Syren vs. Selena Frost vs. Glory Braddock

[Konrad Raab]

Winner is Number 40 in Taking Hold of the Flame; Person to take the Fall is Number 1

2 RP Limit for singles

Deadline: 11:59:59 pm ET WEDNESDAY, April 23, 2025

[Braddock]

1 of 2
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April 12th, 2025
Miami, Florida
Off Camera
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After weeks of being seemingly ignored or forgotten about by CHBK and SCW management, after weeks of getting no notice, of sitting in catering with nothing to do, Glory Braddock decided to call her own shot and declare for the Taking Hold of the Flame. In doing so she ended up in a confrontation with two other Taking Hold of the Flame competitors; Selena Frost and Syren. This got the attention of CHBK and now The British Bombshell finally has a match. She has been wanting a match, any match, for the past few weeks but has been ignored. Now she has a marquee match against two SCW heavyweights at Rebirth with a lot on the line. The winner of the triple threat will get the coveted number forty spot in Taking Hold of the Flame. The final and last entrant will have the decided advantage of being the freshest competitor in the battle royal, a match that will decide who challenges for the SCW World Championship at Rise To Greatness. But whoever gets pinned or is made to tap out? That person will start the Taking Hold of the Flame at the number one spot, putting them at a decided disadvantage, forcing them to go the distance. The number one entrant will face the greatest odds to overcome and win the coveted championship match. The British Bombshell can see beyond just the materialistic stakes in this match. Selena Frost already has a guaranteed rematch that she loves to flaunt. She doesn’t need it. As far as Syren goes; The British Bombshell views Syren as a cancer to SCW and wrestling as a whole. Braddock doesn’t believe Syren deserves to be anywhere near the World Championship again and, making it more difficult for her to win Taking Hold of the Flame, would be ideal. Glory Braddock, on the other hand, has only one SCW World Title win to her name and it lasted barely fifteen minutes. Braddock desperately wants to fix this, she wants to right that wrong, and Rebirth could be the first step to ensuring she gets the job done. Rebirth is what The British Bombshell would rather focus on. Her huge triple threat match with so much on the line is what she would be thinking about right now. Instead she finds herself in an arena that she is never comfortable with; a fancy, upscale restaurant in Miami, Florida, hosting her friend and business partner, Frances Taylor, and Frances’s new boyfriend.

The crystal chandeliers above cast a warm, ambient glow across the dining room, scattering flecks of gold over the polished wood tables and rich, velvet upholstery. The restaurant was the sort of place where conversations were kept to a dignified murmur and every detail was tailored to the elite. Glory Braddock sat at a table draped in fine linen, her legs crossed neatly beneath her, a practiced smile resting on her lips but not quite reaching her eyes. She wore a sleek, dark burgundy evening gown that clung to her silhouette a little too perfectly, the kind of outfit designed to impress rather than express. Her long hair, usually kept in a quick bun or ponytail when she was running her empire, was styled into glossy waves cascading over one shoulder. The effort it had taken to prepare for this dinner irritated her more than she let on. Glory had always preferred the simplicity of sharp slacks and a clean blouse. But anything involving her friend Frances Taylor demanded the finest of the fine, the most luxurious of luxury, and that meant a restaurant such as this upscale place in Miami. Across from her sat her husband, Kurt Logan, his broad frame neatly fitted into a tailored charcoal suit. He looked at ease, confident, and entirely comfortable in the opulent surroundings, sipping slowly from a crystal glass filled with bourbon. He, like Glory, isn’t exactly a big fan of this, but his poise in high society settings came naturally, unlike Glory, who always felt like she was wearing a mask at these sorts of gatherings. Their table sat near a wide, arched window overlooking the city skyline, the view breathtaking enough to almost distract her from the knot forming in her stomach.

“You know what’s so damn frustrating about this?” Glory asks Kurt through gritted teeth, her frustration almost sounding like that of a pouting child. Kurt, who is very much used to this by now, just chuckles

“The fact that you have to wear a dress?”

“Shut up.” Glory snaps.

“You look stunning, by the way.”

“Still shut up.” Glory remarks. “I’m frustrated because I finally called my shot, I forced CHBK to give me a match and it isn’t just any match, it is a high profile match with high stakes. Me, Selena Frost, and Syren. We’ve already declared for Taking Hold of the Flame and the outcome of this match will impact all three of us entering the rumble. I have the opportunity not only to win the match and earn myself the coveted last entry spot, giving myself the best odds of the whole thing, but I also can pin Syren or make her tap out in the process and virtually end her chances of winning Taking Hold of the Flame.”

“It doesn’t necessarily end her chances.” Kurt points out grinning. “It just means she has to enter at number one.”

“And the likelihood of her, or anyone, entering at number one or number two and running the gauntlet to win it all isn’t very great.”

“This is true. Still, as a former wrestler myself, I would suggest you focus on winning the match, not necessarily winning by pinning Syren.” Kurt says. “Someone as crafty as Selena Frost could easily take advantage of that.”

“I know and I get that.” Braddock nods her head. “But my point is that I finally got a match from SCW and instead of preparing for it I am here, all dolled up to impress my friend Frances and her boyfriend.”

“We didn’t have to meet them at a place like this.” Kurt points out. Braddock nods her head.

“I know but Frances insisted. You know how she can be; she loves luxury.”

“And you hate it.”

“Exactly. But she’s not only my friend but a business partner, she works for me as the president of my company, I feel obligated to keep her happy. You know?”

“You shouldn’t feel obligated to keep anyone happy.” Kurt shakes his head. “Especially a friend of yours who happens to be…um…late?” Kurt checks his watch and then looks back up at his wife, smirking. Braddock sighs and nods her head.

“Who knows where she is? Probably this new boyfriend of hers has gotten her all worked up to the point that she can’t decide what to wear.”

“Must be some guy for her to keep us waiting like this.” He chuckles. “What do you know about him, anyway?”

“Honestly, I know just about as much as you.” She snickers. “Well, actually, I do a few things about him; his name is Dominic Sterling and that he comes from money.”

“Another millionaire?” Kurt scoffs. “I miss the days when I was wrestling…on the road all the time, living out of my car or in not so nice motel rooms. It kept me grounded. I love you, babe, but this lifestyle has spoiled me.”

“I’m sorry.” Glory winks playfully.

“Where did this Sterling guy get his money from? What’s his business?”

“I don’t know if he even has a business, to be honest.” Braddock shrugs her shoulders. “Frances just said that he didn’t really earn his money, he inherited everything from wealthy relatives.”

“Sounds like a great guy.” Kurt says sarcastically. Glory nods her head.

“Yeah, that’s what I’m afraid of.” Suddenly her eyes light up. She puts on her forced smile and whispers under her breath just so Kurt can hear. “Here they come.”

Sure enough, it isn’t long until the gorgeous blonde haired Frances Taylor comes walking into the scene arm in arm with a tall, lean, gentleman with jet black hair. That obviously must be Dominic Sterling. Frances is wearing a dress similar in design to the one worn by Glory, only Frances’s dress is black and she has matching black heels. Dominic Sterling’s suit is black and white and fitted, making him look a bit more built than perhaps he really is. Frances is grinning from ear to ear, enjoying the attention she receives from the other patrons but especially from her new boyfriend. The smile on Dominic’s face is deceptive, as if there is something else beneath that facade of glamor.

“I apologize for being so late…” Frances begins. Sterling quickly cuts her off.

“It was my fault.” He insists. “I was driving a little slow.”

“You were being cautious, Dom.”

“Fair enough.” He says.

“So this is the famous Dominic Sterling you have been telling me about?” Glory chimes in. Frances quickly nods her head.

“Yes, I apologize for not introducing you right away.” She points to Glory and Kurt. “Dominic, this is Glory Braddock…my friend since we were children…and her husband, Kurt Logan. Glory and I work together at Glorious Golden Enterprise.”

“It a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Braddock.”

Dominic takes Glory’s hand and kisses it. It is obvious that he is laying his charming gentleman act on thick. Braddock takes it in stride, nodding her head and thanking him. Frances and Sterling then take their seats at the table. Shortly after the couple sits down at the table a server arrives. She is a young brunette wearing an all black restaurant uniform. She has a bright, friendly smile on her face.

“Welcome! May I get you something to drink?”

“Pinot Noir for me.” Frances responds instantly. Dominic chuckles and shakes his head.

“Just water for me, thanks. Someone has to be the designated driver between the two of us.”

“Oh hush.” Frances giggles. “I’m not going to drink that much.”

Glory Braddock cannot help but feel a little awkward. Frances and Dominic have been talking nonstop since their arrival. She has to admit, they definitely have strong chemistry together. Perhaps this will be a good thing for Frances going forward?

“So what are you involved with, Mr. Sterling?” Kurt asks. Dominic shrugs his shoulders.

“Oh, a little bit of this and a little bit of that.” It was a dodge of an answer and Glory could tell. But before she could confront him, he turns his attention to The British Bombshell herself. “But you, Glory, I am really impressed with you.”

“Me?”

“Yes. You are balancing a corporate career AND a successful wrestling career simultaneously. That has to be extremely difficult and yet you seem to make it look easy.”

“Well you can’t credit me for all of that.” Glory shakes her head and then motions to Frances. “If it weren’t for Frances, I’m not sure what I’d do. She keeps the wheels turning in my corporate world. I know I can trust her to keep the ship afloat while I take care of business in the wrestling ring.”

“Glory is not a micromanager.” Frances pipes in.

“That’s right.” Braddock shakes her head. “I tried micromanaging and it failed miserably. I have people I trust to keep the company running smoothly. One of them is Frances.”

“Yes, well, let’s not forget that the company in question was dead until you brought it back over ten years ago. And it was your idea to expand from being just about wrestling to also include modeling. And we can’t forget that you made the necessary sacrifices and deals to ensure every employee has FULL health coverage.”

“It was nothing really…” Glory says, her voice trailing off.

“It’s impressive, Glory.” Dominic responds. “That’s what that is.”

==========
April 12th, 2025
Miami, Florida
Off Camera
==========

The night air in Miami carried a gentle warmth through the open-air patio. Glory Braddock leaned back into the deep cushions of a sleek, white outdoor sectional, her bare feet tucked beneath her as she cradled a glass of wine in one hand. The transformation from the restaurant to her own private haven was like shedding armor; her heels had been kicked off at the door, her earrings set aside on the kitchen counter, and her gown now hung more loosely as if even the fabric understood it no longer needed to posture. Across from her, Frances Taylor sat cross-legged on a matching lounger, her long coat draped casually over the armrest. she held a cocktail glass with the practiced ease of someone used to navigating luxury. The patio stretched along the rear of Glory’s contemporary home; lush hedges and tropical landscaping created a quiet cocoon while still preserving a breathtaking view of the world beyond. A low, rectangular firepit crackled between them, casting a golden glow across their faces, illuminating the subtle smiles and knowing looks passed back and forth.

“Thank you for having us over, Gloria.” Frances says warmly with a friendly smile. “Dominic and I really enjoyed this evening.”

“I’m sure you did.” Glory says flatly. Frances notices her tone and chuckles.

“Sorry, I forgot that you are not all that fond of the upscale environment, or of luxury…”

“Don’t forget these damned long gowns and heels.” Glory sighs out of frustration. “But when you go to a place like that, you know there’s a freaking dress code.”

“You’re wealthy, Gloria.” Frances points out. “You could have ignored the dress code. What are they going to do?”

“Ask me to leave? Or I’d just stick out like a sore thumb.”

“Places like that value wealthy patrons, no matter their taste. They likely would have just assumed you were rather eccentric and let you be. But yes, you would have stuck out like a sore thumb.” She winks. “But thank you for agreeing to go, even though it wasn’t your favorite.”

“Of course. Anything for you, Frances.” Glory says with a warm and friendly smile of her own. “I was excited to meet your new boyfriend. How did you meet him, by the way?”

“We met at a charity event.” Frances states. “He was so kind and such a gentleman.”

“You mean you weren’t attracted to his looks?” Glory smirks.

“There is a first time for everything.” Frances chuckles. “But seriously, what really attracted him to me was…well, it’s odd…”

“What?”

“Dominic he…” she sighs, with a smile on her face “...he helped me with my self-confidence.”

“I never knew you had any self-confidence issues.” Glory says, arching a brow out of curiosity.

“Visit me in Charlotte more often and you’d learn these things. But I had begun to second guess myself, doubt myself. I went from owning my own company to…well…working for you. Not that I have a problem working for you, you are my friend. But Dominic did remind me of what I am capable of. He gave me that confidence boost I needed.”

“Well I’m happy for you.” Glory sips on her wine. “But, uh, does he have a business of his own? Does he actually MAKE any money?”

“No.” She shakes her head. “Remember, he inherited everything he has from various deceased relatives.”

“That sounds a bit…shady? Don’t you think?” Glory asks. Frances shakes her head.

“Not at all. It happens all the time.” Frances states. “I know what it looks like but trust me, everything with him is on the up and up.”

“Still, I’m worried about you.” Glory states. “It doesn’t matter how much money he inherited, money will eventually run out unless has a way of making more. You do see what I’m saying, don’t you?”

“Of course, and so does he.” Frances nods her head. “Trust me, Gloria, he understands the situation he is in and he has a plan to secure his future.”

“That’s well and good, Frances, but if you need any help, either of you, let me know and I would be glad to help you out.” Glory says. Frances grins from ear to ear upon hearing this. She nods her head.

“I am happy to hear you say that, Gloria, because there is something you can help me with. It is the real reason I wanted to come and visit you here in Miami.” She smirks. “You didn’t think I came all the way down here just to show off my boyfriend, did you?”

“Knowing you, I figured there was an ulterior motive.” Braddock chuckles. “So what do you need?”

“Simple…give me free reign to operate as President of Glorious Golden Enterprise.”

