and sputtered her breaths, trying to restore some semblance of proper function to her body as the world came crashing back onto her. She felt the coldness of the tiles on her palms and legs. She still felt the phantom-grip around her neck, but a quick check with her hand made her realize that there was no one choking her now. Coughing a bit more, the woman felt her heartbeat slow and her body calm itself, her being realizing it was no longer in an present danger.

She choked me... the crushing reality landed on her. She choked me...

Her emotions were a mixture of shock and disbelief before changing to hurt and confusion to, finally, anger... But not at Deanna. It was obvious that neither Frost woman were idiots. Selena had seen the rage in her wife's eyes, heard her words before passing out... Deanna hadn't choked her, or rather, hadn't believed she was choking Selena. Slapping her wife had been a terrible mistake, one that Selena had almost paid for dearly. It had snapped something in the redhead...

You told her to do whatever it took to survive. her mind reminded the Snow Queen. All those weeks of torture. All those weeks of repressing her emotions. Her rage. Hating every second that woman touched her. Every moment she wanted to fight back but she couldn't because it would have gotten her killed - and she promised you to 'stay alive'...

Her reasoning halted at that last thought. Was it her fault? Was everything her fault?

Quickly pushing herself up to her hands and knees, Selena peered around the room, looking desperately for her wife. "Deanna?" She croaked out, her throat sore and slightly swollen from the redhead's attack. She barely recognized the voice that came from her, but she pushed the shock down in favor of looking for her love. Her search did not take long as she spotted her wife sitting in the corner of the room by the bed, her arms wrapped around herself, making her into a ball-like shape. Her face was no longer the twisted, snarling look that reminded Selena of a wolf devouring its prey. Rather, the expression Deanna now wore was a mixture of shock and self-hatred and her eyes were locked on the platinum-blonde.

"De..." Selena pushed past her lips as she slowly crawled towards the huddled woman, stopping, however as Deanna, held up her hands towards her.
"Stay back!" She ordered before lowering her hands to stare at them. "I...what have I done?" Her voice was barely a whisper and Selena was barely able to hear it.

"De..." Selena tried. "I'm okay." She crawled only an inch but it was enough for Deanna to notice.
"STAY BACK!" She yelled back. "I don't belong to you..."

To say that Selena was beyond confused was an understatement. What was going on behind Deanna's eyes? What was she seeing in front of her if not her wife? Or maybe that's exactly who she sees. came the mocking thought. Maybe it's Queenie she belongs to now...

"Deanna..." Selena whispered, pushing herself up to her knees, but otherwise staying in her spot.
"I don't belong to you." Deanna shook her head, her eyes closed tight.

"No... You don't." Selena whispered. "But I belong to you." She offered. "I always have." A sad smile broke across her face. "From the moment you won me at that auction. Remember? In your hometown? I had just come out of the closet of being bisexual - fresh off having my heart broken - and you came stomping onto the scene just to throw my world upside down."

She kept her sapphire eyes on Deanna, who remained in her place in the corner, her eyes still closed. "You bought me, or won me... And even though I didn't know it then, from that moment, I belonged to you."

"I don't want you." Deanna shook her head. "I want her..."
Selena was certain that she felt her heart break a little at those words. Not quite shatter yet, because of denial, but she had never dared to believe she could hear those words from the woman that meant more to her than anything.

"W-who?" She slowly asked. "Who do you want? I'll go get her."
"You will?" Deanna's eyes opened suddenly, her head turning to face Selena.
"Yes." Selena nodded, fighting back tears. "Just tell me who she is."

The redhead seemed to think about the question, casting her eyes down to her hands before turning back to Selena. "I want my wife." She whispered. "I belong to Selena..."

And Selena thought she couldn't get more confused before that request. Her mouth fluttered open and shut, the older woman at a loss for words. "But...I..." She tried before just spitting it out. "I am your wife... It's Selena, De!" She desperately implored, stupidly moving her knee to step forward. Again, the young woman that was Deanna let out a shriek and ordered Selena to stay back, causing Selena to jump back several inches.

"I want Selena...I belong to Selena..." Deanna repeated in whisper as she rocked back and forth, starting a stalemate between the two. Every time Selena would try and step closer, Deanna would scream and repeat her statements of wanting Selena and belonging to her. Selena would try a new approach every time she should of one. She tried proving she was Deanna's wife but talking about their wedding. She tried regaling Deanna with stories of their adventures with the likes of the Scythes, the DeCarlos, and the Frost/Frostmere clan. She tried talking about their children, their pet dog Oberon, their friends in the Schoenburg Castle. She tried explaining her latest journey through SCW, from winning the tag-team titles with Regan, to having to face Xander Valentine once more.

Every story ended with the same result: Selena would take one step towards Deanna, Deanna would scream and Selena would backpedal to the other side of the room. The hours trickled by and aside from screaming and repeating herself if Selena drew too close, Deanna said nothing else. She refused any of the sweets Selena offered her. She didn't answer any questions Selena asked. Eventually, as the hour reached four in the afternoon, Selena found herself slumped against the wall. She had given up trying to get through to Deanna and had, instead just said the odd remarks to her, as if she were just talking to a coma patient.

"So, I wouldn't say I'm deadly worried about facing Xander." She shrugged her shoulders, her voice still a little raspy and hoarse from the earlier choking. "I'm more concerned that he's going to try to take me out or injure me long enough so I can't compete in the tag-league. Cause Regan doesn't have a replacement, per say. I mean, she could choose David, but he's got the SCW World title to worry about. I don't think she'll bother him. And Jason... Not exactly in the best place to focus on the task at hand. I get anyone in Kelcey's group would be good. Peyton, maybe. But... I mean, you have to consider chemistry and such - and she told me she'd be damned if she teamed with Xander or Datura... I suppose Kelcey could help her find someone suitable, but then what? Do I sit out the rest of the tournament? Or do I get to come back in when I get cleared? And what happens to the tag-team titles? Are they still defended? I mean..." She shrugged, her eyes cast up at the ceiling. "That was the whole appeal of the tournament, you know? Defending the titles every, single round.". Slowly, she lowered her head, turning it to gaze at Deanna, who had remained where she was. "Thoughts?"

The redhead was silent.

"Yeah..." Selena sighed. "Who can say what's running through Xander's head. You know, more and more, I think..." Her voice trailed off. She wasn't sure what she thought. Was she just some part of some equation like Xander said? Something that was a blemish on his desire for a 'comeback' of sorts? Was he just looking to try and erase the past of their encounters? Or was his focus more on Regan? On being snubbed by her. On being denied a chance at becoming Tag-team champion? Or was it a combination of the two? A desire for that "official win" over the Snow Queen AND to stick it to the Hellcat for picking someone he deemed as "weaker than him".

It was something Selena would have to keep her eyes open for when she returned to SCW and Breakdown in a few days. Hell, maybe it wouldn't matter the reason. If the match was simply about Xander winning one over on Selena and gaining a new title, maybe it would, but...

Selena couldn't believe that. Xander's words last week, while not a direct threat, had been laced with enough intention to indicate his desire to do more than just "beat" her. He had referred to himself as "the reaper" and his obsession to make everyone "fear him" as they had around fifteen years ago had not changed. But more than that, Selena sighed into the prison room, was when he had stood just a few inches from her that Breakdown last week. The Executioner had stared into her eyes, his eyes dark and his arrogance still on full display. But it was what was within them that Selena had noticed.

The seething rage hiding just barely behind the calm exterior. Like a dog chomping at the bit, waiting to be untied from his leash so he could attack his target.

And she was that target.

She had seen that kind of rage only once in her wars with him, that being their Unsanctioned Match over a year ago at Apocalypse. The match that had made him far too overconfidence in their final fight - the Last Person Standing Match - a month later. No... This was the Xander that had been waiting and waiting for another chance to get back at the two women that had stopped him in his tracks. Who had taken all that the monster known as the Executioner could give and still keep going. This was the man that, now, wanted to destroy them both, just as he had nearly done so last year at Apocalypse.

