Deanna Frost vs. Dexter Grant

[Konrad Raab]

Shot of Adrenaline Tournament

SCW Adrenaline Championship

2 RP Limit for singles

3500 Word Per RP

Deadline: WEDNESDAY, December 17, 2025 at 11:59:59 pm ET (NOTE THE DEADLINE – this is for both shows)

[SnowQueenSCW]

Frost No More

”What’s In a Name?”

Eyrie Tower
New York City, New York
December 9th, 2025
6:34pm

The night came early to the Eyrie Tower. The sun had disappeared behind the horizon a little over an hour ago, and now, the city was alight with the streetlamp and building lights etched across the numerous streets and towers.

Like millions of fireflies... Deanna Frost sighed from where she stood, overlooking it, not for the first time wondering why she was doing so when this spot was clearly ‘Selena’s’.

You going to jump too? The Heart of Veil’s voice mocked in her head, causing Deanna’s gaze to cast down below. She couldn’t imagine ever being at that point! And she had been in prison!

Says the woman with the voice in her head... and let’s not forget the ‘more sane one’ was ready to swan dive into the sidewalk.

Looking away, the redhead slammed her eyes shut, trying to drive the image out as she stepped from the balcony. It wasn’t going to happen. She wasn’t going to jump and neither would Selena! She still have seven months left!

Cause you’ve made SUCH amazing progress in the last five, right?

She felt her fingers curl inward, turning her hands into fists. She felt the wind tug at her red hair. She didn’t want to think about that now! While she had not made the most progress with her lover in the last few months, the wretched voice was wrong too! There HAD, at least, been progress! There WAS still hope! Everything she and Selena did together outside of SCW – holding hands, sleeping together, how they talked, how they listened. Even the littlest thing, like how the platinum-blonde would sometimes snuggle up next to her still, like if Deanna was on the couch or something. Even so... it meant so much.

She can still be helped... She can still change her mind... Deanna affirmed, even though it made the root cause of her stress all the more anxiety-inducing.

Two matches left...

The thought beat against her skull in time with her pulse. Five times she’d walked into an SCW arena with her heart hammering inside her chest tight, convinced—at least for a split second—that she might freeze under the lights again or trip at the finish-line like she had with Asher Hayes at the End of the Year world title match years ago or at RTG months ago.

But five times she had feared any or all of those things happening and five times... they hadn’t. Five times she’d walked back through the curtain with her hand raised, sweat-soaked and, sometimes, bruised but always feeling alive in a way she hadn’t felt in nearly a year!

Over a year ago, she hadn’t been sure she’d ever wrestle again, and every time she had wrestled a match for this tournament, that match had been a stark reminder that said tournament had become her lifeline. Her path to get back what had been taken from her...

The memory crept in uninvited, as it often did when she let her guard down. The smell of smoke and ash. The roar of wood burning. Veil’s masked face hovering above her, unreadable, his voice a low murmur she couldn’t quite make out as he attacked her...

The feeling of being trapped.
Powerless.

Slowly, Deanna inhaled and exhaled, trying to calm her heart. PTSD didn’t care about logic. It didn’t care about strength. It only cared about reminding you.

As do I... she was certain that if the Heart had a face, it would be grinning wickedly at that statement.

“He can’t hurt me...” she reminded herself firmly, driving the statement to the forefront of her mind. She’d clawed her way back through nightmares and therapy sessions and moments where she’d sat on the edge of the bed shaking, convinced she couldn’t do anything. She’d used that same drive to not just enter the tournament quietly, but to, essentially, rampage through it! Undefeated – beating every opponent that came her way!

But it had always been more than that.

The Shot of Adrenaline tournament hadn’t just been about winning. It had been about proving—to SCW, to the locker room, to the fans, and most importantly to herself—that she wasn’t broken. That she wasn’t beaten. That she could be part of “Supreme Championship Wrestling” both in name and in her ability...

And now—

“Dexter Grant.” she whispered.

