Selena Frost vs. Ravyn Taylor vs. Nicole Kinneck
#1
2 RP Limit for singles

Deadline: 11:59:59 pm ET MONDAY, September 26, 2022
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I love AJ Allmendinger.
#2
The Witches of Alden



”Monster”



VanHohenheim House
Maplewood, New Jersey
September 19th, 2022
11:02am


Selena had been grateful for the usual ‘pre-PPV-break’ that preceded every major SCW pay-per-view event, particularly with Apocalypse on the horizon. For starters, the event would be held in Madison Square Gardens, right in her hometown of New York. Secondly, she was still reeling a little from the events of last week.

It had never been her intention to get involved with Glory Braddock’s match with Ravyn. The Snow Queen had every confidence that the number one contender to the SCW United States Title could more than handle Ravyn Taylor one-on-one.

One-on-one…

With Ravyn, it wasn’t a matter of ‘if’ the match would be tainted, but rather ‘when’. Integrity was one thing the woman was devoid of, and that was saying nothing of Josh Hudson. And sure enough, when Josh had made his presence known, out to clearly mess with his Apocalypse opponent like he had with Owen Cruze, Selena had merely kept her word and stepped in from her place at ringside. If that had been all that had occurred that night, interference and cowardice by Josh and Ravyn, Selena could almost shrug it off: The fact that, for the second time, Ravyn had gotten a cheap shot on her and that Josh Hudson had gotten the better of her as well (She would deal with both issues in due time, where possible).

No, what had made last week what it was had been one person: Luna.

With sigh, Selena shook her head as she sat back against the brown corduroy of the sofa. Josh, Ravyn, and Crowe were all factors in Glory’s match, true, but both Glory and Selena had discussed the real wildcard of that night – Nicole Kinneck’s ‘darkest personality’ (Selena shuddered a little at the thought again) Luna. It had been Luna that had come out first before even Josh Hudson and before Alexander Crowe had really gotten involved in Ravyn’s match, which what had prompted the Snow Queen to come out to the ring in the first place. Again, not that she thought any less of the skills of Glory Braddock – their world title match several months ago had merely cemented the woman’s incredible abilities in Selena’s mind and she knew Glory was always ‘itching’ for another round with the former world champion. But, out of concern for the fans and innocent people, the platinum-blonde had refused to do nothing after seeing what Luna was capable of at Rise to Greatness.

And, at the start, it had worked. She, along with Dillusion and the officials, had managed to contain Luna – for lack of a better word – and sent her back to the backstage without any harm coming to anyone, which was a victory for Selena, however small. However, as the chaos had unfolded with Hudson, Glory, Ravyn and herself, Luna had, somehow, escaped and rampaged down to the ring.

I still have no idea how she managed to do that… escaping several officials AND a wrestling-legend like Dillusion… The thought didn’t trigger any negative thoughts in Selena’s head about the ‘ineptitude’ of the officials or the SCW Hall of Famer. Not one. Rather, it instilled her existing feelings of concern and almost fear over what this fourth or fifth ‘identity’ of Nicole Kinneck was truly capable of.

Well, to conclude, in something that stunned everyone, including Selena, the madwoman had returned to the arena and made a beeline not for Ravyn, but for the young Frost, herself! When did I become the target?! Selena asked herself, her jaw clenching as her fingers worked on ‘auto-pilot’. At some point in the last few weeks, Luna had chosen to redirect her attacks onto Selena. Did she see the Snow Queen as ‘getting in her way’ too many times and needing to be removed to get to Ravyn? Was it as simple as that? Was this Ravyn’s plan from the beginning?

There was no denying that the “Bad Girl” was at the epicenter of all of this. It had been Ravyn that had pushed and pushed Nicole into unleashing Luna in the first place and then Ravyn that had dragged Selena into this whole mess by interfering in her match with Christy Matthews at the first episode of Breakdown, attacking Selena for the umpteenth time. Still, it had all seemed to lead to drawing Luna and Selena into one place to fight.

Fight Luna…

Again, Selena sighed, her eyes glazed over as she was lost to her own thoughts. She barely felt her iconic braid swishing against her back as she shook her head. She hated the idea of fighting Luna. Hated it. First of all, it wasn’t Luna’s fault – or Nicole’s – for that matter. Ravyn was responsible for all of this. Ravyn deserved to be punished for all of this, not Nicole – for that was who was going to be punished in this match if Luna came out. And Selena liked Nicole, respected Pro, and thought ‘Ducky’ was funny. They weren’t BFFs or anything, and Selena wasn’t someone that was going to wear their ‘Super Unicorn’, or whatever her tag-team name with Gavin and Xander had been called, t-shirts, but Nicole was a good person.

She doesn’t deserve this…

The second thing in fighting Luna…was that it scared Selena. Yes, it scared her. The woman that had faced men almost twice her size. Madmen like Giovanni Aries, masterminds like Xander Valentine and Vixen Cain, powerhouses like Matt Auclair and Red Rayne, or lunatics like Rachel Foxx or even Kimberly Williams. Selena had faced them all at some point or another and not once been ‘afraid’. Concerned? Apprehensive? Nervous? Absolutely. But never afraid. While many of them would cross several lines that she would never want to cross as an SCW wrestler, there wasn’t – what was the right word – that sense of ‘life or death’ with any of them. Yes, they could hurt her, scar her, break her bones, but all of that wasn’t ‘death’. No one had crossed that line.

Except Luna.

Selena had felt it in the way Luna had attacked her. Felt in the way Luna screamed and clawed at her. Felt it in the way Luna bit her – something else no one had really done to Selena in her near nine years in SCW.

There was no mistaking it. Any human being with an iota of common sense knows when someone is trying to kill them. And Selena had felt that in spades the second Luna had descended on her. The same feeling she had sensed in the presence of Malcolm Scythe, Brachiss and Evangenline DeWinter… and Killjoy. Moments where “kill or be killed” were the options.

Especially when she’ll go after innocent people if I don’t… Goddamn you, Ravyn! the growl came deeply and quietly in the bottom of Selena’s throat.

“SELENA!” the voice, however, didn’t come from her but gained the Snow Queen’s attention due to the loudness and near-urgency, the young woman turning her head with a jerk and feeling the slight ‘pop’ in her neck in protest. Sitting just a few feet away in a La-Z-Boy recliner was her mother, Alejandra VanHohenheim, her dark eyes wide in alarm and focused not on Selena’s face, but rather her hands. “You’ve gone way too far…”

“What? No, I haven’t.” Selena shook her head, speaking without thinking. “I don’t want to- I mean, I just don’t want her to hurt anyone else in the audience.”

“What?” the dark-skinned woman tilted her head, her eyes finally finding Selena’s sapphire orbs. “I’m talking about your knitting. You were supposed to stop four or five lines ago.”

“What?!” Selena’s eyes gazed down at her own pale hands and the twin-sewing needles…and the tangled mess of brown yarn that filled said hands.

Selena was not much of a knitter – she found the process monotonous to say the least – but ever since her mother had come back into her life on a more stable basis (living only about thirty or so minutes from her Manhattan home), the wrestler had taken it up as a means spend time with her mother. Ironically enough, it was the much more hyper Deanna that was much better at it than Selena was, though neither really did much of it at home. But coming out of her myriad of thoughts, Selena recalled that she had made a mistake in one of the lines she had been knitting and had begun undoing the pattern to correct when she had gotten lost in thoughts, to the point that now… all she had was a mess of yarn in her hands.

“Ah…” she breathed, biting her lower lip and nodding her head. “I guess I got a little lost in thought.”
“No kidding.” Alejandra smiled good-naturedly, shaking her head a little. “Something you want to talk about?”

“Work-related stuff, mom.” Selena breathed, placing the needles and mess of yarn down on the couch beside her, choosing to lean on her elbows over her knees. “Just too much work-related stuff.”

“Who’s beating you up now?” Alejandra asked, her voice playful, yet direct in tone, earning a surprised choke from Selena, who coughed a little to clear her throat. “That’s what you do. You beat people up. People beat you up.”

“It’s a sport, mom.” Selena tried.
“I know. But brass bones here, dear – bottom line? Work-related stuff is you beating up people or someone beating you up. Pretty simple.”