And despite herself, Selena found herself smiling sadly at the thought. "He'll probably be out to kill me, you know?" She said aloud, her eyes glancing over to Deanna in the corner. No reaction. "I mean, you should have seen him. Creepy and haunting and 'Errr...." She found that with her voice hoarse, she could actually do a passable impression of the former World Champion. "You're going to face the 'reaper'! 'Stand in the presence of fate!'. Err-" she suddenly had to cough as she overdid the impression and her caught, feeling the dryness and soreness combination. She didn't have to look in the mirror to know there would be bruises on her skin, if they weren't there already.

Slowly, Selena pulled herself to her feet and made her way across the room, making sure not to get closer to Deanna and start another episode. Reaching the bag she had left on the tabletop, she pulled out a row of styrofoam cups, holding it up to Deanna, whom she could just see the redhead, the majority of her body obscured by the bed. "You want some water?" She offered, not surprised when she received no response. Shaking her head, she turned the cold water on, filling the cup up and taking a slow drink before refilling it and turning it off. As she slowly drank the second helping, however, her eyes caught her own reflection in the stainless steel of the faucet. She saw, due to the shape of the faucet, the distorted shape of her head and body, her hair seemed shorter in seem places and WAY longer in others. Part of her looked like she had put on a few pounds and lost a few inches. In short, Selena looked nothing like herself in that warped reflection.

"I want Selena."
"I belong to my wife."
Nothing like herself...

The thoughts burned through Selena's mind as she lowered the arm holding her cup, her eyes locked on the distorted reflection, the absurd inspiration shaking her mind over possibilities. Desperately, she looked around the room for a better reflective surface. There was a mirror in the bathroom, but to cross over to that would bring her closer to Deanna and start another episode... And she wasn't allowed to have her cellphone during these visits. With one last look around the room, her eyes settled on the window above the sink. They had been recently cleaned, as they usually were (along with the rest of the room) when there was an appointment, allowing glass to appear shiny along the metal wiring that kept it re-enforced. Taking a chance, Selena shifted left and right in the short space, trying to capture an angle where the glass could cast her reflection. After a moment of trying, she spotted herself... And despite the lack of distortion that the sink had offered, Selena had to admit to herself... This wasn't truly her. The new dress, the extra amount of makeup, even her hair was different.

I tried to make myself look different for her... she thought, the irony not lost on her. Deanna may have entered the room, recognizing Selena, but that slap from the Snow Queen had caused Deanna to snap and now, in the aftermath, she didn't recognize Selena at all. How could she? Everything about Selena - everything that made her her - had been altered by her own hand!

Desperately, Selena reached up and clawed at her hair, taking out the bobby-pins. It hurt when she pulled on her hair due to her frustration, but she fought it, using it to further push her actions. "I'm so sorry, De." She called. "I didn't understand."

It took several minutes for her to undo the complicated mermaid-do her hair had been done up in, and several more minutes to tie it back into its iconic braid. With that done, Selena turned the cold water back on splashed it all over her face, using a towel she had within her bag to aggressively wipe off the makeup on her face. Silently thanking she had chosen a water-soluble makeup today, she kept wiping until she was sure she had removed it all, casting a glance into the window to be sure. With a toss of the towel onto the counter, she was already clawing at the knot of the dress at the back of her neck while her other hand dug around the bag for what she was looking for. Feeling the fabric against her fingers, she pulled out the black track pants and awkwardly (it would have been hilarious to watch if anyone was and if the situation wasn't what it was) puller her legs and bottom into them. As her hand undid the knot, she released the dress, allowing it to fall off her like a waterfall and pool at her feet. At that moment, she was too focused on her task to remark that she was half-naked in the room and, instead, looked inside her bag to find and pull out the other article of clothing. She didn't have time to admire it, simply throwing it over her shoulders and adjusting it properly. She kept the hood off her but made sure the sweater fit perfectly.

Taking a slow breath, she slowly lowered herself down to her hands and knees again, crawling a perfectly horizontal path until she sat straight in front of Deanna. Her fast movements had caused her heart to beat so hard against her rib cage, so she took a slow, nervous breath, inhaling and exhaling past her lips. "De..." She stammered, her voice just above a whisper. "Deanna?"

The cornered girl, still tucked in a ball, slowly turned her head towards the voice, like she had every other time Selena had called out to her. But as her head fully reached the new angle and emerald eyes took the sweater-wearing woman in, Deanna's eyes widened a fraction.

She saw the platinum-blonde in its braid.
She saw the natural face, free of most makeup, allowing sapphire eyes moist with tears to smile at her.
She saw the dark blue sweater with snowflakes covering the shoulders and arms - her wife's favourite hoodie!

"S...Selena?" She asked, as if coming out of a trance.

Slowly, unable to stop the relief that flooded her, Selena nodded her head, crawling ever so cautiously towards her beloved. "Yes, pet. It's me." She crawled another step. "I'm right here." Another step, her hand reaching out the short distance towards the redhead. Just as slowly, Deanna's hand reached out, hesitantly, to take Selena's pale hand into her own. The two stayed that away, she huddled in the corner and Selena on her hands and knees before her.

"Wh...why?" Deanna whispered. "Why did you make me promise?"
"What?" Selena asked, but Deanna pressed forward.
"What did you make me promise to stay alive?" Her eyes slammed shut. "Why couldn't you just let me die?"
"Let you di-" Selena's whole body became rigid, unable to process what her beloved was clearly asking her.

Deanna's grip on Selena's tightened but it did not hurt either of them. "You told me to do whatever I had to to stay alive - made me swore... So I... I couldn't fight back." She whispered. "I couldn't fight back against Queenie, because then she would just have me killed. I had to fight every fibre of my being and just...just... Take it because you wouldn't let me die."

Sapphire eyes widened in shock. "I...I didn't-"
Deanna's eyes burst open revealing fresh tears, her broken state having passed but the hurt still clear in her eyes. With her free hand, she tugged and pulled at the collar of her prison uniform, undoing the top buttons to part the dressing line and reveal her collarbone. All over the skin (slightly darker than Selena's) were love bites... No, these weren't love bites. Such hickeys were supposed to be playful looking and even subject to teasing by close friends. These marks were dark purple, some with visible marks and dried blood on them. These were teeth marks - to Selena, it looked like her wife had been mauled by an angry dog or wolf!

"There's a lot more..." Deanna whispered. "I wanted to kick her teeth out." Her tone grew harsher. "At least live her with something permanent before she killed me." There was a growl at the end of sentence. "I would rather have done that and died yours than be a puppy kicked around by her - being her fuck-toy!"

Selena had rarely heard her wife curse like that, but she couldn't blame the redhead. No, she could only blame herself. She had made Deanna promise to do whatever it took to stay alive, even if that meant continuing to be "intimiate" (it sounded like the worst choice of word to the young woman) with Queenie. She hadn't realized she had taken away Deanna's choice to fight back. To refuse. It had never occurred to her that her wife would just death over being unfaithful by choice to Selena.

"I'm...I'm sorry..." She whispered, slowly closing the space between her and Deanna. The redhead didn't scream or push her away, but Selena could still see the hurt and stiffness in her wife's body as she wrapped her arms around her. "I'm selfish..." She whispered as she cradled her wife. "I can't..." Her breath staggered. "I can't live without you." She whispered into red hair. "I don't WANT to live without you." She corrected.

Small hands reached up to grasp her arm, hanging on tightly as quiet cries were born from the younger Frost. Selena said nothing to calm them or end them. She simply held her wife and rode the waves of emotions with her, a few tears falling from her own eyes as everything that had happened - was happening - played out before her mind. How long they stayed like that, she wasn't sure and, truthfully, she didn't care. If she could pull them both into this moment for the rest of eternity, keep her love safe in such a bubble of existence, she would have given up everything she possessed to do it.

