Chamber Match

[Konrad Raab]

Selena Frost vs. Blake Mason vs. Polly Pingotti vs. Brittany Lohan vs. James Evans vs. Andrew Raynes

2 RP Limit for singles

Deadline: 11:59:59 pm ET Tuesday, November 5, 2024 (to ensure plenty of time post-Breakdown)

[James Evans]

OOC: Let us not be shy.

The Provider: Chapter One: The Family Tree

[Jay Gold]

OOC: I is not shy.



Season 5 / Episode 41 / Fight For The Future (Part 2 - Having No Friends)

[SnowQueenSCW]

OOC: Plays off Selena’s last Breakdown roleplay and the events of last Breakdown as well. Royal Letter is for the sole recipient and is considered private/off-camera.

Villain of the Year

”Phantom of Smoke”

Dr. Glasgen’s Office
New York City, New York
November 1st, 2024
11:14am


“Selena… Selena!”

The crisp, authoritative voice snapped the platinum-blonde out of her trance, the former world champion jerking her head back towards its source, sapphire-eyes wide, from staring out the window. She had lost herself in her talking, taking some distraction (and some comfort) at the sight of the gray skies that seemed to saturate everything with their ‘darkish’ presence. Not that it was dark, but the grayness seemed to just… settle there… which oddly mesmerized and comforted Selena.

It reminded her of home – her real home… was that true? Part of her still felt the longing for Manhattan, the desire to go back and stay at the ‘Forever Home’ she had bought for Deanna so many years ago, while the redhead had been pregnant with David, not just squatting there to look after the children due to Deanna’s-

No… Selena had not been reminded of that place, but of Nome, Alaska. True, the closed-off section of the world had had its share of ‘sunny days’ and spring-time, but, for her, there had always seemed to be dark clouds hanging over the small town – literally and metaphorically. Nome was closed off from most of the world, with travel outside of it rather difficult/next to impossible except for the well-off/well-to-do. It was why she had been ‘trapped’ there for the first twenty-plus years of her life, spending all of her money from meager savings as a waitress at Liam’s Bar and Grill to get a bus ticket to Anchorage, followed by a plane ticket to get to the End of the Year Event of SCW (one way) in order to gamble on her future over a decade ago…

“Selena!” Again, that voice, causing Selena to shake her head.
“I heard you.” She breathed. “I’m sorry.”

She was only partially sorry. She had welcomed the slight break from the verbal diatribe and mental exhaustion she was feeling. Not only from the events of the past few days, but because of all of this emotional onslaught she was feeling opening up like this. But… she had to.

From where she sat on the light-brown couch, the woman spied Dr. Glasgen, the therapist Selena had hired months ago in a ‘last attempt’ to reconcile her marriage with Deanna. The dark-haired woman had stuck with her usual pant-suit attire, something Selena had, coincidentally, worn herself today, though Selena’s was dark-navy while the doctor’s was a charcoal-gray. Glasgen’s hair was freely falling while Selena’s was in its iconic braid… though not as pristine as it usually was (a little messy in her haste to tie it) and she could feel the weight in her eyes from the lack of sleep the last few days. How could she sleep with-

“We were talking about your nightmares.” Glasgen reminded the younger woman, who merely gave a nod of her head.

“Right.” Sighed Selena. “I’ve had nightmares before and…” she winced a little. “I’ve had nightmares of that moment before.”

“Where your stepmother tried to drown you?”

Again, Selena nodded. “But it’s been years since I’ve had that nightmare. Literally, years. I…” she took the opportunity to truly gaze at the therapist. “I thought I had let go of that part of my life.”

“Perhaps…” Glasgen tried to choose her words carefully. “Perhaps there is something about it that you haven’t addressed or come to terms with.” She offered. “Sometimes, past traumatic events are there to serve as reminders or the events in our lives cause us to reflect back on them.”

“No one’s tried to drown me, doctor.” Selena coldly replied, keeping her tone down despite her annoyance. “Spike me on my head? Use me to get quick attention and fame? Thrown me off a scaffold? Sure. But not drown me in a small bathroom with a door.”

“A situation does not have to be the same in order to remind us of the past.” Glasgen explained. “Merely trigger the same kind of emotional response or find some kind of similarity. Like seeing someone and being reminded of someone else.”

Again, Selena sighed. She understood all of that, of course. She wasn’t an idiot. Familiarity was what had caused her to seek out Glasgen in the first place weeks ago, after the first return of that dreaded nightmare. She had not been ignoring the signs. She had seen what was happening to Deanna – how the redhead had been unravelling due to the actions of The Enigma, and it had scared the Snow Queen. Not just for her ex-wife, but for herself.

It had only been about a decade ago that she, herself, had been so convinced that she was the mother of a child made of snow. That her mind had conjured up, in an act of survival, an illusion for its own protection. Selena could not deny it any more than she could her own name – she had been mentally unstable. Perhaps not to the extent of some of the other wrestlers in SCW, but still, somewhat delusional to believe that snow could take sentience and be a person like in ‘Frosty the Snowman’. And seeing her beloved breaking down like that before her very eyes, coupled with the nightmare Selena had had in the time following Apocalypse and that damned Mason’s interference…

She hadn’t wanted to take any chances and had, immediately (regardless of the costs), sought out the therapist she trusted, beginning sessions with her a short time later.

She couldn’t afford to break like Deanna was. Their children needed one of them and Selena had had to step up, given the recent circumstances.

“That can’t have been easy…”
“What?” Selena asked in surprise, eyes wide. “What can’t have been easy?”
“You just said that you had to step up to take care of the children given your ex-wife’s condition.”
“Did I?” the Snow Queen asked in surprise, not realizing she had spoke, at least, some of her thought aloud.
“Yes.”

“Oh…” Selena shrugged uncomfortably. “No, it’s… it’s been difficult.” She admitted. “I mean… I’ve had to before, when Deanna was incarcerated.”
“On her trumped-up charge?” Glasgen recalled, earning a nod from Selena.
“And Gerda is always helping.” The woman added.
“That’s good.” Glasgen nodded. “But that’s not why you came here today as you did.”
“As I did?” Selena asked, in somewhat confusion. Now it was her turn to get a nod from Glasgen.

“You’re distracted. You’re barely able to hold a conversation without looking away every few seconds. You’re not keeping on subject as you usually do – it’s often been about your nightmares and their frequency. But today…” her voice trailed off for a moment. “Something seems a bit more… prominent in your mind.”

She could have denied it. Could have sworn up and down that nothing was wrong. Could have reminded the woman that she was under Selena’s paycheck – that it was her ‘hour of therapy’ to talk about whatever she wanted to talk about.

But she didn’t… she didn’t say any of that. Instead, she merely looked back out the window, towards the gray outside of New York City, words forming and escaping her before she could really think about them.

“I… I fucked up royally.”

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

Bedfast, Kentucky
October 25th, 2024
1:54pm

“Just find a spot!” Ordered Selena as she sat beside Otrera Ishtar, the Amazonian woman driving the large bus through the streets of the small neighbourhood.

“Not so easy when it’s a damn bus!” Ra shot back angrily. “I told you we should have parked somewhere main and then let me get us a rental car but NOOOOOOOO! You couldn’t wait another fifteen, twenty minutes!”

“Because it shouldn’t be THIS difficult!” Selena countered back, matching the Egyptian woman’s attitude. “I just saw two buses go through here!”

“THROUGH here!” Ishtar repeated. “Not park here!”

“For Odin’s sake!” Selena huffed. “Just-“
“There!” Ra pointed out with her hand before immediately pulling to the right, managing to turn the bus towards a curb which was connected to a long strip of grass and sidewalk, a more than adequate parking spot for the large vehicle. With a sigh of relief, the taller woman turned the bus engine off and sat back. “Happy now, your majesty?”

“Not till you open the door.” Selena countered. “Or am I to go through the front window?”

Turning her glare over to her employer, Ra merely lifted a dark eyebrow. “Say the word and I’ll happily assist with that.”

The cold glare that came from Selena lasted only a second before the Snow Queen reached out, flicking the proper switch (she knew her own bus after all!) and causing the doors to open. “Remember who pays who here, Ra.” She warned.

“Remember that my job has limits of allowance, MS. Frost.” Ra countered, stressing the connotation. “And I’m starting to wonder if your dalliances with your ex count as that.”

Selena was already off the bus before the woman could finish, causing Ra to “slam” the doors shut behind the woman – that is to say she flicked the same switch Selena had but with MUCH more authority!

Ignoring her hired help for the time being, Selena felt her shoes hit the grassy ground, followed by a step or two onto the sidewalk, using the concrete surface as a sort of support to steady herself. She knew she was being unreasonable, and not for the first time – or even the first time with the same circumstance. How many times had she pulled herself away from SCW, hurt or whatever, and immediately forced Ra to drag her somewhere because of Deanna? She had, honestly, lost track. With rushing Deanna to the hospital after her collapse and taking her here, rushing to her side here and there, to this… Selena really could not remember every scenario, which was more than enough proof-positive of her own assessment of her overworking her aide and, she didn’t want to fully admit it, her friend.

Probably because you don’t have that many now… her mind mocked, throwing the sad reality back in the woman’s face. It was undeniable. While Selena still maintained solid connections with her friends of old like Jean and Zoe and David Helms and Regan Street, she was no longer as ‘liked’ in the world of SCW behind the scenes. In fact, if she were honest with herself, the only friends she thought herself in having were Luz and Amelia – Light in the Darkness – who had remained kind to her despite the path the Snow Queen walked as the most ‘hated’ wrestler in SCW.

They even invited me to their wedding… Selena sighed, though she wasn’t entirely sure she’d be able to make it now, let alone Deanna, given recent circumstances.

The thought was a cold splash of reality, and the Snow Queen immediately began marching down the street, in the direction towards the house she had spotted during Ra’s difficult mission of finding a parking space amidst the subdivision. So many of the houses were jammed packed together, the residences – some covered in Halloween décor - literally connected despite separate people/families owning them. It was so different than the Black Arrow neighbourhood, where the houses were separated by land and yards but connected via sidewalks and the long trail that wrapped around the small lake that linked all of them together.

This seemed…far more crowded and Selena wasn’t a fan – though that could have been because of her claustrophobia. Again, she felt the stirring of memory in the back of her mind – of a little girl trapped in water under a door – and she immediately threw that further into the recesses of her brain. She didn’t have time to focus on that! Quickly, as she marched down the street, she tried to refocus on something, anything – even if it made her mad to think about.