“Not…I mean yes, it’s simple.” Selena shrugged. “Doesn’t simple doesn’t always mean ‘easy’.”
“Never said it does.” Alejandra shrugged. “Look at your father, or your brother.”

“Or my ‘sister’.” Selena replied without thinking, though she kept going as her eyes found her mother’s – the dark orbs of Alejandra immediately showing the familiar shade of sadness. “We’re a pretty fucked up family, mom.”

“I know.” Alejandra shook her head. “When I was exiled, I prayed that you would at least have a normal life – a normal family one day – that wasn’t as messed up as the DeCarlos or Scythes. And then, when your father was returned to me, I prayed the same for us…”

“Husband has amnesia, son is…” Selena’s words trailed off.
“A vagabond. You can say it.” Alejandra sighed.
“Still haven’t heard anything from him?”
“Not for the past few years.” Again, she sighed. “Wherever he is, he does not want Jonathan or I to know.”

“I can’t imagine what I’d do if my children did that. I mean…” Selena gave a shrug. “I want them to have good, healthy lives, and I know, one day, they’re going to be adults and leave… but I can’t imagine ever being cut-off from their lives like that. I don’t think I could handle it well… I know Deanna wouldn’t.”

Her mind wandering in such a fashion, Selena shook her head. “It’s ironic in a sad way. I never saw myself as the ‘good child’ to Anastasia. I mean, I did all I could to rebel against her – to defy her – only yielding when she gave me no choice. I mean, I’m not saying it wasn’t warranted, but I was the furthest thing but a ‘good kid’ and sure as hell not a ‘favorite’ by anyone. Now, I might be but only because my brother’s a-“ she took a short breath. “A vagabond and my sister was some experiment gone wrong and warped into a deranged killer. So… I mean I can’t really be proud of that, can I?”

Alejandra said nothing, her own hands still working her own set of needles and threat expertly. Selena gave a quiet nod at the lack of answer to her question, choosing to sit back against the couch, crossing her arms over her chest.

“You going to tell me what’s bothering you about work?” Alejandra offered, watching her daughter as she sat, Selena gazing out the large window at the end of the room that displayed the street the house was on and the neighbouring houses of Maplewood.

“I…” Selena breathed before shaking her head. “I honestly don’t even know where to start. I thought I was past all of this.”
“Past all of what?” Alejandra asked, choosing to stop her own sewing, placing the needles and yarn-creation she was working on on the nearby table.

“Past this thing of people wanting to kill me.” A bitter smile crossed her feature. “Seriously, mom, have you ever felt that? The fact that someone wants you dead and buried into the ground?”
“Me?” the dark-skinned woman thought about it before shaking her head. “Honestly? No.”

“No? Well let me tell you – I’ve known that feeling for most of my life, I’d say. Between my step-mother trying to drown me in that tub when I was a child-“ she saw Alejandra stiffen at the memory, the true mother of the Snow Queen being the reason Anastasia had not succeeded in her ‘maddening mistake’ all those years ago (which the latter had regretted for years to come). “And then, of course, to have the Scythes breathing down my neck, wanting to destroy me for the gold mine, the Frost and Frostmeres, the Dragon-Slayers, and oh – of course – my own sister Killjoy and all she did. And I’m not even talking about poor Deanna and her time in Frankfurt prison III!”

“Selena…” Alejandra tried. “Please calm down…take a few deep breaths.”

Hearing her mother’s words, the platinum-blonde took a few deep breaths, inhaling and exhaling slowly for a few minutes before continuing. For a moment, the pale-skinned woman desperately wished for her wife’s form in her arms, to hold onto Deanna and just feel her presence and its calming influence on her. However, Selena couldn’t be selfish. Deanna was nervous as hell with her first Underground title defence being a five-way dance – a decision that even Selena questioned the management over. Regardless, the redhead was adamant in going through with it and was dedicating as much time as she could to training and studying.

Poor thing doesn’t realize that it will be as much about ‘luck’ and ‘timing’ as those things… Selena sighed. Multi-person matches always ended in such a fashion. It came down to being in the right place at the right time as much as skill, drive, and toughness. And with Deanna NEEDING to win in order to retain her championship but not needing to be pinned in order to lose it – well… Selena believed in her wife with all hear heart, but the odds didn’t lie. And sometimes, much as Selena kept trying to defy odds, they existed for a reason…

Feeling herself calmer, Selena’s mind reset back to its present discussion with her mother. “My point was, mother, that I thought I was done with all of that. That I could finally just have an average life outside of SCW and just a decent job inside of it. Hunting for the world title again or maybe going in a new direction or starting some new feuds. Yeah, a little rough-housing in some cases and some personal grudges along the way, but I thought I was done with all this ‘life or death’ nonsense with Kil- with Celina dead.”

With another sigh, Selena shook her head before pushing herself off of the couch and walking the few steps needed to reach the window, her eyes immediately spotting a little squirrel scurrying across the line towards the big tree there, a nut in its mouth. Absently, Selena continued to watch the black, furry creature as it went about its day.

“But now I am set to fight a deranged woman that wants to kill me.”
“Kill you?” Alejandra shook her head. “I think that’s a bit of an exaggeration, Selena.”

“It isn’t!” she turned immediately to face her mother. “I’ve been doing this for nine years, mother. I can tell, okay? This isn’t some empty threat. She’s so deranged that she genuinely wants to kill me.”

For a moment, Alejandra eyed her daughter in disbelief. It just seemed too unreal and Selena couldn’t fault her mother for thinking that way. She had trouble believing it at first, herself, but after the last week or two? Denying it or pretending it wasn’t true would only be ignorance and would only serve to get Selena hurt.

“Then…” Alejandra breathed. “Why is this woman being allowed there in the first place? Why haven’t the police been called or something?”
“I… I don’t know. Maybe management is trying to handle it internally to avoid a scandal? Maybe because she has multiple personalities and they don’t want to punish the ones that did nothing wrong- I don’t know.” Selena groaned. “But I’m facing next Sunday.”

“You can’t be serious!” Alejandra remarked, pushing herself out of her chair. ”Why do you have to face her?”
“Because if I don’t.” Selena’s eyes gazed towards her mother. “The woman that unleashed this lunatic is going to do all she can to keep said lunatic from going after her, including sicking her on the audience!”

“Wait…you guys attack fans?” Alejandra asked, her eyes wide.
“Gods, no!” Selena shot back quickly. “I would never do that! Nobody in their right mind would ever do that! But she’s not in her right mind, mother – that’s what I am trying to tell you. She doesn’t follow ‘rules’, she just…just…” the young woman could not find the words, so she let the sentence fall unfinished.

“So…if you fight this girl… I’m sorry did you say there are two girls you’re fighting?”
“Yes. The manipulator – I have zero issues beating her up.” Selena shrugged, not having much care for Ravyn in any part of her heart or mind. “And Luna, the madwoman.”

“So if you fight this Luna – she is going to try to kill you. You’re sure of this?” Selena nodded to her mother. “And the ‘manipulator’ will do nothing to help you?”

“Are you kidding? She’ll throw me in the way to save her own skin. Long as Luna’s literally chomping on me, she’s not chomping on her. That’s Ravyn’s mentality.”

“Ah…” Alejandra huffed. “Better than you than me mentality.”
“I like it about as much as you do.” Selena added.

“But if you don’t do it, then this woman, Ravyn, is going to throw innocent people at this Luna in order to avoid her?”

“That is my general belief, yes.” Selena sighed. She could almost commend Ravyn’s cunning in this. It was an ideal trap. Ravyn knew she could trap Selena using the innocent lives of the audience as bait. Selena just couldn’t sit back while innocent people were hurt. It just wasn’t who she was. True, she would live longer and with less scars and pains if she had…but that wasn’t who she was. And damn Ravyn for using that for her own twisted means! “I’m trapped.” She sighed. “I can’t let Luna run loose anymore. But I can’t hurt her other ‘selves’ – they haven’t done anything wrong. But I can’t let Ravyn manipulate her anymore…and I need to stop Ravyn on top of all of that! And all on top of not being killed if Luna does emerge and wants my head.”

