12-09-2023, 12:21 AM
The Witches of Alden
”Return”
Frost “Forever Home”
Manhattan, New York
December 2nd, 2023
12:34pm
How could being home feel so… off?
It was the question that had quietly rampaged through Deanna’s mind from the moment she had stepped back into the house this morning. It had been weeks since she had stomped out the front door – shortly before her Elimination Chamber match at Under Attack – leaving her Forever home, family… and wife – Not permanently! Her quickly mind told her. This whole thing had been meant to simply be a wake-up call to her pigheaded, stubborn partner! A few days’ absence, tops! She had been expecting phone calls or text messages after Under Attack, Selena wanting to talk to her and get things back on track… an effort to fix the situation that had spiralled out of control since Selena had walked out of SCW… something!
But still, here she was, nearly a month later, and the only message she had received – aside from the blasted “Good luck” text prior to her chamber match – had been sent to her a few days ago, and no less comforting.
“Need to head to my parents this weekend. Can you watch the kids?”
A message as distant and detached as had been the few interactions she had had with the ‘Snow Queen’ – the nickname seeming more appropriate to Deanna these days. Least she still has a nickname. The redhead sighed.
This ‘spat’, for lack of a better word, had been hard to explain to the kids. At first, Deanna had simply called them and explained that work was keeping her busy. It wasn’t a complete lie, at first, with Under Attack looming over her the first week, and Fatal Fortunes on the horizon. However, when she found herself sneaking to the kids’ school to spend lunch with them every day, the trio had become more and more suspicious.
Deanna hadn’t had a choice. It was the only time she could really see them without worrying about running into her wife. Selena never left the Black Arrow neighbourhood except to run errands, but Deanna couldn’t really rely on that, and there was no way she had allowed herself to risk going home. So, as many school days as she could make, the young wrestler had simply walked up and into the ‘play area’ to meet the kids and have lunch with them. Of course, she had to let them go when the bell rang or when David wanted to play with his school buddies – indifferent as he seemed about the whole affair. Amiliah just loved seeing her mom at lunch so she didn’t seem to mind, but Elsianna?
Her eldest had been the person Deanna had had to change her ‘excuses’ for. ‘Work’ was no longer believable after so many weeks, only accounting for a few days here and there with Breakdown and other engagements Deanna had to do as the SCW United States Champion. And with the number of times she had met with her mother in the last near four weeks, the young girl was certainly figuring things out.
So, Deanna had had to be honest with her oldest child. That her and Selena were going through a ‘rough patch’ and ‘working things out’ as they both transitioned to their new roles – Deanna as primary income supplier and Selena as ‘housewife’. It had been enough at the time when Elsa had asked it, but the redhead could see the growing uncertainty in her daughter’s eyes with each passing day…
As for her, Deanna hadn’t stepped foot inside the house since then. She had spent Thanksgiving, she chuckled sadly at the memory, ‘enjoying’ turkey slices she had nabbed from a grab-and-go at the grocery store, eating the plastic container’s contents (complete with already pre-mashed potatoes and a spoonful of stuffing) while sitting on her bed in her hotel room, watching some French-dubbed version of “It’s a Wonderful Life”, which, right now, certainly wasn’t!
But now, she was back home… and feeling more like a stranger than one of the owners/mother-figures of the house should. In truth, she had felt more ‘at home’ in the hotel room with the poor turkey and stuffing – ‘life on the road’ style that she had grown used to working with SCW.
With a sigh, the young woman glanced outside the nearest window to see her children playing in the backyard, all three of them bundled up to protect them from the cold. Though the snow had come and gone in Manhattan a few times over the last few weeks, there was still a clear ‘winter cold’ that swept through the city continuously, with gray clouds looming overhead that kept the sunshine from truly peeking through.
Symbolic… Deanna mused as she finished her kids’ lunch – tuna sandwiches with cheese and a handful of grapes and strawberries on the side. Why Selena had bought strawberries when they were out of season, Deanna wasn’t sure, but it was her wife’s money, she supposed. Finishing by adding a few juice-boxes to the mix, the mother brought the plate down the stairs and to the back exit of the house where the backyard was.
“Lunch time, guys!” she called out, immediately getting the attention of her three children. David and Amiliah ceased their running around of, Deanna assumed, their game of tag, shifting directions to rush up to the canopied deck that linked to the basement.
“Awww…tuna?” David whined, pouting out his lower lip for emphasis.