The reigning SCW Adrenaline Champion. For someone relatively new to SCW, even by Deanna’s standards, the guy had made the Adrenaline division his playground well before the SoA tournament. And to restate that claim, he had taken back the Adrenaline title in his first match, defeating Kimberly Williams!

Deanna shook her head at the statistics. Though she had started the tournament with her match against Spencer Pryce, Grant had pulled ahead and made himself the focus, with everyone seemingly trying to ‘catch up’. Still... for all that. All his talents and intelligence, his craftiness... Deanna didn’t just want to be another person that failed against Grant. The man may be the Adrenaline Champion, but the majority of his run within the tournament hadn’t been built on clean victories. It had been built on shortcuts. On bending rules. On referees distracted at the exact wrong moment. On allies appearing out of nowhere and tipping the scales in his favour.

In short: Grant didn’t just survive chaos.
He orchestrated it.

And Deanna was one of the last wrestlers left who hadn’t faced him.

That fact had haunted her for weeks. She didn’t know if it was luck or maybe all of Selena’s rantings of corrupt board members had a modicum of truth – it, honestly, hadn’t mattered one way or another to Deanna. The only thing that had scared her was fate getting in her way again. Every time Grant had faced someone for the title, every time someone else got their shot, she’d felt that familiar fear of being passed. Of someone taking the title off Grant and making it beyond her reach. It’s not like no one had come close! Lawler and Polly came to mind very quickly.  But even them...

And now... it was her turn. Now it was real. As per tournament rules, their match wouldn’t just decide points. It would be for the SCW Adrenaline Championship! If Deanna won, she would leave the ring as champion.

SCW Adrenaline Champion...
At long last...

Deanna let out a shaky breath. She’d been nervous before upcoming matches plenty of times before. Even so... This was different. This was everything she’d fought to reclaim, fought to prove, balanced on the edge of one night and one match. Because she had already proven that she was good enough to go to the semifinals...

This? The Pay-Per-View? This was just as important. This would be her moment to prove that she was good enough to win the tournament AND good enough to be SCW Adrenaline Champion...

Asher Hayes had stated it at the start of his return and Jordan Majors had added on to it since the redhead’s return, and there was no shortage of people that would take the same shot. The idea that she was unworthy of being a champion now. That she was incapable of reaching those heights anymore. RTG had made an argument in that statement – the old Deanna had never lost at RTG, but this new one coming back from “mental destruction”? First thing she had really done was lose both her RTG ‘streak’ and the title she had held for over a year in one fell swoop.

You’re scared... the voice mocked inside her.
“I’m scared.” Deanna whispered, but not necessarily in reply to the Heart.

Skill-wise, she had never fought Grant before, making it impossible to tell if she could beat him, even with her researching him... but then there was Wendell, Grant’s associate, to consider.

The young woman sighed at the thought.

Unlike her matches, so many of Grant’s in the tournament had resulted on trickery. On Wendell pulling some kind of distraction or ‘unseen assist’ to keep the belt with Grant. Perhaps before she had been sent away and locked up in Kentucky, Deanna would have seen that and been more confident. After all, if she was beating people that Grant needed help to get past, didn’t that say who was the more capable?

But that wasn’t who she was now. While her confidence in herself was growing, she knew she did not have an answer to interference. She didn’t have friends to come to the ring with her – at least no one she would ask – and as for Selena...

Deanna could only shake her head at that. She had promised not to get involved in Selena’s SCW work and had demanded Selena do the same.

And now, she’s teaming with Xander! Oh that is rich! Because of you, she’s trapped with the Fiery Nation in front of her and her back towards Xander F’N Valentine! she heard the voice laughing – far more amused than it should be. Deanna, though, could not laugh.

She did feel a bit guilty at that. She could have just teamed with Selena weeks ago and helped her deal with things, rather than let them become more and more complicated as the shows went by. And it’s not that she didn’t want to team with her partner/lover again like the old days, but that... the way things were now...