“Huh?” This request shocks Braddock. Frances instantly nods her head and begins to expand on it.

“The president of any corporation or company is a very powerful individual. But me? I have little to no real power, little to no sway or influence at all. You have placed so many restrictions on what I can and cannot do as president of your company. You even have my day to day activities at the office monitored. But what really takes the cake, friend, is that you named a lunatic like Aphrodite Noel to be the second most powerful person in the company. She has the kind of power, sway, and influence that the president…namely me…should have.”

“You….you want Aphrodite’s job?” Glory asks. Frances sighs out of frustration and shakes her head.

“No, I just want you take the shackles off. I want to be free to do my job without restrictions. I want to be the second most powerful person in the company next to you. I think I’ve earned it based on our friendship and not to mention the loyalty I have given to your company.”

“Look…” Glory shakes her head “...I get your frustration, I really do, but you need to understand why I did what I did. You speak of loyalty? Your own shady dealings behind my back when I did give you free reign nearly got me into legal trouble. And when I trusted Henry Van Stanton to have free reign over the company, his actions nearly caused me to lose the company. Those restrictions are not just for you but there are for everyone and they are there to make sure that nothing happens that will get myself or the company in trouble again.”

“So are you telling me no?” Frances asks. Glory sighs.

“Sorry, Frances, but I cannot let anyone, not even you, have the kind of power you are requesting.”

A tense moment passes between these childhood best friends as they stare into each other’s eyes. Glory Braddock tries to read Frances but she is currently unreadable. She worries that she angered her, upset her. But then Frances smiles, and Glory cannot tell if the smile is forced.

“I understand.”

“Really?”

“Yes, of course.” Frances stands up. Glory stands up too. “You are doing what any smart businesswoman would do. Of course I am disappointed but I do understand.” Frances approaches Glory and embraces her in a hug. “Thank you for the wonderful evening.”

“Yeah, of course.” Braddock says, smiling. “We should do this again soon.”

“I agree.”

And with that Frances Taylor breaks the embrace and begins to make her exit. Glory Braddock watches her walk away and cannot shake the feeling that something is off, that something is wrong.

==========
April 13th, 2025
Miami, Florida
Off Camera
==========

The British Bombshell certainly had several misgivings about the events of the previous day. Not only did Frances Taylor’s new boyfriend, Dominic Sterling, give her some bad vibes, but also the strange request Frances made of her after the dinner; Frances wanted near total control of the company. Despite knowing her own track record of shady business dealings, Frances still had the nerve to ask Glory Braddock to put her in charge of the company. Frances had messed up before, many times in fact. If she weren’t her friend, Glory would have fired her. There is a good reason why Frances has so many restrictions placed on her and she knows it, yet she still wants off the leash. Glory of course rejected the request and while Frances appeared to take it well enough, Braddock still felt uneasy. She felt as if something was up, that the other shoe was about to drop anytime now. Perhaps that time for the shoe to drop is this next morning? The British Bombshell received a call from Frances Taylor, insisting that they meet in the lobby of the hotel room where she is staying in Miami. Now Braddock’s nerves are through the roof. What is this about? What is wrong with Frances?

The lobby was elegant and expansive but never cold, modern without losing its sense of warmth. Sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting long, shifting patterns across the marble floor, where soft beige tones met swirls of sand-colored veining. Sculptural palms in oversized planters stood between cozy seating arrangements, and a quiet instrumental jazz track played overhead, barely audible beneath the occasional murmur of conversation and the gentle clinking of coffee cups from the nearby café. Glory Braddock sat in one of the low, cushioned lounge chairs tucked near a fountain installation that bubbled quietly, a glass of iced water sweating on the end table beside her. She was dressed for comfort, not effect: a fitted royal purple t-shirt, clean dark jeans, and low-profile sneakers. Her hair was tied back in a loose ponytail, and she wore no visible makeup. She checked her phone, briefly, then glanced toward the grand staircase that curved down from the mezzanine level. Her eyes caught a flicker of movement until she saw her. Frances Taylor descended with the measured grace of someone who knew she was being watched, even if she pretended otherwise. Her outfit was subtle, but polished: a lightweight, cream-colored blouse tucked into tailored slate-gray slacks, heels just high enough to assert presence but still comfortable for walking. Her hair was perfectly styled, falling in gentle waves that framed her face, and a single silver pendant rested at her collarbone. She looked like a woman in control. As Frances approached, Glory straightened slightly in her chair but made no move to stand. Her expression was unreadable, save for the faintest lift at the corner of her mouth. Frances returned the look with a soft, knowing smile of her own before taking the seat opposite her.

“I came as soon as you called.” Glory says. “I heard this was important. What is it? What’s wrong?” There is a hint of nervousness in her voice. Frances did indicate that this was important and, after their tense conversation last night, Glory can only imagine what this is about.

“I am glad you came, Gloria.” Frances says, nodding her head. “And thank you for stopping by so early this morning, because yes, this is very important…for you, for me, and for your company.”

This isn’t sounding good. Glory Braddock was afraid that Frances didn’t take the rejection very well. She furrows her brow out of confusion. “What is it, Frances?”

“I am leaving Glorious Golden Enterprises.” Frances states flatly. “I am resigning.”

“Wait, what?” Glory is stunned at this news. “Seriously?”

“I’m serious.” Frances nods her head. “I’m leaving.”

“But I don’t want you to leave. I value what you do for me, for the company, and for all of our employees. If it’s a raise you want I can always increase your pay, but don’t just leave…”

“It is not about the money, Gloria.” Frances sighs and shakes her head. “The problem here, between you and I, is the lack of trust. Specifically the fact that you do not trust me.”

“I do trust you, Frances…” Glory is cut off before she can finish her thought.

“If you trusted me then you wouldn’t have placed so many restrictions on me. You would let me do my job with free reign. If you trusted me and valued my work as much as you claim you do, you would have made me the second most powerful person in the company just as I requested last night. But you refused.”

“I already explained why I can’t do that.” Braddock insists. “I have been burned way too many times by giving people…even people I trust…too much power.”

“Yet that lunatic Aphrodite is in such a position of power.”

“Even she has restrictions!” Glory exclaims. “She is not as influential within the company as you think! Too often I came close to bankruptcy, people tried to steal the company from me, and I cannot take the chance that will happen again.” She sighs and shakes her head. “I’m sorry.”

“So you don’t believe in me.” Frances states coldly.

“I never said.”

“You didn’t have to, I can read between the lines. But do you know who does believe in me? Dominic. He believes in me to the point that he is willing to use his wealth to fund and rebuild my company, the one that has been near collapse for so long…Taylor Enterprises.”

“How?” Glory asks, dumbfounded. “You said it yourself, your company is near collapse and Dominic may be wealthy but he isn’t actually MAKING any money. You will go through his funds very quickly and then what?” Braddock sighs. “I want to help you, Frances. Don’t do this.”

“I don’t need your help.” Frances insists. “I have Dominic and trust me, he has a plan. Together we are going to rebuild and then challenge YOUR corporate empire.” Frances stands up and smirks knowingly down at Glory. “You could have had me working by your side.”

“I want to work with you!”

“It’s too late.” Frances shakes her head. “You have made your decision. Now I must make mine and my decision is to bring you and your company down.”

Frances turns and starts to walk away. Glory wants to call out after her but she knows it would be pointless. The British Bombshell knows that was right about last night. Something was indeed wrong, so very wrong. Frances Taylor wanted more power and now that she realizes she won’t get any from Glory, she is going to challenge her using her new boyfriend’s wealth. But how? How can she challenge her with Dominic’s clearly limited funds? There is far more here than meets the eye, she just needs to get to the bottom of it and, hopefully, do so without losing her friend.

[SnowQueenSCW]

DISCLAIMER: The following is a work of fiction and not to be confused as complete or accurate representation of any beliefs, religions, etc. Please refer to research/articles by experts for that.

OOC: Royal Letter is meant to privately sent and is not publicly shown.

Villain of the Year

”Family Matters”

PS 290: The Manhattan New School
Manhattan, New York
April 14th, 2025
3:34pm


Selena sat in the driver’s seat of her Aston Martin, her fingers impatiently strumming against the leather upholstery of the steering wheel. She knew she was being impatient, in fact, part of her mentally chastised herself on the behaviour. She had arrived merely ten minutes ago, and had only heard the dismissal bell from the school building from her place in the parking lot about three or four minutes ago. The kids needed time to collect their things, say goodbye to their friends and teachers, find one another (as they were instructed to do – David being tasked to get his sister, Ami, on his way out) and then make their way to the parking lot.

Her son and daughter were not The Road Runner and Speedy Gonzales.

“Meep meep…” the platinum-blonde suddenly said, not realizing she had made the characteristic sound of the cartoon-character until a few seconds later… and not really knowing why she did it. Shaking away the notion, she turned her head to see a few other cars pulling into the parking lot, trying to find their own space to park and wait for their children, causing the former world children to grin in a small case of self-satisfaction. Because of her employment with SCW, which had it’s own schedule far different than your average 9-5 job, not to mention the finances that kept Deanna from needing to be employed – though the redhead, too, yearned to return to her wrestling job – the Frost mothers could afford to arrive a littler ‘earlier’ than most parents/caretakers to find the best parking spaces to pick up their children. In fact, the spot Selena currently occupied had, over time (thanks to Elsianna attending the school for years before it was Ami’s and David’s turn) had affectionately become known as “The Frost Zone” like some kind of ‘region’ during a sporting-event, like an endzone or strike-zone.

Not that it was meant as an insult. No, despite the… issues (Selena could not think of another word to better describe the situation) between her and Deanna, the Frost family (particularly the Frost mothers) were still well-regarded within the school districts. Sure, there was the occasional bigot or individual that just didn’t see the equality in a lesbian relationship, and the Snow Queen would be lying to herself if she had said the current ‘political situation’ regarding members of the LGTBQ2s+ and the ‘views of the dominant political party’ didn’t concern her – but, overall, even if Deanna and her weren’t celebrities, Manhattan and much of their ‘world’ within there and New York City had grown to accept their existence, to which the young woman was grateful for. Even now, as she gazed up through her windshield, she spotted a few of the adults waving at her as they recognized her. Of course, she waved back out of courtesy, her eyes checking the clock again.

Only 8 minutes since the bell… her impatience flared.

She bit down on it, once more cursing herself. It was her own fault. She was letting matters get to her again. Why had Syren interfered in her business? Didn’t she have enough ‘goals’ on her to-do list? The woman had already promised to win every title in some form or fashion when she had come back for to SCW for the umpteenth time! She had already lost at least two matches since her return – one against Derek Adonis… AGAIN!... why did she have to get involved with Selena’s plan? Same with Glory! The woman was supposed to be trying to get back her Adrenaline title after that stupid ‘sign without reading’ stint she pulled with her rematch clause – something the Snow Queen had taken great care not to do with her rematch clause, which she continued to hold over the head of all SCW with a grin on her face.

And CHBK…

Selena felt her hand grip and twist around the steering wheel. Once more, the old man had stuck his nose in her business. All this talk of ‘accountability’ and yet while he kept failing to control any of The Fall of Man or The Enigma or Hudson’s latest attempt to ‘stay relevant’, he seemed to compensate by continuously getting in Selena’s way. Now, she was set for a triple threat match – a match she didn’t have to get pinned in order to lose (a flash of the Trios Tournament finals entered her mind and she quickly pushed it aside before it rooted itself there and made her day worse) – with massive implications. The winner would be the 40th entrant into the royale, given the absolutely best chance at winning it, while the one pinned… started at 1st position.

Selena groaned at that. She hadn’t been in the royale since 2020, always missing it to defend, and retain the world championship. Her return was supposed to be a big deal – an indication of the bigger picture she was trying to get for SCW…

It was so fucking stupid – Selena sighed at the thought. Why could no one see what she was trying to do? Did they not realize that if it was just a simple matter of being the world champion, she would have just done it by now? Did they REALLY believe that she was afraid of Josh Hudson? A man she had beaten several times in her career? Or Xander Valentine? A man she held more victories over than he over her? Did anyone with the slightest bit of intelligence not think if all this was was to become world champion for a record-tying seventh time, she would have just done it by now? No! Even an idiot could see that Selena was biding her time! That there was something much larger at play here…

So why was the SCW Universe being worse than a typical ‘idiot’?!

The tapping on the car window broke the Snow Queen’s concentration, causing the woman to gaze at the window from the passenger/shotgun side. To her surprise, she spotted the emerald-green eyes and red hair immediately, and the expression that matched her in surprise. Quickly, the former world champion undid her seatbelt, turned off her car, opened the door, and stepped out of the Aston Martin, closing the same door to stand in the bright April spring-weather, her own sapphire eyes covered by her shades, which matched the black of her t-shirt but not the blue of her jeans.

“Hey?” she greeted, some what confused as she moved around her car to stand closer to the familiar woman. Immediately, she spotted the Liberty parked behind the redhead.

“Hey…” Deanna greeted with the same mild confusion Selena was displaying.
“What are you doing-“ both women said simultaneously before catching that the other was saying the same thing, causing a temporary fit of amusement within both of them.

Selena was the first to recover. “I thought it was my turn to pick up the children.”

Patiently, Deanna shook her head. “No, last week was your ‘Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Your Tuesdays and Thursdays this week.” Quickly, the younger woman fished out her phone, turning it open with a flick of her finger and moving the screens necessary before turning it over to Selena – who had to remove her sunglasses to properly see the screen amidst the bright spring sunshine. “See?”

Before her eyes, Selena spotted the calendar app on Deanna’s phone, reading the tags that ran across each individual day. The dark-blue simply said “Selena – pick up kids”, while a red tag said “Pick up kids”. There were other tags that Selena could read quickly: Ones like “pick up more fruits and veggies.” And “ask about terms and coverage of insurance for ‘off-time’” and other notes like that, but the focus was on the tags involving the children. And, sure enough, if Deanna’s phone was correct – and with her being a former manager and organizer, Selena had no reason to believe otherwise – then-

“Dammit…” Selena groaned quietly, running an irritated hand through her free hair (not presently tied in its iconic braid).