Reaching up, the Snow Queen angrily swiped at her eyes with her hand, hating every second that was ticking by, bringing her closer to Apocalypse – there was a reason she hated this pay-per-view more than any other! She had left Rise to Greatness and the World title in, what she felt, were good hands so that she could focus on continuing to be a standard of integrity in SCW – and yes! Maybe take it a little bit easier after eight months of holding the world on her shoulders and setting that standard. All she had hoped for was for a few solid matches, a decent feud with a superstar to excite the fans, and maybe chase another title down the road, like the tag-titles with her wife or maybe a third try as the United States Champion or a record fourth as the Adrenaline – it didn’t matter! The point was that things were NOT supposed to get harder for her after losing the world title, were they? She wasn’t supposed to be in this trap of life and death – a game Ravyn had devised!

Again, the young woman breathed to try and calm herself. She was just looking for something or someone to blame because she was scared. It was beyond clear even to her. She was scared of facing Luna and either being unable to take her down with Ravyn interfering, or worse, being unable to stop her from going into the crowds.

She jumped a little when she felt her mother’s arms wrap around her, the slightly shorter, older woman holding her daughter gently. “You can’t save everyone.” She whispered. “And it’s wrong that someone is trying to make you think that way.”

“But I…” Selena tried, her hands reaching up to place themselves over her mother’s hands. “It’s the only hand I can play.” A sigh escaped her.

“No, it isn’t.” Alejandra shook her head. “You keep trying to do everything. That’s all you wanted to talk about for months! ‘Have to be the best champion! Have to protect everyone from Killjoy! Have to be a good mother! Have to set a new standard of integrity! Have to be this! Have to be that!’. No one can keep that up forever! Nobody! Not you. Not me. Not Deanna. Not your father.”

Carefully, Alejandra stepped away from her daughter. “In the end, you have to do what you feel is the most right. Right now, you’re torn in so many different directions because you want to do it all. And if push comes to shove, if you can’t have it all, which one is more important?”

The taller woman rolled that question over in her mind for several minutes. She never saw herself as Superman or whatever. She had failed over and over again in so many quests and goals and whatnot. Still, she kept fighting, trying to do as much good in SCW as she could. It was what gave her her purpose in the federation, what gave her so much drive. To do better. To be better. To help SCW become better than it had been before.

But her mother was asking her: for the better of SCW and the SCW Universe, if she have to choose between everything she wanted to do in this triple threat match at Apocalypse, what was the one thing that was the most important to her that she accomplished.

The answer came faster than she believed it would, and it was a sobering thought that caused her to sigh. “I see what you mean.” She nodded her head. “I don’t like it, but I definitely see what you mean.”

Quietly, she made her way back to the couch, but, as she was not looking where she stepped, her foot accidentally knocked against her purse, which was placed against the couch. Immediately, she felt, rather than saw, the contents spill across the floor. Not many, of course, just her wallet, glasses and the black envelope she had brought with her from home. With a mildly irritated shake of her head, Selena knelt down to gather the items back into their ‘home’, stopping only when she heard her mother’s voice.

“Selena…what is that?” turning her head, Selena saw her mother pointing towards her. Looking down, Selena saw the small makeup kit in her hand, no bigger than her palm. “Oh, this is just for touchups and-“

“No, I mean the black envelope in your other hand. Can I see it?”

“What? This?” Selena asked, holding it out. “Sure.” Putting all her other items away, she then handed the envelope to her mother. “Honestly, I don’t really know or think it’s anything. We got it in the mail a few weeks ago – probably just spam – but there’s an insignia that’s on the back that really intrigued me. Like I think I’ve seen it somewhere before but I can’t put my finger on it.”

She watched her mother trace her fingers over the broken wax-seal (yes, whoever wrote it had gone old-old-old school in its creation) before opening it and reading the letter carefully.

“Dear Mrs. Frost. We have become aware of your many accomplishments inside and outside of wrestling. We believe an introduction is in order. We hope to meet up with you in the near future! We are very excited if this could be made possible. Kindest regards-“ Alejandra’s voice trained off as she finished reading the letter.

“Yeah, I think it was some fan or something. But no return address or anything to reply too. I sort of feel bad because they clearly put some effort into the paper and wax-seal. Anyway, I was going to head to the NYC library after this and check their archives. Maybe there’s something about the crest there that can help me. I just know I’ve seen it-“

“Selena…” her mother’s voice cut her off and Selena watched Alejandra’s expression drop to a more crestfallen one, the older woman, for a moment, displaying her years in age as she pushed herself out of her seat once more. Without a word, Alejandra walked down the connecting hall, short as it was, and into her and Jonathan’s room.

“Mom?” Selena called out, taking a few steps the same way her mother had went, but a swift ‘stay out there’ from inside the room stopped her movement clean. Was it something she had said? Had she upset her mother with this ‘life or death’ situation she had over in SCW? Or had she just annoyed her mother with this ‘crest’ nonsense?

She couldn’t give it much more thought or analysis as Alejandra re-emerged from the bedroom, a small, black box in her hand, along with the black envelope. “Selena…” she handed the envelope back to her daughter. “You don’t have to research the crest…”

With a sigh, Alejandra opened the small black box, revealing a silver ring. It was a decent size but only because it held the large crest in the middle: a crest with wings, a crown and some kind of shield – Selena’s eyes went wide and then shifted over to the envelope in her hands, specifically the wax-seal that was of the exactly same crest!

“This crest belongs to the family of Alden…” Alejandra breathed, making her daughter gasp as the truth hit the Snow Queen like a ton of bricks. “This is MY family’s crest.”

“Wait… hold on…” Selena tried. “So what you’re trying to tell me is…”

“Yes, my dear.” Alejandra sighed sadly. “It seems my family – the Aldens – want to finally meet you…”

_______________________________________________________________

The Royal Letter


The camera opens up to reveal Selena Frost, the Snow Queen of SCW, sitting in a leather throne chair. She is dressed in blue jeans and a black t-shirt with blue and white snowflakes that decorate the left side of the shirt. Her hair is tied in its iconic braid and behind her is a stack of books, as if the setting was some kind of private office.

Nicole… she breathes out before adjusting her posture, both her feet on the floor and leaning on her elbows over her knees.

I am really hoping this Royal Letter finds you and not Pro, who may not take it as seriously with how tough she is, or Ducky, who might think I’m just being a ‘worry-wart’ or something. No, I hope that it is you that it is in the ‘driver’s seat’ when you see this because I know you understand what I am going to talk about.

She looks away for a moment, taking a deep breath to steady her nerves. Because it was you that warned Ravyn for the last few months against unleashing Luna upon the world. You knew better than anyone what a mistake that would be. What harm that ‘part of you’ could cause throughout SCW – to SCW and the SCW Universe. You fought to keep her under control. To keep her locked away. And I confess, I didn’t know how seriously to take that-

Quickly, the Snow Queen holds up a hand towards the camera. And to be clear, that isn’t me dismissing your warnings as legitimate. I, never once, believed that you weren’t genuine in your thoughts and opinions on this matter of Luna. But you need to understand, Nicole. I live in a world called SCW – a place that revolves around many… MANY people declaring themselves as ‘mad’ or ‘dangerous’ or ‘something SCW hasn’t seen before’ blah, blah, blah!

I have FOUGHT too many of those kinds of people to count. Vixen Cain, Xander Valentine, Giovanni Aries, Rachel Tatum McGraw, the entirety of Blood Grove and the Coalition or whatever they called themselves throughout multiple federations, Rachel Foxx, Matt Auclair – I literally could spend this entire promo telling you all of the people that I have faced in the near nine years I’ve been here that declared themselves ‘mad’ or ‘crazy’ or ‘a weapon’ or, Odin-forbid, ‘Chaos-personified’.

Tell you what, Nicole, a quick silly little game to prove my point. Go over to the promos involving the Underground Championship match that’s happening this week. Listen to the promos that have been released and every time someone says the word ‘chaos’ or ‘I am the chaos’ or something like that, give a checkmark on a piece of paper! Tell me how many of those you get and I’ll bet you get my point!


Taking a moment to take a deep breath, Selena sits back in her chair, her hands placed across her lap.

The point is that I didn’t truly understand the danger you were trying to protect everyone from, and for that, I am so sorry. I am so sorry. She shakes her head, biting on her lower lip with her teeth.