It wasn’t that hard to do. Seeing her own feet and, thus, attire: black running shoes, denim jeans, her purse, and a dark-green sweater that made up for her lack of jacket for the fall weather. She had not packed any ‘fancy clothes’ to wear or clothes that ‘displayed power’, nor had she put any on the bus this time beyond what she had worn for Breakdown and she had NO desire to wear the same clothes she had just worn yesterday, rather certain at least one of the three women would have noticed that when she arrived and what kind of image would that send?

Desperation? Weakness?

She had already shown that by letting her guard down around James Evans. While the Snow Queen wasn’t all that mad of the man’s actions against her, she was still annoyed by it. What had she expected? The idiot wanted the spotlight on him and she was the biggest star in SCW, even outshining the world champion WITH EASE, and she had left herself wide open for an attack while she had been assaulting Blake Mason, causing him ANOTHER loss to his less-than-stellar record. Of course Evans took the opportunity to stand out!

In that, she couldn’t blame him for his assault on her, only that she was still slightly reeling form it. Her head and neck still stung, though it was not bad as that damn piledriver on the steel Blake had given her at Apocalypse. At least the doctor hadn’t kept her overnight or demanded this and that this time around. A little NX and sleep while Ra had driven the bus from Ottawa to Kentucky had pretty much cleared things up. Still, she would have to deal with situation that was the Elimination Chamber and James Evans’ threat eventually.

But not now…

Instead, she kept marching down the street, turning on the corner and spotting the house nearby. Unlike the others, it was on its own space, not joined at the hip to another. Like a few houses, this one had been built and established in the early days of the neighbourhood, the other building built around it and the allowances of land. The owner, Selena knew, had refused to give up what space she had, forcing the city to keep it, and other houses that had shared that view, separate. The result was a few odd buildings that looked far homelier to Selena than others, like the one she was approaching.

It struck Selena that, despite her not visiting this place since before Amiliah was born (seven years for those keeping track, the exception being recently to drop Deanna off here), she still recognized all the details of the house. The red-brick layering, the concrete block that served as the porch step, the small line of flowers that served as a garden coming down the step and sidewalk towards the driveway. She gave it a quick notice but not long enough to even slow her stride… until she spotted the patch of the garden that was different than the rest.

Where, if she recalled correctly, there had been a small bush of leaves with the smallest of blossoms, was now a burnt, leafless mass. Charcoal black with some of its ashes spread out around it, the wood of the trunk standing there and yet… looking more like a murder scene than a symbol of life. Just beyond that, the windows were shattered and boarded up with wooden panels…

It was enough for Selena leap onto the porch, her hand immediately flying out to knock briskly on the door. She hadn’t called, just like she hadn’t last time she was here, and she didn’t care that she hadn’t. Instead, she strained her ears to her any movement from inside the house.

It didn’t take long for her to pick up something as the sound of shuffling steps came forward, the door was unlocked and opened. Before her, Selena locked eyes with… Deanna…

No… It took only a second for Selena’s brain to catch herself. The woman bore a striking resemblance to her beloved, that was true, but this woman was taller, with sharper facial features where Deanna’s were softer and kinder, a more brownish red shade of hair where Deanna’s was vibrant in its dark-red color, and this woman’s eyes looked more like seafoam green-blue where Deanna’s eyes were emerald. Not to mention that this woman was taller, basically Selena’s height, and her expression was immediately cold towards the Snow Queen.

“You again.” The woman remarked, not overly surprised.

“What happened?” Selena asked without any greeting, merely pushing herself past the woman to enter the house, dropping her purse on the nearby small table. Manners and propriety be damned – she was not in the mood! “You had one job!” she ordered.

“A job you threw at my feet without telling me anything beyond the basics!” the woman snapped back.
“I didn’t figure you needed a reason to help your own sister in a time of crisis!” Selena shot back, hands on her hips as she turned back towards the policewoman.

“A sister I’ve not seen in how long?” reminded Amelia Springs. “And by the way, thanks for pointing out that she’s out of her fucking mind! That would have been nice to know!”

“She’s not…” Selena breathed. “What happened?”

“Nothing.” The older Springs sibling tiredly replied, running a hand through her hair in agitation. “That’s what I keep telling her. It was some stupid prank by some of the neighbour kids.”

“Lighting your garden on fire and breaking your windows was a stupid prank?” Selena asked, her eyes wide in disbelief, until she heard the voice from further within the house. “What constitutes a real emergency? The apocalypse?”

“It happens every year or so…”

Turning around, the Snow Queen spied the younger woman suddenly standing before her. This one had long, brown hair that matched her eyes but her skin was almost as pale as Selena’s but far softer looking, as if the woman had not suffered any injuries in her life – a far cry to the scars that covered Selena’s ribs and back. The shorter woman wore black jeans and purple t-shirt with a wide opening that showed her collarbone and tops of her shoulders. Still, she appeared so gentle compared to the rough Amelia that was arguing with the platinum-blonde.

“Happens when you’re a cop. And a lesbian.” Amelia finished her wife’s statement with a resigned shrug. “I tried to tell Deanna that but she wouldn’t listen! She kept going off that ‘someone was after her’ and that she was ‘the only person that could stop it’!” The cop rolled her eyes. “Haven’t heard anything this crazy since last time she was here…” she eyed Selena. “Remember? When she claimed she got knocked up by a ghost or something?”

Selena’s jaw clenched. “You know… for someone that’s learned her sister is a victim of rape and assault, not to mention wrongfully imprisoned for two years and JUST survived a fucking burning building… you can be a real bitch, you know that?”

“No more than the one that just dumped said person on my doorstep.” Amelia countered. “Thought you were supposed to take care of her. Wasn’t that what your wedding was about? Not that I would know, I wasn’t invited!”

“You didn’t want to come!” Selena countered.
“Because YOU twisted Deanna into something she wasn’t!” Amelia shot back! “You were the one that offered her this ‘grand life outside of here!’. Well look around! How’s that going?!”

“ENOUGH!” Came the voice of the third woman – Isabella ordered, surprising both Selena and Amelia with her bluntness, the woman usually so quiet and reserved. “This solves nothing.” She added. “You’ve had this argument every time Selena has been here!”

Slowly, she stepped towards her wide, laying a hand on Amelia’s shoulder. “Like it or not, Deanna chose the path she went. And like it or not, she has been happy too. Your nieces and nephews are proof of that! If Deanna wasn’t, she would have come back here. She didn’t…” her eyes turned to Selena. “Because Selena loved her and did all she could to make her happy. Deanna is more than strong enough to have left her if she hadn’t.”

There was a silence between the three of them for a moment, allowing Selena to inhale and exhale a long breath. “I’ll admit that I wasn’t perfect in those years.” She started. “I never… I… I always had her best interests at heart. But…” she turned her gaze back to Amelia. “You have to know there were so many wonderful times. The holidays, the dates, the things we accomplished together, our children…” she wanted to say more, to give more concrete examples but her trembling voice stopped her, causing her to clam up to avoid showing too much weakness. “Is she… Is she alright?”

“Yes.” Isabella answered for her and Ami. “That therapist was here earlier this morning.”
“Who?” Selena asked before the answer came to her. “Marsh-Asher?” Her jaw clenched. “I told him to stop getting involved.”

Amelia, not quite outside her anger towards the platinum-blonde yet, simply shrugged her shoulders. “He’s been here every week to talk to Deanna. Again… not that we’ve had much say in this-“

“I get it, Ami.” Selena sighed. “I’m sorry to have dumped her on your doorstep. But I didn’t know where else to go, alright?”

It had been a quick, and tough decision. After Deanna’s collapse prior to Apocalypse, the Snow Queen had decided what every doctor had advised Deanna to do. To stop wrestling. To stop chasing The Enigma. And while she couldn’t, realistically, stop Deanna from fighting the man in some unsanctioned match already put in motion, she could begin the steps needed to slow Deanna down. She just needed a place to do it.

Her ex-wife’s hometown of Bedfast, Kentucky, had been the only option, specifically, the home of Deanna’s estranged sister, Ami. She had given Deanna one chance to make all of this right, under the guise of ‘keeping her safe from Engima until the unsanctioned match’. Once that had been done and things had gotten worse seemingly, Selena had acted…

“And she’s still pissed at me?”

“More than you can imagine…”

The voice did not come from Amelia or Isabella, but rather the woman standing at the top of the stairs down the way. Her arms were crossed over her chest and glaring daggers – emerald daggers – at Selena. Beside her stood another familiar face, the tall man having stayed in this house as well by order of Selena.

“Deanna…” Selena breathed, ignoring the warning signs and moving closer, even stepping up the stairs towards the redhead. “They had you calling at… and I heard-“

“Heard what?” Deanna asked, her tone guarded and not taking a step towards Selena. She seemed to be clutching something in her hands, but Selena could not quite make it out.

“Your call.” The platinum-blonde remarked. “To James and Alex. About the fire. The windows. Everyone heard it-”

“You heard that?!” Deanna asked, her eyes wide. “Wait… what do you mean ‘everyone heard it’?”

For a moment, Selena mentally cursed herself. She had not wanted to let that slip. “It was…” she tried to find the right words to explain it. “It was during Breakdown… it was live…”

“Oh my god…” Deanna’s hand reached out to take the wooden stair rail. “They must think I’m a nutbag!” she breathed. “Gods… They couldn’t believe me when the damn ring was exploding! Who’s going to believe me about this?!”

“Deanna…” Selena tried, only to be re-met with a dagger-glare.

“No.” she bit back. “I’m not talking to you.” She added. “Why are you even here?”
“What do you mean, ‘why am I here’?” Selena asked in disbelief. “I was worried! I thought something had happened to you!”

“Even if it had – I can take care of myself, remember?!” the redhead countered. “Not like you were any help in that building! You thought I was crazy too!”

“I… I didn’t think you were crazy-  I DON’T think you’re crazy-“

“Oh please!” Deanna spat back. “If you didn’t, you wouldn’t have done all of this!” she gestured towards the house she stood in. “Under lock and key? These visits from a therapist!”

“THAT’S on SCW! Not me!” Selena tried. “I told them to back off!”

“Why? So you can pick a doctor for me? Like Glasgen?!”

“There’s…” Selena tried. “There’s nothing wrong with seeing someone. I’m seeing her.”

“I…” the remark was enough for Deanna to be taken aback for a moment. “You are?”

Selena nodded. “I’m dealing with my own problems… but I’m trying.” She reached out a shaky hand. “I want things to be better for us.”

The hand was, immediately, swiped away as Deanna recovered, returning her cold glare towards Selena. “Long as it’s on your terms right? If I’m just ‘the perfect little redhead’ that you want, right?”