“I told you to start using Google calendar or some kind of app like that.” Deanna sighed.

“Yeah, yeah…” Selena shook her head. “Been one of those kinds of months.” She added off-handed, looking out into the parking lot towards all the cars and buses parked there, seeing the many parents and kids walking either two or out of the school. “Maybe one of those kinds of year…” she added under her breath, though she was quite certain that Deanna had heard her, though the redhead gave no indication one way or the other. “Well, doesn’t matter…” she whispered, more so to herself. “It’ll work out soon enough.”

“Hmmm?” That one Deanna did turn her attention towards. “What was that?”
“Nothing.” Selena shook her head in response, offering a gentle smile to the beautiful woman. “Merely musing.” She added. “Just want this season to be over.”

“Spring?”
“No.” Selena answered calmly. “This SCW season.” She explained. “Just been one mess after another.”
“Not thrilled about fighting Syren again?”

The redhead knew the platinum-blonde so well, so it was no surprise to Selena for her ex-wife to cut right to the heart of the matter when it came to the older woman’s feelings of SCW. It was a mix bag, to the say the least.

With Xander Valentine, it was far more simple. Yes, he was a powerhouse, and yes, fighting him would leave the Snow Queen, on a good day, sore and miserable for days to follow, and worse on bad days, but there was a kind of – she couldn’t fully describe even after all these years – some respect there? Some level of ‘getting it’ when it came to the Executioner. She didn’t like him, but there was – an understanding? – was that it? Something that just ‘made sense’ and made their matches something to look forward to on some level.

Syren? It was far more complicated. She both hated and respected Syren on a multitude of levels.

Respect: She was one of the most decorated wrestlers in SCW, with Selena the only person capable of challenging her on accomplishments.
Hated: The entire history of ‘hero/villain’ the Hall of Famer was known for. Pinnacle, Infamous, Lexy World.
Respect: The glass ceiling she had shattered so women like Selena could even have a chance at the world title.
Hated: That she was no different than the other ‘legends’ CHBK kept getting a free-pass to!

And all that was just the tip if the iceberg when it came to Selena’s feelings on the former world champion. It was simpler with Glory as well. Glory may not have been in the same league as Selena when it came to accomplishments, and the track record of matches between them STRONGLY favoured the Snow Queen, but at lease the British Bombshell was there. At least she was toughing it out year after year in SCW and never letting up. It was at least respectable compared to Syren employing the same tactics as Josh Hudson and countless others – disappearing for a time, only to come back at RTG season and try and sweep up an ‘all or nothing victory’ with the ‘surprise element’.

Again… it was just complicated. And that was the frustrating part to Selena. It didn’t have to me. It didn’t have to be complicated. All she had wanted to do was stake her claim, make her presence known for the royale, maybe get an opponent for Rebirth to keep her skills sharp. But NOOOOOO!!!!

“It’s… complicated.” Selena finally settled on answering. “I can explain later.” She tilted her head as she spotted the two children, walking next to each other. The taller one, though not by bunch, was wearing an ‘Avengers T-shirt’ and gray track pants. The other, shorter one, contrasted that with a t-shirt covered in sunflower blossoms and zebra-striped leggings. At first glance, with the additional contrast of their hair (the boy’s a black mop with a streak of white that ran around the middle and the girl’s a fall of auburn like her mother’s), few, at first glance, would guess that they were related. Still, that did not stop David and Amiliah Frost, upon seeing both their parents, from smiling and increasing their walking speed to get to the two women faster.

“Mommy! And mommy!” Amiliah cheered, rushing over to Selena to hug her first.

“Hello, little fireball.” Selena smiled, allowing herself a moment of peace to enjoy with her child. With ease, the Snow Queen knelt down enough to gather up the small child and lift her into her arms, holding her in place. “How was school?”

“School was fun!” Amiliah remarked with pride before reaching into the book bag she held and pulling out a piece of paper. “I got a gold star!” she beamed, showing it to Selena’s face – a bit too close, making it impossible for Selena to read it.

“Now hold on…” Selena chuckled. “Mommy’s eyes aren’t what they used to be. I can’t read something that close.” Gingerly, she took the paper out of her daughter’s hand and held it a few inches away from her face. “Let’s see here…” her eyes scanned the paper quickly, seeing the numbers printed across the page – a series of Grade 1 math problems, with the answer space being a drawling of an apple each time. She easily recognized her daughter’s writing, the ink from Ami’s pen being red where the questions printed were black. Additionally, she spotted the dark green check marks that lined each question, indicating a correct answer. Lastly, in the same green-color as the check-marks was a smiley face with the words ‘Well done, Ami! 100%’

“Well done, Ami…” Selena read, a ensuring the pride in her voice was heard by her daughter and ex-wife. “One-hundred percent!” She turned her attention to her grinning daughter. “Did you do this all by yourself, Ami?”

Amiliah nodded, prompting Selena to hand the paper over to Deanna, who read it quickly. “Well, well!” Deanna added with a smile, playing with Selena’s display of pride. “See what I said about the importance of doing homework?” She turned her head over to David, who was just standing there, waiting for his ‘turn’ it seemed. “What about, David?” the redhead asked, her tone genuinely curious and not comparative. “How was your day?”

“Oh…well… we didn’t have any tests, so I…” David shrugged awkwardly. He didn’t have anything to show his parents, and both Frost mothers were quick to notice his awkwardness on that given Amiliah’s math-test. “We did a couple of stuff on this thing called column additions and we’re learning about food-chains and food-webs.”

“Food chains and food webs?” Selena asked. “Sounds like a ‘tourist thing’. ‘Food chains you may like in New York.”

“I think he mean food chains like an ‘ecosystem’, dear.” Deanna corrected, her addition of the endearment at the end sending a jolt through Selena that she tried to hide. “Like the mouse eats grass…”

“Yeah!” David nodded. “Then something bigger like a snake or an owl eats the mouse. Then something bigger eats the snake or the owl. And then something bigger eats that and so forth and so forth.”

“And what’s at the end of that chain?” Selena asked. “I mean… there has to be something that is ‘too big’ to eat, right?”

David nodded. “Top of the food chain. Usually it’s us… I mean… humans.”
“Very good, David!” Deanna remarked, reaching a hand over to lovingly ruffle the boy’s hair. “Sounds like someone’s really interested in this.”

In response, David gave a shy shrug. “It’s kind of cool.” He admitted. “Everything’s connected and all that. I mean, even humans can be food for things like wolves and lions.”

“Yes, they can.” Selena nodded. “You know I use to hunt wolves back where I came from.”

The remark caught the boy’s attention. “Really?”

“Yep.” Selena nodded. “You remember where I use to live, my little prince?”

“Uh…” the young Frost tried to figure out the answer. “Home, right? Home, Alaska?”
“Close!” Selena smiled. “But it’s actually Nome, with an ‘N’. Nome, Alaska.”
“Like a troll?” Amiliah asked from her place in Selena’s arms, earning another chuckle from Selena.

“No, sweetheart. That’s a gnome – with a G in front of the N – that’s something entirely different. Although…” Selena looked up for a moment in contemplation.
“Selena…” Deanna called out, quickly regaining the Snow Queen’s attention. “Be nice.”

“Right, sorry.” Selena nodded her head, temporarily forgetting herself as ‘The Blue-Eyed Devil’ or whatever she was in SCW, and just being ‘mother’ – moment she truly wished more of, even though she knew she couldn’t. “Where was I?”

“Hunting wolves.” David answered quickly. “Were they mean? Were there a lot of them?”

“Not really.” Selena shrugged. “I mean… the thing with wolves, they mostly hunt in packs and you never want to hunt one while they are with a pack. It just invites trouble. You have to wait for one to sort of go out on its own.”

“Can I hunt a wolf?”

Deanna laughed. “You already hunt vampires, demons and those ugly things on your TV, David. You don’t need to add wolves to the mix.”
“That’s video games!” David whined at his mother’s jest. “I wanna hunt-“
“Nope.” Both Selena and Deanna answered at once. “You’re not hunting anything or having a gun till you’re at least 21.”

“But that’s… that’s…” David tried but Amiliah hopped in faster.

“13 years from now!” She exclaimed. “21 minus 8 is 13!!”
“That’s right!” Deanna beamed at the smaller version of herself (at least Selena thought so). “And how long till you are 21?”

Quickly, Amiliah held up her hand to count the numbers on them. She did it twice her looking up at Deanna. “Fifteen!”

“Ding ding!” Deanna answered. “Well, that settles it.” She turned her head towards Selena. “I’m getting Ami to do my taxes this year.”
“You haven’t done your taxes yet?!” Selena’s eyes widened. “You’ve got maybe a week before deadline!”
“Exactly! A whole week! I’ll get to it.” Deanna remarked. “Not like I have much to declare.”

“You kinda do.” Selena shrugged. “Name, lower income, higher spending on insurance for therapy, marital status change-“
“Huh?” Deanna asked.
“Marital status changed.” Selena answered. “Cause your single now.” Her eyes suddenly widened a little in mild worry. “You are still single, right?”

“What? Oh… yes!” Deanna shrugged. “Of course.” She added with a laugh. “You know, I almost got a date with someone when I was back in Kentucky, but they weren’t too keen on the whole ‘crazy’ thing.”

“You’re not crazy.” Selena remarked, choosing to ignore the pang she felt at the mere mention of Deanna having a date with someone – For the best… she reminded herself. Conceal… Don’t feel… she added for good measure. “Right, Ami?” she turned her attention back to her daughter. Momma’s not crazy.”

“No!” Ami laughed. “Mamma not crazy! Crazy straws are crazy! It’s in the name!”
“Yes they are!” Selena laughed. “They are SUPER crazy.”
“SUUUUPER CRAZY!” Amiliah sang as Selena brought the youngest Frost child to Deanna’s car, opening the door with her free hand and then ensuring her baby was strapped into her seatbelt.

On the other side of the car, she spotted Deanna holding the door open so David could enter the vehicle from the other side of the Jeep, the young boy doing up his own seatbelt as Deanna closed the door beside him, though she had left the windows open from when she had been driving to the school. Their children placed securely in Jeep, Deanna stood up to stare over the hood of the vehicle towards Selena, who could only manage to offer her an apologetic smile.

“Sorry about the mixup.” The Snow Queen offered. “Guess I just lost my focus or something.”

It was a lame reason, but Deanna, thankfully, accepted it with a knowing smile and a nod of her head. “Did you want to come with us back home?” she asked. “You were planning on spending the day with the kids anyway if you thought you were picking them up today.”

“I…” Selena slowly halted herself before nodding her head. “I was. I thought maybe I could take them to the movies like Snow White or David was saying something about that Minecart game.”
“Minecraft!” David corrected/asked with surprise and excitement. “I wanna see it!”
“That.” Selena gestured.
“Well, it’s still a school night.” Deanna fidgeted. “And I doubt it’s okay for Amiliah…”
“Yeah.” Selena nodded. “Snow White was, but… yeah.” Gods, this is so awkward! Why is this awkward?!

That’s how it simply was. One minute, the two Frost mothers could be sharing and open and honest… like how it used to be. The next, it be as awkward as hell. Neither was preferable for the platinum-blonde. One way just lead to trouble and the other… the other…

“Alright, decision!” Deanna declared, clapping her hands together to get Selena’s attention rather effectively. “You’re coming back home with us. We’ll wait for Elsianna to get home from school, then we can decide what everyone wants to do! Family vote kind of thing!”
“I VOTE MINECRAFT!” David called out from his seat from within the Liberty.
“Noted!” Deanna called back, casting a quick glance towards her son before returning her attention to the former world champ. “Good?”

For her part, Selena could only manage some kind of sound from her throat before releasing a sigh. “Yeah, okay.” She settled on saying. “I’ll meet you there.”

No more words were said as Deanna got into her SUV and carefully maneuvered it out of the parking lot and towards the exit.

She should really get that thing replaced. Selena remarked to herself as she made her way back to her own Aston Martin. They had had the Liberty since they had started living together in early 2015, buying it used shortly after Jeep had discontinued the model in 2012 (basically making the car older than Selena’s SCW career!). For a moment, as the platinum-blonde got herself into her car, she allowed a smile to grace her features at the memory.

They had been living in a small little house in one of the poorer suburbs of New York (whatever Selena had managed to afford on her own within her first year of becoming an SCW wrestler) and the bucket of bolts she had been driving across America (or at the very least to the airports when travel by car was too great) had died rather suddenly – probably worn out to its gears or however that expression went. They had fled to every used-car dealership in the area, Selena needing a replacement immediately to avoid missing work (with house shows still being a thing at the time within SCW). All day, the couple had searched, some places leading to great possibilities while others… well, between the poor choices and the sleazy sellers, Selena had definitely gotten crankier and crankier as the day went by. It wasn’t until the last dealership on their list that they had found the dark blue gem sitting there, as if it had been waiting for them (as Deanna had put it). They had bought it less than an hour later, but it was Deanna’s logic that Selena was recalling. ”It’ll be great for travel AND… other stuff if we ever get to that…”

Back in the present, Selena shook her head. Deanna had always known that her future was with the Snow Queen. A future with a better home, with a family, you couldn’t convince her otherwise – and the Jeep remained a strong memory of that with a strong sentimental value for the redhead, which was why Deanna was determined to keep it until it was impossible to do so.

Was it any different than you saving this car?