But now I do understand… Just like you have to understand the situation that I have been placed in now, Nicole. The situation Ravyn and, to a lesser extent, even you have placed me in. You see, I am GLAD that Ravyn got what was coming to her at Rise to Greatness. In fact, I think she is still owed more than that, and I’ll get to that later. But I would be lying if I didn’t enjoy seeing her shock and cower from Luna. To finally see the ‘great mastermind’… Selena scoffs at that idea. Finally bite off more than she can chew…

And if THAT was all that had happened that night in Las Vegas – that Ravyn finally got hers – I would have laughed in Ravyn’s face over her petty attempt to start something with me. The unoriginal plan of attacking me during my match just to get my attention and because she thinks she ‘owns my mind’ or something to that effect…
Again, Selena shakes her head, her expressions saddening once more.

But I saw what you did to CHBK. I saw what you did to innocent people. I saw what you tried to do in the weeks that followed. And…that’s changed everything. Quietly, the Alaskan Dragon rubs her hands together, her eyes back on the camera.

Nicole, I like you and I respect you. I do. I mean, you managed to befriend Xander Valentine and make him co-exist with Gavin Taylor when said Gavin was still all about being ‘The All-Star’ and whatnot. It was beyond incredible that you could do that AND win the Trios Tournament last year. And that isn’t saying anything about your time here in the past. Plus, you were always nice to Deanna and I and I really don’t think you would have done anything like what Luna has done. Same is true for Pro and Ducky. Stopping for a moment, Selena gives a slow sigh. You’re a good person, Nicole. And a good wrestler…

Selena tilts her head. But… you know this can’t continue, don’t you? I know you want to get back at Ravyn for everything she did. All her machinations, her tormenting of you and all that nonsense of ‘Uncle Roy’ – and I get that! I want her to be held accountable too and I will get to that, but what’s been happening? You losing control of Luna much more easily? Her running around and going after members of the SCW Universe? Audience members? Crew? People that did NOTHING wrong to you or to her?

Nicole… you know that’s not okay!
She leans forward. You KNOW that this can’t continue! How could we allow it? How could I allow it to continue? Those people don’t deserve that! They don’t deserve to be afraid! They don’t deserve to hide from being part of the audience. They don’t deserve to come to work afraid for their lives! They deserve to enjoy the show and be part of it but not threatened or harmed! Without them, Nicole, there isn’t any SCW. There’s NO SCW! She stresses the last part, partly in plea, partly in understanding before she sits back in her chair, her gaze growing a bit distant and a sad smile forming on her lips.

And I look at Luna and I… I know she wants to kill me. I know she wants to stab me and watch me bleed. I know she wants to cut me open. And yes, that does scare me a little. Of course it does! But then, I think about what would happen if she turned her attention to a little kid – a boy or girl in the audience. And Luna can’t tell the difference so she just lashes out. What will happen to that child, Nicole? A child like my children?

At that thought, Selena’s gaze snaps back to the camera, her eyes cold and focused. So, Nicole, because I like you and I respect you and every fiber of my being hates this – because I see you as trapped in this, I am going to give you a warning. Whatever you did in the past to keep Luna locked away, fix it. Find a way to lock her back up and DON’T let her out! Don’t let her show her face at Apocalypse this Sunday. Don’t let her out, don’t let her rampage, don’t let her threaten or go after the audience again… Fight her with all you have and hold her back… and I promise you that I will take care of Ravyn and give her a beating that will make what happened to her at Rise to Greatness look like a slap on the wrist by comparison. I will knock her down and knock her out so badly that she will be feeling till next Breakdown! I promise you that, Nicole. The Snow Queen’s imploring can be heard in her voice before it suddenly grows ice-cold.

But…if you don’t. If you can’t hold Luna back. If I get so much as one whiff of that kind of ‘crazy’, then all bets will be off, Nicole, and you will see a change come over me. And it’s not one you will be happy to see.

Because those ‘monsters’ I mentioned earlier? Giovanni? Xander? Cain? Rayne? Auclair? You want to know why they’re not terrorizing SCW anymore?
Sapphire eyes narrow.

Because I’m still here. Because I took everything they threw at me and got back up. All their shots, weapons, games, everything – and I kept getting back up and fighting them! And the last person that thought he could manipulate the fans? Who thought he could hurt innocent people? It didn’t matter how strong he was or how dangerous he was or how ‘psychotic’ he was. I embarrassed him. I put him down so fast that it haunted him for his entire career. Another? I ran out of SCW by beating him to the ground. Another? Well…he’s barely more than a manager now because of me. Selena’s pale jaw clenches hard, forcing her to take a breath through her nose before she continues.

I destroy monsters, Nicole. I don’t care how big or how scary they are. I destroy monsters to protect this place that I love. To protect the SCW Universe and what they believe in! And up to this point, I have been holding myself back, just focusing on keeping Luna contained for the officials and for Dillusion – and not wanting to really hurt you…

But if you let her out? You’re not going to see that side of me anymore. You’re not going to see “Selena the person trying to protect you”. You’re going to see “Selena Frost the monster slayer” and I will, I promise you, not stop until Luna is too hurt to move.

Like all the monsters before her, I will stand my ground, look her in her eyes and I will, with zero hesitation and zero doubt, destroy her. I will hurt her so badly that she will crawl away back into the recesses of your mind, too afraid to come out and face me again. And if you are the one that is hurt in the process, Nicole, then I’m sorry… but you were warned.


The Snow Queen leans forward a little. I am not interested in being a monster here, Nicole. I want to protect SCW and I want to hold Ravyn Taylor accountable for all she’s done. I want to be what I have always been: the standard of integrity – The Face of SCW.

The question you need to ask yourself, Nicole, is when that bell rings in New York City…. Who do you want to be?
she tilts her head.

Ravyn’s plaything?
Your own wrestler?

Or a monster, a danger to the people and my enemy?

Choose carefully, Nicole, because I’m not afraid to deal with all three if I have to.


Selena gives a slight narrowing of her eyes, her cold glare never waiving. Believe it! the words almost echo as the camera shot fades entirely to black.
[Image: hffOaUZ.png]
SCW Supreme Champion
6x SCW World Champion
4x SCW World Tag-Team Champion
2x SCW United States Champion
3x SCW Adrenaline Champion
SCW Television Champion
Longest Reigning SCW World Champion (234 days)
Winner of Shot of Adrenaline Tournament (2016)
Winner of Best of the Best Tournament (2016)
Winner of Trios Tournament (2018)
Winner of U.S. Championship Tournament (2020)
Winner of World Championship Tournament (2023)
Winner of Tactical Warfare (2014, 2019)
Winner of Elimination Chamber (2015)
Winner of Roofed Cage Match (2019)
Winner of Last Person Standing Match (2019)
The Unbelievable Main Event (2021-2023)
Winner of Double Jeopardy Match (2022)
Winner of EOTY Invitational (2023)
Female Wrestler of the Year (2016, 2021, 2022)
Tag-Team of the Year (2020 - w/ Regan Street)
Match of the Year (2018, 2019, 2021, 2023)
Feud of the Year (2014, 2019)


[Image: 34zetxl.png]
#3
The Witches of Alden



”Stairway”



Frost ‘Forever Home’
Manhattan, New York
September 19th, 2022
1:11pm


Selena stared at the ring as it sat in the same little black box her mother had shown her, sitting comfortably on the ‘coffee-table’ while she sat on the couch. If she concentrated enough, she could hear the sound of her children playing downstairs, Elsianna probably with little Amiliah and David with his video games that he was so fond of. It was much easier to hear the sound of rain as it fell outside.

She had literally walked through the door just in time to avoid getting hit by the storm. Her mother had called it, insisting the young wrestler head out after their discussion to ‘get home safely’ rather than having to deal with driving home in a thunder storm.

Speaking of which… Selena’s eyes travelled up towards the ceiling of the family room she sat in as she heard the loud rumble of thunder travel by. Slowly, as her mind dulled the sounds surrounding her, she refocused her attention on the old jewelry her mother had lent to her.

”This crest belongs to the family of Alden… This is MY crest.” Her mother’s words continued to echo in her mind, Alejandra’s story an all it detailed – and it wasn’t much, which was both a relief and frustration to the Snow Queen.