“Wha…no!” Selena tried. “I’m just scared, Deanna, okay? That’s why all of this happened. Because things are happening to you! You have to be able to see it! Your health? Your lack of sleep? Everyone wants to help you get better!”

“This coming from the addict?!”

There was no taking that back – even as emerald and sapphire eyes went wide. Even as the man standing next to Deanna winced and whispered “Low blow…” under his breath. Even as Isabella called out Deanna’s name, nothing could be done.

Silence saturated the space between all five people in the room, one so thick that no one dared to break it for several seconds. Slowly, Selena allowed herself to recover from the shock, turning her head down to take a deep breath before speaking. “You’re right.”

She let those words settle before looking back up towards Deanna, the redhead’s face a mixture of hurt, pain and – gods, Selena could see the loneliness louder than any other. It was something she had lived for over half of her life. “I’m not one to talk. I’m an addict. I’m the most hated person at work. I’m… I’m so many things.” She kept her eyes locked on Deanna.

“But I’m also the one that’s been further than you have. Someone that believed in something that I… I had no business believing in. But I had to – in order to survive. And I couldn’t see reality because the thought of being without that something – it would have broken me. I’m telling you, Deanna…” She tried to reach out again, trying to offer her hand to her beloved. “I lost myself to a child made of snow… if you keep chasing your phantom of smoke… you’ll end up somewhere you might not be able to get out of – where none of us can reach you…”

The redhead seemed to stare at the hand, seemingly forgetting about everyone around her but the woman that stood a few steps down from her. For several seconds, no one said anything and Deanna’s eyes did on stray from the pale hand before her.

“So…” she breathed, emerald eyes, once more, finding Selena’s. “You do think I’m crazy.” She gave one last glare at Selena before the next words came out. “Never imagined I’d actually miss Frankfurt…”

The shock and realization of her words hit Selena like a damn truck, but it was already too late. In that second, Deanna marched down the stairs, shoving past the platinum-blonde, past Amelia and Izzy, and marching out the open door, closing it behind her.

“Deanna!” Selena called out. “That’s not-“ but the door slamming shut silenced her, though her gaze stayed on the door.

“Well…” the man still standing at the top of the stairs remarked, moving down to stand at the same level as Selena. “I’m not an expert, but… if you were trying to get through to her… maybe don’t call her crazy next time.”

Selena’s head snapped back to the man. “That’s not what I meant, Eric, and you know it!”

The old friend of the Frost family winced. “Sort of sounded like you did.”
“No kidding.” Amiliah chimed in, earning a sad sigh and a nod from Isabella.
“I didn’t call her crazy!” Selena countered. “I just-“

“Actions speak louder than words, Selena.” Eric spoke up, the man shaking his head. “I mean… what did you think was going to happen? You dumped Deanna in the one place she never wanted to return because of the pain it brings her-“ his gaze shot back to the Springs-wives. “No offense.”

“None taken.” Amelia shrugged in understanding, Izzy offering a similar understanding with her smile, allowing the boy to continue.

“And then, insult to injury, you took away her phone, her credit cards… every chance she has to leave this place. You basically imprisoned her in the last place she’d rather be! What did you THINK she was going to feel?! Like it was some kind of damn vacation?”

“I…” Selena tried to explain. “What else would I have done?!” she turned her gaze to Amelia and Izzy. “What would you have done? Or have me do?! She wasn’t going to stop hunting for this guy! Exploding rings?! Burning buildings?! She was LITERALLY killing herself over this!” she found her way back to Eric again. “What would you have me do?”

“Well, I don’t know, but I know that taking her away from her home and children was NOT the way to go!”

“And what if Enigma HAD come for my children, Eric? What then? Or are is everyone here going to forget that they are MY children to? What if he had gone after them to get to Deanna?” Selena countered. “What if keeping her hidden also protected them? Ever think about that? Or the fact that, despite the divorce, I still love Deanna more than anyone in this room!”

“You think Deanna hasn’t thought about that?” Eric countered with a shrug. “Pretty sure she’d have at least given you some benefit of the doubt if that even made the least bit of sense. But it doesn’t.” he shrugged again. “You took matters into your own hands, Selena. And this time… she’s not even married to you. You’ve got no claim over her and you’re still trying to control her.”

“I…” Selena felt her jaw shake, words failing her as she gazed down the man. “That’s not what marriage is…”

“No, it isn’t.” Amelia chimed in. “But you can’t even hide behind it now. You can’t just say that you’re ‘protecting your wife’ because she’s not your wife. You’re just a woman obsessively trying to control a woman you still have feelings for – and causing more problems for her and the rest of us in the process.”

The platinum-blonde did not move as she heard these words, instead focusing her attention on the carpeted-flooring that covered the stairs she stood on.

Control. It all came down to control. Everything she was involved had to have her in control. SCW? The rematch clause – hell, Mason had hit the nail on the head (though Selena had already admitted to it long before then). The Trios contract hadn’t been needed by the Snow Queen, but she still wanted it because of the control it offered. Her own life? Everything she did screamed control. Living in a castle penthouse above some of the clouds of NYC? Control. This whole thing? Protect Deanna by, basically, putting her in a prison? Control.

And why? Because of some fear of lack of control? Because of some nightmares? Because of some part of her past where she had no control and had been at the mercy of those stronger than her? Rebelling only in certain moments where she could and surrendering every other time?

Even in this whole “Wild, Wild West” thing in SCW, while Josh Hudson was doing everything but that while Selena was living it, she was STILL trying to control everything. Inserting herself into the main-event – not that she planned to stop that – Interfering in matches time and time again to screw with Mason and mess with Hudson. Waring with Knight and Asher-Marshall and the old prick, Alex?

It all came back to control. Her trying to control the things that were beyond her control. Even when she really didn’t deserve any control in the first place – such as with Deanna.

It took awhile for a sigh to escape her, the Snow Queen shaking her head. “You guys think I’m this out-of-control monster, don’t you?”

“No.” Isabella answered for everyone. “You and Deanna are both troubled and… we think SCW is the cause of it all.”

Slowly, with a dawning realization, Selena turned her attention from Eric, to Amelia, to Izzy, then back to Eric. “You’ve been talking a lot?”

“Well… you basically jailed me here to.” Eric shrugged. “Had to talk to someone during their ‘date night’.” He tried to joked, only receiving a roll of the eyes from both Springs-women. “And I can’t believe I’m saying this because it would, effectively, cost me my job, but… I agree. SCW’s the issue.” He eyed Selena. “You could just leave.”

Selena sighed. It was not something she hadn’t heard before. In fact, Deanna had begged her to before everything with The Enigma had come to a head, while she was still the World Champion. And then, Selena had begged the same of Deanna during everything with the aforementioned masked man. To just walk away and leave everything behind.

She hadn’t when Deanna asked.
Deanna hadn’t when she had asked.
And now…

“I can’t.” Selena sighed. “I’m too far gone.” She smiled. “Both Deanna and I are. Even if I quit and somehow manage to take her with me, she’ll still be searching for The Enigma. I know a thing or two about haunting ghosts.” She looked away for a second, almost sure she spotted something out of the corner of her mind’s eye but, knowing the truth, ignoring it. “She’s not going to stop until she either comes to terms with her own obsession like I did… or she really does destroy The Enigma.”

“And what about you?” Amelia dared, eyeing the Snow Queen. “When do you stop?”

A sad smile crossed Selena’s lips. “Unfortunately, when it comes to a ‘phantom of smoke’ to destroy… I don’t have one.” She turned her attention towards Amelia. “I am one.” She gave a shrug. “Which means the only way out for me…” She let the last part hang in the air through silence, at least for a second.

“Is for someone to destroy you?” Eric guessed.
“Oh good lord.” Amelia scoffed. “How melodramatic can you get?”
“Selena…” Izzy tried, the gentler Springs approaching her. “There can be another way.”

“I know.” Selena replied with a smile. “But after all I’ve done? I don’t… I don’t think I deserve an easier or ‘kinder’ way.” She tilted her head, allowing the exhaustion to show in her eyes. “I knew what I was doing when I did all of this. I knew I couldn’t be the Blue-Eyed Devil AND be Deanna’s wife, yet I still tried to protect her and be both in my own way. And I KNEW that what I was doing was right and wrong at the same time – especially in SCW – and I still did it. Now? Now I can’t go back. I have to see it through and… I lost Deanna… which I deserve. I…” she breathed. “I deserve an ending where I get what’s coming to me. At some point…”

Maybe the chamber… her mind mused. It actually seemed like a fortunate happenstance. Between Mason wanting revenge up and down, James Evans wanting to ‘re-establish’ himself, Brittany Lohan being the ‘always loving destruction’ woman that she was, Raynes being… well, Raynes… and Polly still so desperate to break the glass ceiling, there was no shortage of people that would love to be the one that ‘pulled the trigger’ on Selena Frost. The prestige of that alone would make, or skyrocket, a career. Hell, Hudson was STILL riding his “I broke Xander’s streak” and that was like twenty years ago or something.

In that moment, she could feel the ‘phantom pains’ of the scar on her back, as if they were burning because she had thought of them. Some of those scars she had received in the numerous chamber matches she had been in throughout her ten-plus years in SCW. Elimination Chamber, Roofed Chamber, Cage match, Tactical Warfare, Selena had, essentially, been in almost all of them, some more than once. The structure was brutal and unforgiving, regardless of which incarnation it took on. Yes, if anyone was going to stop her and destroy her… it would be within that structure.

All while Josh Hudson shakes hands and gives smiles… her devil-mind whispered darkly, the irony not lost on the platinum-blonde.

“Anyway…” Selena sighed, turning her attention towards Amelia. “You’re sure the windows and the fire was just kids?”

The cop nodded. “Chief’s already got some suspects he’s looking into.”

Looking beyond her, Selena saw the boarded windows once more, giving a nod of her head. “Then… I guess I’ll go.” She sighed. “Can you…” she turned her head towards Eric. “Do you mind just keeping her here just so we can be sure? I mean… in case he DOES show up, you know?”

“Yeah, I get it.” Eric nodded. “You going to talk to her?”

Selena paused, considering it for a minute before slowly shaking her head. “I doubt she’ll really listen to me at this point. Not like I’ve earned that right any way.” Slowly, she made her way down the stairs. “Least I can do is leave her be so she doesn’t have to look at me and…”

Her voice trailed off as she spied the small table by the door, where she had left her purse… or rather, where her purse HAD been placed…

Eyes going wide, Selena quickly marched down the steps, ignoring her name being called as she reached the table, looking around it and behind it. “Did…” her voice began to make the sound but her brain was faster. No one had moved – come and gone – out of this room since she had stepped into it… except for one person…

Immediately throwing the door open, Selena gazed into the outside once again, her eyes immediately finding her purse on the porch, on its side. Only a few items had spilled out of it like her shades and some papers…

But as she gathered them up, she knew – without having to check, though she did anyway – she knew two things were missing.