But the clock kept ticking, time continued, and their hell lived on, and, soon enough, Deanna's cries stilled, her breathing returned to normal and her strength was regained, allowing her to lift her bloodshot eyes to gaze at Selena. "I can't keep going like this." She sadly admitted. "If I have too, there won't be anything left of me by the time I get out."

Selena didn't need her to explain further. She had seen her wife's mental breakdown when she had mistaken Selena for someone else entirely. Her love was on the breaking point and if she was pushed any further for much longer, she would shatter. Even now, Selena felt she was holding something fragile - like a porcelain doll or a dying flame and if she wasn't careful, she would destroy it...

"I'll think of something..." She promised. "I swear I'll find a way."

Whether Deanna believed her or not, she didn't say. The two merely sat like that as long as they could, their silence hanging long into the night.


___________________________________________

The Royal Letter

The camera, after showing the "This video is part of Supreme Championship Wrestling" graphic spiel, slowly fades into the setting of a well furnished room. In the background is a shelf filled with books from top to bottom. It takes up the entire background, drawing more focus to the black, copper-studded Childersburg lounge chair, and the young woman sitting on it. Her hair is in its iconic braid and she wears form-fitting jeans and a black, long-sleeved shirt with white snowflakes running down the left shoulder and arm. Hanging on the top left section of the chair sits the the SCW United States Championship, positioned just right so the gold has a slight shimmer amidst the soft, amber lights. Her leg crossed over the other at the knee, hands resting on the top knee, Selena Frost takes a slow breath before speaking.

It's been a relatively enlightening last couple of weeks, hasn't it? Slowly swinging her leg up and over, the Snow Queen places both heeled-feet on the ground, allowing her to lean forward a bit more towards the camera. I mean, I take a week away from all the intensity and majesty that is Supreme Championship Wrestling. Take a week away because, despite my thoughts on him, I actually could agree with what Xander Valentine said to me...

He said that I was lacking 'direction'. And while I'm sure he was just playing his mind games to try and psych me out for Under Attack, I actually had to give it some thought and realized he was right. I was lacking direction. Not because I didn't have anywhere to go, but because I didn't know where to go. Let me explain: when I became a dual champion, holding the World Tag-Team championship and the United States championship, I promised myself that I wasn't going to be like Bree Lancaster. I wouldn't just pass one title off for 'the better' one. I was going to be both: a great United States Champion and the best tag-team partner and champion for my sister, Regan Street. Call it vanity, call it whatever you want, but the truth is I didn't believe either title deserved anything less and my sister sure as hell didn't deserve anything less than that. The platinum-blonde sighs. But having to deal with the tag-team league and the contenders eyeing for the United States Title was like being pulled in multiple directions. It was hard to take a moment and take everything in.

But a week away allowed that. Allowed me to just think about what was happening to me, happening in SCW regarding the titles I hold and the sister I team with. And just where I was at heading into, quite possibly, one of the deadliest title defences I've ever had in my time here in SCW.

And the thing is, looking back on all of it, with notions of the past coming up, I actually got something you said, Xander. You said that whether I believe you when you said you 'respect' me or not, it doesn't matter. Respect doesn't play a part here. And the thing is... I realized you were right.

Selena shrugs her shoulders.

Because where was that respect when Matt Hodges attacked me from behind and stood in the ring to get that count out victory against me? Where was the respect Glory Braddock claimed to have for me when she realized that Gavin Taylor had attacked me with the title belt? Selena's eyes narrow. It was all thrown away the second they had a chance to get that win over me. There was no 'mistaking' or 'unawares'. Both knew exactly what had happened and what they were doing. And well, it's frustrating, but that's the cold reality I've come to realize. That's what "beating Selena Frost" means to so many people. That's what people will do just to have that "win over Selena", won't they, Xander? Respect be damned.

Isn't that what drives you a bit, Xander? What was it you were craving a year ago when we fought for the last time? You wanted that "official victory" over me, didn't you? You wanted a 'win that counted' against me. And despite whatever threats and 'scary' tough-guy persona you throw on in front of me, let's face it, you'll throw away whatever 'respect' you have for me the second that win is in your sights.

The platinum-blonde crosses her arms over her chest. Because that's what it comes down to, doesn't it? Not some grand 'equation' you have or some 'master plan' to make everyone fear you, Xander. It's your damaged ego. It's your wounded pride.

You want me to give you your just props? Selena sighs. Fine. You are one of the most dangerous opponents I have ever faced. You are easily one of the strongest and deadliest people in the ring. You could dismantle anyone and will without hesitation. Your legacy in the Hall of Fame of SCW is matched only by the brutality you've exhibited over and over again in your path. Her whole speech is spoken in an honest tone, but there isn't any hesitation or stutter in her words. Do you know what is missing from my words, though, Xander? Despite all of those things being true?

Fear.

I'm probably one of the few superstars in SCW that does not fear you. And that doesn't come from years of being 'protected' by the brass of SCW. That doesn't come from being on a momentum high of wins that makes me think I'm 'untouchable'. It comes from surviving you not once, not twice, but three times. In three different scenarios. You tried to take me down as a wrestler and I knocked you out in record time at Rise to Greatness. You tried to take me out of SCW entirely by smashing me into chairs and cages and carts, but you barely managed to keep me down for a three count, and lastly, you tried to break me to the point where I couldn't stand... And you sure as hell came close over and over again, but I still kept getting back up.

Out of everyone in SCW, Xander, I have survived everything you could throw at me. I have taken all the pain and all the suffering and mind games you have launched my way and have kept going.

So when you come back with the same "I'm going to destroy you! I'm going to put you on the shelf!" crap you threw at me a year ago, I can look you in the eyes and reply, "No, you won't."

There's a moment of silence as the Snow Queen sits in her seat.

No, you won't destroy me. No, you won't put me on the shelf. Want to know why, Xander? It's the same thing that's been motivating you this whole time, only I'm not afraid to admit it.

Ego. A smirk graces Selena's lips.

Well, for you it's ego. For me, it's pride. And yes, there's a difference. Because this whole thing? From a year ago to now? It all started because your ego couldn't stand the notion that a pair of women were two of the most powerful and hardest-working women in SCW today. Two women that didn't want to earn their way by demanding title shots or being entitled. Two women that earned their place in SCW through years of hard work and personal growth. And in your mind, sexist or not, you couldn't stand that it was Regan and I standing at the top of the mountain. Standing as two of the best SCW had. So you thought you could steamroll through me first, and then Regan, but as before you realized what hit you, I had beaten you. And because of your damned ego, your bruised ego, the war we waged continued. Innocent people were hurt because you couldn't comprehend the notion that I, this small, little 'lamb', couldn't survive against a being such as you.

And now? Here we are again, and you are thinking the exact same thing. Here we are once again, and it's still about your bruised ego. Because you still won't accept who I am and what I can do. You want to know why Regan chose me over you to be her tag-team partner, Xander? Selena tilts her head. It's because I don't know when to quit. I don't know when to give up. I don't understand the notion of being scared off or giving in when the odds are stacked against me. It's because, when push comes to shove, I won't stop until I'm rendered unconscious, maybe not even then. But I also take pride in what I do. I don't take shortcuts. I don't take the 'easy path'. I don't sacrifice my morals and I don't sell myself out or seek the destruction in others. In short, I was someone that Regan could be proud to have as her partner...

And because, Xander, Regan knew, as I know, and deep down, you know, that I'm better than you.

And while I'm ready to 'face the reaper', 'face my fate', that reality is something that you can't stop hiding from. It's something you can't stop denying. You laugh at me and mock me with your little words and promises, but deep down, for all your threats, your mind games, you still haven't cracked the mystery. The mystery of how to put me away. How to take me down. And I'll give you a spoiler, Xander... That's not a mystery you're going to solve. You've had a year to figure it out and you haven't and you're not going to figure it out come October 18th in Atlanta.