Her mother’s family. In truth, Selena had given the idea some thought in the years since she had been reunited with her mother, but given her past with the “Frost-side” of her family, having nothing in regards to another ‘family-side’ had always seemed better than the potential of another Scythe or DeCarlo family coming after her.

But now her mother’s family wanted to meet her – to introduce themselves to her.

And she still wasn’t sure how she felt about that. Afterall, there was a reason that her mother never talked about them, right? There was a reason there were no pictures of them on the wall, right? Was Alejandra ‘the black sheep’ of the family? Was there something off about the Aldens that had made her mother keep a sealed lips in discussing them? What if they were as bad as the Scythes or DeCarlos? Or worse?!

Stop it! Selena chastised herself. That’s impossible.

After everything that the Scythe had been responsible for, including Killjoy for Odin’s sake, the young Frost could at least take comfort in that knowledge. Still…

Picking up the ring box, Selena examined the metal, crest-infused, item. Much like the black envelope and wax-seal, it screamed ‘eccentricity’ far more than anything her own family ever partook in. True, Selena enjoyed her earrings and necklaces, so did Deanna, as well as some of the ‘higher-end’ dances and masquerades that they took part in whenever they occurred in Manhattan, but just the etching and detail in the ring and the letter – they just screamed a different level entirely.

Were the Aldens royalty or something? Gods, she hoped not. Last thing she needed was another “Frost/Frostmere clan” coming down from their place on-high and chastising her for being a lesbian and married to another woman. What if THAT’S the reason mom didn’t stick around with them?

Sadly, after revealing the truth about the crest to Selena, Alejandra had not said much, the older woman requesting more time to think about all of this and what needed to be done before she would confide to Selena the details of this particular ‘side of her family’.

The platinum-blonde barely heard the door fly open and immediately fly close, the sound of the rainstorm suddenly very loud before returning to its usual volume as it raged outside her house. “Oh geez!” she heard the familiar voice. “Fine time I picked…” the voice muttered as movement was heard in the mudroom/entrance of the house. “Selena?” the voice called out. “I saw the Jeep in the driveway. You back?”

“In here.” Selena called out, though she kept her eyes on the ring, studying the red filing and silver symbols of crowns and bat. There was an ‘A’ in the middle there, Selena now knowing what it stood for. She heard the sounds of steps marching into the room only for them to stop nearby her.

“New ring?” she heard Deanna ask. “Or is that for me?” she playfully leaned in over Selena’s shoulder to examine it. “It’s nice but I like mine just fine, thank you.”

“It’s my mother’s.” Selena answered, placing the ring back down on the table and pushing herself up to her full height, turning around to regard her wife. Immediately, the former world champion took in her wife’s appearance: dark green workout shorts and a matching sports bra that, while Deanna had a modest-sized bust (only slightly smaller than Selena’s own, neither were ‘incredibly endowed’ like most of the women of SCW), still highlighted her cleavage to Selena’s eyes. The absence of any leggings only showed the redhead’s legs (not as toned as Selena’s but still defined muscle). Even with all of that, however, it was the redhead’s wet nature that Selena noticed. “Stay there.” She sighed before excusing herself from the room for a moment, waking the short distance through the floor of the house to reach the closet. Opening it, the Snow Queen pulled out a large, dark purple towel before returning to the room. “Didn’t you hear the storm after it arrived?” she asked as she returned to her wife’s side – just in time to see her wife holding the ring-box and examining the details of the metal-band.

“Yeah.” Deanna shrugged. “But I had hoped it would just blow over. And I wasn’t done my set yet.”

“Well then you really only have yourself to blame for getting wet in the first place.” Selena mildly teased as she knelt down to dry the floor around Deanna. “Foot.” She ordered, catching her wife’s foot as it raised, the Snow Queen trying it with the towel, followed by the other one.

“What are you doing?” Deanna tilted her head. “I can dry myself.”
“I know, but I could use the distraction.” Selena remarked off-handedly, moving the towel up to gently dry and massage Deanna’s bare legs.

“I…I see.” The younger Frost’s voice slightly hitched as she felt Selena’s hands squeeze her calf-muscles. “Something in your mind?” her emerald eyes gazed down at the ring still in her hand. “Something to do with this?”

“A lot to do with that.” Selena sighed, focused on her task. “Turns out Alejandra’s family has been trying to contact us.”

She felt her wife’s body stiffen in surprise, and knew that a pair of emerald eyes were suddenly on her. “They have?!” Deanna asked. “Like…your family on your mother’s side?”

“Seems that way.” Selena nodded. “That black envelope we got? That was from them.”
“Oh…I thought it was just junk mail.”

“Apparently not.” Selena sighed as she stood to her full height. “Turn around.” She ordered gently, Deanna absent-mindedly turning around so her back faced her wife.

“So…why now?” Deanna asked as she felt Selena press the towel against the small of her back, gently continuing to dry her. “I mean – did they not know you existed or something?”

“No idea. The letter said they had seen what I had done in wrestling and that they wanted to meet. Though that’s strange in an of itself. Last big thing I did was lose the world title at Rise to Greatness.”

“Well, you DID break the record for longest reign.” Deanna offered. “Maybe that’s what got their attention.”
“But to what end?” Selena sighed, reaching up with the towel to dry Deanna’s shoulders before moving to one arm, running the towel along it.

The redhead gave a shrug. “What did Alejandra say?”

“She…” Selena sighed, trying to recall her mother’s words verbatim. “She said that her family was a very proud one but she grew distant from them shortly she went to Nome and met my father.”

“That’s it?” Deanna asked, turning her head to raise an eyebrow.

“That’s it.” Selena repeated glumly. “She’s not ready to tell me, it seems. And I highly doubt she’s even mentioned it to Jonathan if it was so long ago.”

A silence formed between the two Frost wives as Selena moved to drying her wife’s hair, which took the most time out of all her wife’s ‘parts’, the Snow Queen pressing the towel into the strands to dry it as much as possible.

“Well…” Deanna finally shrugged. “Why don’t we meet them? I mean, really, what’s the worse that could happen?”
“They could be like the Frostmeres? Killjoy? The Scythes? The DeCarlos-“ Selena read off, having already considered this.

“Okay! Good point!” Deanna huffed. “Geez, is no one in your family remotely sane?”
“Sane is a subjective concept.” Selena replied without thinking. “But I don’t think so. Maybe me, you, mom and dad… but that’s really it. Everyone else are wack-jobs.”

Finishing her work, Selena stepped away from her wife, folding and tuck the towel in her hands. “I actually don’t know why I did that.” She half-chuckled. “You’re just going to take a shower in a few minutes anyway.”

“I sort of asked myself that after you got through with the first leg.”
“So why didn’t you say anything?”
The redhead grinned contently at the platinum-blonde. “Girl’s not gonna say anything when she’s having a good time.”

Selena rolled her eyes at that remark before turning on her foot and making her way out of the room once more, this time turning right and heading to the short flight of stairs that lead to the basement/playrooms of the children, Deanna following behind her.

“I say we stay positive.” Deanna implored. “I think having a good family-side would be good for you. Not to mention for the children.”

Selena gave a nod. In truth, she was hoping for the same. In-between the years ‘facing crazy’ in so many corners of her Frost-family and within SCW, was it too much to hope for a family-relation that was just normal? People you could invite for Thanksgiving or (for Deanna) Christmas? People that would visit just to say ‘hello’ or help out when work needed to be done? People they could invite for ‘special events’ involving the children.

“Amy and Isabelle still distant?” Selena asked gently, not wishing to upset her wife in mentioning the redhead’s sister, Amy Springs and her wife, Isabelle. “I doubt even the children remember her now.”

“Yeah…” Deanna’s lips stretched into a thin line before she shook her head. “No. After how many years?”
“Uh…five I think – no! It was before Amiliah was born so six, closing in on seven, I think.”
“Wow…” Deanna sighed. “Lydia’s gotta be close to adulthood now, right?”

“I…think so?” Selena asked, turning to regard her wife. “She was like ten or eleven when I met her, which was before I met you…so….” Again, the pair did some quick math. “Yeah, if she’s not eighteen at this point, she’s pretty close. Wow.”

“Is it wrong that I feel bad about missing her grow-up like that?” Deanna asked.
“No, but you can’t blame yourself.” Selena reminded her wife. “Amy chose to cut us out.”