Her wallet and her cellphone.

“Dammit! Dammit!” She growled out before shouting. “Deanna?! DEANNA?!”

It was enough to pull out the others, both Springs and Eric coming out to join her on the porch.

“What are you-“ Amelia started before a cold glare from Selena silenced her.

“She played me!” Selena growled. “She saw the purse on the tabletop and did that WHOLE spiel just to get herself down there so she could swipe my purse!”

“But then why-“ Eric started, eyeing the purse very clearly in Selena’s hands.

“Because the wallet and the phone, Eric!” Selena sighed in irritation. “Of course…” she added with a curse. Eric had said it himself! Selena had taken away Deanna’s means of leaving Kentucky. No money and no means of contact. She had been strict in that ruling to Eric, Ami, and Izzy! And here she was leaving BOTH lying around in plain sight of Deanna – like water to a parched dessert-dweller. OF COURSE SHE WAS GOING TO STEAL THEM!

“She’s gone…” Selena breathed, turning back to the others with a look of sad certainty. “Deanna… is gone.”

_______________________________________________________________

The Royal Letter

The camera opens up to a decorated office space, complete with a shelf of books behind a throne chair. Within that throne chair sits Selena Frost, but not the one SCW seems to know. Rather, this one wears blue jeans and a maroon t-shirt, very casual attire, and while her demeanor is usually that of ‘The Blue-Eyed Devil’, that does not seem to be the case here as she calmly breaths, offering a soft smile to the letter’s sole recipient.

Polly… she breathes slowly. I know you’re probably used to these after Trios, but I wanted you to understand something before all of… this… begins. Because I’m not going to talk too much about you by the time I reach Under Attack. And it’s not because I don’t respect you – it’s actually the opposite. I’m sending this to you… and only you… because I do respect you, and I need you to understand the reality of where the hell you’re headed.

Because you’re being an idiot.

Biting her lower lip, Selena shakes her head. Do you honestly think I’m not upset about Trios, Polly? Yeah, maybe I didn’t need the contract like you did, but THAT’S the reason why I’m upset. Because you DID need it! For gods’ sake, Polly, I’ve had to watch you time and time again get so close to breaking that glass ceiling! With me, with Hudson, with RTG, and then with Trios. I mean, geez, Polly, did you ever wonder why the hell I was pushing your buttons in the Trios buildup in the first place?

Selena shakes her head. I wanted you to THINK! I mean REALLY think! WHY you’re not where you want to be? HOW you’re not where you want to be! What are you good at, what do you suck at. What do you know? What don’t you know – and then I wanted you to come to terms with it. Not for me, not for Hudson, sure as hell not for Alex Desbourais and Lucas Knight but because YOU could understand it!

Because at the end of the day, Polly, you don’t have to answer to any of those people! Not Colleen, not Marissa, not Raynes, not Mason, not Alex and the others, not the fans, and not even to me! The only person you need to answer to at the end of every match and every show is YOU! That’s what I wanted you to realize! And I’m sorry that Trios couldn’t do that! I wish I had seen it coming but I didn’t! I didn’t realize how desperate Blake Mason was to get a world title shot. I didn’t realize how little he cared about the tournament and how little CHBK would care that his first Trios Tournament was so tainted and devoid of integrity.

Selena shakes her head. But I can’t stand by and watch you make an ass out of yourself because of it.

I mean, how many times have you tried to ‘get even’ with everyone, Polly? You went after Mason, how’d that go? He seemed fine after your little tantrum. Didn’t even mention you last week, did he?  – and let’s not forget you got levelled by Raynes. Then, you tried again last Breakdown. How did that go? I watched it, remember? You got blasted by Mason.

And you want to know the reason I didn’t run down there to save you, Polly? It wasn’t that I couldn’t or I was afraid of getting beat up. Are you kidding? I’ve fought a damn Executioner. You think I’m afraid of Mason and Rayes? Assuming I’d have you by my side doing it in that moment? Ha!

Selena releases a short laugh before readopting her serious expression. Polly, I didn’t run down there because, again, you needed to see something. Every attempt you’ve had to ‘gain revenge’ has failed to get you what you want – getting you nowhere at the best of times and getting you blasted and knocked out at the worst of times. Because you’re running around like a damn chicken with your head cut off! You’re not thinking! You’re not being smart! You’re just being angry. And do you honestly think that’s going to get you anywhere inside the chamber?

Think about it it!

Her voice echoes a little at that command. REALLY think about it! Mason has aligned himself with Lohan AND Raynes – them teaming up against you should be proof of that! That’s THREE people working against you! Evans has The Fall of Man watching from gods know where! And you’re just running in, screaming and swinging at whatever moves!

Now… she sits back in her chair. Look at me.

I’ve humiliated Mason, despite his numbers and hired goons, week after week. I took his world title – a title he was seconds away from getting. I humiliated him by brutalizing him with a chair. He has not had one moment – one single thing – to be proud of since he meddled in MY business. I have made him regret making that deal with Heaven Jr. and taking Trios from us… because I was smart! I took my time and planned my shots! I waited until the time was right to strike! When it mattered most. I was humble enough to know that I couldn’t do what you are trying to do and just lose it like that! To the point where he was cursing ME at Breakdown, swearing up and down to get even – THAT is true revenge!

You need to be smarter, Polly! Because if you think that your way is going to ‘make it through’ the chamber, then you’re not going to get past the first half! Think about it! Mason wants the world title and has half the combatants on his payroll. Evans will do ANYTHING and say ANYTHING to fuck with your head, or should we ignore how he did that to the Underground division for so many months last time he was here?

You and I? We don’t have a stable or hired goons to help us out, Polly. Your girls won’t be there and I… she pauses for a moment, as if a knowing fact dances across her vision – a sad, heartbreaking reality – before she looks back into the camera and offers a knowing smile. I’m alone.

But you, Raynes, Mason, Evans, maybe even Lohan – you think simply winning the chamber will net you the promised land. Polly, that isn’t true. What good is winning if you’re destroyed? There’s no contendership in this match! There’s no title on the line! Sure, it can push you, but what happens when Mason decides to meddle again, this time post-match? Or James decides to hold true to his ‘die with me’ BS? Cause I know men like that, Polly. I KNOW men like that!

If they can’t beat you… they’ll eliminate you. Why else do you think Heaven Jr. needed Mason? Why else did Mason hire Raynes to take you out?

They know they can’t beat us! Mason KNOWS he can’t beat us! So he wants us out of the way. That’s what the chamber will be – his way of getting rid of us… if we let him…

Leaning forward, Selena’s sapphire eyes glare into the camera. I’m not going to offer you something I can’t deliver, Polly. I WANT to be the one to win the chamber and I WANT to be the one that throws it back in everyone else’s face – except yours. I won’t lie to you and tell you otherwise. The hand I offer you now will, inevitably, pull you in and lock you into the Devil’s Gate or smack you hard enough to set you up for the Glass Shard. I won’t pretend it won’t. But neither will I fault you for doing the same to me when it’s the right time to. When it’s just us in the chamber.

That is what I am proposing, Polly.

She smiles knowingly. Because the chamber isn’t just about winning, Polly. Like I said, what’s the point in being a ‘winner’ if you’re taken out for months or longer? You’ve seen the scars on my back. You know what the chamber can do.

No, it’s not enough to simply win, Polly. We - you and me? We need to survive. You to break that glass ceiling and me to use my rematch clause to regain the world title and expose this sham of a “Wild, Wild West” champion. We need to survive the chamber in order to do what we need to do. And if all you’re going to do is run around, flailing your arms and fists and attacking anything that moves… you’re not going to survive.

Once again, Selena sits back in her chair. So, you can either do like you’ve done… or you can do like me.

Think about what we did together, Polly. Together… we had Xander F’N Valentine trembling in his boots! We became the RIGHTFUL winners of the Trios contracts – the ones that deserved them. Now, think about what we can do if we work together in the chamber against the team of Mason, Raynes, Lohan and the wildcard of James in that mix. Think about what we could accomplish! Think about what your name will mean if you pin a former world champion in Evans with my help. If you enact your revenge by pinning Mason with my help. If you defeat an icon like Brittany Lohan and so forth…

And, on top of all of that, you survive the chamber, whether you win or lose, you walk out – with them… the SCW Universe, cheering you for overcoming so many and surviving past so many. Isn’t THAT better than simply ‘beating the hell’ out of Mason because he screwed us out of the finals? Better than beating the hell out of Raynes just because he has no morals and attacked you over a ‘deal’? Why simply beat them when you can stand above them with me in the world title rankings, ensuring that all their dreams of ‘being world champion’ shall have to stay behind YOU?

Selena tilts her head. Polly, I want you to think about this. REALLY think. I am offering you a chance to survive as far into the chamber as we can go – to the point where, no matter how much they promise to ‘kill us’ or ‘injure us’ or ‘end the influence’ we have in SCW ‘once and for all’ so they can ‘save SCW’ – you will know that they will fail. You will know that you are safe. Because until it is just us… I will have your back, like I did in Trios. I will ensure you CAN survive this chamber. Because you deserve to. You deserve to break the glass ceiling. Not Lohan, not Raynes and sure as hell not Evans or Mason, but YOU, Polly!

And when it is only you and left in the chamber? Selena offers a kind smile. After our survival is guaranteed… I will offer you a REAL chance to break that glass ceiling. One that NO ONE will be able to refute. Or…

Selena offers one last shrug. You can turn this down and just be forgotten in the chamber once again… just like last time… with a Frost eliminating you…

Really, it is up to you, Polly. Whether you want to believe it… or not…

The Snow Queen offers a tilt of her head. Think about it… before the shot fades entirely to black.

[BME]

Blake Mason Chronicles BOOK 1 CHAPTER 4

[Serenity]

Good Faith?

[BME]

Blake Mason Chronicals, Book 1 Chapter 5

[Jay Gold]

Season 5 / Episode 42 / Fight For The Future (Part 3 - Watching Her Step)

[James Evans]

The Provider: Chapter Two:The Ties That Bind

[SnowQueenSCW]

OOC: Plays off Selena’s last Breakdown roleplay and the events of last Breakdown as well. Royal Letter is for the sole recipient and is considered private/off-camera. Posted in two parts due to length.