“YAY!” Amiliah remarked, immediately diving into her sandwich as Elsianna, quietly walking her distance, joined them at the outside patio table.
“No complaining, David.” Deanna warned gently, taking a seat in her own chair as she watched her children eat. Truthfully, she wasn’t the best cook and these ‘easy lunches’ was the best thing she could make, part of her not wanting to spend too much time away from her children and the other – immature as it sounded – not wanting to leave much of a ‘presence’ here after she left, as it could be counter-productive to the point she was trying to drive home to her wife!
“Where’s mommy?” Amiliah asked, her mouthful of bread, mayonnaise, cheese and tuna.
“Ami.” Deanna firmly, and without thinking, pressed. “What did we say about speaking with your mouth full?”
Guilt replacing her features, the child gulped down her mouthful before staring down at her hands. “Don’t do it. It’s rude.”
“That’s right.” Deanna nodded. “Now, is your mouth empty?”
“Yes, mother.” The youngest Frost nodded.
“Okay. What was it you asked?”
“Where’s mommy?”
The question was innocent enough, and one Deanna wasn’t too afraid to answer. “She’s visiting your grandparents.” Came the innocent reply.
“Oh… I wanna see grandma and grandpa!” Amiliah beamed.
“I’m sure you will.” The older redhead smiled, though she wasn’t sure what her wife was talking to her in-laws for. Maybe there had been some developments with the Alden witch group, and while Deanna continued to study, attend class, and do well – refusing to seem ‘weak’ in front of her wife in any capacity, she was not as social as she used to be with the Aldens. Not that they really noticed, more concerned with the Frosts’ progress – which had been shifting to Selena ever since the woman had quit SCW. More time, clearly. Deanna reasoned. Still, she had fallen into a sort of ‘routine’ of avoiding Selena for the few hours that their classes were. She’s come in, sit in the front, while her wife sat in the back, with Deanna refusing look behind her or even acknowledge her wife. Soon as class ended, she had grabbed her books and left without looking, usually walking past several houses to where she had parked her car to leave. Selena never tried to stop her or catch up with her or talk to her.
In short, they were avoiding each other, and until the platinum-blonde smartened up and started acting like herself again, Deanna was hellbent on keeping her demands real! If she could be stubborn… so can I!
“Mom…” again, Amiliah – the little redhead – was seeking her mother’s attention, which Deanna granted with a shake of her head.
“Sorry, baby.” She sighed. “I was day-dreaming, I suppose. What did you say?”
“She was wondering if we could see Grandma and Grandpa VanHohenheim for Christmas.” Elsianna quietly spoke, the light-haired daughter having watched her mother rather intensely as she quietly nibbled on her sandwich.
“Oh… yes, I think so.” Deanna answered, but quickly adding, “But I might be working those days as well…” and then adding again as she saw her youngest’s face drop. “But I promise I will find a way to spend some holiday time with you all. I promise!”
That seemed to please the younger Ami, but not the older Elsianna, who kept her eyes (so much like her Snow Queen mother’s) locked on Deanna. It actually had only recently sunk into Deanna’s mind as she gazed around her surroundings – the absence of Christmas decorations.
Usually, the Frost family, upon completing Thanksgiving (some years even sooner), would embark on decorating the house with Christmas, with as much splendor and glamour as they did for Halloween! Even the stone gargoyles ‘protecting the yard’ – Deanna stole a glance at them over Elsianna’s shoulder – would be decorated with festive lights in their ‘claws’ and ‘maws’. There would be figures in the yards, lights on the roof, a tree in the family room and gods… it was like the Spirit of Christmas had vomited all over the house some years.
There was nothing of the kind anywhere in the house.
“Kids…” Deanna tried to approach the subject delicately. “Have you guys started working on decorating the house?”
Slowly, all three children shook their heads.
“Mother doesn’t want to.” David shrugged, having finished his sandwich (begrudgingly) and working on his fruits and juice-box. “Every time Ami whines about it, she says she’s tired or busy.”
“I don’t whine about it!” Ami remarked – sounding a little like a whine to Deanna.
“You do too.” David shot back, the boy eyeing his sister. “’It’s not Christmas without a tree!’” he fake-whined, seeming to do an exaggerated impression of his younger sibling.
“I don’t sound like that!” the whine was becoming more of a cry from Amiliah, and Deanna could almost hear a slight sniffle come from the little redhead.