It wasn’t as clear-cut as that, but for all intents and purposes, it had to be viewed that way. In short, the older Springs sister had never agreed with Deanna staying with Selena as her manager back in 2015 and even less when they had started dating a few months later, and even LESS when they had become engaged and married about year after that. Add all the chaos and craziness that had been part of their lives? The cop had not even bothered to visit Deanna during the redhead’s incarceration in Frankfurt, despite Selena’s insistence and willingness to pay for all travel and needs.

No, Deanna’s sister had missed every element of the last six or so years, to the point where she had not even met her niece, Amiliah, even once. Even Elsianna and David barely remembered, David barely at all. On some note, Selena did blame herself for putting a wedge between the two sisters, but she refused to take the full brunt of it. A lot of it was Amy’s choices, the cop’s inability to, even after all of this time, to admit that Deanna was a grown, strong woman, capable of making her own decisions.

“Wonder if she knows about you being a successful wrestler…” Selena tossed back, turning her head back at Deanna with a smile. “I mean, winning titles and matches and all that…”

“She’d just scoff and say something like ‘wrestling’s not real’ or ‘way to waste that high-school diploma! Couldn’t have been an accountant! Rar rar rar!” Deanna ‘roared’, using her hand as a claw to swipe the air in mimicry of her sister.

“Well…” Selena shrugged. “Her loss. Cause I think you would make a great aunt.”
That seemed to perk up the redhead. “You really think so?”

“Well…is it really that different from being a mom?” Selena asked with a shrug as they continued to make their way into the room and across it. “I mean, being a mom is a full-time gig so the fact that you’re nailing that? I am certain you’d be fine as an aunt.”

“The road not taken.” Deanna sighed. “Unless Peter suddenly reappears with a kid-“ the mention of Selena’s estranged brother gave the redhead pause. “Holy cats…we really DO suck at family-relations.”

“You’re just now figuring that out?” Selena laughed. “I was telling mom that today while I was at her house. Between my brother wanting nothing to do with me – like your sister – and my sister trying to kill me and, ultimately, killing herself, I’m more tempted to write back to these Alden-people and tell them ‘Thank you very much for your kind letter. Please run. Run far away from us. We are cursed and you will probably end up dead or financially slash emotionally ruined by us. Kindest regards: Selena Michelle Frost’.”

“I like that you added ‘kindest regards’.” Deanna remarked as she leaned against the nearby wall.

“Of course! I’m not rude!” Selena shot back playfully, her eyes scanning across the room to where the laundry-room doors were. It was there that Selena went, opening them to toss the damp towel into the nearby hamper, effectively creating a brief moment of silence between the Frost wives, Selena taking a quiet huff and leaning against the nearby dryer to regard her wife, who leaned against the doorway.

“Are we bad people?” Selena asked suddenly.
“No.” Deanna shook her head. “I don’t think we’re saints, but I think our hearts are always in the right place.”

Quietly, the redhead moved the small distance to her taller wife, wrapping her arms around Selena’s waist and resting her head over her chest, hearing the steady beat of the former world champion’s heart – very strong and steady.

“Yeah, but…” Selena tilted her head left to right as she should, wrapping her own arms around her wife and holding her close. “I mean, you know that old saying ‘everyone is the villain in someone else’s story’?”

She felt her wife nod.

“I mean – we clearly are the villain in A LOT of people’s stories. Ryan, Killjoy, most of the Frost/Frostmere clan, I am sure. And gods, don’t forget SCW.”

“You’re not the bad guy there, Selena. Neither am I.”

“I don’t know.” Selena mused. “What if, in some twisted universe, we’re the BADDEST girls in SCW? Like ‘The Ice Queen’ Selena Frost and ‘The Sentinel Guard’ Deanna Frost? After years of manipulating their way through the ranks, playing nice, they now stand as the World Champion, United States Champion and World tag-team champions!” Selena felt her wife stiffen a little and the redhead’s breath hitch at the mention of the last pair of titles, but she said nothing. “Forcing people to ‘believe’ in us!”

“It’s an interesting gimmick.” Deanna shrugged. “But that’s not who we are, so that’s all it would be. Something fake. A pretend, you know?”

“Yeah.” Selena nodded her head. “Still, I was a bit thrown off with the whole ‘We Believe! No, we don’t chant’.”
“Me too!” Deanna laughed, lifting her head to regard her wife. “I was like ‘wow! This is new!’. I almost laughed during your entrance.”
“Me too!” Selena grinned. “I was so impressed at how creative the audience was being! Like where do they come up with this? It wasn’t planned – way too many were going along with it. It just happened and-“

“Wait…” Deanna’s words cut off the platinum-blonde, the shorter wrestler turning her head a little as if she was straining to hear something. “Why don’t I hear anything?”

“What?” Selena asked, remaining silent for a moment. “Cause we’re not talking, pet.”
“No…I mean…” lifting her head back up to gaze at her wife. “Why are there no sounds of video games or playing?”

It was at that point that Selena realized the same thing her wife had seconds ago, allowing her to also share in that nanosecond of sheer terror of realization that neither of them could hear the sound of their children.

As if linked mentally, Selena released her wife the second Deanna turned to escape their embrace, the shorter woman marching out of the laundry and further into the playrooms, with the platinum-blonde following her. The two wives walked the short distance needed to reach the other end of the basement to see: the tv-screen on, with some kind of video-game on pause (David), a partially finished page of a coloring book with some crayons on the floor, and a book left placed on the side with a bookmark in it.

“Huh…” Selena’s voice trailed off. “Well, they were here.”

Turning immediately, Deanna retreated back the way she came, Selena following her. “Elsa? David? Ami?” she called out, heading to the stairs, stopping there only to stick her head into the ‘movie-room’ to check to see if they were there. The cinema room was empty, save for the lights built into the floor to illuminate the path further along that lead to Selena’s office and her (and Deanna’s now) wrestling trophy room. Seeing none of the children there, Deanna bounded up the stairs two at a time, once more calling the children’s names – a bit louder the second time. A few seconds passed – and the two women could suddenly hear what sounded like very alarmed whispering.

“…gonna get grounded…”
“Please get me out!”
“I can’t budge…”
“Ow…my ears!”
“AARF!”

Quickly, the two women reached the top of the stairs and stepped back out into the main mudroom/lobby of their house…. And it did not take long to see the small gathering of people at the middle of the staircase going up towards the second floor bedrooms.

Elsianna and Amiliah, both girls gathered around the middle figured which was hunched over.
Oberon, sticking his head in and out between a set of the stair banister to turn and lick the small head that was on the other side.

And David…

“What is going on?” Selena called out from where she stood on the ground floor, as all three heads, four including their dog, Oberon, turning to look at them.

“Mom…I’m…” David started and the mothers could see tears welling in his eyes. “Please don’t ground me…”
“He’s stuck.” Elsianna sighed. “Ami and I have been trying to get him out but he won’t budge.”

True enough, as the Frost wives assessed the situation, it was as described. Their son, David’s, head was poking out between two banisters, his dark hair with a white stripe around the middle displayed the most prominently, his little hands holding the wooden bars like he was in jail.

It was…hilarious. And both Deanna and Selena couldn’t help the laughs that escaped them.

“Wow.” Selena breathed. “And what possessed you to put your head through the banister in the first place?”
“What’s a banister?” little Amiliah asked.
“What your brother is currently stuck in.” Deanna answered as she made her way up the stairs.
“Oh…” the little redhead replied with shrug of her shoulders.

“They dared me to.” David replied.
“No! He’s lying!” Elsa replied swiftly. “Mom, Mother – he was bragging that he could stick his head in and out between the stairs. I told him not to cause he’ll get stuck but he didn’t listen! He said ‘two bucks I can do it’.”

“Two bucks?” Selena laughed as she made her way up the stairs. “Wish I had gotten a piece of that action.”
“Selena.” Deanna tried to chastise but couldn’t stop her own giggles at their son’s plight.
“Well, Deanna. In life, when do you have access to a sure thing?”

With a roll of her eyes, Deanna shooed Elsianna and Amiliah and Oberon to the top of the stairs before moving to the step above David, leaning in to assess the situation between the boy’s neck and his wooden captors. Selena, meanwhile, was sitting on the step below David, which her wife work.