The thought – mocking as it was – caused the young woman to reflect on the vehicle she sat within. She had fought tooth and nail to have the vehicle repaired rather than replaced back in Oberwessel following her car crash, so perhaps she understood her ex-wife’s situation with the Jeep Liberty better than she realized. Deanna had wanted to hold onto a more innocent time – the two of them in love with the future bright… and Selena had wanted to hang onto her past. The last match she had had before she had unmasked and become the Blue-Eyed Devil…

“I guess I get it…” she whispered, reaching out her hand to rub the steering wheel with her hand. She still had not told anyone – save her therapist - about the car crash… or the fact that she had steered it into the wall on purpose, a desperate attempt to feel something after her match with Blake Mason at Dogfight in Dusseldorf. Or had been her just jumping ahead of things? She wasn’t sure. Still, she remarked as she started the car and took off after Deanna and her children, she wasn’t going to push the matter with the Jeep. It wasn’t like they were at a loss for other vehicles or funds to get a new one once that one went kaput. Things were different now. Their family were financially secure, Selena occupying the top spot over most, if not all, the entire SCW roster. She was easily on par with the world champion, Xander Valentine, and the only reason he was up there was because he held the title. If the past near year had indicated anything, it was that Selena was a top-tier star with or without the world title, a fact she was certain the SCW Universe was hating with each passing day.

She could afford to bide her time, to pick her moments, and choose which path to go down where the wrestling and rankings were concerned, even if the ending was set in stone. Which was way she found all the more annoying when Alex kept butting into her business and getting in the way. Him and Syren.

She thought she had made her point last pay-per-view. Between Blake Mason and Kristen Scott, all the way back to James Evans in the elimination chamber (and all the opponents she had faced on Breakdown saying the same thing about ‘vaulting up the ladder through her’), Selena had been certain she had made it clear that a ) she was not going to be anyone’s ‘rocket to fame’ or whatever idiot phrase they used and b ) that no one disrespected her name or her family without consequences. With or without a world title, the Frost’s name was to be respected!

And yet, in had sauntered Syren and her former ‘mentor/whatever-they-had-been-in-Infamous’ CHBK, the old man, as he had in the old days, giving Syren the keys to the kingdom, just like he had with every other ‘legend’ and ‘old-timer’ that had walked on back into SCW since he took the job from D..

It was CHBK that had allowed Mason to come back and be a wrestler – which had lead to Selena being screwed out of the Trios finals, her private information being leaked (which she was STILL dealing with in her quiet lawsuit with the company), and Deanna being the target of a mental assault by Mason and his cronies.  It had been CHBK that had brought Kristen Scott back into the fold, allowing her to run her mouth and run down Deanna when the redhead wasn’t there to defend herself. Same with him letting Asher Hayes back in. So this stuff with Syren? It just seemed more par for the course!  

“He’s as clueless as the rest of them.” Selena gently growled under her breath as she drove through the Manhattan streets, travelling the short distance necessary to get to her old house: The Frosts’ “Forever Home”. She barely acknowledged it as she drove into the driveway, accustomed to it and the appearance of the house. Reaching it, she was able to spot Deanna’s car up ahead, the redhead out of her SUV and helping the children out as well. As Selena stopped and parked the Martin, she saw Deanna lift her head to spot her, the younger Frost giving a quick wave before resuming her task. Evidently, before picking up the children, Deanna had gone grocery shopping, for the shorter woman was now taking bags out of the trunk space.

Quickly, mostly out of habit, the platinum-blonde was out of her car and closing the distance between her and her ex-wife, scooping up one of the bags from the trunk.

“I’ve got-“ Deanna started.
“It’s fine.” Selena interrupted. “I rather be useful when I’m around here.” She added. “Rather than just a guest…”
“Oh…okay.” Deanna shrugged awkwardly – again that blasted awkwardness – letting Selena take the last bag.

Carrying it over her shoulder, Selena felt the contents shifting. “Feels like soup cans or something.” She remarked, earning a nod from the redhead as the four Frosts made their way up the stairs and to the front door.
“I thought I’d make spaghetti for dinner.” Deanna declared as she unlocked the door, turning her head quickly to eye her youngest daughter. “Yes, Ami, with meatballs.” She quickly added, anticipating the young girl’s question.
“Yay!” Ami exclaimed.

“That does sound nice.” Selena admitted, hearing her stomach growl at the idea of such a dinner. Deanna always used a zesty sauce whenever they had had spaghetti, to the point where Selena had bought it when she began living on her own again. Same noodles, same sauce… She couldn’t have the dish any other way now.

Coming out of her moment-long daze, the Snow Queen saw the redhead smiling at her, Deanna’s tongue playfully sticking out a little between her teeth as part of the smile before she opened the front door and stepped in, the rest of the Frost ‘family’ filing in, with Selena being the last to enter.

“We’ll have to have dinner early if we want this to be a movie-night.” Deanna remarked as she moved further into the house, the children already bustling around to get their coats and shoes off. “Children, I want you to go straight to work on your homework while I make dinner. If it isn’t done, then we don’t go. Understand?”

“Yes, mom.” Both David and Amelia answered before the two scampered off up the stairs towards the rooms, no doubt the incentive of going ‘to the movies’ propelling them.

For Selena, she merely stood in the entrance, her eyes settled on the floor as she heard Deanna drop off her own bag in the adjacent kitchen before returning back, the redhead still talking.

“Maybe we can get lucky and check the drive-in just out of town. They could be playing both Snow White and-“ she stopped when she spotted that the taller Frost hadn’t moved from her spot. “Selena?”

Without looking up, Selena replied, “Elsianna doesn’t get home till about 4:15 right?”
“Yes. Due to the bus.” Deanna answered with a shrug. “Why?”
“Yes, why.” Selena nodded before eyeing Deanna. “So, why are her shoes here then?”

With her free hand, she gestured to the floor… and the EIGHT pairs of shoes that were placed neatly in their spot. Gazing at the footwear, Deanna tilted her head. “Oh…” she answered in surprise. “That’s odd…” she looked around. “Elsa?” she called out. “Are you home?”

When no answer returned other than that of David and Amiliah working away upstairs, Selena turned on her foot to open the front door and exit the house. Moving a few steps across the porch, she eyed the walkway that went around the house and up the hill a bit to the smaller ‘house’ there: the pool and gym room.

And the lights were on…

“I think I know.” Selena answered, quickly excusing herself to walk the path towards the small house, not surprised when she heard footsteps eventually coming up from behind. She didn’t have to look back to know Deanna was following her.

“I hope she’s alright.”
“I’m sure she would have called us earlier if something was wrong.” Selena assured the younger woman. “Maybe she got a ride home with a friend or something.”

Out of the corner of her eyes, the platinum-blonde saw Deanna nod her head, not necessarily in agreement but at least in acknowledgement of the possibility of Selena’s hypothesis. Together, it took only another minute for the pair to reach the door, open it, and step inside the smaller house. Immediately, the sound of Taylor Swift filled their ears, but which song, Selena couldn’t figure out. Ignoring the noise, the former world champion moved in, walking past the pool area and into the gym space, where she spotted the shorter, smaller, girl kicking and punching at the punch-bag hanging by a chair in a corner of the room. Despites the loudness of the music playing, Selena could still, easily, hear the young girl’s grunts of frustration as she struck the bag!

Deanna, meanwhile, moved around the room to where the speaker controls were and, with a flick of her wrist, had turned the entire system off, immediately plunging the house into silence, which shocked the young striker, Elsianna turning on the spot towards the controls to see her mothers standing there.

“Bad day at school?” Selena asked with an amused smirk, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Mom…Mother…” Elsianna breathed. She already begun working up a sweat, indicating just how long she had been at it with her ‘workout’. In another corner, Selena spotted the 12-year-old’s backpack, further proof of the timing of events. “I’m just… I’m sorry… Mr. Gray offered me a ride home…”

“Oh, well that was nice of him.” Deanna remarked. “I hope you said thank you.”

In response, the eldest Frost child gave a nod of her head, adjusting her fingerless gloves a little, but still remained rooted in place.

“We were thinking of spaghetti for dinner and then all of us catching a movie or two.” Deanna offered. “That sound okay? You’ll have to get your homework-“

“I… I can’t…” Elsianna interrupted, surprising both Frost mothers.
“Oh…” Deanna spoke first. “You want to do something else?”
“No…yes…” Elsianna tried, awkwardly fidgeting while her hands played with one another in nervous habit.

“Snowflake…” Selena finally tried, approaching her daughter. “I can stay with you if you need to do something. Your mom can-“

“No. It’s not that. It’s just-“ Elsianna tried for several seconds to get her words out but couldn’t seem to string them together right away. Still, the two Frost mothers said nothing, waiting for the young girl to finally get her thoughts together.

“Mom… Mother…” she spoke slowly, eyeing Deanna and then Selena as she did. “Can I…I want to… I mean…” she stammered before taking one more deep breath. “Can I go out tonight? I… I have a date.”

_______________________________________________________________

The Royal Letter

The video slowly fades into a simple office, with a dark-purple leather, a desk and shelves of books in the background with the chair the closest to the camera. Sitting within the chair, patiently, is Selena Frost, strumming in her fingers against the chair’s armrest. Her hair is in its iconic braid, but her clothes are far more casual than the sharp suits and dresses she wears as ‘The Face of SCW’, opting instead for ebony-black track pants and dark blue t-shirt.

Glory Braddock. she whispers, just enough for the viewer to pick it up, the woman lifting her head to gaze straight into the camera.

I want you to appreciate this as the gesture that it is. Because I’m here before you, via this recording, not as ‘The Blue-Eyed Devil’ or ‘The Face of SCW’ or even ‘The Snow Queen’. she shakes her head. This isn’t some publicly posted video or some blog like you-know-who will probably do. This is a private conversation between you and me. This is just me, Selena Frost, needing to talk to you, Glory Braddock. Woman to woman. Away from the socials that will spin it. Away from the fans that will hate it because that’s all they know how to do when it comes to me. Away from everyone but you and me because you need to hear this. You need to understand what I have to say…

Because you’re not getting it…

Taking a slow breath, Selena sits back in her chair, utterly calm and composed. You think I was bothered by you hijacking my Breakdown segment and riding my moment? Hell, stealing my very idea to ‘call my shot’ so you could call yours? she gives little grin before shaking her head. I wasn’t. I wasn’t bothered by you. I wasn’t frustrated by you…

Truthfully, I respected it.

I respected it – misguided and uninformed as it was but I will get to that another time – I respected that you came forward like a woman of integrity and said ‘I’m ALSO going to get in your way. I’m ALSO going to try and win the royale.’. I can respect that because of who you are and what you have done.

And to be clear, I’m not talking about “14 World Championship reigns” or “15 World Championship reigns” or whatever number you’ve got swirling around in your resume, because it’s kind of hard to take that 14 or 15 world title reigns seriously when you’ve barely held the S-C-W world championship for 14 or 15 minutes in your entire career here in SCW. the Snow Queen smirks knowingly.

I am not talking about accolades when I say I respect your decision because of what you have done. When I say I respect what you’ve done, I am talking about… the work. The work, Glory. I am talking about the work you have done and that work is you being here from start to finish. You being here night after night, show after show- I couldn’t give two craps what you do here in SCW, okay?!

She gives a waves of her fingers as she counts off examples. Rename a title after your homeland - ‘UK champion!’ - to make yourself buzzworthy. Bombard twitter to seem significant! Run the Adrenaline division and then show you’re an idiot for not reading the fine print in a rematch clause contract – agree to a match you know nothing about – I don’t care! Could not care less! You want to be a fool here? You be a fool here. You want to be a star here? You be a star here! The fact of the matter is… you have been here!

Yeah, attendance impresses the Snow Queen. Go figure, right? Doesn’t seem like much of a task, but let’s take a look at who everybody is cheering for these days, shall we, Glory? Xander Valentine? How many times has he come and gone out of this business, saying “I’m retiring! I’m done!” only to come back and say ‘Nevermind’.

Blake Mason? Came back and got everything he wanted. World title shot without winning a damn match. Main-events! Audience loving him until he messed that up.

Josh Hudson? Please.

Hell, Kandis and Tommy Valentine – the most burnt-out has-been in SCW history and the woman that got lucky once and suspended twice over her temper tantrums. Now being handpicked and molded into the next tag-team champions. Don’t be stupid, Glory, you know it and I know it. The platinum-blonde rolls her eyes at the names.

SCW’s rankings are getting more and more filled with people that do the same thing. They walk away, they hide, they lie, and then they come back and Mr. Can’t-Handle-Business-Kid hands them EVERYTHING!

Look at me, Glory. Chamber winner. Female Wrestler of the Year. Only ONE loss to my name since this season began! But not one title shot. Not one opportunity. The only way I’m getting a world title shot is if I use my contract or win the royale.

Yet… he wants to promote “consequences” for actions. He spat in your face when you were screwed out of your rematch for the Adrenaline title. He said it was YOUR fault because you signed the contract. He did NOTHING for you. The woman that has been here nonstop for how long, Glory? But for Xander? For Kandis? For Mason? For Hudson? For Syren? she gives a shrug of her shoulders.

You missed that detail, didn’t you, Glory? Not surprising given recent events. But you and I were talking in the ring, exchanging respect between one another… you calling your shot off the back of me calling mine, fine. But nothing else happened. Then… then! Syren walked out. Syren walked out and piggybacked off the both of us.

Keep in mind, Glory, this is the SAME woman that had just LOST to Derek Adonis earlier that night. The SAME woman that had, upon her return pay-per-view match, LOST to Asher Hayes. The SAME woman that, to this day, has YET to win ten matches in a row to earn a spot back into the world title rankings. Still hasn’t happened after how many years? Nearly two?

Syren comes out and just like that – out rushes her old mentor, her old Infamous-buddy, CHBK. And in a snap, he plants a condition in the match where the winner will, yes, take spot 40 in the Taking Hold of the Flame royale. Who do you think he did that for, Glory? You think he did that for you? The same man that did NOTHING when you were cheated in your rematch for the Adrenaline title you lost?