“David, stop.” She warned sternly. “You use to love Christmas that much too. I remember a year you cried when we were two days late in putting up the tree.”
“No, I didn’t!” David rebuked defiantly.
“Oh yes, you did!” Deanna laughed. “You believed that if we were any later, ‘Santa-‘” It was her turn to do an impression. “’Santa won’t visit me!’”
“And then I won’t get my Switch!” This imitation came from Elsianna, also adding her own spin on her little brother’s whine, causing a giggle to come from Amiliah, the child immediately perked up from her mother/sister’s act.
“Stop picking on me.” David grumbled.
“Then don’t pick on your sister.” Deanna instructed. “There is nothing wrong with being excited for Christmas.”
With a huff, David crossed his arms over his chest, his plate empty, same with his juice-box. “Not fair…” he grumbled under his breath. “Girls always stick together.”
With a roll of her eyes, Deanna ignored that last remark, even excusing the boy and Amiliah as they finished their lunches to resume their playing. Alone with Elsianna, Deanna watched her eldest eyeing her plate quietly for several minutes before looking up to stare at her mother, as if gathering unseen courage.
“Are you and mother getting a divorce?”
Emerald eyes grew wide at the question, and Deanna’s jaw dropped a little. “Where do you hear that?” she asked. “Are people talking about school?”
“No where.” Elsianna answered honestly with a shrug of her shoulders. “And no one is talking. I’m just wondering… and worried.”
“Worried?” Deanna tilted her head. “Elsa, you’re 12 years old.”
“I’ll be 13 soon.”
“Exactly!” Deanna shook her head. “You shouldn’t even be worried about this sort of thing.”
“Mom, I know what ‘divorce’ means.” A slight huff escaped the normally shy girl, her gloved hands tightening into fists. “A few of my classmates have divorced parents.”
“I…Okay…” Wow… Deanna’s mind raced. How the hell am I supposed to deal with this? Compared to this, hell, I’d settle with not knowing where and against whom I’m going to wrestle against with Fatal Fortunes! That seems much less daunting than this! “What…” her words came out slowly. “What makes you think your mother and I are getting a divorce?”
“You haven’t been home except today. You’ve only called me and David to talk to us or Ami, and every time I ask mother about you, she doesn’t really give me any answers either.”
“Sweetheart…” Deanna tried. She sure as hell did not want to be like Selena and seemingly give her daughter nothing. “I tried to explain it to you earlier. Mother and I are just going through a few issues right now. We’re working through some stuff with me being a full-time wrestler and her qu…her leaving SCW and all that.”
“But I heard her…” Elsianna’s voice trailed off, her eyes suddenly darting away for a moment to suddenly focus on her nearly empty plate of food. Even so, her words were not lost to Deanna, who felt her heart skip a beat (in a bad way).
“You heard Se- I mean, you heard your mother?” when no response was given, the 12-year-old choosing instead to fret the lacings of her black gloves, Deanna leaned forward, her small hand gently taking both of her child’s hands. “I need you to tell me, Elsianna.” She stressed her daughter’s full first name. “Have you heard your mother talking about divorce?”
The blonde girl took a shaky breath before slowly nodding her head. “I…I think so… but I’m not sure.” Quickly, her eyes flew up, almost surprised that she admitted this to Deanna, her words suddenly faster. “I mean… I think I did, but maybe the context was wrong. It was a few nights ago. I couldn’t sleep and Ami was upset and crying, so I went to find mother. I went down the stairs and I could hear her talking on the phone. I…” she stopped, her hands wiggling a little nervously in Deanna’s one. “I went to the family room and saw her talking to someone for a split second. And before she turned and saw me, I heard her say “Maybe divorce isn’t out of the question.”
The two, mother and daughter, sat in silence for a few seconds, one thinking and the other processing what they had just learned. “That’s… that’s why I asked.” Elsianna added, her voice laced with guilt.
Deanna, meanwhile, could not stop the spike of panic that erupted in her heart, but she refused to let it cripple her, letting the hit happen before slowly calming herself back down.
“Elsianna.” She stated, her voice a little shaky. “Your mother and I are not getting a divorce. I don’t know what you heard, but she and I have been through far worse than this. We just need some time to get back on the same page.”
“Is that why mom’s going back to SCW? So you guys can get back on the same page?”
Again, Deanna was stunned into silence by the child. “Back to… Okay, how much of your mother are you spying on?!”