“I mean, if you got it in there, you should be able to get it out.” The redhead reasoned.
“I tried.” David sniffled, clearly the event getting to him, before giving another pull to try and free himself – a futile effort as she stopped after a few seconds.

Deanna turned her head to her wife. “Could we put butter on him or something?”
“I mean…we could.” Selena shrugged. “But I don’t think we have that much butter.”

The redhead gave a nod. “I’m almost – I don’t want to pull him out myself. It might hurt him.”
“Yeah, but he’ll learn his lesson.” Selena shrugged.
“No!” David cried. “I’ve learned my lesson.”
“Uh-huh.” Selena nodded her head, leaning against the adjoining wall, Oberon taking the opportunity to snuggle up next to her as best as he could. “Hey boy.” She whispered, reaching a pale hand to pet him.

“Mom…” David spoke out. “Please get me outta here!”
“You got yourself in there, David.” Selena replied. “You gotta get yourself out. Otherwise, I’ll get the saw and get you out…and then you’re gonna have to pay to fix the banister.”

“What?!” David cried out. “I don’t have any money.”
“Don’t worry.” Selena smiled. “We can sell your Switch and games.”

“NO!” in all honesty, the way the young boy cried out, Selena actually felt sorry – for a few seconds. Still, he has to learn that actions have consequences… Quietly, she watched her son desperately pull his head against the wooden beams. “Please don’t sell my Switch, mommy, please!”

“Then get yourself out. You’ve got five minutes.”
“WHAT?! MOM-“

“Halfway down the stairs…” Selena began singing, delightfully ignoring her son’s words. “Is a stair where I sit. There isn't any other stair quite like it.”

“I can’t get out!” cried the boy.

“I'm not at the bottom, I'm not at the top. So this is the stair where I always stop.” Selena sang, finishing her song, seeing Deanna unable to choose between laughing and chastising her wife. “Out yet?”
“No!” Cried David. “I’m trying.”

The Snow Queen wasn’t worried about David breaking the wooden beams. The boy was barely six and was in no capable position to pull that off.

“Selena…” Deanna whispered. “How are we going to get him out.”
“He can get out anytime he wants.” Selena shrugged. “He just has to think for a second.”
“I’m thinking.” David cried out. “Nothing’s working.”
“Alright, David.” Selena checked the clock that hung on the wall below them. “You’ve got ninety seconds, so I’ll give you a hint. Did your head grow in the last few minutes?”

“No…”

“So if you suddenly can’t get your head through a space you previously got through, what changed?”
“I don’t know!”
“Then I guess I’m getting the saw.” Selena sighed pushing herself up before leaning towards the stair beside her son. "Hey, David. Check this out."

Carefully, Selena thrust her arm through another set of the banister. “Look at all this room I have!” she remarked, keeping her head at the top of the space where the free room was wider before dropping her arm down between the beams where the space was narrower, based on design. “Wait…how did it get more narrow down here! What do I do?!”

“I know!” declared Amiliah. “David needs to lift his head higher to get to the wider part!”

Instead of answers, Selena dropped her gaze from her youngest daughter to her son, her eyebrows raised expectantly. As for David, the boy slowly lifted his whole frame, his head going up till it reached the underside of the rail and with one lean back, the boy’s head slipped out easily, the young boy laughing in relief as Oberon bounded up to him to lick his face.

“There you go.” Deanna remarked. “Now don’t do it again!” she added with a stern tone.
“Yes, mom.” David nodded quickly. “Am…am I grounded?”
“Oh much worse.” Selena laughed. “You’re gonna have us remembering this moment for the rest of your life. We’re gonna tell this story to SO many people when the time is right. ‘David got his head stuck in a stairwell.’”

“What…why?” David asked, turning his head between his parents.

“Cause it’s funny.” Selena stated, crossing her arms over her chest.
“Do…do you have to tell everyone?”

“Well…” again, the Snow Queen shrugged. “Maybe not right away…but I think at special events… like graduations, weddings, when you need a little humbleness.”

The absolute terror on David’s face – that this embarrassing moment would haunt him – was almost enough to make him renew his crying. Fortunately, Deanna was quick to intercept.

“Go back downstairs and play, kids.” She stated to all three children before refocusing on David. “And no more head in the stairs, understand?”
“Yes, mom.” David nodded quickly before disappearing back downstairs, Elsianna and Amiliah following him, along with Oberon.

Alone on the steps, Selena sat back down, her eyes on her beloved wife.

“Pretty sure you scarred him for life.” Deanna shook her head.
“Nah…he’ll forget it within a month… until we remind him at his graduation.”
“You are not going to let him live this down, are you?”
“Nope.” Smiled Selena. “Little humble story like this can keep him just that. Humble.”

“Were you really going to sell his video games?”
“Of course not.” Selena laughed, leaning against the wall. “But he had to think I was so he would accept responsibility for his actions.”

Selena never would consider herself a ‘great’ parent or anything like that. But she refused to let her son be anything like his biological father. And if little things like this kept her little prince under some sense of morality and goodness, of course she was going to use it. Ryan Scythe’s biggest issue had always been that he had thought himself ‘untouchable’ even when the walls were closing in around him. Now? He was in jail, serving time for assault, all because he thought he could do anything and get away with it.

The Snow Queen would be damned if she let her children think the same. They were well off financially and their moms were celebrities somewhat, but that did not excuse any of them into thinking their actions would not have consequences one way or another.

She heard Deanna sit beside her, the redhead resting her head on Selena’s shoulder. “So…what are we going to do about the Aldens?”

Back to reality, it seemed. With a sigh, Selena shook her head before resting it against Deanna’s. “We can’t do anything.” She answered. “Nothing but wait till either mother comes clean with who they are or till they make themselves known. Still, if they just want to grab a coffee and a hello, then I’ll consider us VERY fortunate.”

“The bar is set that low, huh?” teased the redhead, leaning further to nuzzle her face against Selena’s.

“Given the history I’ve had?” Selena answered. “A low bar is the safest place to start…”

_______________________________________________________________

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The camera opens up to the interior of Madison Square Gardens, the site for tonight’s SCW Pay-Per-View, Apocalypse, the first of the new SCW season. Already, the SCW Universe had seen the world title change hands between Adam Allocco and Xander Valentine, not to mention various new contenders secure their positions for their title matches for tonight and, additionally, several personal grudge matches be signed for tonight. In short, Supreme Championship Wrestling has hit the ground running heading into this pay-per-view, but in this moment, one would not necessarily know it. For the interior of the Gardens is empty and quiet. It is hours before the doors will even open to the Apocalypse event. The seats are empty, as is the ring that has been built for tonight’s event. Lights of arctic blue and white shine down on the ring, and standing there, in the middle, is the Snow Queen, herself, Selena Frost. She wears a black leather jacket, blue jeans, and a maroon t-shirt and her hair is tied in its iconic braid. With a deep breath, she looks around the empty arena, taking in the familiar space.

The last time I was here… the last time I wrestled in my home… it was to become the SCW World Champion. She takes a moment to smile, recalling the memory of what was, easily, one of the most important matches of her career last year. It was here, in New York City, my home, that I took on Cid Turner for the third time, regained the world title from him and then proceeded to have one of the greatest World title reigns in SCW history.

And I will be honest, that match was one of the toughest matches I had ever been a part of. I fought with all I had – I mean, there were times were I felt like I was literally fighting for my life, because that’s what Cid Turner was doing. He believed he was fighting for his life and I needed to do the same in order to have a chance at defeating him and becoming the best in SCW once more.


Taking a moment, Selena looks away to reflect, her words a little slower. But that’s something that isn’t uncommon for me. Several times throughout my career, I have fought as if I have everything on the line. My beliefs, my hopes, my dreams. And it is empowering. It is motivating. To have those stakes so high, where you know failure could be so utterly damaging not just to you but to the place you have lived and loved for nearly a decade.

And when I am backed into such a corner, I wish… I wish that I could find the words, I truly do, but I cannot. It’s hard to describe what comes over me. The desire to be better, work harder, take more punishment and still keep fighting. Refuse to yield, refuse to surrender until whatever I set out to do is accomplished.