Villain of the Year

”Semblance of Normalcy”

Dr. Glasgen’s Office
New York City, New York
November 1st, 2024
11:39am EST


“And… that was the last I saw her…”

Selena sighed as she stood by the window, gazing out the window into the still gray, crisp outside of New York City. Her pale hand rested against the glass, drawing the coolness of it into her fingertips. She had just unloaded the only burden in her life that was bigger than the damned, upcoming Chamber Match this coming weekend. The one thing that was on her mind more than Blake Mason wanting “revenge” (hypocritical as THAT was), James Evans wanting attention (unoriginal as THAT was), Raynes wanting a shortcut to the world title (obvious as THAT was), and Brittany Lohan wanting a fatter paycheck (sad as THAT was).

You forgot Polly…

For a moment, Selena let her mind focus on the small blonde. The woman had been a presence in the lives of the ‘Frost family’ for far longer than Selena had, originally, recalled. From the tag-team days of The House of Frost against the Playgirls, to Polly’s wars with Deanna over the United States Championship, all the way forward to Polly moving to Selena for their own clashes, the former ‘Polly Playtime’ wishing to ‘evolve’ to the next level where Selena thrived. It was beyond clear that ‘breaking that glass ceiling’ was Polly’s goal, and yet, Selena couldn’t slander it like the others.

It was actually noble and, unlike the others mentioned, Polly had actually worked for it. What had Mason done? Come back after years away and already started making ‘deals’ to screw over people just so he could get ahead? What had James done? Come back after how many ‘little runs’ like Hudson and Allocco and immediately start using teaming up with Fall of Man because he lacked the courage to do anything himself? What had Raynes done? Come back at Rise and get ‘close’ to winning Trios?

Now of those things had applied to Polly. She had stayed in SCW all year, like Selena, and had fought her heart out to try and get ahead sans shortcut. It was… admirable, which was an odd feeling to Selena considering who it surrounded and the differences they had in one another since the beginning. Still, she had meant what she said in the private Royal Letter she had sent to Polly a few days ago – a sort of ‘break’ from the Snow Queen’s search for Deanna. Polly was skilled but unfocused. She was too driven by her emotions and not by her wits.

But still… Selena needed her. The platinum-blonde could admit that. Especially in the chamber. It was bad enough the ‘odds of order’ given the structure. What if she or Polly started the match with James or Mason and then Brittany or Raynes came out? They could lose their only potential ‘ally’ within the first moment of the match, leaving the other wide open for a massive assault. And while Selena doubted Mason or Evans had the power to put her away THAT quickly – given her wars with opponents like The Brand and Xander Valentine – Polly, she was not so sure about. Mason and Raynes, in particular, had gotten their fair share of ‘jumps’ on the young Polly throughout the weeks, while Selena had played her games and taken her ‘shots’ on Mason week in and week out.

This particular element of the chamber – its order – required a sense of ‘luck’ and ‘hope’ on her end, which only frustrated the Snow Queen. If she WAS put into the match before Polly, she could only endure and hope either Evans’/Mason’s ego kept the two distracted enough in one another – Mason with his desire to ‘unmake’ his loss to Evans last Breakdown and James’ clear ‘insecurity’ of being ignored or dismissed by his opponents - or she could hold her own against whoever was there until Polly could come out or… pray to Odin that Polly could do the same on her own until Selena could join in the match…

I’m going to have to protect her if we do make it to that…

The thought was not shocking, nor was it as disgusting as one would have thought from Selena. She had done it, in a sense, during the Trios Tournament, looking out for Polly and pushing her buttons to get the woman to embrace the reality of SCW. Yes, it was risky now with the chamber – the Snow Queen leaving herself open to get attacked due to a ‘dropped guard’ like she had last Breakdown, turning her back on Evans to assault Mason with a chair, but, even so, It just… made the most amount of sense. In much the same way as Selena had done her best to support and cultivate Light in the Darkness into the tag-team they were now, lending her support and help to her friends years ago and onward, Selena found herself WANTING Polly Pignotti to succeed in the chamber. She wanted to see Polly snatch a moment for herself, pinning someone like James Evans or Blake Mason! That alone was more than enough to push Polly forward and if Selena could ‘set that up’ like she had in the Trios quarter and semis, so be it. She didn’t need to be the one pinning either man, or any combatant for that matter, to get what she wanted. But Polly? The platinum-blonde was more than happy to guide her to such moments to push the woman’s career - even if the Polly couldn’t win the chamber match itself.

Sadly, Selena could not budge in that. Losing another ‘big match’ after RTG AND Trios – even if she hadn’t been pinned or lost much credibility in the latter – was not acceptable. Yes, while she had prevailed in all her Breakdown matches, defeating Scott Reed and two different three-person teams with Trios, she refused to go ANOTHER pay-per-view on the losing side. The ‘rematch contract’ she kept in her hands kept her on the minds of the entire world title division, that was true, but it wasn’t enough. She wanted that contract to be a hanging dagger over all their heads, not a lifeline to her. She wanted her abilities, her skills, her VICTORIES to be the main reason she was on the tip of everyone’s tongue when it came to the world champion. She wanted the images of her standing defiant and victorious to be what people thought of – to the point where her ‘place’ as the ‘next world champion’ was not a matter of ‘if’, but ‘when’. In that, she could not just ‘give’ Polly the chamber match, even if it could break the glass ceiling and do wonders for the girl’s career. It would be too much of a hit on Selena’s, which was something the Snow Queen would not tolerate after how far she had come and how much she had sacrificed to get here. So, while she would protect Polly as long as she could… eventually, she would turn on the girl to win… she had promised as much to her out of respect.

Protect and respect… such an odd thing…

Her devil-mind mocked her playfully. Not that these things were foreign to the platinum-blonde, but the idea that she would associate them with anyone within SCW besides Deanna and Light in the Darkness? No one would expect that from the Blue-Eyed Devil. Still, it was her gameplan going into Under Attack. Together, her and Polly stood a chance in making it through as the final two of the chamber. Apart? Selena still had a chance, but it was greatly reduced, especially with her being the target of Mason and Evans.

Evans, Selena had to admit, was the wildcard. He had caught her from behind the same way Mason had during the Trios finals – same way Alistaire had caught Selena years ago in her first singles chamber match at the very same event! She had made it to the final two but had been so consumed on taking out Ace Marshall that she had dropped her guard around Alistaire, the young boy catching her with a cheap shot and laying her out enough to eliminate her and steal the win.

And that boy was far nobler than Evans could ever be! she reminded herself. James was… desperate, methodical, conniving and had she said desperate? Gods, she wanted him gone and out of the match fast, or at least put into a position where she could focus all her attention on him without the fear of being blasted from behind by Mason! She couldn’t drop her guard around either of them, or Raynes for that matter, as both men had proven that they could take her out the second she did!

That’s why the whole thing was such a shitshow. Not only did she have to keep one eye on Mason, one eye on Evans, and keep her head on a swivel for Raynes and Lohan, but she had to also focus on Polly in order to protect till the final two!

Yes, like you ‘protected’ Deanna?

The crashing wave hit – once again the more important thing to Selena knocking all thoughts of the chamber away, reminding the Snow Queen why she was here in the first place. Time seemed to resume its normal pace from her last words as her ears picked up the alarmed tone in Dr. Glasgen’s voice.

“Have you called the police?”

Selena couldn’t help but chuckle at the question – though she appreciated the concern more than she could say. “And alert SCW and everyone that wants both Deanna and I dead that she’s out there? Unprotected? Alone?” Selena sighed, taking her hand off the cool glass to place her fingertips on her forehead and left eye-socket, temporarily relieved by the coldness they had picked up.

“It can’t be that bad…” Glasgen tried, causing Selena to turn her head and give a bitter laugh.

“One of my future opponents – scratch that – TWO of my future opponents have threatened me. One with death…” Focus on him… DIE from me! “…and the other has threatened to be responsible for the ending of my career.” I will be coming for you and I will make sure that it is the singular mistake that will define your decline in this sport!. The threats rattled around in Selena’s mind, combined with Deanna’s words from last week. Never imagined I’d actually miss Frankfurt... Still, she focused on the present and her conversation with the doctor.

“Both men have proven the desire to take… any method… necessary to get ahead at work. Lying, cheating, assaulting family, mind games… This… if I were to make it known that Deanna was missing… it would only invite them to do something about it. And if they found her first…” She didn’t bother to sugar-coat it. “They’d have me right in the palm of their hands. Could make me do anything, give up anything.”

My home.
My resources.
My rematch contract…

It was terrifying but no less true when Selena spoke it aloud. If someone like Mason or Evans found Deanna – in the redhead’s fragile state – Selena would fold and break in seconds. No… she had to keep quiet, handle this as quietly as she could.

“What about tracing the phone? Or the credit card?”

Again, Selena had to admire the woman’s desire to help, but she could only give a small shake of her head. “Deanna’s too smart.” She admitted, part proud of the redhead and part frustrated by her. “The credit card was used in a nearby ATM and never again. The phone’s only been used once or twice. Once in Kentucky and once here, in New York… specifically Manhattan. Otherwise, she must have removed the battery so it couldn’t ping off the towers.”

“Wait… you said Manhattan…”

Selena nodded. “It wasn’t hard to figure that part out.” Selena sighed. “She beat me back to here to see the kids. Probably while I was searching Kentucky for her. Beeline to an airport, hop on a plane with the money she took from the ATM – the kids filled in a few of the blanks.” She admitted. She had returned home a few days ago, stressed, depressed and scared for Deanna when her children had told her that the redhead had been home, though it had been only a short visit, the woman stopping to check on her children, give them her love, ‘grab some things’ as the kids had put it, and then disappear again.

“Now…” Selena shrugged. “I don’t know where she could be. With the amount she took out, she won’t be using the credit card any time soon. And who knows when she’ll use the phone again. Work won’t let her back in in her state.”

Again, much with the Chamber, all Selena could do was wait and hope. Hope that something came to her or something came up that lead her down the right path. And she hated that – her need for control flaring and craving… something! But bashing something with a chair wouldn’t solve anything now. Superkicking someone’s head wouldn’t solve anything and there was not a move Selena could make that she could think of that would tip any of the scales in her favor in either Deanna or SCW!

She was at the mercy of good fortune, perhaps for the first time this year… and it only further unnerved her.

“What are you feeling?” Glasgen’s voice rang out, causing Selena to return her attention back to the doctor, the question startling her a little.

“Feeling?” Selena asked with a tilt of her head. “How- I mean… what am I supposed to feel?” she asked in disbelief. “The woman I love is out there – gods know where – I’m terrified someone horrible will find her before I do. I’m scared to death that one of my opponents will do that or, gods forbid, that madman Enigma. I’m scared for Polly – a girl I’ve actually come to respect and like – not ‘like like’ but…”

“I know what you mean.” Glasgen held out her hand to steady the anxious Selena, prompting the former world champion to continue.