Selena shakes her head knowingly. You think he did that for me? The man that did NOTHING when my wi- she stops herself, catching herself quickly. When Deanna’s life was endangered? Who did NOTHING when my daughter was harassed? When Kristen Scott badmouthed Deanna, who can’t be allowed back here to defend herself? Again, she knowingly shakes her head.

You know who he did that for, Glory? You know who he made that ‘prize’ for?

Syren.

Because Glory Braddock vs. Selena Frost vs. Syren should be more than enough to headline a pay-per-view. The talent alone – the SKILL alone – the passion alone – but let’s add a condition that I never asked for, that YOU never asked for… but I’ll bet Syren did!

Lifting a hand, Selena pressed a finger to her own temple. Think about it, Glory, for one second. Lose the wide-eyed excitement you had when the announcement was made and look beyond the curtain into the finer details. Taking Hold of the Flame is, right now, the ONLY way Syren can legitimately get her world title shot. And who’s been bending the rules every time she’s been here trying to make that happen? Who allowed her eliminations at the royale last year to ‘count’ towards her ten-count of wins, trying to get her out of it? Who allowed her into this and put that condition on the line? And all after I made my declaration?

Selena tilts her head, eyes still on the camera. You know the answer…

But it goes so much deeper than that, my friend. Because it’s not just ‘who wins’ that’s on the line… it’s who takes the pin. You heard him, right, Glory? Whoever takes the pin… starts off in the WORSE possible position in the royale. So not only is CHBK setting up Syren to be in the best position possible for the royale… he wants to eliminate one of the two greatest threats to his ‘favorite’ from the board.

Glory Braddock and Selena Frost.

Because how many people have won the royale from start to finish? She holds up two fingers.

That’s it. Two people in the history of royales have won the royale from start to finish in over twenty years. It’s a fool’s errand. And if one of us is there, we become, basically, no threat to the one he WANTS to win. The one he’s been helping all along…

The Snow Queen gives a sigh. I’m not asking you to believe me or trust me or even work with me, Braddock. Quite frankly, I don’t need your help. Quite frankly, in the grand scheme of things, CHBK is just a little fool thinking his little games can stop my plan. Because they can’t. There’s nothing that can be done to stop me at this point. My fate is sealed and what lies ahead cannot be stopped. The reason I am telling you all of this – the reason I am trying to open your eyes is because I don’t want you suffering any more at CHBK’s hands. I don’t want you to be cheated and screwed by him again while his ‘favorites’ try and take over this place. I want you to have what you wanted to have last Breakdown. A chance to take me down. A chance to be the one to stop me. A chance to fight me for the right to win the royale and to headline Rise to Greatness, free of the old bastard’s machinations!

That’s what I want, Glory. That’s what I desire for you. So, I want you to take the next couple of days and really think. REALLY think about what it is YOU want. What you want to be. Where you want to be. Because at Rebirth, it won’t just be about the one who gets their arm raised. It’ll be about the one that fell. It’ll be about who wasn’t good enough… smart enough… or high enough on the food chain to avoid being devoured.

And I want you to think about where Glory Braddock fits into that picture. Do you want to be the one devoured? Or the one free of CHBK?

Sitting back in her chair, Selena gives a shrug. The choice is ultimately yours, Glory. But I suggest you look at the details more closely this time before you make a decision… before you lose something more than just a rematch. And then consider what it is you want to be when it’s all over. Do you want to be a star? Or just keep being CHBK’s fool…

Up to you. Whether you believe me… she gives one more shrug. Or not.

The camera fades on this private message before going entirely to black.

[Braddock]

2 of 2
=====

==========
April 13th, 2025
Miami, Florida
Off Camera
==========

It is difficult for Glory Braddock to concentrate on much of anything right now. Over the past twenty four hours what she thought was a solid friendship has been put into severe doubt. The British Bombshell’s childhood friend and business partner, Frances Taylor, has decided to quit and to go into business for herself. It isn’t just a matter of going into business for herself, though, otherwise Braddock would have no problem supporting whatever choices her friend made. Frances Taylor wants to actively compete against Braddock. Frances Taylor wants to rebuild her family company, Taylor Enterprises, and use it to bring down Glory’s own company. They were close friends and now they are enemies, now Frances wants to end Glory Braddock. The logic behind it makes even less sense. Frances is supposedly upset that Braddock won’t lift all the restrictions against her, thus making her the second most powerful and influential person in the company, and for that reason she has betrayed Glory, she has decided to try and run Glory into the ground. No, that logic does not make sense. What does make sense is the potential corruption at the hands of her new boyfriend Dominic Sterling. Braddock knows next to nothing about this individual except that he inherited his wealth, he didn’t earn it, and that he supposedly helped Frances with her self-confidence. Glory suspects that perhaps he is the one behind Frances betraying her. But she can’t prove it, and even if she could, she isn’t sure if Frances would believe her. Frances seems to be blinded by her affection for this man, for Dominic Sterling. Ultimately what really bothers The British Bombshell isn’t the threat to her company. She has learned a great deal about the corporate world and how cutthroat it is, she has survived worse threats than this before. What upsets Braddock is the fact that she may have lost her friend Frances Taylor. She is more concerned with saving her friendship rather than saving the company.

The late morning sun cast long golden stripes across Glory Braddock’s Miami home, filtering through the swaying fronds of royal palms that lined the private driveway. The metallic hum of her car faded as she stepped out and walks up the polished stone walkway. Though the exterior of the house exuded the same quiet luxury as ever, there was a tension in the air now, something invisible but palpable, following Glory up the front steps like a shadow she couldn’t shake. She unlocked the door and entered, letting it close behind her with a soft but final thud. The quiet inside was near total, broken only by the subtle hum of the central air conditioning. The foyer opened up into the main living space; an expansive, sunken room of clean lines and minimal clutter. Cool tones of gray, white, and soft blue played off the natural light pouring through the windows. A pair of abstract paintings hung above the marble fireplace, and the coffee table, made of thick tempered glass, reflected the high ceilings and recessed lights above. Glory’s footsteps slowed as she crossed the threshold into the living room. Her posture had wilted, if only slightly. Her shoulders were tense, and the corners of her mouth were drawn tight, as if she were holding something in. Gone was the effortless poise of the boardroom or the performative charm of last night’s dinner. In its place was something quieter, rawer. Her royal purple t-shirt clung to her with the sweat of a day spent walking through emotional minefields, and the sunglasses she pulled from her eyes revealed not just fatigue, but something deeper; frustration, maybe. Maybe even hurt.

Kurt Logan was already there, lounging on the sectional with a book in hand. He looked up as soon as he heard the door, immediately catching the shift in her mood. His expression softened. He set the book down without a word, leaning forward slightly, elbows on knees, watching her with the steady gaze of someone who knew her better than anyone. He was in a soft charcoal T-shirt and relaxed jeans, barefoot. Glory didn’t speak right away. She stood near the back of the sofa, her fingers curled lightly around its edge as if grounding herself. The silence stretched out. Then, with a breath that sounded too heavy for the moment, she walked around and sat beside him, though not too close. Her eyes stayed on the floor, her hands clasped tightly in her lap. It was the kind of posture that meant she was fighting the impulse to either vent or shut down completely. Kurt reached for her hand but paused midway, waiting for her to either take it or wave him off.

“You don’t look good.” Kurt points out. “Is everything ok?”

“It’s been better.” Glory remarks with a sigh. Kurt chuckles lightly and then wraps a warm, comforting arm around her shoulders.

“Well you could start by telling me where you went so early in the morning.”

“Sorry about that.” Glory says quietly. “I didn’t want to wake you.”

“You succeeded.” He nods his head. “I happened to wake up without you in bed. I thought you got some crazy notion to cook breakfast so I went downstairs to make sure the kitchen wasn’t on fire or anything.”

“Very funny.” Braddock rolls her eyes.

“I know I should have known better.” He winks. “You’re a horrible cook, you wouldn’t have even tried. But I love you anyway.” He kisses her on the lips. Glory smiles warmly.

“Thanks, love.”

“So what were you doing out there so early? If you were going for a run or doing some other workout, that’s fine, but you DO know that we have a personal gym in the basement…”

“Of course I know!” Glory exclaims. “Why would I forget what’s in my house? What would I need to workout for anyway?”

“Selena. Syren.” Kurt states with wide eyed curiosity. “You’ve been practically begging for a match in SCW for weeks now. Don’t tell me you forgot now that you finally got one.”

“Right, Rebirth…” Braddock sighs and shakes her head “...I haven’t forgotten. How could I when Selena is playing all these damn mind games?”

“Are her mind games better or worse than Dexter Grant’s?” Kurt asks with a sly grin. Braddock snickers.

“It’s just different. What annoys me is that she makes sense…”

“The Blue Eyed Devil? The most hated woman in SCW today makes sense?” Kurt chuckles. “Care to explain what’s going on in your head?”

“Well think about it…I get it, the business has changed so much but is it really for the better? She calls it the wild wild west but my cousin Kim just calls it chaos. I’ve never been a big fan of that approach to the business because it should be about competition and nothing more.”

“But you’re right, the business has changed and sometimes you need to learn how to adapt to change.” Kurt points out. “You learned to adapt and, in my opinion, that makes you better than Selena. She refuses to adapt to the new normal.”

“That’s not all.” Glory shakes her head. “CHBK speaks of the roster accepting the consequences of their actions, right? He said that many times, but specifically to me after that nonsense with Grant.”

“Uh-huh…”

“I paid the consequences for my actions. I was screwed out of my Adrenaline Title match. But Syren lost to Derek Adonis. Derek Adonis…a guy who will never be anywhere near the main event…and Syren lost to him. That same night she is REWARDED with this opportunity to possibly earn the number forty spot in Taking Hold of the Flame. Syren and CHBK are former Infamous stablemates, Kurt, but it isn’t just that…Syren almost never suffers consequences. She walks back in and gets anything and everything handed to her on a platter.”

“Now you’re sounding like Selena.” Kurt points out.

“She’s right though.” Braddock sighs. “Which makes her mind games so damned frustrating. We agree on that one point, we agree that Syren is a problem. There’s two of us in that match, just one Syren.”

“You’re not thinking of working with Selena, are you?” Kurt arches his brow. Glory shakes her head.

“No…I mean, not yet, no.”

“But it wouldn’t be the first time you sacrificed yourself in a triple threat match in an attempt to screw Syren.” Kurt says. “Remember Rise To Greatness? How did that work out for you?”

“I do remember.” Glory nods her head. “It didn’t work out for me then, that’s why I’m obviously not very keen on giving in to Selena’s mind games. Still, there’s no one who can convince me that between the two, Syren is the greater evil.”

“You need to be careful, babe.” Kurt shakes his head. “Even that kind of thought process can be detrimental. That’s not a good mindset to be in, babe, not when you’re up against someone like Selena Frost…and even Syren, though you may hate her, is someone you can’t take lightly.”

“Don’t worry about me, Kurt, I will be ready when the time comes. Rebirth is next week. Pittsburgh. I will be ready for both of them. But as important as it is to be in action, to get this opportunity to not just compete but maybe earn that number forty spot in Taking Hold of the Flame, there are sometimes things more important.”

“Wow…” Kurt smirks knowingly “...winning Taking Hold of the Flame will earn you a shot at the SCW World Championship and I know how important that is to you. So the idea that something is more important to you is shocking.”

“You know, you’re not as funny as you think.” Glory remarks flatly.

“I’m just trying to lighten the mood, babe.” He kisses her on the cheek this time. “Look, obviously something is bothering you. And it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that it had something to do with why you got up and left so early this morning. So why don’t you go ahead and spill the beans and maybe I can help you out.”

“I appreciate the offer but I’m not sure you can help.” Glory sighs.

“I’m a good listener.” Kurt points out. “Sometimes getting it off your chest is good enough.”

“Good point. Plus you’ll find out soon enough anyway.” Braddock sighs again. “Frances contacted me early this morning. She wanted to meet me so I drove to the hotel she was staying at.”

Kurt Logan’s face and demeanor goes from lighthearted to very serious. He, like Glory, felt the tension last night. He, like Glory, had some misgivings about Frances’s new boyfriend Dominic Sterling. The fact that something might be wrong here doesn’t surprise him.

“If I recall, she wanted you to give her more power and authority last night. And you rejected it.”

“That’s right.” Glory nods her head.

“So what was this about? What did she want?”

“As you can guess she didn’t take rejection too well.” Braddock says flatly. “I got there and the first thing she tells me is that she is quitting.”

“Wait…quitting?” Kurt arches a brow out of surprise. “She’s leaving the company?”

“That’s right.” Glory nods her head. “She’s stepping down as President, she’s leaving the company. That leaves me with the problem of having to find a replacement for her…” her voice trails off.

“I mean, I did the job before and I could serve in that role again temporarily until you find a permanent replacement.” Kurt offers.

“Thanks, love, and I may take you up on that.” She sighs. “But that’s not the real problem.”

“I had a feeling there was more to it.” Kurt states. “So what else did she have to say?”

“You won’t believe it, you really won’t.” She shakes her head. “You know her new boyfriend, the guy with the great big inheritance?”

“Dominic.” Kurt nods his head. “What about him?”

“I think he got into Frances’s head. He has her convinced that she should challenge me…”

“Challenge you?” Kurt asks curiously. “In what way?”

“Challenge my company.” Glory states. “He is funding Taylor Enterprises and she has told me that she intends to run me out of business.” She shakes her head. “My own best friend…or former best friend…”

“Ouch.” Kurt pats her on the back. “Yeah, that’s rough.”

“I do not mind my company being challenged. God knows I have faced challenges within the corporate world before…Matthew Alan…Henry Van Stanton…but the fact that this one is coming from my own friend, and that she wants to run me out of business…” her voice trails of as she starts to get emotional. She wipes a tear from her eyes “...it hurts And I just don’t know what to do about it.”