Once more, Selena turns on the spot slowly, taking in the entire interior of the arena. But here, nearly a year ago, was one of the many times I had that feeling and, because of that, history began – history was changed – and the standard was forever altered.

Biting her lower lip, Selena looks down at her hands, with are now clasped together. The reason I bring this up now is because I have no delusions that tonight will be a match of a very similar need. A very similar necessity to fight for my life. To fight and endure punishment that could rival the Underground war we will tonight as well. Now, I am sure Ravyn is going to mention some of this. Odin knows she’s got a maggot in her brain about me breaking her wife’s record cause both she and Christy Matthews were talking about it.

And speaking of brains, Ravyn, I have to admit that you fooled me. Not because you ‘got me’ with this whole ‘Infamous might be back’. No. In truth, I didn’t care about that. Let me remind you of something here, Ravyn. Syren had ALL of Infamous at ringside the last time she and I faced one on one… and I still beat her. Infamous has interfered in my matches with you and with Christy, over and over again, and more often than not, I’ve still won.

No, I didn’t care if Infamous was back or not. But when I say you fooled me, you made me believe that you, the great mastermind, was out of ideas. I mean it wasn’t that much of a leap, was it? You bit off more than you could chew with Luna and, typical of Ravyn, rather than take responsibility, you run away and fall back to basics. You declare “it’s over” just like that, after all the damage you did, and try and move on without taking responsibility. You pick a new target, that being me like you did in 2016 and every other time Infamous dropped the ball and needed someone’s coattails to ride to get a quick rise.


Slowly, Selena shakes her head as she gazes back at the camera. But you see, Ravyn – in that, I was very wrong. And it took me some time to realize the ‘true plan’ of yours. Because you knew, you KNEW, that Luna would not simply stop simply because you called it ‘quits’. After all you did, you knew Luna would not so easily give up on making you suffer. So you dragged me into this. You dragged me into this to clean up your mess, didn’t you?! Selena’s jaw clenches and her hands tighten into fists.

You dragged me into this war you have because you know, deep in your twisted black heart, that you can’t handle Luna. That you can’t deal with Luna and rather than take accountability for what you did, you’ve thrown her towards me so I can do it. You’ve forced me to become involved to protect the innocent people of the SCW Universe from Luna.

Sapphire eyes find the empty seats of the arena, the Snow Queen imagining the many people that will be so close to the deadly and destructive Luna tonight… And truthfully, Ravyn? Truthfully? If it had been ANYONE else in SCW that you had so manipulated for so many months? If it had been me or Xander or anyone from the Brand, hell even Shaun Cruze – LITERALLY anyone in SCW – if you had manipulated things like you have to any of them, no I would not have liked it but I could have at least applauded your intelligence for it. I could at least say that you had proven yourself as the most intelligent person in SCW today.

Turning around, Selena once more glares at the camera. But for you to spend month after month – a clever woman like yourself – for you to spend months abusing and taking advantage of a disadvantaged woman like Nicole Kinneck…

For you to pretend to care for her. To take advantage of your last name and that of her friend, Gavin Taylor. To confuse her fragile mind with talks of ‘Uncle Roy’ and tearing apart a tag-team and very nearly a friendship, for you to strip her of her support system piece by piece… and then for you to torture and torment that poor girl just to draw out a persona that she begged you, pleaded with you not to force out, only to bail out of fear and leave that monstrosity to run amuck in SCW…
Selena takes a slow, deep breath, barely able to contain herself. It was very foolish, Ravyn, because once again, you have earned the ire of MY rage! her voice echoes in the empty arena.
 
You see, I do not give a damn how you will spin things with me. How you will laugh and throw the same tired insults at me. You can call me your ‘plaything’, you can copy the same old lines of ‘Selena is entitled! Selena is a liar! Selena is a fake! Selena is a spotlight hog!’. Hell, applaud your own cunning and twist the narrative to make it seem you’ve planned EVERY element of this just to protect your precious ego! But that is not what this is about. This ceased being a ‘wrestling match’ the moment you decided to drag me into this mess. The moment you decided to force my hand.

Because everything that has happened by Luna’s hand? All the people she has hurt or tried to hurt? The fear that has gripped backstage and even members of the SCW Universe because of Luna’s presence here in SCW? That is on you! That is YOUR fault, Ravyn! No one else’s! Selena points a pale finger to the camera.

But because you are too much of a coward to deal with it, I will be exactly what you have ‘planned’ for me to be. I will be your problem-solver. I will clean up your mess. I will do what you are too afraid to do and I will take down Luna. Not for you, definitely not for you, but for the good of SCW and the SCW Universe. If you force Luna out tonight, I will send her back the way she came! I will knock her back into the corners of Nicole’s mind with a mind-rattling kick!

Stopping in the middle of the ring, Selena’s gaze remains locked on the camera, and her target. But then I am coming for you, Ravyn. I am coming for you, Ravyn, for the sole purpose of doing what Nicole is unable to do because she is so lost right now. Because if I am going to be your ‘problem solver’, then I am also going to be Nicole’s ‘debt-collector’ and I am going to be collecting what you owe her!

Let me make this clear, Ravyn, you may feel a sense of ease with me in the ring along with Luna, but I can assure you, I am far more dangerous to you than she is. Because, unlike Luna, my anger and rage will be focused. My anger and my rage will be focused on you and let me give you a bit of a reminder, Ravyn. Last time you and I fought, just a few weeks before Rise to Greatness this year? I soundly knocked you out and beat you clean. In fact, I’ve lost track over how many times I have beaten you in singles matches. How many times I’ve outwrestled, outfought, and outlasted you. I literally have not beaten anyone as many times as I have beaten Ravyn Taylor, of that I am quite certain of!

That was me as a wrestler. That was me standing for integrity and for being better than your cowardly ‘methods’.

But now, Ravyn? This is not a wrestling match to me. This is not me fighting wrestlers. No. I am not fighting a wrestler in you this time around, Ravyn. I am fighting a monster. A bigger monster than even Luna. A true, disgusting, scum of the earth monster…

And you know what I do to monsters, don’t you, Ravyn? Ask Vixen. Ask our World Champion.
Sapphire eyes narrow.

I destroy monsters, Ravyn. I humble them and return them to the mortals they truly are. I expose the boogeyman. I tame the ghosts and I will silence YOU tonight, Ravyn. Because I don’t care what it costs me. What it takes tonight, I am going to hold you ACCOUNTABLE for what you have done to Nicole and to the SCW Universe! I am going to hold you accountable for every lie, every act of cowardice, every pain you have orchestrated on us all!

Lowering her arm to her side, Selena’s voice becomes deadly calm and cold. And when I am done, and I see the fear in your eyes as you look at me – that same fear you had for Luna when you fought her, for I will not stop until I see it, Ravyn – when I see that look in your eyes as you, once more, realize how you have brought this nightmare onto yourself…

Only then, Ravyn, will I do what I have done better than anyone else in the history of SCW.

Pin, defeat, and silence Ravyn Taylor.


Rolling her shoulders back, Selena cracks her neck with a shake before refocusing. Believe it, you monster. Because when I’m done, you’re not going to know what else to believe…

The camera stays on Selena before fading to black – the slayer now waiting for her monsters to appear.
[Image: hffOaUZ.png]
SCW Supreme Champion
6x SCW World Champion
4x SCW World Tag-Team Champion
2x SCW United States Champion
3x SCW Adrenaline Champion
SCW Television Champion
Longest Reigning SCW World Champion (234 days)
Winner of Shot of Adrenaline Tournament (2016)
Winner of Best of the Best Tournament (2016)
Winner of Trios Tournament (2018)
Winner of U.S. Championship Tournament (2020)
Winner of World Championship Tournament (2023)
Winner of Tactical Warfare (2014, 2019)
Winner of Elimination Chamber (2015)
Winner of Roofed Cage Match (2019)
Winner of Last Person Standing Match (2019)
The Unbelievable Main Event (2021-2023)
Winner of Double Jeopardy Match (2022)
Winner of EOTY Invitational (2023)
Female Wrestler of the Year (2016, 2021, 2022)
Tag-Team of the Year (2020 - w/ Regan Street)
Match of the Year (2018, 2019, 2021, 2023)
Feud of the Year (2014, 2019)


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