“I’m scared for Polly – she’s so young and naïve and she’s going to get hurt! I know she’s been in a chamber before, but not against people like that… like Mason and Evans, you know?”

“No… I don’t really know them.”

“Those are the two I mentioned earlier. I can’t show that I have much care for Polly publicly-“ One of the REAL reasons I couldn’t run down and save her from the beatdown she took from Mason and Raynes… “That puts her in greater danger. I feel like I have no control in anything right now… and I hate it so much!”

Finally, the pacing woman flopped back down onto the couch, letting her body hit the back cushions harshly. “I know…” she breathed. “I know I’m obsessed with control. I know that, but…” she looked up at the dark-haired woman, sapphire eyes pleading. “Can you please give me any idea what to do to fix this? We can deal with my control issues later, but please… tell me how to fix this here and now.”

The initial answer was a long inhale and exhale by the doctor, the composed woman studying Selena and, clearly, wanting to focus on Selena’s control issues rather than a missing person concept. Looking away, Glasgen visibly seemed to contemplate several thoughts, Selena watching them race before the doctor’s eyes, before the therapist turned her attention back to Selena.

“Have you contacted any friends?” she finally asked. “Yes, she has money, but accommodations for a whole week would be tough with only one use of an ATM… perhaps she’s staying a friend’s place?”

For a moment, Selena wracked her brain – the notion wasn’t much but she, honestly, hadn’t thought about that. She, herself, was as popular as a skunk in SCW, and everyone, basically, thought Deanna was crazy. Still, the doctor’s words made sense. The few hundred (close to a grand) Deanna had taken from the ATM could buy her accommodations, true enough, but it would be tight given travelling and such…

Even so… there weren’t many people that Deanna could talk to that wouldn’t contact Selena the moment she did. No one in the Black Arrow neighbourhood, none of their friends in Nome, and none in SCW, well, except for Amelia and Luz, but only if the redhead begged and pleaded with them.

And there was no way Deanna was going to burden them now with their-

Selena’s eyes went wide, as if the realization had struck her like a damned bolt of lightning. Her frame shook, her jaw trembled, and her mind mentally cursed her like never before at her own stupidity. How could she not have thought of it sooner?!

“I…” her voice shook as she shot a glance at the other woman. “I know where she is…” she voiced the realization out loud, her eyes flying to the clock on the wall to read the time. “I… I have to go…”

She was up before Glasgen could register her words. “I’m sorry!” she quickly spoke. “Charge me for the full time… I’ll… I’ll call to arrange another session.” She added, not knowing what condition she’d be in after this coming weekend. Last time, she had needed a week off to recover from the chamber. This time? She highly doubted she’d be walking out with just a few scratches…

“Uh… yes, okay.” Glasgen nodded. “Are you alright?”

“Yes.” Selena nodded quickly, rushing around the room to gather her things where she had left them. Her purse, her backup phone, her keys- she was out the door with a quick ‘goodbye’ before she needed to explain further, instead rushing to get into her car. In her high-emotional state, she fumbled to get her keys in the ignition with one hand while her other hand had similar difficulty unlocking her phone and dialing the proper number. Even so, she held the phone to her ear as she started the car. Only three dials were necessary before the call was picked up.

“Yeah?” came the familiar voice.
“Ra!” Selena burst out. “I know where she is! I need you to get to my plane and get it ready as fast as you can!”

She was expecting some whining or complaining from her aide – the demand she was going to make even more than Selena, herself, wanted to ask. But she had no choice.

“An hour, okay?”

Selena’s eyes went wide at the question. No rebuff, no complaint – in fact, the serious tone in Ra’s voice almost matched hers.

“More than okay!” Selena nodded. “And bring your passport, okay?”
“Anything else?”
“Yes.” Sighed Selena. “And you can name your bonus for all of this, but there is one more thing.” She took a deep breath. “Stop by my place and let yourself in. You know where all my things are.”

“What am I grabbing?” The Egyptian asked and Selena could hear the start of the car on the other line – Ra was already on the move.
“The one on the chair in the sitting room.” Selena stated. “Red and black.” She added for specifics.
“Wait…” Ra asked. “The one for the-“

“That’s the one.” Selena nodded as she pulled out of the parking lot with one hand, speeding out of the space and onto the roads without giving a damn. “And that’s where we’re going…”


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

Tulancingo, Mexico
November 1st, 2024
Day of the Dead
7:03pm CST

“Thank you!” she said again for the umpteenth time as the taxi pulled into the parking lot space of the church. She had left Ra at the private airport to watch her plane, though she did owe the woman not only a bonus but an additional request.

“Get me an authentic Mexican taco!”

Selena rolled her eyes at that but, as she gazed across the street to the cemetery, where she had been told the reception was going to take place following the ceremony, she knew she could fulfill that request simply enough. She had told Ra to pick her up in a few hours, closer to 11pm-

Her nerves suddenly fired as she spied the numerous cars in the parking lot… and nobody near them. They were all inside… and it was late…

Please be here… and please don’t tell me I’m late… she mentally begged to anyone that could ‘hear’ her prayer, she was rushing towards a church, after all, which was rather difficult given the uneven ground of the parking lot and that she was wearing black heels. Not high, obnoxious ones, but enough to make walking on the dirt and bumpy ground a bit of a challenge, a funny thing considered she was a woman that could leap and bounce off ring-ropes with ease!

How she managed to get to the front door of the church, she had no idea, but reaching out to take the black-iron handle into her hand, she hesitated only for a moment in order to breathe and calm her racing heart. Conceal… her mind whispered. Don’t feel… put on a show… make one wrong move and everyone will know…

She hadn’t meant to think the whole thing out in her head but it helped calm her, allowing her to adopt a smaller version of The Blue-Eyed Devil, though she refused to let that entirely surface. She was not here as a villain or someone hated in SCW. She was here, primarily (selfish as it was), to hopefully find Deanna and, also, to support her friends.

With that in mind, and the fear that if she waited any longer, she would, most assuredly, make a scene during the ceremony, the Snow Queen pulled the door open quietly, poking her head in slowly to gaze in… where there were several people standing around, talking and conversing. Some were seated in their proper places and some were making their way to their seats… but nothing had started yet!

She wasn’t late!

With a sigh of relief, Selena quietly slipped into the church with barely anyone noticing her doing so. Standing at the door to allow herself to further calm, the former world champion took the time to smooth out her dress with her hands. She knew very little of “The Day of the Dead” – and certainly not enough to call it by it’s proper Spanish name – but she had done her research in the weeks before Deanna’s little runaway. Changing during the flight from New York City, she wore a form fitting black dress, the right side of which was covered with red floral designs that went from the shoulder down to the long skirt that ended just above Selena’s feet. A dark red, sarong wrap was tied around her hips, covering the top of her right leg just above the knee, completing the ensemble. Her hair was tied up in its iconic braid, but she had been sure to tie in some faux-flowers that matched those on her dress. She had opted not to cover her face with masque-makeup, not wanting to be culturally inappropriate or – more accurately – get it wrong and piss someone off.

Another deep breath and she was able to move, her eyes scanning the room and every person she could see. She was looking for red hair – red hair that only she could recognize. In fact, she was so desperate in her search that she barely acknowledged the usher that greeted her, giving her name without thinking – as if that part of her brain was on autopilot, as was the part that allowed her to follow the young man as he lead her through the crowd and towards the front where the ceremony would take place. A row back from that, or was it two? Selena couldn’t be certain, she didn’t have time to take in all the details as she scouted every face and head she saw, trying find anything familiar! Red hair, emerald eyes - Not green enough… fake red color… no! No! No!

Her mind rebelled while her body acted on its own, following the usher until she had reached the seat he gestured to, the platinum-blonde giving a distant ‘thanks’ as she sat down, though even as he left the former world champion, she was still scanning the entire room, so many people she hadn’t ‘checked yet’ - damn Amelia and Luz are popular!.

But after a few more minutes and ‘scans of the room’, Selena felt the hopelessness hit her harshly. Maybe she was wrong… maybe Deanna wasn’t here. She thought… she thought she still knew the redhead enough to do this – to believe her ex-wife would be here. It had seemed like right answer! Deanna cared about Amelia and Luz as much as Selena did, perhaps more! Selena had been prepared to miss today, given Deanna’s actions, and give her heartfelt apologies to the soon-to-be-married couple… she could not imagine Deanna being able to do the same. In fact, she couldn’t imagine Deanna missing tonight for the world, unlike Selena (despite the Snow Queen not wanting to miss it). And yet… no sign of the redhead anywhere.

Now what? she asked, releasing a shaky sigh as she lowered her head into her hands. She was back to square one, with no idea where her beloved was. No idea if she was safe, or healthy, or having a mental breakdown, or anything! And where was Selena? In Mexico! Even if Deanna was in trouble, Selena couldn’t get to her. In a matter of days, she would be too weak and hurt to do anything anyway!

She was useless… utterly and completely useless…

No wonder she divorced me…

She didn’t want to make a scene on such a special day, but she could not help the tremors that shook her frame slightly. Why were things like this? Why, whenever she wanted to do something good and right – to do the RIGHT thing – it always blew up in her face? She wanted to protect Deanna? Deanna ran away. She wanted to hold Mason accountable for his actions at Trios – the fans wanted to see him destroy her! She wanted to be the reality check to James Evans’ continued ‘invasions’ and copycat sayings of ‘saving SCW’ or whatever crap he chose in that moment to spew out. Fans cheered when he dropped her to the ground. She wanted to protect Polly and help her reach the next level like she had Light in the Darkness. Okay… that hadn’t gone so badly, but only because few people really knew about it. Certainly no one outside of Polly, Selena and maybe Dr. Glasgen and Polly’s friends.

Even so… what if Deanna never came back? What if she did and things got work? Like she got hurt! All to spite Selena for calling her ‘crazy’, which Selena never meant to do! And what if Polly got hurt in the chamber because of Mason or Evans or even her?! Evans had rigged the chamber wall to screw with Syren, costing the woman months off her career, all so he could win the damn match. Selena being taken out? She could almost live with that at this point. It was a ‘rocket’ for someone’s career to be ‘that person’. But Polly? What if it all blew up in Selena’s face there too and Polly was put on the shelf because of her?

Why… she mentally asked, letting another tremble strike her core. It’s not fair… Why can’t I do the right thing and be right? Why can’t it work out? Why isn’t she here?! “Why aren’t you here?” her voice, barely a whisper, breathed out.