“You’ll be fine, Glory.” Kurt insists, trying to comfort her. “Like you said, you have survived worse.”

“I know, but that’s not the problem.” Glory says. “My company is just a material possession. Hell, even the SCW World Championship is just a material possession. I would love to have both but in the end, friendships and relationships matter most and Frances was my friend.” She shakes her head. “I don’t want to lose her, Kurt.”

“Well I think you’re right about one thing…”

“What’s that?”

“Dominic likely got in her ear and filled her head with that nonsense.” He states.

“And unfortunately she is head over heels in love with him. There’s no way I can convince her that he’s bad news.”

“You sound so certain.” Kurt winks. Glory furrows her brow.

“What’s on your mind?”

“I mean, Frances isn’t your ONLY friend, you know? You have plenty of friends…friends with lots of connections…friends who know Frances just as well as you do…” Kurt stares deep into his wife’s eyes until, finally, her eyes light up with realization.

“Her brother Matthew!” Glory exclaims. “And Matty’s wife, Melody! Melody, Frances, and I were like sisters growing up!”

“Exactly.” Kurt says. “See, there’s always a way. There’s always a solution to every problem. Maybe your first step is to talk to your other friends and see if they can help you.”

Suddenly The British Bombshell has some hope. Kurt is right, Melody Murphy and her husband, Matthew Taylor, were all close friends growing up, along with Frances. If anyone knows Frances’s mind, it would be them. And maybe, just maybe, with their help she can talk some sense into Frances and salvage their friendship.

==========
April 19th, 2025
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
On Camera
==========

The camera begins to roll and immediately we come face to face with none other than “The British Bombshell” Glory Braddock. She stands with poise and confidence at the top of a metal staircase on a city sidewalk. The British Bombshell wears a sleeveless olive-green sweater and matching wide-legged trousers, both in muted tones that complement the warm sunlight spilling into the frame. The outfit is relaxed yet polished, exuding effortless sophistication. Her long blonde hair falls naturally past her shoulders. Behind her are the streets of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

“Here we are in Pittsburgh for SCW Rebirth and the fans are in store for a special treat; three of the most talented wrestlers on the roster going at it in a triple threat. It easily could main event a pay per view. It easily could be the match of the year when you consider the talent of all three. It’s Syren, it’s Selena Frost, and it’s me, The British Bombshell Glory Braddock. Three former world champions. Three Rise To Greatness main eventers. But most importantly to me, this is a match that is based on nothing more than competition, which is what this business should be about. No politics, no shenanigans, none of that. Just pure competition between three of the best SCW has to offer. Imagine that, a match about pure competition here in SCW. You don’t see that very often nowadays. Instead you get losers who declare war on social media, you get mysterious weirdos with masks, and everything else under the sun. The art of professional wrestling, pure competition, is lost nowadays. So this match at Rebirth is a breath of fresh air. In that sense, this match at Rebirth is a good thing and the three of us have an opportunity to do something oh so very special for the business. Selena, Syren, and I have a chance to give back to the business and the fans, to leave this business and SCW in particular in a better place than the way we found it.” Braddock grins knowingly.

“I’m not naive, though. I get the bigger picture and I understand that I am the only one who feels that way. First let me address you, Syren. It has always been your modus operandi that you do everything for yourself. You have never cared for the betterment of professional wrestling or for Supreme Championship Wrestling. You only care for the betterment of Syren. You only care about what benefits you. You do not do what’s best for business, you do not do what’s best for the great fans. You have always done what is best for Syren. Your current proclamations, your current words are not fooling me. You may fool some in the back and you may even fool some of the fans but you do not fool me. You have not changed, Syren, not one iota. Let’s examine the line of garbage you have been selling everyone, shall we? You want to claim that you are here to work your way back to the top the right way, you want to earn your way to a world title match. But what is it that your pal, CHBK, has been saying lately? Wrestlers should pay the consequences for their actions?” Glory nods her head.

“I actually agree with him. In a business about COMPETITION, there should be consequences and the consequences of LOSING are painfully clear. Yet tell me this Syren, what happened when you LOST to Derek Adonis on Breakdown? Yeah, the same Derek Adonis who, while may be entertaining, is unlikely to ever see a main event. You lost to Adonis and the consequences of losing should mean you go to the back of the line, you do not get any special treatment. Yet instead you managed to wriggle your way into this triple threat at Rebirth. And on top of it all, CHBK has added a stipulation that could make you the number forty entrant in Taking Hold of the Flame if you happen to win. I have no problems with you entering Taking Hold of the Flame. The Flame is fair game and whoever wins should get that coveted Rise To Greatness title match. But after losing to Derek Adonis you should be at the mercy of lady luck and accept whatever number you are randomly given. The idea that after losing to Derek Adonis that you could now gain an overwhelming advantage and become the favorite to win The Flame? That isn’t someone who has matured, who has changed, who wants to earn their opportunities the right way. That is the same old entitled, bratty Syren who thinks the entire world should be handed to her on a silver platter. That is the same old Syren who wants to take shortcuts. You, Syren, are a cancer to SCW. You are the worst thing to have ever happened to SCW and I swear to you that I will do everything within my power to make sure your and CHBK’s plan backfires in your faces and that YOU are the one who eats the pin or taps out, and that YOU have to start Taking Hold of the Flame at the number one spot.” The British Bombshell points a finger at the camera.

“Yes, I know what I said…CHBK, your own actions have not gone unnoticed. It is oh so convenient that you and Syren are known to be oh so close and right after she humiliatingly loses to Adonis, she gets this opportunity to instantly turn things right around. Why wasn’t she forced to suffer the consequences of her actions? Why does your pal get preferential treatment? I want to be wrong about you. I want this to be a case of you just making a simple mistake. But as it stands right now, I see right through your actions…you are trying to help Syren. But I won’t let it happen. This is about competition, and the consequences of losing is you go to the back of the line. Syren doesn’t care about competition. She only cares about herself…whether or not you can see that.” Braddock smirks knowingly.

“That brings me to you, Selena. You know something, Selena, I have always respected you. I admit, I preferred you as The Snow Queen, before you decided to become The Blue Eyed Devil, but regardless of the moniker, regardless of the personality outside the ring, I have always respected you. We have always had a similar outlook on this business. You would agree that this business is about competition and that this chaos…the wild wild west as you call it…is not how professional wrestling should be. We also agree that Syren doesn’t belong anywhere near the SCW World Championship. We agree that Syren doesn’t deserve the number forty spot in Taking Hold of the Flame after losing to the likes of Derek Adonis on Breakdown. We agree that Syren, even before CHBK took over managing operations in SCW, has always received preferential treatment.” Glory snickers.

“There’s another reason I can respect you a lot more than Syren. Because unlike Syren, who is pretending to be this good, wholesome person, who has changed her ways, unlike Syren who pretends to want to earn her way to the top, who pretends to no longer be selfish, I can honestly say that you, Selena are honest and straightforward with me and the fans. You are honest about the fact that you are only in this for yourself. You do not care what is best for business, what is best for SCW, what is best for the great fans who pay to see us compete, you care about what is best for Selena Frost. But hey, at least you are honest about it.” The British Bombshell shakes her head.

“You wouldn’t be holding some contract over SCW management’s head if you cared about professional wrestling, its fans, and specifically the spirit of competition, which is what wrestling is all about. Yes, you do care about competition, but at the end of the day you care about Selena Frost even more. But there’s another thing about competition that you are forgetting about, and it is something very important, something that can and will come back and bite you in the ass eventually…the idea that as good as you are, that on any given day someone can beat you. You are a six time former SCW World Champion? To me that just means you lost it six times. Most recently to Josh Hudson. And you will no doubt hear this and instantly call each and every one of those defeats a fluke or say that you were cheated because no one is better than the great Selena Frost, right? If I were to pin Syren at Rebirth…or if I were to make Syren tap out…you would brush that loss under the rug. You would make excuses and your biggest excuse would be that Syren lost, not you, because in a fair fight you are convinced no one can beat you.” She snickers.

“THAT, Selena, is your weakness…your arrogance. It happened to be my weakness, once upon a time, when I still called myself The Best in the Word, when I was the kind of person that both you and Syren are…when I selfishly only looked out for Glory Braddock. But I took a good long look in the mirror and I didn’t like the person I saw staring back at me. I corrected that weakness. I became the best version of myself and finally became SCW Supreme Championship status. Now that I have achieved that career goal, I have another wrong that needs to be corrected. I need to win back the SCW World Championship.” She stares intensely at the camera. She shakes her head.

“You and Syren do not need to win that championship. Syren has seven reigns, Selena has six, and both of you…Syren with her connections and preferential treatment and Selena with her fancy contract…can just waltz right into a title shot anytime you two ask for it. But someone like me? I have to earn it and I have been fighting like hell, week in and week out, without taking any breaks, without stepping away from this promotion, for years. When times got tough I never tucked my tail between my legs and ran…I kept fighting. I never tried to be sneaky or play backstage politics; I have always tried to do things the right way. And now I have on goal at Rebirth and that is to prove that doing things the right way does pay off and I will do that by EARNING that number forty spot in Taking Hold of the Flame…and one of you, Syren or Selena, will have to go the distance at the number one spot. That’s why this match is so damn important to me, because it IS about competition, testing myself against two of the best, and it is also an opportunity to earn an advantage in the one brass ring match of SCW that I have yet to win. And if I can grab that brass ring, if I can win Taking Hold of the Flame, then I can go on and win the World Championship at Rise To Greatness. But it all begins at Rebirth, and there can only be one winner, and I will do anything and everything within my power to make sure that the winner is me.”

Braddock shuts her eyes. “Sic Semper Tyrannis.”

[SnowQueenSCW]

Villain of the Year

”Set a Date”

Frost ‘Forever Home’
Manhattan, New York
April 14th, 2025
5:54pm

“How could you say yes?”

Selena paced back and forth, running her hands through her hair as she walked within the family room, avoiding, if at times barely, the couch and table. She heard giggling from nearby and shot her gaze towards the doorway leading out of the large family room/kitchen space and towards the walkway and stairs at the front of the house. There, hiding, albeit poorly, behind most of the doorframe, was Amiliah, but upon seeing her mother’s sapphire-gaze on her, scampered back down the hallway, her steps filling part of the house along with her giggles as she sang “Elsa’s got a daaaaateeee! Elsa’s got a daaaaaateee!”

It was enough for Selena to return her attention to the matter at hand, and her focus to the redhead that stood across the space in the kitchen area, rinsing out the pots and pans that had been used for the early-esque dinner everyone had had.

“Selena…” Deanna laughed a little. “It’s a little movie-date.” She explained as she finished washing the large boiling pot, grabbing a rag to dry it. “She got asked to the movies. It’s nothing serious.”

“Oh, please!” Selena laughed dryly. “Our first date was at the movies, too! Look how that turned out.”

For a moment, Deanna stopped her movements, her back towards Selena and, for that moment, Selena was terrified she had said the wrong thing. She hadn’t meant to, but she could not believe the naivety of her ex-wife. “I mean…” the Snow Queen tried.

“Relax.” Deanna replied, turning to face the former world champion and offering a tight smile. “I doubt alcohol is going to be involved like in our case.”

“Deanna…” Again, Selena tried, trying to salvage, or undo the mistake of her choice of words – anything to undo the awkwardness she had just brought on them.
“It’s fine, Selena.” The redhead remarked. “I know you didn’t mean it like that.”

Unable to think of an appropriate response to that correct assessment, the platinum-blonde opted simply to sigh aloud. “How can you be so okay with this?” she finally asked, more out of exhaustion and worry than anything else. “She’s only twelve.”

“Exactly.” Deanna shook her head. “She’s twelve, Selena. She’s growing up. It was only a matter of time before she started attracting the attention from boys at school. You know she’s a beautiful girl.” She muttered under her breath. “Considering where she got her looks from.”

Selena felt the heat of a blush threatening to reach her cheeks but pushed it back down. Now was not the time to be ‘flattered’ or anything like that. “But it’s not just that, Deanna. It’s more than that. I mean… sure, it’s just a movie date now, but what about later? What about when the boy wants more? What if she really falls for him and he breaks her heart?”

The question caught Deanna’s attention, the redhead opting to lean against the counter of the kitchen island, her emerald-eyes locked onto Selena, as if spurring her own to continue her ‘what-if’ scenario.

“Elsa is…” Selena stopped as she heard the sound of footsteps above them, coming from the second floor. The Snow Queen knew from the design of the ‘Forever Home’ that they were coming from the subject of the conversation, the young Elsianna Frost clearly getting ready for her date. It had been a rather… difficult negotiation to have – at least on Selena’s end. Originally, the older Frost mother had shut down the very idea of her eldest child going on any date. ‘Not till you’re at least 16.’ She had said. But Deanna had given Elsa the chance to explain, hearing what the young girl wanted – like a mother should have, Selena had quietly admitted to herself.

And Selena wasn’t an idiot. She wasn’t some panicky, stereotypical mother from a sitcom or whatever. This was a little crush. Elsianna was growing up and was experiencing her first crush. It was perfectly normal. Bound to happen even, Selena could admit that. But that wasn’t the issue. Still, she had been overruled by Deanna, the redhead overpowering every other excuse the platinum-blonde could use: it being a school night, the age-issue, the lack of time to prepare… Deanna and Elsianna had double-teamed her with their own solutions, until Selena had had no choice but to go along with it, leading to their current situation.

“Elsa is what?” Deanna asked, regaining her former partner’s attention. “You zoned out there.”

“Sorry.” Sighed Selena. “Elsa is… still fragile.” She chose her words far more carefully than a few moments ago. “She hasn’t been the same since that issue with the Worthington boy and burning her hands and arms.”

“I know…” sighed Deanna. “But that’s why she needs this. This could help get her further out of her shell and back to the girl we knew.”