Because my pride won't let you. the platinum-blonde nods her head quickly. That's right, Xander. My ego - or pride as I call it - has a say in this too. And you know what? Everything about the United States title aside for a moment, trust me, I'll get to that soon enough, the reason why you will fail at Under Attack is because I won't LET myself be your stepping stone. I won't let myself be the martyr for your "God-image/message". I won't let you take me out of SCW. I won't let you put me on the shelf. I won't let you take me away from my sister, Regan. Selena shrugs her shoulders. You wanted to talk about the future with her? Talk about fighting her after all of this? With MY title on the line? Let me give you a sooner prediction. Next Breakdown. Ten days after this war of ours concludes, you're going to see me there, in Los Angeles, fighting with my sister in our first round of the Tag League. Fighting as Frozen Hell - defying you and your prediction! she shrugs her shoulders.

And you can try with all your dangerousness, all your 'executioner' methods, all your desperation and obsessions to stop that from happening - you WILL fail. You break my leg? I'll hobble down to the ring. You break the other one? I'll crawl to the ring. You break my arm, I'll use the other one. And on and on I will go. Because my pride will, Xander, will NEVER allow you to have something like that over me or over my sister. My pride will never let me give you that kind of power or bragging right! You may be strong enough to defeat me in the ring, Xander, but you will NEVER be strong enough to destroy me! You will NEVER be strong enough to destroy Regan or Frozen Hell!

Taking a deep breath through her nose quietly and exhaling through her mouth, Selena sits back in her chair. You said you wanted to show the world what would happen when there wasn't a Snow Queen around to help the Hellcat. What would happen to the Hellcat? Well, at Under Attack, Xander, I'm going to remind you what happens to the Snow Queen when there isn't a Hellcat around. I'm going to remind you what happens to the Executioner when he underestimates me.

And what then, Xander? What happens to your 'message' when it drops dead at the Queen's feet? Selena glares at at the camera. I'll tell you, 'reaper'. It's your message that gets put on the shelf...and taken out of SCW.

Believe it!

The camera fades on the Snow Queen before going completely to black.

[SnowQueenSCW]

OOC: CD occurs at posted times. Promo occurs morning of Under Attack.

The Dark Side of the Sun

"A Tooth for A Tooth"

Frankfurt Prison III
Frankfurt, Germany
October 16th, 2020
11:59am

Selena shook her head as her eyelids felt heavy, shaking the exhaustion that was wracking her frame. She hadn't moved much since she had nodded off for a moment, still leaning against the metal links of the chained-fence, her head resting over the leather-covered forearm with the soft-fur lining part of it and adding to the cushion as the fence served as support. She breathed in the cold air once more, an attempt to use that to awaken/recharge her senses. She hadn't slept more than a few minutes last night, her mind tossing around this day - the moment that was to come. It had taken weeks of digging, and bartering, and more money than Selena could really recall - partly because of her exhaustion and partly because it didn't matter. Others had flaunted their cash and wealth in her world of SCW, the Beauty Factory - or what was left of it - came to mine, along with the likes of Infamous, Holly Adams, and Katie Steward, just to name a few. To the Snow Queen, money was just a means of providing for her family.

Which is what I'm doing now. She thought darkly, her resolve strengthening, if that was even possible. Aggressively, she shoved her hand into her right coat pocket and immediately regretted the decision, wincing as she felt her skin somewhat punch the sharp metal inside the pocket. Biting her lower lip to dull the temporary pain, she pushed the item out of the way and, instead, felt for the smooth plastic of the bottle, pulling it out as she felt it. Pushing herself off the fence with her forearm, she quickly unscrewed the bottle and downed the 5-hour energy shot, stuffing the container into her other pocket (an empty one) when she was finished. She knew she was going to crash and crash hard when this was over, but she was more than happy to embrace sleep afterwards.

Hopefully without nightmares... she added mentally. For a moment, her brain mocked her for not putting on more makeup than usual. She's going to see the bags under your eyes... But Selena dispelled the thought with a shake of her head. No, she wasn't going to do that again. She wasn't going to hide herself in heavy makeup to pretend she was someone else. She wasn't going to hide who she was or the scars she held to try and lift someone up in this damned prison.

She had tried to do that for Deanna, and her wife had not even recognized her. Her own beloved of nearly five years of marriage. Five years... Selena thought, gazing down, once more, at the leaves at her feet. There would be no mistaking who she was this time.

The woman would know that she was Selena Frost... And never forget it...

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

Nome, Alaska
October 5th, 2012
3:23pm

"Oh, go on a hike with me, Adrian!" Selena huffed as she marched through the forest, her feet quite a bit swollen from within her faux-fur lined boots. "It's fresh air and good for the baby!" She added with a tired laugh, feeling her legs ache and a small drop of sweat fall off her brow. It wasn't like she was doing an actual extraneous exercise like running or weight-lifting. She had walked this trail thousands of times in her life, including in the last several months.

But when you're carrying a bowling ball in your belly... she sighed, leaning against a nearby tree, her hand tiredly reaching out to pet her swollen stomach. "Sorry for calling you a bowling ball, snowflake." She whispered. Her daughter had been a little naughty the moment Selena had started her daily exercise walks, deciding to nestle its head right under Selena's rib cage and right lung, or, as Selena had figured... The little one's "sleeping corner".

The sound of birds chirping above her, within the tops of the trees, brought her attention upwards, sapphire eyes scanning the clear, blue skies. It was definitely fall in the small town of Nome, and there were already patches of snow littering the ground. What does one expect from a frozen pit near the Arctic. Selena sighed, reaching up with a free hand to pluck a bright red leaf off the tree, twirling it within her fingers, her other hand still on her belly. After discovering she was pregnant with her first child, she had tried to look at things from a brighter perspective. Tried to not let this town and the people within it bring her down. Tried to just accept them calling her "the crazy miner's daughter" and "The Snow Queen".

Because the reality was just that - reality. She was a waitress at a bar with barely a high-school graduation. Yes, she was going to marry the son of a rich and powerful man, the mayor of Nome, but- Selena shook her head again. She had been forced to accept the truth when she had admitted her love for Adrian. The Scythes were the most powerful family in Nome and, as the saying went, it was 'better to be a big fish in a little pond than a big fish in the ocean...'.

"But how I wish I could be in that ocean..." The pregnant woman mused sadly as she continued to twirl the leaf within her hand. It wasn't like she could have left on her own anyway. At best, she had enough savings for a one person, one way trip to America. Certainly not enough for a baby as well. And there was no way in hell Selena was going abandon her daughter like...like...

Like my mother and step-mother have done to me... she thought bitterly, her eyes narrowing as her hands, perhaps pushed by the pregnancy hormones, crumpled the leaf into her hand. All she knew about her birth mother is that the woman was gone, not dead. As for her step-mother - there was no love there, so it was basically the same as abandonment. Selena was her step-mother, Anastasia's "work", something Anastasia used for status and her own empowerment. For Odin's sake, she didn't even care to know what baby-names Selena had been thinking about. She had just gotten some creepy doctor to be her onocologist. Probaby just to make sure I don't die and ruin whatever 'plans' she has for me... Selena thought darkly as she used both her hands to push off the tree awkwardly, with her current size and weight, and continue her walk through the path and up the hills.

In the end, with her stepmother here and the people still being...them, Selena just couldn't suddenly love this town or love the fact that she would never leave it, eventually dying here. It was heartbreaking to her...

"At least I'll have you." She whispered to her baby. "And maybe, someday, I'll be able to get you out of here." She swore, somehow. If she couldn't be free of this place, maybe she could work so that her daughter, when she was old enough, could leave and see the world.

The wind picked up a little, blowing her simple ponytail a bit and rustling her clothes. Gods, how she missed the single digits of clothing size. She wasn't vain about her looks - in fact she was quite sure she was rather plain, if all the other boys were to be believed, and she had to admit, she was nowhere near as gorgeous or sexy-looking as some of the Nome-girls she saw at Uncle Liam's bar and grill where she worked. But she had liked being in shape and able to wear jeans and the occasional shirt that showed off her mid-riff of toned abs.