“No, that…” Elsa shook her head at her mother’s shock, surprised by it, it seemed. “It’s been on the news and Twitter – X.” she remarked. “Didn’t you see the video?”
“Clearly not because your mother isn’t going back to SCW, Elsianna.” Deanna tried.
“But I saw it…” the younger woman looked around the room before releasing a huff. “Mom, may I be excused to get my phone, please?”
“Why do you- yes, okay.” Deanna settled on answering, letting her daughter leave the table and rush upstairs. Because of her own confusion, the redhead chose to ignore the sound of her daughter running up the stairs (which she was not supposed to do), instead choosing to clear her mind until her daughter returned, the short girl flicking through her phone with her finger.
“Right…. Here!” Elsianna remarked before turning the phone over to Deanna, who gingerly took it. Before her eyes, Deanna watched the YouTube video slowly play, complete with SCW graphic, Fatal Fortunes graphic/announcement and-
She almost dropped the phone as she saw her wife before her, the sight of ‘The Face of SCW’ and ‘Snow Queen’ Selena Frost standing there. Clips played one after the other of the platinum-blonde, some with her holding a title, others with her defeating superstars like Adam Allocco and Cid Turner. There was nothing new there – all old footage, Deanna recognized – but what the hell did that matter? Especially when the words “Witness the Return of Selena Frost!” flashed across the screen!
“H…how…” was all Deanna could verbally muster, after several minutes but her mind was racing. How had CHBK done it? Or management or whoever?! How had they made this possible? It couldn’t be real- immediately, her eyes flew to the source and her heart nearly stopped as she spied the channel was SCW’s official one! It WAS from SCW! Meaning... It was legit!
Selena… was coming back?
Again, her mind brought the question-train back around. What had SCW done? What had they offered? Her wife had seemed so certain that a return was out of the question, yet there it was! Proof positive that it was happening! If tickets weren’t sold out for both Fatal Fortune nights already, this would certainly make that happen, as well as bring ratings way up! Sure, Deanna still needed to defend the SCW United States Title, and she was still nervous as hell about not knowing the how or who of it but this development dwarfed the nerves she felt regarding that!
“How did he manage this?” Deanna asked, pressing the ‘replay’ button to start the video again, as if it would change the second time she saw it. Again, she saw her wife’s face – the old Selena Frost she had begged her partner to return to being – full of bravery and spirit.
“Maybe it wasn’t him.” Elsianna answered, trying her best to help her mother. Despite only nodding her head in response, Deanna heard the suggestion fully, causing her mental-direction to shift.
What if it had been Selena that had orchestrated this? But why would she? After promising that she would never return? What would have made her change her mind? Was it money? Were they in some kind of financial trouble? Was it ego? Didn’t seem that way before… Wait!/i] her mind halted her barrage of theories, focusing on the one she had been ignoring.
Her. Herself. Deanna.
The redhead tilted her head as she eyed the phone-screen. Had her plan actually worked? Had her fight with Selena sparked something within the older woman, prompting her into calling SCW and negotiate coming back?!
She didn’t know… and it was almost silly with how ‘stupid’ she felt.
She didn’t know which night she was to defend her title.
She didn’t know who she was defending the title against.
She didn’t know what match she would have to defend the title under.
She didn’t know what game Kristen ‘The One’ was playing with that Trios cash-in announcement.
And now, she didn’t know what the hell was going with her wife ‘returning’ and all this!
[i]I really don’t know anything… she laughed quietly to herself, rather ashamed, in that moment, of her own ignorance of so many things. She didn’t know much, but there was one thing she did know…
She had to see Selena. Right now!
“I…” she looked up to see her daughter waiting patiently for her, blue eyes watching her quietly. “I have to do something.” She handed the phone back to its owner. “Watch your sister and brother.” She gently ordered to Elsa, who gave a nod before leaving the table to join her siblings. Pulling out her own phone, Deanna made a quick call to get Gerda over to watch the kids, the redhead waiting only until the older woman was inside the house before rushing to get into her Jeep Liberty. Immediately, she was on the road, speeding down the interstate to get to New Jersey.
“What the hell is going on here?!” she said aloud, knowing the cars that sped around her couldn’t hear. She was confused, she was irritated… and more than anything else, she was growing more and more hopeful the closer she drew to Maplewood…
And given how vulnerable ‘hope’ had made her lately… she didn’t like it one bit!
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)
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)