“Or it could hurt her and push her further into the silent recluse she’s become.” Selena countered.

“Selena…” Deanna shook her head. “She’s going to have heartbreak. That’s just part of life. Crushes like these don’t last. Hormones and emotions at that age don’t last. You know that. You don’t marry the first person you’re crushing on.”

“You did.”

Opening her mouth to counter, Deanna slowly smiled amusingly before settling back. “Okay, I was the exception. But my sister when through several partners and relationships before she met Izzy. It’s part of life. You went through it.”

“Yeah, and it nearly drove me mad, if you remember correctly.” Selena sighed. “And I don’t mean mad as in you having a bad few months, but the kind where they lock me up for the rest of my life.”
“Thanks for putting my condition so lightly.” Deanna huffed a little. “What we at now? Seven months now? Pretty sure no one remembers my name these days.”

“Oh trust me, they do.” Selena scoffed. “I’m been beating down people that can’t stop bad mouthing you in your absence- Not the point here!” She held up her hand to stop the current direction the conversation had taken. “We are not talking about SCW here. We are talking about OUR daughter, Deanna.”

“Yes, and you’re worrying for nothing.” Deanna pressed, putting the last of the pots away before moving around the island and across the floor to stand by the taller Frost’s side. “We already gave her the talk earlier this year remember? That boys might start looking at her differently? That she might see them differently? And she already agreed to all our concerns about no ‘dates’ without an adult. That’s why I’m going with them while you take the kids to whatever movie they want to see.”

Selena sighed but nodded her head. On paper/in theory, it was all reasonable. Elsianna had agreed to every condition the Frost mothers had laid out. She wasn’t allowed to go anywhere ‘date-wise’ without adult supervision and the place and activity for said ‘date’ would need to be ‘approved’ by said adult.  

These were the two things even Deanna wouldn’t budge on, explaining to Elsianna that, while she was happy for her daughter and excited for her, there still needed to be some rules in place because of the young girl’s age and such.

“Look…” a warm hand took Selena’s pale, colder one, squeezing it reassuringly. “It’s going to be fine. They picked Snow White to go see. Amiliah and I will be with them a few rows back to give them SOME – and only some!” she stressed before Selena could open her mouth and say anything. “And you’ll be one room down with David and the Minecraft movie.”

“Yes, okay, I get it.” Selena sighed. “You’ve planned this out rather well and I’m proud of you and impressed and all the things.” She held her hands up to scratch her scalp, still irritated. “But you’re not seeing the big picture.”

“The one with potential heartbreak?” Deanna asked. “It’s because it’s not that serious, Selena.”
“Not for you and not for me, sure. But Elsa… she feels things so strongly. She doesn’t half-ass it. When she decided she wanted to be a wrestler, she dove into her training. Nothing I said or did could dissuade her. Nothing could change her mind. Same with her studies and… and…” she huffed. “Everything she does! It’s with all her heart. And if that’s just tossed away? If that just means nothing? If it’s just-“

“Easy…”

The voice broke through the Snow Queen’s rant, stopping her fully and catching her by surprise, mostly because of the concerned look on Deanna’s face. “It’s alright.”

“What?” Selena asked, somewhat confused. “I’m just explaining-“
“Your eyes.”

“What?” For a moment, Selena could only tilt her head before turning it towards the wall, where there was a decorative mirror at the corner by the door. There, she saw her own sapphire eyes, but they were shaking – the irises twitching back and forth. Signs of an emotional volley or attack… but she wasn’t feeling THAT overwhelmed. Was it the NX she had taken an hour ago? Or that numbness that kept creeping in since her battle with Blake Mason. Either way, all she could do was close her eyes and breathe, prompting herself to calm down. “I’m fine.” She finally said after a few slow breaths. “I’m just… worr-“

“Worried?” Deanna finished for her, regaining the older woman’s focus.

“Yes.” Selena nodded her head. “Because I’ve been through heartbreak. With Ryan. You know what he did.”

Deanna nodded. “I do.” She answered. Elsianna’s biological father, Ryan Scythe, the man that had lead Selena on for years with talks of love and a family, only to turn on her when things had come crashing down. The man that, one second, had promised her the world and freedom from Nome, and the next, revealed to be cheating on Selena with Talia. The man that, after dumping her to the curb, re-emerged years later in an attempt to destroy the Frost family. For all of that, Selena gave a wave of her hand, trying to dismiss the history that rampaged her mind.

“And then there was Dawn.”

Now, for that one, Deanna visibly cringed. It could be argued that, while far less evil and far less despicable than Ryan, Dawn Lohan, the former world champion, had done far greater damage than Ryan. For it was Dawn that had made Selena embrace her bisexuality and her – after over ten years, Selena could easily say it – lesbianism.

“In a way…” Selena sighed. “She hurt far worse. When I woke up in that hospital to find her gone… I…” she looked away, eyeing the wall. “I felt that I was going to disappear into the ether. That everything I was – everything I had become – let myself believe in… was a lie. I didn’t know where to go. I didn’t know what to do. I was lost. And if I hadn’t found you, I’d…” she shook her head before turning her head back towards Deanna. “Our marriage wasn’t perfect, but… I wouldn’t have traded it for the world.”

“Me neither.” Deanna smiled sadly at Selena.

“But before that…” Selena sighed. “And after that…” she shook her head. “Every heartbreak has taken something from me. Including losing you.” Slowly, the Snow Queen removed herself from Deanna’s hands. “And I take responsibility for my part, I do… but I can’t imagine that for Elsianna. She is so much… so much like me… And she’s already lost so much.”

“You’re afraid…”
“I am.” Selena nodded. “Isn’t it obvious?”
“But of what, hunny?” Deanna asked. “That she’ll change? She’ll always be your daughter.”
“That’s not what scares me.” Selena shook her head. “I’m not scared of her becoming someone else. I’m scared of her becoming me.”

Emerald eyes widened at that confession. “Wha-“

“I lost my father at her age.” Selena explained. “She lost part of her arms and hands. There are… so many things I know she can do. So many things I know she can be.” She shook her head, trying to fight the tears stinging the back of her eyes. “I do not want her to become me. I couldn’t bear it if she did.”

“Why not?” Deanna asked. “Despite these rough two or so years, you’ve always…”
“But I’m not now, Deanna.” Selena shook her head. “I’m not that anymore. And we both know it. I’m not the same mother, I’m not a wife anymore, I’m just some stranger that lives in a castle tower. Someone that is so broken, she can barely feel things. Someone that doesn’t trust anyone or believe in anyone other than herself. Someone that hates so much of her life and loves so little of it now.”

Sniffling a little, Selena swiped at her nose with her knuckles, moving further away and back to pacing around the room. “I see her growing up now, and I want to be happy for her. But all I can see is her getting hurt. All I can see is my little girl growing to hate the unfairness of the world. And there is nothing – nothing – I can do to help her. To protect her. Because I tried that… and I lost you.”

Once more, her eyes found Deanna’s, pale hands resting on her hips. “And to live day by day just to ‘get by’. With your only goal being to survive whatever comes? When the love and shine that you saw at work is gone… when you can’t look at the woman you love anymore without feeling empty inside?”

Biting her lower lip, the Snow Queen shook her head. “I don’t mean to place this out there now. I know this isn’t the time but, it’s out there.” She shrugged. “And all I can think about is my little Snowflake suffering that. And I’d rather…” she breathed. “I’d rather die and have her forget me in a decade or two then live my life.”

“Don’t say that!!” again, that warm hand shot out to take Selena’s. This time, however, Deanna refused to let go. “Don’t you ever say that again.” She ordered. “I don’t want to hear that ever leave your lips, do you understand me?!” She whispered, but the command was no less powerful. “I don’t care what you’re going through – you are not leaving me or our children thinking it’ll ‘make our lives easier’.”

“You’re just not seeing the bigger picture, Deanna.” Selena sighed.
“Maybe I’m not. But I can see what life without you is like and I don’t want it. I don’t care what we are. I don’t care what we can or can’t do now that we’re not together. But you are STILL part of THIS family and OUR children still need you! So do I! And you are not abandoning us like Ryan and Dawn did to you!”

The intense look of the redhead’s eyes forced Selena to look away, the Snow Queen moving her hand to make another swipe, this one against her eyes.

“She has us.” Deanna continued, squeezing Selena’s hands. “Elsa has both her mothers and her brother and her sister and Greta and so many people. That’s the difference, Selena. You didn’t have anyone in Nome. You were alone. Elsa isn’t and she knows it! She will have bad days, and, yes, she’ll probably have heartbreak one way or another, but she will NEVER be alone like you were. We, you and me, won’t let her be. Understand?”

A moment of silence settled within the kitchen space before Selena released a small laugh. “You make it sound so easy, Deanna.” She shook her head. “But considering we couldn’t save our own marriage, I don’t see how I can help beyond-“

“We’ll figure it out.” Deanna stated firmly. “One way or another, we will figure it out. But you have to let her grow and have these moments. You have to let her do this. And be happy for her. She’s growing up. And she has so many of your good qualities. Your heart, your brains, your courage – she’ll be alright.”

The redhead offered Selena a smile just as there was a knock on the door, surprising both women, and, on instinct, causing them to separate from one another as quickly as possible. “I’ll get it.” Selena said quickly, marching towards the door, though her hand flew up to press against her chest – feeling her heart hammering inside of it. Dammit… She breathed. She didn’t need this now. Didn’t need to be this vulnerable. There was too much happening! Plans that were set…

It was why she hated CHBK and Syren’s interference so much in her business. Glory? She couldn’t be too upset. Glory was a true competitor and deserving of more than what she was being given in SCW. But Syren? It was always the same routine. The supposed ‘greatest of all time’ would leave for months and months when things got too tough and she couldn’t win, then come back for a bit and be handed EVERYTHING. The most segments on Breakdown, the big matches, the shortest path to the world title. Over and over and over again, it was the same routine and with Alex in charge, it wasn’t even subtle!

But it was so much more frustrating. Rebirth – Glory couldn’t see it, the British Bombshell too preoccupied with her conception of ‘competition’ that she didn’t realize what a lose-lose situation this was for both of them. Syren wouldn’t care! She just wanted the world title by hook or crook. Had been that way for years. But Selena?

Now, if she won the royale at position forty, there would be no proof. It would just be ‘you only got it because you started at 40’. But she couldn’t lose the match either! She was the most dominant superstar on the roster, with the greatest winning streak, even surpassing Xander Valentine currently. Losing to Braddock and, especially, to Syren would be even worse for her plans and her credibility.

So she either beat them both – which she knew she could do – and thus have her future win in the royale seem invalid in the eyes of the SCW Universe, or she throw the triple threat and thus be seen as less than she was, taking a step so far back that her rank could plummet within the world title picture. It was a literal damned if you do and damned if you don’t situation.

Pushing the thought aside for the moment, the platinum-blonde reached the door and opened it. To her surprise, however, she saw the brunette girl standing before her.

“Hello, Mrs. Frost.” Smiled Asuna Gray, the daughter of one of her neighbours within the Black Arrow neighbourhood.

“Oh, hello, Asuna.” Selena smiled, confused. “Umm… What’s going on? What brings you here?”
“I’m supposed to…” the young girl awkwardly looked at her hands. “Supposed to meet Elsianna.” She finally answered.

“Really?” Selena asked with a tilt of her head. “She didn’t tell us. Umm… you want to come in for a minute so I can straighten this out?”

The young girl gave a nod and shuffled in as Selena moved back further into the house once more, Asuna shutting the door as she entered.

“I’m really sorry, kid.” Selena shrugged. “I don’t think Elsa’s free today. She’s actually getting ready for the movies.”

“Selena…”

The Snow Queen didn’t hear the voice. “I’m… I’m rather surprised she didn’t tell you. Aren’t you guys like best friends or something?”

“Selena.” Again, the voice went unheard by the platinum-blonde.

“Elsa!” Selena called out. “I think you forgot to tell Asuna your plans for tonight. She thinks you’re free and-“

“Selena!” finally, Selena turned her head to see Deanna standing next to her – when had she gotten there from the kitchen? – the redhead glaring at the Snow Queen. “Look at her clothes.”

It took a second for the former world champion to understand the command, but upon processing it, she took another look at Asuna, taking in the knee-length dress with floral design. It was semi-formal. Not something for a play-date of Dungeons and Dragons or playing video games like she and Elsianna usually did together.

Yet, it still didn’t click in Selena’s head. “It’s a lovely dress-“

“Elsa!” Asuna called out as her eyes flew up the stairs, causing Selena to turn her head… and gasp. At the top of the stairs stood her eldest daughter in a black dress that went down the shins with a lovely lace trim. The young girl’s hair was in a braid, just like Selena’s, and she wore matching gloves that went up past her elbows.

“Hey, Asuna…” the young girl smiled. “I’m ready to go.”

Now, did it finally click in for the Snow Queen, Selena’s head twisting to change her glance between the two girls several times. “Oh… OH!” She finally remarked, the pieces finally clicking together. “YOU’RE the date!” She gestured towards Asuna. “You asked her out!”

“Yeah…” Asuna bit her lip nervously.

“Wow… I…” Selena looked between the two girls incredulously before turning her gaze to Deanna. “Did you know it was Asuna?”

“No.” Deanna smiled, surprised but clearly thrilled with the idea. “How wonderful. And you both look so lovely!” She remarked, running a comforting hand along Asuna’s shoulder. “Don’t they look lovely, Selena?”

“Ye…Yes.” Selena slowly nodded, too overwhelmed with all the implications the image before her set up. “Just all very surprising.” She admitted before offering her daughter a smile. “Well, you better get a move on. Movie’s gonna start soon. We’ll be right out.”

Giving her mother a grateful smile, Elsianna was quick to move down the stairs, slide her shoes on and exit the house with Asuna, the two kids making their way to wait by Deanna’s Jeep Liberty. Alone for a moment, Selena closed the door before turning to gawk in front of Deanna.