Baby came along and - bye-bye six-pack, hello keg, maternity pants and shirts with more X's than a porno-flick. She sighed at that, amused by that one. Why couldn't there be people around when she told jokes like that? Maybe they would get along with her better if they saw- Yeah, right. Selena silenced that thought as quickly as it was formed. There were two certainties of her life:

One, she was stuck here forever.
Two, no one would ever accept the daughter of Donovan Frost in this little town.

Her thoughts, both happy for the baby and depressed about her life beside the child and fiancée, were halted as she felt her foot suddenly stop, movement being cut short by a thick, uplifted root of a nearby tree. It was suddenly, as if, she was falling in slow-motion towards the ground. Without thinking, Selena threw one arm out in front of her to land first, the other around her stomach at the same time and dropped her knees into the ground, trying to prevent any impact from touching her pregnant belly. A lot of drama and fear, to be sure, and Selena was almost rolling her eyes at herself as the fall was only a foot or two into the damp earth. Still, her heart was racing and her breathing was a little jagged for a moment as she pushed herself to her feet slowly, dusting her hands off.

"I won't tell daddy if you want." She whispered to her unborn child before continuing on her way, ignoring the damp dirt and mud that covered the 'knees' of her maternity sweatpants. Badge of honour... she joked. I'm a hero!

Her thoughts stopped as her eyes suddenly spotted something at the top of the hill just a few minute-walk away. It was that over the hill that she recognized where she was in her journey, for at the top was a rather large stone-cave, jagged and sitting there like a castle for some king or Queen.

Definitely a queen... Selena thought happily, as she pushed her legs up the hill. A very furry kind of queen! she added, unable to stop the bright smile that came to her lips.

"Titania!" Selena called out, calling the name of the wolf she had befriended since it was a pup and had gotten lost in her father's gold-mine. "Titania!" She called again, slowly making her way further up the hill. "Oh geez..." She groaned. "Did this hill get bigger or something?" She whined. What, ordinarily took a few simple strides now, with baby in tow, took at least five minutes with two breaks. "Ti..Tania..."

That last one was more of a wheezing sound than an actual call as Selena stood at the top of the hill, a few yards away from the large entrance of the wolf cave, one of many that littered the wilderness of Nome, though this one was the closet to town and, thus, closest to the Snow Queen's home on the outskirts.

"Come on out!" Selena called happily, still a little breathless, placing a hand on her belly. "I want to show you something- or someone." She beamed.

No response came. "Come on, girl." She tried to lean forward, placing her hand over just above her knees. "I haven't seen you in weeks."

Again, no response came forward. Maybe she's out hunting... Selena thought as she stood back up, looking around the area, trying to use her advantage of being on top of the hill to see further down the different directions. She could just make out her house about a mile or so away, the top just viewable from the trees. She could see some other people several yards away just going for a walk themselves. Leaning against the large rock formation, the pregnant woman took a slow breath to calm herself more. She repeated the slow breathing, her eyes closed as her ears took in the sounds of nature.

The soft wind blowing.
The birds making their sounds.
The rustling of nearby critters like rabbits and foxes.
The soft mews and howls coming from the cave behind her.

"Wait...what?" Selena's eyes flew open, her senses on high-alert, making her body be absolutely still... Until she heard those sounds again. This time, however, the sounds ignited a sense of curiosity within her and she carefully stepped inside the cave enough to peer into its depths. With the sun out brightly she could make out the end of the wall... And three little fur balls bouncing around!

"Oh my-" Selena started, a smile breaking over her face, only for a loud growling sound to be heard behind her. Spinning around as fast as her swollen body could maintain, the platinum-blonde's eyes met those of the predator standing before her. White fur with auburn trim.

"T...Titania!" Selena smiled, placing a hand over her heart. "You scared the-" the sight of Titania's fangs and the sound of her aggressive growl cut Selena off instantly. The woman could see the muscles flexed within the four-legged creature, green eyes (or were they more emerald than normal green?) locked on her. "W...what's the matter with you?" Selena asked, a panic gripping her, her arm subconsciously wrapping around her torso. "It's me! It's Selena!"

The wolf barked loudly, its jaws snapping in the air as it did so. The panic within Selena continued to grow, seizing every part of her, fear that, despite their history, she was dealing with a predator. A carnivore. A being that could shred her to pieces in seconds.

My baby... her arm tightened around her waist. She didn't have any of her hunting gear. She hadn't gone hunting for months since she got pregnant. And she never needed it for these walks! But now... She just wanted something to scare Titania. Something to give her an opening so she could run away and leave the cave... Why did I come in here?! her mind screamed.

"I'll leave!" She stated, holding her free hand up. "I'll go, Titania! I'm sorry I-"

She never had the chance to finish her apology, her body instinctively releasing a scream as the wolf pounced towards her, claws out, fangs barred! "NO!" Screamed Selena as she feel back, her free arm out to block whatever she could, screaming loudly for help as the green-eyed hunter ripped its teeth into her arm...

...

...

...

...

Selena's body jerked back, slamming into into the back of the copper-studded, Childersburg chair, her head bouncing a little off the cushioning, her scream dulling to a shocked "OOF!" Sound. Her hand was over her stomach, but instead of a swollen belly, she felt the fabric of her blue, thin sweater and the toned abdominals underneath it. Her eyes searched the 'cave' wildly, realizing that she was no longer in a cave. Rather, she was in a quietly decorated office with soft-beige walls, carpets, and a large shelf filled to the brim with books all behind her, stretching around a good section of the perimeter of the room. Her hand flew to her heart, filling it hammering inside her chest. Lastly, as she gulped for air to clear her senses, she spotted the clock on the wall, complete with time and date digitally displayed.

Schoenburg Castle
Oberwesel, Germany
October 5th, 2020
3:31am

And she released a sound that was half-sigh and half-groan, moving her hand to rub her left eye as she pushed herself into full consciousness. It took a few moments for her to realize that she had been dreaming/re-living an old memory. With another sigh, the young woman pulled at the sleeve of her left arm, pulling it all the way up until it passed her elbow. There, just above the joint on the inside, were faint white marks, scars in the shape of an irregular shaped circle. Quietly, she pressed her thumb into the miscolored flesh. She felt no pain whatsoever, the scar tissue well over six years old. The young woman exhaled through her nose and shook her head, lost in her thoughts.

She had been stupid that day. She had gone into a cave because she was sure that the sound she had heard were that of wolf pups. She had wanted to see the cute creatures and had, stupidly, forgotten that she was intruding on enemy territory, and whether Titania had history with Selena or not, she was a mother-first. She hadn't recognized Selena, either due to her pregnancy or perhaps it was another factor she hadn't considered, but the wolf had done what anyone would have done in her position. Protect her own against threats.

And to Titania, Selena was a threat.

Thankfully, the couple that had been walking through the forest had doubled back around and heard Selena's screams, rushing in fight Titania off enough so Selena could be carried out of the cave. When they were out of the cave and down the hill, Titania had not pursued them, satisfied that her pups were safe. As for Selena, a night and some in the hospital and she and her baby were no worse for the wear...

No... The true threat...the real monsters... Would not show themselves until two more months had passed...

"The rest, as they say, is history." Selena sighed, pushing herself out of the large chair to pace around the room, rubbing her face with her hands just to comfort herself. Looking back at the desk she had fallen asleep on, her tired eyes had spotted the mass amount of folders and papers Talia had left for her, a pile that the Snow Queen had barely been able to crack through since she started weeks ago. After her last conjugal visit with Deanna, she had marched right up to Talia with a new order. Drop whatever it was you're doing and help me take down, Queenie.

Naturally, her former best friend refused. 'My job is to get your wife out of prison.' To which Selena had retorted hotly. "And if she ends up dead, you might as well start looking for apartments, won't you?!" Which had effectively ended the argument. Yes, getting Deanna out of prison was a priority, but the threat of Queenie and the effect it was having on her wife... It had suddenly become the top priority as Selena had held her crying wife in that conjugal room.