“Why are you here?!”
“No.” Selena shook her head. “I said ‘aren’t’. Why aren’t you-“

Her eyes went wide as she realized the voice she heard was not in her head and it wasn’t her ‘devil-voice’. The voice came from right beside her… over at the very next seat to her left! Turning her head, Selena spied each thing in order.

The hair: The perfect red.
The eyes: The perfect emerald green.
The face: Perfectly shocked and annoyed.

It was her! Selena’s heart leaped into her throat as she gazed into the stunned expression of Deanna, the redhead looking like she was seeing a ghost.

“How?” Deanna managed to mutter out before Selena moved, taking the younger woman’s hands into hers without thinking.

“You’re here!” She tried to whisper, letting the tears she had been holding back in her depression happily fall. “I was right! Gods…” she half-cried. “I’ve been worried sick! And…your sister… and Izzy… the kids… I…”

“Selena…” Deanna pressed firmly, taking control of Selena’s hands by encompassing them into her own as a form of control before pushing them firmly back towards the platinum-blonde. “Calm down. This is not the right place for this.”

“How-“ Selena started but quickly looked around the room. It was like cold water – a splash of reality – into the present location of the two of them and a clear indication that Deanna was right. “Right.” She nodded. “We… we can talk later.”

“We can talk now.” Deanna corrected. “Just… keep everything in check.”

“Right… in check.” Selena laughed a little bitterly, though still quietly, as she nodded her head. “I…” she shrugged. “I was worried about you.”

“I can tell.” Deanna replied, her tone civil but guarded. “How did you know I was here?”

“I didn’t.” Selena sighed. “It was a wild shot in the dark. Dr. Glasgen gave me the idea.”
“When did she do that?” Deanna asked in surprise.
“About…” Selena checked her watch, which was still in Eastern Standard Time. “Seven or eight hours ago?”

“You were in New York earlier today?” Deanna asked. “And came straight here?”
“One of the joys of owning your own plane. How long have you been here?” Selena inquired.
“About three days.” Deanna admitted. “I… I’m sorry I took your phone and credit card.”

As if on cue, the redhead quickly thrust the two items into Deanna’s hands. Not having her purse on her, the Snow Queen opened to slide them into the sewn-in pocket of her sarong, doing the button up from the underside of the cloth to keep it held in place.

“I took about a grand and a half.” Deanna admitted guiltily. “Have stolen since I was a kid and now I steal from my wif- ex-wife.” She corrected.

“It’s…” Selena breathed. “It’s fine. Money can be replaced. You can’t.” She hadn’t meant for that to sound so corny and cheesy, but it was out before she could retract it, forcing the woman to stare ahead at the end of the room. “I…” she breathed, trying to find easier words to speak. “I didn’t mean what I said. Or what you took from them or…” Gods, why was this so hard?! She had practiced for the past week on what she would say if she found Deanna. How she would apologize! Now, here she was, right beside Selena, and the platinum-blonde couldn’t get the words to come out!

“Odd that Amelia and Luz would have us sitting together.” Came Deanna’s remark, allowing Selena to turn her head in safety at the safer topic and, thus, truly see the redhead. The United States champion had chosen a sparkling, emerald-green dress that made her eyes pop. Around the hem of the neckline and skirt, however, were embroidered designs of white flowers. Her hair was curled and freely falling and the only makeup she wore was a bit of black eyeliner and some foundation, letting the color of her hair and dress take up the focus.

She was beautiful, despite the bags under her eyes that no makeup could fully hide.

“Hmm? What was that?” Selena asked, temporarily lost in thought.
“I said that it’s odd that Amelia and Luz had us sitting together. Given they know what’s been happening.”
“Oh…” Selena gazed down at the seat she occupied. “I hadn’t really thought about that. But…it does seem strange…” she looked back at Deanna. “You think they’re meddling?”

With a knowing smile, Deanna slowly shook her head. “No. I think they’re just trying to help. They’re good friends.” She sighed. “And it’s about damn time they tied the knot.”

“On that we can certainly agree.” Selena sighed. “Though let’s hope they have less hurdles than we did.”

Deanna seemed quiet for a moment, enough for Selena to feel a spike of panic as she feared she had said the wrong thing yet again. Fortunately, before she could open her mouth and stammer out a few words of weak apology, Deanna spoke.

“It wasn’t all bad.”
“No!” Selena rushed out in a huff of an exhale. “Gods no! I’d give anything to go back to it!” she added without thinking, but she recovered faster this time around. “But if they could avoid jail-time, a sadistic stepmother, a legion of Nazis and racists, not to mention a horde of bitter family-clan members, I feel it would make things easier.”

“Okay…yes.” Deanna settled on nodding her head. “But you left out rapists and murderers too.”
“Well… I mean, we’re in a church.” Selena tried lamely. “But I didn’t mean-“

The first few notes of music filled her ears, causing Selena to look around the room. When had everyone gone to their seats? When had things begun? She didn’t have time to contemplate this as the doors opened from the other side of the room and out walked Luz, guided by her mother with her other hand held out – the platinum-blonde remember being told something about this being a sign of respect for the woman’s late father. For Luz, herself, Selena was amazed at the woman’s attire. She liked Luz’s black tuxedo and - even married, she still wears a mask – it made Selena smile to see the skull mask Luz wore in combination with the black sombrero that was covered with marigolds.

In short, the young girl looked like she had walked right off the set of a Quentin Taratino film – Something out of ‘Once Upon a Time in Mexico’ or ‘Desperado’! It was amazing and, knowing Luz, fit her to a tee. As the others came out, Selena kept stealing glances at Deanna, catching her eye as Deanna did the same! The two said nothing to one another as the entrances were made.

They didn’t have to. They were thinking the same thing. Especially when the music shifted to allow the second bride to enter…

Selena’s throat hitched as she saw Amelia walk into the room. Quick as she could, Selena took in every detail. The sleek black dress with lacing coverings on the shoulders and upper back, the crown of roses strewn into her hair, Amelia’s face expertly painted to that of a skull – the décor of the Day of the Dead like numerous of the guests had.

But that smile! It was so beautiful and Selena could only imagine what Luz was feeling standing just a few yards away, knowing that look and smile were for Luz and Luz alone.

The Snow Queen felt her heart melt – cliché as it sounded – at the sight, her happiness overriding every other emotion she had felt that day – hell, that week! Eyeing the beaming Luz, Selena managed to sneak a quick, but proud, smile and nod to the woman as their eyes met.

The rest of the ceremony as Amelia approached the alter was a bit of a blur for the Snow Queen, she, herself, divided between her focus being on her two friends as they spoke their vows, Deanna, and Selena’s attempt not to blink.

Because every time she did, the image before her would change. One minute, she’d see Amelia and Luz standing there, beautifully clothed in the theme of the Day of the Dead. The next time she’d blink, she’d see herself and Deanna standing there – rather, the younger version of themselves – dressed in their wedding gowns of white as they were married nearly nine years ago. Another blink: Amelia and Luz exchanging vows. Another blink: her and Deanna promising to love one another until the end of their days. Another blink: Cheering?

Quick as she could, Selena shot up to catch up with the rest of the audience as everyone broke into applause as Luz and Amelia were announced married, the newlyweds sharing a passionate kiss that Luz, seemingly, couldn’t wait any longer for! The shock to her system was enough for Selena to entirely refocus and give the two her full attention, her visions gone, at least for now. The platinum-blonde beamed as she watched her friends, now wives, walk down the aisle to the back.

“So happy for them…” Selena whispered and wiping a tear or two from her eye. As she turned her head, however, she realized that Deanna was gone. Not again… she thought painfully as her head jerked around the room.

This time, however, she spied the redhead quickly, just as she was leaving the church at the doors. Quickly, Selena was on the move. She would see Amelia and Luz at the reception later – the pair heading off to probably take some photos and celebrate being wives at long last. Grateful for the reprieve, Selena continued her pursuit in confidence, pushing the doors open in time to see Deanna crossing the street where the cemetery was – the location for the reception. The night was in full swing and the warm night air added such beauty to the clear sky.

Selena barely noticed it, instead following the shorter woman across the road and into the gravesite. The tombstones were all adjourned with either altars, flowers and/or sugar skulls – little celebrations for The Day of the Dead. The soft, lit candles gave some beautiful lightwork that seemed to bounce a little off Deanna’s shimmering, emerald gown as she reached out to run a hand over the smooth stone of one of the tombstones. The two of them drew farther into the cemetery, eyeing the part where the reception would be held. Already, the smell of cooked meat and spices wafted over, even from the distance they were at. Before her, Selena saw Deanna stop and lift her head up, the sound of ‘sniffing’ filling Selena’s ears.

“That’s something I want to look into when I get back.” Deanna said offhandedly, still not turning to look at the platinum-blonde. “Authentic Mexican cuisine. I’ve tried so many things here!”

“Which reminds me.” Selena sighed. “I promised Otrera a taco from here. Hope Amelia and Luz don’t mind. She put in A LOT of overtime for this.”

“I can only imagine.” Deanna turned then to regard the taller Frost. “Did you really only come here to look for me?”

It was a question Selena knew she had to answer honestly. “Yes.” She answered. “I was going to call and explain everything to Amelia and Luz and give my condolences. I just… I knew I would just bring them down with everything that was happening with you… with us… I’m…” she laughed a little. “I’m actually a little ashamed I didn’t realize sooner that you would head this way.” She eyed the redhead. “That’s one of the reasons you went home, wasn’t it? To get your passport?”

Slowly, Deanna nodded her head. “I knew I had only one shot.” She admitted. “And I took it.”

“Did you know I’d show up at your door after you called Asher-Marshall?”
“No.” Deanna shook her head. “I didn’t know anything about that till you said it. But once you arrived, the idea came to me so quickly and I knew… I had to do it.”

“Do…” Looking around the cemetery, Selena nervously walked around the different stones and décor. “Do you really think that I’m trying to jail you?”

The question didn’t receive an answer right away, which unnerved Selena, yet she said nothing, refusing to rush an answer out just to appease her nerves. Instead, she watched Deanna look around the cemetery, the light of the candles illuminating her eyes as she gazed into their flames.

“Maybe not on purpose.” She finally answered. “But it is the result.” She turned back to Selena. “And it’s not just you. CHBK and Asher-Marshall are employing it as well. Keeping me locked away – so not all the blame is on you.”

“The fact that I AM to blame, even partly…” Selena confessed. “It’s not what I meant to happen. I just… I wanted to give you space to recover from all of this. Away from SCW.”

“That’s not in Kentucky.” Deanna shook her head. “That’s home in Manhattan. OUR home.”