“Our daughter likes a girl.” She stated with a shocked expression, mixed with amusement.
“Seems that way.” Deanna nodded, her grin never fading.

The two were silent for a moment, letting the situation sink in. Crossing her arms over her chest, Selena clicked her tongue inside her mouth before regarding her ex-wife again. “You feel a little stupid for assuming it was a boy that had asked her out given us?”

“A little bit!” Deanna replied quickly, having thought the exact same thing in that moment.

“Shame on us, I think.” Selena nodded in good humor. “Next time!” she added playfully. “We’ve still got two other kids!” earning a laugh from Deanna. “Speaking of which…” the platinum-blonde called out with a louder voice, “Come on, guys! Movie time!”, immediately hearing the stampeding feet as David and Amiliah made their way down the stairs, eager to go! “Coats, shoes, let’s go.” Selena declared, allowing herself a temporary feeling of happiness as she watched her children get ready.

She knew it wouldn’t last. No matter how many times Deanna inspired her with her words. No matter how many times she promised Selena that, even separated, she’d be there to help, this happiness – it was wonderful because it was not meant to last. Not for Selena.

In the end, no one could see the bigger picture. No one but her. And no one, not even Deanna, could stop her now…

All they could do was, maybe, slow her down…


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

The camera opens up to the interior of the PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where there is a wrestling year, a titantron, and too many seats spanning across the area to really count. The white and blue arctic lights shine down on the ring, creating a cold atmosphere of light. The mist that rolls around, dry ice, simply adds to this familiar segment. For standing in the middle of the ring, dressed in blue jeans, a maroon t-shirt and a black leather jacket, is the Snow Queen, herself, Selena Frost.

Allowing time for the cameras and their shots to adjust, the woman runs a hand along her braid, flicking up and over her shoulder to rest against her back.

Oh Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania… she calls out, meeting the silence of the empty arena, though that does not deter her. Do you believe?

The question echoes a little within the space, causing a knowing smile to cross Selena’s features as her eyes close for a moment, the former world champion savouring the moment.

I mean, clearly, you believe something, because social media, YouTube, Twitch, Discord – the entire SCW Universe, can’t seem to get me off their minds. Since last Breakdown, it’s been “Selena Frost-this” and “Selena Frost-that”. Nobody’s giving a damn about The Fall of Man getting ANOTHER chance at the world title after botching their first attempt – goes to show what happens when you waste a good contract, am I right? She winks at the camera.

And nobody’s talking about Xander Valentine getting ANOTHER hand-picked ‘legend’ by CHBK. I mean, we get it! Xander’s being protected. Xander’s being groomed by CHBK to be ‘his champion’ because CHBK not only ‘Can’t Handle Business’ but he also can’t handle me. No… people are talking about me.

And why? Because I rolled into SCW and I told it like it was last Breakdown. I’ve said it for months. That this is MY world. You all – the cameramen, the crew, the management, the fans, the other wrestlers, and yes… even your damn world champion… you are all just playing within it. Playing parts that I let you play while I pull the strings and do as I please, when I please. And no matter how Mr. Letters tries to interfere with that – further showing his ineptitude at this job, I might add, there is NOTHING he can do to slow me down and even less he can do to stop what is happening.

But you see, it’s not his fault. CHBK is just obsessed with the past. Alex is obsessed with the SCW where HE was ‘The Face of SCW’. The SCW where HE ruled. And he’s scared of the SCW that is here now. The SCW that I rule. That I reign within. The SCW where I don’t even need the world championship to be the biggest star within it. And no matter how many buddies he speed-dials, begging them to come back, NONE of his ‘legends’ are on my level.

Not Xander.
Not Mason.
Not Kandis.
Not Hudson.
Not Evans.
And especially not Syren.

She smiles knowingly, gazing around the empty arena. Like how I came around to the matter at hand like that? That’s how you’re supposed to cut a promo. We’re supposed to be storytellers. We’re supposed to be entertainers and top-tier athletes. Course Syren wouldn’t know anything about that with what she’s been doing lately. Cause it’s the same story as it’s always been, hasn’t it, Zoe? “Me! Me! Me! I wanna be world champion again! Get me the world title!” but oh, you’ve added a new caveat to the demand, haven’t you? Because apparently now, ANY title will do for you!

The Snow Queen gives a shrug, smiling knowingly at the camera. What happened, Zoe? Finally realize you’re never going to be world champion after failing more times than anyone else at getting it? I mean, how did your last attempt go? You settled for the Adrenaline division on a fluke, right? Still can’t beat Xander Valentine, can you? I mean… Sidestep here, but if you want some pointers on how to beat The Executioner… she gives a grin and another shrug of her shoulders. I’d be happy to give you a few words of wisdom if you ask me REALLY nicely.

But back to the matter at hand. Selena Frost versus Syren versus Glory Braddock at Rebirth. And you line those three names up for the true main-event of the night, cause like I said, nobody gives a damn about Fall of Man’s ‘mulligan world title match’, but you line those three names up:

Selena Frost
Syren
Glory Braddock

And you can hear it in your head, can’t you? That old tune. Ahem… The Snow Queen clears her throat. One of these is not like the others… She sings, actually rather well, the familiar tune.

Cause it’s true, isn’t it. One of those three doesn’t belong with the other two. Now, Syren could easily be that ‘one’ misfit and it wouldn’t surprise anyone. She’s not around that much anymore. She’s had little to no success these last few seasons of SCW, and we all know about her and CHBK – by the way… great promo there, Glory. Where’d you get those lines, eh? Another wink to the camera. You’re welcome for those words of wisdom.

But out of the three of us, Syren has no business here. It’s been said already, but it goes further than just the loss last Breakdown. I’m talking about coming back and doing the bare minimum here! I mean, here I am, giving you all a show! I am here doing the work. That’s what ‘The Face of SCW’ does. She comes in and does the work for all of you. For all of SCW. That’s why I’ve done what I’ve done to make this the ‘Wild Wild West’ you’ve wanted because Hudson – HA! Too busy in his family circle-jerk to do that – and Xander? Well, I’ve said enough about him. But ‘The Face’? The Snow Queen? She’s going to do the work. She’s going to provide. That’s what I do.

Hell, that’s what Glory’s been trying to do! But Syren? Syren’s rolled in, spend a couple minutes in front of a camera and let Lexy do all the talking. Let someone else do all the work. I mean, how many matches as she promoed for since she got here, huh? How much work has she put in to hyping her return? Hyping her mission to get back the world title or ANY title? She out here brining in the deals? Bringing in the views? Bringing in the money for SCW? Or is she still coasting through?

Selena gives a shrug of her shoulders. I mean, you look at the list of workhorses around here, Syren wouldn’t even be on the top ten list. There’s me at the top, then maybe your world champion, then the Glory Braddocks, the Polly Pignottis, the Colleen MacDonalds, The Light in the Darkness girls. So yeah, you could say Syren is the odd one out here because this match is going to take work. Three former world champions – one of which is the greatest of all time with the longest reign. The headliner of Rise to Greatness more than any other. The winner of this match is going to have to work for it so, yes, you could make the case that Syren is the odd woman out because she doesn’t understand anymore what the meaning of ‘work’ is around here. You could make that case…

And you’d be wrong.

Selena shakes her head knowingly. So that leads Glory Braddock, doesn’t it? Which ALSO makes sense. Cause you look at Syren and I? Our accolades? MILES ahead of Glory Braddock.

One time US champion.
One time Adrenaline.
One time Tag.
One time Television.
One time World – all 15 minutes of it.
One time Rise to Greatness main-event contender.

Seems like – for all her talk about the ‘one times’ a superstar managed to slip past me, ‘One time’ is all Glory seems to be good at, which is sad compared to Syren and I. The multitude of titles, reigns, main-events, awards, all of which Glory has never seen. Workhorse that she is, but just always coming up short. Always “good”, but never really at the ‘great’ or ‘legendary’ level. Case could be made that she’s the odd woman out amidst two icons!

Cracking a smile for a moment, Selena waves her hand a little. Hey, I’m sorry, Glory. You said it yourself. Thing about me is… I’m honest. I call it like it is. And while Syren doesn’t deserve a spot in this match with her being gone and doing NOTHING in so long, you really haven’t done anything to enter this level of match either. I mean, yeah, you won the Adrenaline title, but you were outsmarted by a rookie in Dexter Grant. You were outplayed by some nobody. You – with your lineage and experience and history – got outplayed and humiliated by some kid. By your own logic in your last promo, you should go to the ‘back of the line’ right? But you want to say, instead, that you’re ready for the big leagues again? That you’re ready to take on the best of the best? “The Face of SCW”?

Not a lot of people are going to believe that, Glory. I mean, you COULD get lucky! You could! As you said, some people have gotten lucky to slip by me in the past. But one thing you failed to mention was what happened after that. What happened to those people AFTER they got lucky and slipped past me.

Hudson.
Allocco.
Kandis.

They broke down. They failed. They couldn’t stay at THAT level. That’s why I say their wins were flukes, Braddock. Not because of ego and not a matter of ‘luck’, Glory. It’s a matter of ability. Because any idiot swinging a bat can hit a home run over the fence once. But to do it over and over again? To make history? To be the best at it? That takes something more than just one night – one lucky match – and none of those people could do it… Just like I know you can’t.

You don’t have it in you. And most of the SCW Universe knows you don’t have it in you. That’s why some would wager that YOU are the odd woman out in this triple threat match. she grins.

And they’d be wrong. Selena’s grin suddenly disappears, replaced by a cold glare.

Because the odd woman out – the woman that is not like the other two isn’t you and it isn’t Syren…

It’s me.

I am the one that doesn’t fit in this little pairing because, like I said, I’m above it. I don’t fit in with you two because I am so far above you both that it is sad to look at it. I outclass you, Glory, and I outwork Syren by a damn mile. I make more than either of you, I accomplish more than both of you combined, and I’ve got far more power than either of you. I’m in a league of my own.

The World-Ruler. That’s what I am. Because this is my world. This is MY show. This is MY pay-per-view! And this year – this will be MY royale!

And the biggest reason you two are lumped together is because you, just like CHBK, just like the rest of the SCW Universe can’t see the bigger picture. All you want to see is a chance to beat some top talent and MAYBE – oh! Maybe – win the royale to headline Rise to Greatness and get your world title reign that can last for a whole day! Maybe more!

Don’t be embarrassed by such an unoriginal, unchanging goal, Glory. It’s not your fault. Syren’s the same way. In fact, she’s more pathetic because she’s trying to resurrect her career for the umpteenth time. Least you’re just trying to be the best here. Least you’ve got the skills and ability to achieve something. How many times do we need hear Syren promise that ‘This is the time! This is the year I finally do it! I finally get O. D. to put that belt around my waist! I’ve got him on speed-dial to make a return when I do!’.

You’re beneath me, Glory, but you’re nowhere near as pathetic as she is.

The Snow Queen laughs at that. But that’s just it. You don’t see the value of what I try to do. You think that because I play the game by my rules that I don’t care about SCW and about competition as much as I do about myself. Tell me, Glory, how many times have you fought for the future of SCW? How many stables and power figures have YOU pushed back? Cause I’ve got a list, hun. From New Eden to the Wonderland to the Brand to the Monarchy to Infamous, hell just ask Syren and the number of times she failed to take over SCW (Syren and failures – running trend, I know) – I kept SCW alive back then just like I’m keeping the lights on for it now by being the box office draw that I am.

But you think that because I do what I do, I don’t care about SCW or competition. It’s not that I don’t care, Glory. It’s that what I want – what is best for Selena Frost – is what is best for SCW. You just don’t see it. The SCW Universe doesn’t want to see it. That’s what this whole year has been about. Giving them what they want because their ‘current heroes’ can’t do it and showing them that truth. That what is best for me is also what is best for SCW, for competition, and for everyone.

Selena shakes her head sadly. You don’t get it, ladies. But don’t worry. Tonight, at Rebirth, I am going to show you. I’m going to make you understand why you shouldn’t doubt me. Why the Royale is MINE this year. Why my fate is locked in, set in stone, and there is not a person within SCW that can do anything to stop it… or me.

I am going to make you understand and make you see it tonight, when I demonstrate just how out of your league I am. Even with all your work, Glory, and all your accolades of the past, Syren, you both don’t have what it takes to rule in MY world.

But it’s not all bad. It won’t all be embarrassment and punishment for you two. When it’s over, you’re going to be enlightened. You’re going to understand. And Syren, you can go tell Lexy what you learn. And Glory, you can bask in that knowledge. You can use it to get better in your own little divisions. And lastly, you’ll be the first to understand that I’ve been right all along. So that when my destiny happens. When all that I have set into motion comes to pass, and I make SCW better again – you will be among the first to thank me.

Thank your ‘Face of SCW’ and your ‘World-Ruler’ for opening your eyes and doing what was best for SCW. For always seeing the ‘bigger picture’. And I’ll say two words to you in recognition of your humility and your thanks. No, it won’t be ‘believe it’. Because you and all of SCW already will… No, those two words will be…

Selena smiles at the camera. You’re welcome. Her smile widens. Welcome to my world, SCW!

The camera slowly fades to black on the grinning, dominant figure, the last image being the confident glare the Snow Queen gives.

[Syren]

So, I had an idea for my last Breakdown match, and genuinely didn't realize I was booked last week so... kinda didn't get to do it. But it made sense for the story I was telling, and where I kinda want to go with it. So, I used it as the start of this RP. But that started off possibly the most fun RP I've written in a while, where I got to explore not just one part of Syren's life but multiple. Longest RP I've written in ages too...

Oh, and of course the guest star in the second part appears with permission.

Enjoy.



The Syren Song: Verse 394
"The future of the business, or whatever"