What had followed were delays after delays as Selena and Talia had begun searching for that 'golden bullet' to take Queenie down. Again, Selena cast her eyes towards the pile of folders she had barely been able to touch, the truth hitting her like that Titania with her fangs.

The fault didn't lie in Talia. It lied in her. Every time she came home, she had to spend time with her children, see Deanna, and then, by the time that was handled, she needed to fly back to the States and prepare for whatever match or segment or whatever SCW had for. Then it was getting back here the first chance she had, only to do it all over again. Being honest with herself, the last six hours, minus her falling asleep for - Selena checked the clock - one of those hours, have been the longest stretch of time she had been able to commit to the promise of saving Deanna's life!

"AHHH!" The platinum-blonde cried out in frustration, wreaking her hands through her hair. She was running out of time, and that's what was killing her - killing Deanna. Each day she did nothing was another day, another night Deanna might have to endure Queenie's... Demands.

Rough hands bruising her skin.
Pearly-white teeth biting her flesh.
Nails clawing against her love's back...

She didn't want to travel down this way of thinking, but she couldn't help it and, before she knew it, she had thrown he first thing she could reach, a stapler, against the wall, hearing the cling of metal as it hit its wide target and fell to the floor. Ragged breath left the Snow Queen's lungs and, not for the first time, the utter despair and loneliness filled her. She had to get out of this damned room, if only for a moment. But where would she go? She didn't dare bother her children so late at night and in the state she was in, and Gunther and Mageritte would be sleeping as well. Same with Gerda.

Opting to follow her 'dream-self', Selena grabbed her phone and quietly made her way out of the room and into the cold night of Schoenburg Castle. There wasn't any strong gusts of wind, just a cold dampness that hung in the air. Using her phone's lit screen, the young wrestler dialled the only person she could even remotely hope would be around. Only because said person was on the other side of the world.

"Please pick up..." Selena whispered, hearing the ring twice...three times... Four times... And just as her heart was about to sink in disappointment.

"Hey!" Came the voice. "What's going on?"
"Hey sis." Selena half-sighed, half-cried. "You busy? I don't know what time zone you're in."
"I'm in Philadelphia." the familiar voice of Regan Street replied. "It's about quarter to ten pm. Where are you?"
"I'm at the castle." Selena replied.
"Still?!" the shock in Regan's voice was evident. "Sel, what the hell? Breakdown's in two days! It's the last one before-"
"I know..." Selena interjected, standing in the dim light of the walkway lamps that illuminated the stone cobble walkways around the castle grounds.

"What's wrong?" Regan asked. "Is it Deanna?"
The Frost woman nodded before remembering she was on the phone and not face to face with her sister. "She won't last much longer unless I do something. But I... I can't... Every time I start, I get pulled back to work or the children or..." She suddenly stopped, as if simply explaining the matter to Regan had made a solution clear. "I need a favour, sister. I know it's going to sound crazy."

"Just tell me. I'm here." Came the strong reply, devoid of hesitation from the Hellcat.
"I need you to cover for me on Breakdown."
"Cover how?"
"I don't have any matches and... I can't deal with Xander and his games right now. Can you please go out there and just...hype the match, do what you do to mess with people's heads."

There was a moment of silence on the other line and Selena, for a the briefest of seconds, was sure Regan would flat-out refuse dealing with the monster that had haunted them both for months and months of their careers, leading to some of the bloodiest, most brutal matches they both had fought. But, eventually, Regan's voice rang in her ear.

"Go out there and irritate Xander Valentine?" Regan clarified. "It's not even my birthday!"
"You'll do it?" Selena asked, a wave of relief washing over her.
"Leave it to me, sis." Regan assured. "I'll come up with a few zingers to get his attention. I still owe him for that crap match he and Tommy put me through."
"T-thank you..." Selena whispered, leaning against the nearby wall of the castle, feeling the cold, damp stone press through her shirt and into her skin.

"Focus on getting Deanna out of there and fast." Regan ordered. "I'm not kidding."
"I know."
"No, I don't think you do." Regan tried, slowly speaking. "Selena, you can't face him with that on your mind. And if you do..." There was a pause as Regan tried to choose her words carefully, not to sugar-coat it, but to protect the current, fragile state of her beloved sister. "You know what Xander wants to do to you. Truly do to you."

Despite the warning and the harsh reality of that statement, it was a reality that, at the moment, didn't bother Selena as much as it should have. Perhaps it was her desperate need to protect her wife and that everything SCW seemed so distant.

"If I can't save Deanna..." She whispered. "It won't even matter."

Neither woman said anything for a prolonged period of silence. Sapphire eyes wandered around the night sky, taking in all the stars of the clear, damp night before settling down back to the ground. As she did, however, out of the corner of her eye, she spotted the small scar just below her above her elbow. For a moment, her mind went back to that dream - her late friend, Titania, protecting her babies... But, Selena now realized, the wolf had never had green eyes...

"Regan..." She whispered.
"Yeah?" Came the reply.
"Why did you pile drive O.?"
There was a brief pause on the other end of the line. "Why?"
"I just want to know..."

A huff came from the Hellcat, the newest Supreme Champion clearly not wanting to visit the topic of conversation. "I was in a dark place. And he..."
"Sis..." Selena gently spoke. "I'm not judging you or blaming you. But you were willing to risk your job and your career and gods know what else. And then the apology. Why?"

"Same reason both times." Came the answer. "He went after David - my husband. So I pile drove him. The apology? Again, I realized I didn't want my family to see me like that anymore."
"All for family..." Selena whispered, as if she already knew the answer on some level.
"Yeah, of course." came the reply. "Nothing we wouldn't do for them."

The Snow Queen nodded her head. "Thanks, sis. I just... I just needed to be told that again..."
"Yeah..." The Hellcat replied. "You'll call again if you need anything, right?"
"I promise." Selena replied. "Love you." She added.
"You too," responded the other woman before hanging up the phone.

Alone in the dark, Selena took a moment to just...take it all in. The dark, the stars, everything her best friend and sister had said... And she couldn't find it in herself to regret asking Regan for that favour.

In the end... Selena thought, as she turned around to head back inside and back to work. What's the point in being "The Snow Queen" if Selena Frost is nothing without Deanna...

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

Frankfurt Prison III
Frankfurt, Germany
October 16th, 2020
12:04pm

The door opened loudly, causing Selena to lift her head. Her sapphire eyes glared through the fence as the woman was lead into the fenced, outdoor, visiting area. Unsurprising to the young woman, said prisoner was handcuffed by the hands and feet, minimizing movement. That, however, did not stop the smug grin from spreading across the restrained woman's face. Selena noticed the blue of the prison uniform, though this one was tight on the woman, where Deanna's had become baggy. I need to ask her if she's been eating properly... her mind quickly thought, but she clamped down on the distraction, sending it away.

"Well, well, well..." Came the drawl voice of the prisoner, dark eyes matching dark skin staring at Selena. "You know..." she mocked. "I was just about to have me some lunch..."

Selena's eyes narrowed. "Another strawberry joke, Queenie?" She asked, her tone deadpan.
The large woman shrugged her shoulders. "What can I say? I've developed a taste for them. I think I've had them every night for... Three weeks now? They seem to always be in season around here."

Lifting her head and biting her lower lip hard, Selena placed her hands on her hips. "I get it." She stated. "Let's just cut the games and get to it. What do you want?"
"Want?" Queenie asked.
"Want. As in, what do I have to give you to leave Deanna alone for good." Selena tilted her head. "Money?"
"As if I need that in here. I'm in for life, remember?"
"Items? What?"

"Oh, this is precious." Purred the tormentor. "All your money and 'celEBrahty'-" she stressed the word weirdly. "And you can't give me a damn thing." She laughed, but suddenly, her tone dropped, her face grew serious and she was suddenly up against the fence, glaring at the Snow Queen through the holes in the chain-link. "Your wife's in here for nine more years, bitch. And I'm gonna make sure every night of those years are with me. Until I get someone new...or she breaks."
"Breaks?" Selena's eyes widened slightly.
"All toys break, sweetheart." Queenie stuck a fat, slithering tongue out to wipe her lips. "Especially when playing as hard as I do."