“I know…” Selena tried. “But what if you were right? What if Enigma was after you like with the ring exploding? What if he was after whatever you took from him? How easy would it be to go after Elsianna, Amiliah, and David?”

Biting her lower lip, Deanna turned away from the assessment, unable to deny the truth of Selena’s words. “I fucked up, Deanna, okay?” Selena admitted. “I fucked up royally! And I’m sorry. It wasn’t what I meant to happen, but it kept our children AND you safe… so I don’t regret that it worked. But I do regret what you went through.”

Another bought of silence was between them, broken only by the distant crowd as more and more people from the church over to the reception area within the cemetery. It was enough for the two women, standing so far from it and yet only a few feet from one another, to turn their attention to the brighter lights there, the people merrily talking, some with masks and candles, others with sugar-skulls and flowers and so many things.

“They aren’t going to have much of a honeymoon.” Selena remarked, regaining Deanna’s attention.
“What do you mean?” The redhead asked.
“Luz and Amelia.” Selena explained. “After tonight, we’ll have to rush over to Detroit for Under Attack. I mean – I’m sure they’ll retain their titles but the chamber is unforgiving.”

“Chamber?!” The height of Deanna’s surprise caught Selena, stunning her and causing her to return her gaze to Deanna. “They’re in a chamber this year?”

“There’s three of them.” Selena answered without thinking. “Yeah, the tag, the underground and… well they’re calling ‘Blake Mason’s punishment’ or something like that. I kind of like it.” She laughed a little. “Basically because it’s like karma taking a chunk out of his ass. Me, Polly, I mean, I think Raynes can still be bought, but the chance is also possible he’s going to mess with Mason after Mason BSed him like on Breakdown and…”

Returning her attention to Deanna’s face, Selena’s humor evaporated. Before her eyes, she did not see understanding or even recognition. Rather, she saw surprise on the redhead’s features, the pieces falling  together too late for the Snow Queen.

“You… didn’t know any of that, did you?”

Slowly, Deanna shook her head. “Amiliah doesn’t let me watch SCW and the internet is off-limits to me till I recover. I’ve… I’ve no idea what’s happened.” She shook her head. “Have they stripped me of the title? I mean… that’s not so bad if Luz takes my place… and you!” She eyes Selena. “You’re in a chamber match too?”

“I…” Selena shrugged. “Yes.”

The expressions in Deanna’s eyes seemed to shift and change along with her facial expressions. In the dim light of the candles, Selena spied worry, fear, then calmness and knowingness.

“You’ll be fine.” She settled on saying, Selena immediately feeling relieved that she would not be give a lecture… like the kind she gave Deanna one last year.

“Yeah…” Selena nodded. “I mean, Blake wants me dead. Evans has threatened to kill me. Oh! And Reed hopes I get cancer in the ring so he can piss on my corpse after the match, so…” she gave an amused shrug. “I’m booked solid all night, it seems.”

“That’s hardly funny.” Deanna remarked. “You really think you’re going to die?”

“No… I mean… I don’t think so.” Selena remarked. “It’s a lot of bitter superstars. I suspect Blake and Mason will say similar things as Reed and Hudson and, even, Xander. So… It’s nothing I haven’t heard before.”

“Uh-huh…” Deanna eyed the Snow Queen. “And what about ‘the ending you deserve for all you’ve done’?”

Selena’s eyes went wide as she heard the same words she had spoke to Eric and the Springs-wives, only from those beautiful lips she missed kissing. “Where…” She asked in surprise.

“Eric.” Deanna simply replied. “I called him a few days ago just so he could tell Ami and Izzy I was okay.”
“Ah…”

“So you’re not denying it?” Deanna asked. “You think the only way out is for someone to destroy you?”

“It’s…” Selena started, but then sighed. “It seems that way. Leaving quietly won’t work and I… I mean, it hasn’t for Enigma, has it?”
“Selena…”
“I’m not trying to start something here, Deanna.” She assured. “I’m trying to be honest. Enigma’s been gone from SCW for months and you’re still wanting to chase him. To put him down.”

“I…” Deanna tried lamely. “That’s different.”

“Yes.” Selena answered patiently, slowly stepping towards Deanna. “Because you’re one person. Imagine several others that think like you do towards Enigma… only they think it at me.”

Emerald eyes flew up to stare at Selena, wide-eyed. “No…”

“Yes.” Selena answered patiently. “It will come to that. Because they all feel as you do. That it has to happen. I’m on borrowed time. Whether it’s Mason with a piledriver, Evans with a cheapshot, Polly with finally getting to that level… or someone else. Hudson, Xander, Kandis when she comes back… someone will put me down for good. And it’ll be the end of Selena Frost in SCW. It’s only… It’s only a matter of time.”

“There has to be-“

“The villain doesn’t get the happy ending, Deanna.” Selena smiled sadly, daring to reach out a hand to caress the woman’s soft face. “We may get happy ‘moments’, but that’s it. In the end, we have to go down. That’s how it’s always been. No saving. No redemption. Not for me.”

She could see the light bouncing off the tears brimming in Deanna’s eyes. “Hey! It’s okay!” Selena smiled. “It won’t be for awhile, I hope!” she tried to reassure. “But…” her tone grew more serious. “I don’t think you’re crazy. And I’m sorry you ever believed that I thought you were. I just… I wanted you to get healthier. I need you to. Our children need you to and-“

Sounds and words were heard growing closer as Selena, now so close to Deanna, turned just in time to see a group of people, children and adults, some walking and some running around and towards them. They shouted words in Spanish, but they sounded jubilant and kind, almost a blessing as they were directed towards the tombstones.

They’re celebrating Day of the Dead… Selena reasoned, smiling at the children, all dressed for the holiday and wedding like Amelia and Luz had been, her focus on them until she felt Deanna stiffen in her arms.

Turning her head, she saw Deanna looking beyond the children, her emerald eyes filled with horror. “Deanna, what-“

“He’s here…” Deanna whispered, pointing with her hand to a spot between them and the reception. There, a lone man stood by one of the larger tombstones, his face downcast and focused on the stone, clearly mourning… but the mask he wore… Yes, it was some ‘Day of the Dead’ skull-like mask but even Selena could see the striking resemblance it bore to the mask worn by Enigma. Oh fuck…

“Deanna.” Selena tried quickly and sharply. “That’s not him. It’s just someone mourning a loved one-“

“No… it’s him! He’s followed me!” Deanna implored, immediately trying to free herself from Selena’s hold. Desperately, the Snow Queen held on fast.
“No, it’s not! How could he?! I could barely find you! You were too smart for me! You think you’re not too smart for Enigma? After beating him twice?!”
“No! He wants the Heart of Vial! And he wants to hurt Amelia and Luz! I have to warn them!”
“Deanna, there’s no one-“

WHAM!

Selena heard the blow and felt the recoil from her neck before she felt the actually strike. It all came out of order for her senses, but they did come as Deanna’s elbow met her nose. Even so, Selena refused to let go, instead tightening her hold on Deanna. “Deanna, no! Please! Focus! Not here… not on THEIR day… LOOK!” she implored, desperately trying to keep her voice to a whisper. “Look at him now!”

Slowly, Deanna gazed back at the masked man… as the fellow removed his mask and revealing the teary-eyed face that stood by the tombstone. He held a hand on the top of the cold stone, his tear illuminated by the grave’s own candles.

“He’s just a man that misses someone…” Selena whispered. “That’s all…”

Slowly, she felt Deanna relax in her arms, the woman’s tension leaving her body bit by bit until she turned back to gaze at Selena, her eyes immediately, once more, going wide. “Oh my god, Selena…”

“What?” Selena asked, unsure why Deanna was worried now.
“Don’t move, please.”

Immediately, the redhead rushed away from her towards the reception, thankfully staying far left from the male mourner (much to Selena’s relief). She was back a few seconds later with a handful of…napkins?

Without a word, she had taken one and pressed it into Selena’s face. Immediately, Selena felt the wet substance that the cloth was cleaning off. She didn’t need to see it as the napkin was removed to know it was blood.

“You gave me a bloody nose.” She laughed a little as another napkin was pressed upon her face.
“I’m so sorry!” Deanna tried. “I didn’t mean-“
“Like I said… karma.” Selena laughed. “Better me than some stranger that could sue you.” She added, though Deanna was not so amused.
“Still don’t think I’m crazy?”
“It never crossed my mind.” The Snow Queen answered honestly. “Wrecker of what could have been a rather romantic moment, but crazy? Nah!”

Unable to help herself, Deanna giggled – like she used to when they were married – causing Selena’s heart to skip a beat. “I’ll tell ya…” Selena tried nervously, not VERY aware of the closeness of her and Deanna’s bodies to one another. “If all I get over the next couple of days is a bloody nose? I’ll consider myself a VERY lucky girl.”

With one last swipe, Deanna finished cleaning Selena’s face before regarding the taller woman. “Then be happy you’re not locked in there with me.” She stated. “Cause you’re not out of the woods yet with me either.”

“What the bloody nose wasn’t enough of a punishment?”
“You wish.” Deanna teased with stern smirk.

“Right…” Selena sighed.

“So, no dying this weekend.” She ordered. “Because if you do, Reed’s not going to have time to get to your corpse. I will… and I’ll have someone here bring you back with The Day of Dead stuff just so I can kill you myself!” She added with stern tease.

“Jesus…” Selena’s eyes went wide. “Remind me not to piss you off to that degree again.”
“You’re very close, Selena.” Warned the redhead, leaning closer. “To the point I don’t know whether to give you a REAL bloody nose or kiss you for going so far to find me.”

“Well…” Selena shifted nervously. “You know… Life’s full of options…”

They were so close! Only a hair’s breath from their lips touching. Selena could feel the warmth from her ex-wife, see the candlelight still flickering in Deanna’s emerald eyes… if she just moved a little closer…

“Ladies and gentleman!” the loud voice called out, coming from the reception and, effectively, breaking whatever spell was happening in the graveyard between the two Frost women. Both women turned towards the reception area where the speak was waving everyone over – which only meant one thing.

“Luz and Amelia are on their way.” Selena concluded. “We better get over there.”

Slowly, forcing herself not to look at Deanna, knowing she would finish what had almost happened if she did, Selena stepped towards the reception. She didn’t look to her side. She didn’t look back. She didn’t say a word.

Not when she heard Deanna catch-up with her.
Not when she saw Deanna match her stride with hers.
Not even when she felt the small hand reach down and take her own into it, the warmth spreading from the redhead to the platinum-blonde.

Maybe I was wrong… Selena thought as she gently held onto the hand a little tighter. Maybe she is a little crazy…

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