As she spoke, Selena saw the door Queenie had entered open. She spied the woman coming out as well before her eyes locked back onto Queenie, who was smugly watching Selena be 'helpless'. "You know... I think you're right." She sighed, taking a step away from the fence and Queenie. "I really didn't want to negotiate..." She admitted. "But I would have felt guilty if I didn't at least try and give you an 'out'."

Before Queenie could understand what Selena had meant, a boot suddenly struck her in the back, launching the rotund woman into fence with a harsh creak! The woman fell to the dirt and was yanked up by a pair of uncuffed hands, but no less a prisoner than Queenie.

"Hi." Came the voice of Shar as the tall, built woman gripped the shorter, weaker woman in a headlock. "Remember me, darlin'?"
"What the fu-" Queenie tried to fight against her captor, but the fact that she was handcuffed while Shar was not, in addition to Shar clearly being the woman in shape (Queenie's power coming from her connections as a 'store' within the prison), the dark-skinned woman could only fight back a little as Shar pressed her face into the fence.

Selena, meanwhile, had removed her wolf-fur coat, revealing the tight, form-fitting, black t-shirt underneath. Reaching into the pocket, the Snow Queen felt for the familiar metal device and removed it from the pocket, revealing the pliers she had brought with her. Carefully, she placed her coat on the nearby concrete of the walkway, keeping it from getting dirty, before moving back to Shar and Queenie and kneeling before the woman that had raped her wife.

"What are you doing?" Queenie spat. "You hurt me and your wife is dead! I give the word and she's splatter on the concrete..."
"Well..." Selena gaze lowered and her tone was dark... Darker than she had ever heard it before. "I better make sure you can't give the word then."

With Shar holding Queenie's head, the brunette prisoner, thrust a series of fists into the jaw hinge of Queenie. The woman cried out in pain but was soon unable to fight back as Shar pried her mouth open.

"I warned you, Queenie." Selena stated coldly. "I warned you what would happen if you touched what was mine again." She held pliers out, moving them ever so closer, seeing the growing fear in Queenie's eyes. "I warned you what I would do if you touched her again!"

With one move, Selena wedged the pliers between a hole of the fence and into the nearest space after that, that being Queenie's mouth. Adjusting quickly, Selena found her target, clamped the pliers down and pulled with all the anger she had. The sound of pain grew louder in Queenie's throat until it was a scream as Selena almost flew backwards, her back foot catching her as she yanked a front tooth right out of the filthy woman's mouth! Blood splattered a little against the fence and onto the ground.

Selena glared at the tooth before releasing it from the pliers and leaning back to Shar and Queenie, the former keeping her iron-hold on the rapist, who was releasing a string of curses and cries for help. She had no idea that this moment had been orchestrated for weeks and had cost Selena a damn fortune. Money to bribe the guards to get Shar in here with them and for them to 'look the other way'. Money to pay off informants to get the information she needed. But here? Seeing Deanna's abuser like this... She couldn't help it.

It was beyond worth it!

"What was it you said, Queenie? Hmmm? You've been having 'strawberries' every night for three weeks? That's...wow...that's twenty-one strawberries..." Again, that dark look crossed across Selena's features as she held up the slightly bloody pliers. "Well... That's one down." She stated before diving back in, going for a bicuspid this time. What followed next was an hour of what could only be described as absolutel torture as Selena pried loose incisors, cuspids and bicuspids. She kept the molars alone - back teeth were too rooted. But she counted every one until she had twenty-one pearly white teeth littering the ground around her.

Queenie's screams were reduced to mere cries and mewling - even the occasional plea to stop. But as the last tooth was extracted and Shar tossed Queenie to the ground, the hardened woman, despite the pain and, no doubt, swelling of the gums spat at the Snow Queen. Selena could make out the holes in the woman's mouth and some were jagged edges where she had broken the tooth in half by accident rather than remove it.

"She's fackin' dead..." Queenie slurred. "She DED!" She wore before groaning and spitting out more blood.

Selena gave no reaction to that threat. Instead, she reached into her pocket and pulled out folded stack of pictures. "No, she's not." Selena stated. "Because while you've got someone that I love on the inside...." She unfolded the papers, revealing the picture of a young boy, no more than 15 years of age. "I've got someone you love on the outside."

Queenie's tooth-deficient face shot up, bloody eyes scanning the paper and, judging by the widening of her eyes and the shocked expression, Selena was certain that she and Talia had found that golden bullet.

"H-how..." Queenie coughed.
"I'm a 'celEBriity'." Selena mocked in a monotone voice. "And all that money you didn't want? It went somewhere else." She flipped the paper to the next one, showing a picture of the same young boy skateboarding down the street. "Travis, right? Friends call him 'T-V'?"

For the first time since she had met this vile woman, Selena could see the utter fear in the woman's eyes. "Still don't want to negotiate, Patricia?" She asked, using the true name of the woman she knew as Queenie.
"I..." She stammered before nodding her head. "Eyl reeve ER ahone."

Selena almost cried at the sound of that, but she stopped herself from feeling such relief. A promise from this woman was worthless in a place like this. "You lie to me... You touch her again... Whatever you do to her-"
"I SAED ID EVE ER ALONE!" Queenie cried out through bleeding gums.

Slowly taking a deep breath, Selena pushed herself up to her feet, giving a nod to Shar before turning on her foot and walking away from the mess of blood and teeth. She gathered her jacket, throwing it back on over her frame before tossing the pliers into the nearest trash bin. She said nothing until she was in her car and had driven several miles into the country between Frankfurt and Oberwesel. Pulling over to the side of the road, she gently got out of the car and looked up and down the country road before she allowed everything to catch up to her, her stomach clenching as she vomitted onto the gravel and grass. She welcomed the convulsions as they wracked through her body, her punishment for what she had done. For even pretending to endanger that innocent boy. She threw-up again and rode it all out until that 5-hour shot was out of her system, same with her breakfast - until there was nothing left inside her. With a sigh, she fell back to sit against her rented car, eyes up at the sky as she wiped her mouth with her hand.

The skies were still clear... Which was something she found herself being grateful for.

My own...protected... she thought as she closed her eyes and let herself finally drift to sleep against her vehicle. My...own...

___________________________________________

Frozen Central

The camera fades in to reveal the interior of the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, the site for tonight's SCW Pay-Per-View, Under Attack. Much of the 'stage' - that is the ramp and ring - have already been built properly, and yet, the area, itself is empty, common for this specific segment. Just as common, but no less important, is the woman sitting in the middle of the ring. The Arctic blue and white lights illuminate the space she occupies within the ring, parts even bouncing off the metal of the United States Championship that sits on top of the corner turnbuckle behind her. As for the Snow Queen, herself, she is dressed in black pants, boots, shirt and a leather jacket with wolf-fur trim along the front and arms. Her hair is in its iconic braid and she sits with her legs crossed, looking up at the empty arena.

History... her voice echoes ever so slightly. That's what you want, isn't it, Xander? A repeat of history? For 'good ol' days'. I suppose then, after everything I said about you, calling you out on your ego, that I prove it here... Tonight.

Because it was here: One year ago, Xander, that you and I waged what would be the Match of the Year. The Empty Arena match. The match that pushed us to the absolute limit. as Selena speaks, a clip of Xander smashing Selena in the head with a monitor, followed by Selena moonsaulting off the elimination chamber and onto Xander and a pile of chairs. Bodies ripped apart. Bloodied. Broken. Officially? It never happened. And yet here we are, with scars and memories. A match that never happened yet won an award. An amused smile graces Selena's lips.

You told me that I lacked direction, Xander. You told me that respect wouldn't matter in any of this. Both those counts, I believed you. Now, you're going to believe me when I tell you this:

I did not want you to win that Brawl for All match at Rise to Greatness.

There is a silence as Selena lets her confession settle, some of her words echoing within the empty arena once more. She takes a breath before continuing. You see that title? she pointed to the United States Championship resting on the turnbuckle. Her World Tag-Team belt is not present, a symbolic nature of what she desires to be tonight in this battle as several past clips flashing across the screen. I first won that belt in a roofed cage match, Xander. I defended it, risked losing it, in every match I competed in in my first reign. I fell off scaffolding - over twenty feet into the abyss - trying to fight for that title. I fought through a damn TOURNAMENT to regain it, beating a Trios winner, a future number one contender for the Adrenaline title, and a former world champion, while fending off a bitter superstar in Chris Cannon. I then risked that belt for my sister in a match where I didn't have to be pinned or made to submit to lose it - so that my sister could get the shot she deserved and that title could be defended at the biggest show of the year for SCW, Rise to Greatness.

When it comes to that title, Xander, there is no questioning it. It brings out more of what I am. It pushes me to go further. To take more punishment. To put myself through trial after trial to be able to hold that title and be its champion. I won't deny that you have earned this shot, Xander, but I have earned this fight just as much, if not more, than you have!

Lowering her arm, the Snow Queen sighs, reaching up to rub her forehead. And yet, I would rather be here, fighting the likes of Chris Cannon, the members of the Wonderland, Damian Angel, hell even Ace Marshall... You are the last person I wanted to be fighting for this title, Xander Valentine.

Again, a moment of silence.

But if you still think that is so because of fearing you... If after all we've been through, all I said to you in my last promo. All I have survived and overcome from you - if you still believe me to be afraid of you and that is why I rather it not be you that I'm facing... Then you're not the executioner, Xander. You're not 'the reaper'. You're a damn fool.

I didn't want to face you, Xander, because - while I have gone through hell and back before and for many different opponents... There is a level deeper than that that I can go to. There is a place darker than what I have had to face against the likes of Sienna Swann, Bree Lancaster, Giovanni Aries, and yes... Even my own sister, Regan Street. Selena bites her lower lip, her eyes wandering to the mat she sits on, somewhat lost in her thoughts.

It's a place where... I don't always know what's right and what's wrong. A place where the amount of pain and punishment I put myself through doesn't just cause me a few rough days and nights in a hospital. It ends with me having years of my career shaved off. It's a place, Xander, where the only thing that matters to me? Is survival and punishing the person that is there with me.

Selena takes a deep breath through her nose, rubbing her hands on her legs. And Xander? You're the one that made me discover that place.

Twice now, Xander. Twice in our time together, you have forced me to go into that place. Twice now, when the option was either do it or be destroyed, I went to that place. The first time? I tore you apart. The second? I brought you down.

But you see? Every time I go into that place. Into a place darker than my father's cave... It gets harder and harder to come out of it. It gets harder and harder to live with myself, Xander. Because the things that I had to do in that place - things I had to do to be able to put YOU away? I couldn't imagine doing to another human being. And we? We're not gods, are we? We're humans...

A shot is shown of Selena being nailed in the head with the Adrenaline title by Gavin Taylor.

We can be hurt.

A shot is shown of Xander Valentine being nailed in the back of the head with a wrench by Tommy Valentine, collapsing in a heap on the mat.

We can be knocked down.

The shot shows both Selena and Xander from both clips struggling to get back up.

But somehow... You, and you alone, Xander, force me to become something - someone - that I don't even know. That I am not sure I recognize as myself. That is the price that I have had to pay every time I have beaten you since that first match at Rise to Greatness. That is what I've had to do every time you have set out to destroy me. That is the sacrifice I have had to make to have enough, be enough to defeat you and defy you again and again!

Do you see? I don't fear you, Xander. You can hurt me. You can make be feel pain that will stay with me...possibly forever. But I've lived through that from you many times over. There is nothing that you can do to me that I fear, Xander, because I know that physically? I'll survive it.

The person I fear, Xander.... Is myself.

Slowly, Selena pushes herself to her feet. Because here we are, about to go another round together. And to me, it's not a matter of 'if' I will cross that line - enter that place once more... It's how soon I'll do it. It's what I'll do to you when I do, Xander. And it's whether or not I'll be able to come out of it again.

That's what scares me, Xander. The fact that I am ready and prepared to enter that place without any hesitation. The fact that I WILL be entering that place, risking that much, without taking a moment to reconsider. And it's as you said, Xander: It's about the past. It's about history.

So let me take you back, Xander. To the history you wish to repeat!

The shot switches to a black and white clip - the graphic reading June 20, 2007. There, a much younger Xander Valentine is battling Greg Cherry in a ladder match for both the United States Title and the SCW title... Xander sets up the ladder and starts to climb up to the top of it. Cherry rolls into the ring and blood can be seen coming down his face. Cherry walks over to the ladder and starts to climb up it himself. Xander grabs the SCW Championship belt, but Cherry quickly nails him with a hard right. He then hits another. Xander elbows him and Cherry starts to reel. Xander grabs Cherry by the head and drives him head first into the top of the ladder. Cherry starts to reel again. Xander grabs Cherry and Cherry suddenly hits a spin kick to the side. Cherry then grabs Xander by the head and hits a cutter off the top of the ladder right down to the mat! The crowd rises to their feet in cheers as both men crash to the mat....

The clip returns to the present day with Selena standing by the United States title, having watched it on the big screen, herself.  Is that your history, Xander? The history you wish to repeat? The one where, when given the choice, you, just like Bree Lancaster, cast the United States title aside for something better to you? Like the World Championship? Selena shakes her head.

What then, Xander? You use this belt to get your match with Regan? You mock SCW and your desire to 'burn SCW down' by what? Breaking it into pieces like Giovanni did? Shroud it in controversy like so many others did? she bites her lower lip, her eyes clenching shut as her body trembles with building anger.I am so damned tired of those kind of champions! You hear me?! I'm sick of the controversy, I'm sick of people casting aside titles for 'better' ones. I'm sick of people treating this belt like it's some kind of consolation prize or some kind of tool in a scheme to hurt SCW!

Grabbing the title, Selena holds it to the camera, her eyes blazing. This belt represents EVERYTHING that I've overcome to win it, to keep it, and what I'll do to stay as the champion! It's been too long since someone actually gave a damn about it and this division! It's been too long that someone WANTED to be United States Champion - not so they could be World Champion, not so they could 'stick it to SCW', but because this belt is one of the greatest championships in SCW history! And when you tell me you want to 'repeat the past', Xander? When you tell me that you're after this just so you can 'take it from me' and 'fix your equation', it's a slap in the face to every single person that's ever given a damn about it! It's a slap in the face to every single person that watches championship matches with this title! It's a slap in the face to me!

Lowering her arm that holds the title, Selena keeps her eyes on the camera, taking a few short breaths to regain her composure. I am scared, Xander, of not being able to come out of that dark place this time around. I am scared of being unrecognizable to my own wife when this match is over, yes. But if that is what it takes for me to keep your 'history' from becoming this title's future, I will, with zero doubt, cheerily accept that fate!

With her free hand, Selena runs her fingers over the fur trimmings of her leather coat. You think that you're the big bad wolf coming for the little lamb, Xander? she sadly smiles. You fail to realize that you're not the scary wolf. You're the little boy crying wolf over and over again to the point that no one - no one - believes you.

And tonight, little boy, you don't face a lamb, but a true wolf in sheep's clothing. And just like the wolf, I protect my pack! I protect my own. I protect what's mine!

And my place by my sister, Regan's, side as Frozen Hell? My spot in the tag-team league? Selena holds up the singles title she carries. This? I will tear you to shreds before I allow you to take any of that from me.

A year ago, you nearly broke me, reaper. Tonight, I return the favour... But unlike you... her voice growls. I won't stop at nearly. Unlike you... I intend to make you, Xander Valentine, fabled Executioner, history...

Believe it... she slowly raises the title above her head. The rest...as they say, is history... as the camera fades.

[Xander Valentine]

https://scwexecutioner.wordpress.com/202...-jealousy/