What is so wrong with being a little selfish? Hmmmm? came the teasing whisper in her mind. After all you’ve been through? What you had taken from you... Don’t you deserve to do something for yourself for a change? Something just for Deanna?

The redhead gave another sigh as she slowly made her way back into the suite. For the most part, the place was quiet. Selena was away training and the kids were all in their rooms either doing homework or, when that was finished, either on their phones, TVs, or video games. It left Deanna alone in the family room, allowing her to sit on the couch where she was immediately approached and snuggled by Oberon and Midna, the cat and dog tag-team deciding now was the time for cuddles!

It was enough to make Deanna smile for a few moments, her mind letting go of her worries of SCW bit  by bit...

The soft click of a door, however, instantly put her back on edge, her head turning towards the sound.

“Mom?”

Before her, Elsianna stood just inside the doorway, framed by the darker room behind her due to the lights not being on in comparion to the room Deanna sat. The girl’s blonde hair was pulled into a messy ponytail, with strands slipping loose around her face. She leaned on her crutches, the white cast on her left leg stark against the gray sweatpants she wore.

Deanna’s chest tightened at the sight. “Yes, Elsa.” she said softly, forcing a smile. “Do you need something?”

Elsianna shrugged one shoulder. “No, I’m okay.... I just... wanted to talk to you.” she gazed around the room. “Mother’s not back yet, is she?”

“No, dear.” Deanna shook her head. “She’s in ‘training mode’ for the pay-per-view. You know how she gets...”

The statement was given no reply from Elsianna, the eldest Frost child simply looking away to the nearby wall.

“So...” Deanna tried, pushing herself up to her feet, despite her pets’ immediate complaints. “You said you wanted to talk to me?” She stepped forward, reaching out to take one of the crutches and help guide her daughter further into the room. Thankfully, Elsianna accepted the help without comment, hopping carefully toward the couch Deanna had occupied. Oberon and Midna gave the young girl a minute to get settled and to set her crutches to the side before they were all gathered around her, snuggling close to her; Oberon against her side and Midna in her lap, allowing Elsianna to pet both of them without issue.

Deanna, meanwhile, smiled to herself as she watched the exchange, moving over to sit beside her daughter on the available side, close enough to touch but careful not to crowd her.

“What’s going on, sweetie?” she asked gently.

It took a minute for the young girl to say anything, or to even look at her mother. Instead, Elsianna stared at her hands in her lap, fingers moving between the two different sets of fur of her pets. The silence stretched and Deanna resisted the urge to fill it. She’d learned—through therapy and parenting alike—that sometimes you had to let the quiet do some of the work.

“I want to change my name.”

The words made Deanna feel like the air had been sucked out of the room. Of all the things she had expected her daughter to say, she never would have guessed this in a million years.

It took several seconds, with only her eyes blinking to register she was still conscious. “Your…” she stammered. “Your name?”

Elsianna nodded, biting her lower lip – a habit she learned from her mothers - but still not looking up. “Legally.” she whispered.

Deanna felt like she’d missed a step on a staircase or slipped off a wrestling rope into a botch. What was Elsianna talking about? What had brought this about?!  

“Okay,” she tried carefully. “That’s… that’s a big thing, hunny. I just... What do you mean?”

“I don’t want to be Elsianna Frost anymore.” Elsianna answered simply, her head finally moving up to gaze at Deanna.

There it was. Deanna had heard the stress on the last name rather than the first, the implication there between them now.

“You don’t…” she tried to just put it out there. “You don’t want to be a Frost anymore?”

Elsa shook her head. Her blue eyes were bright, sharp with something that made Deanna’s heart ache and the child’s next words shocked her. “I want to be Elsianna Springs.”

For a moment... Deanna couldn’t speak.

Springs.

Her maiden name. The name she’d carried with a history of isolation and judgment against her. A name that her own sister carried... a sister that hated her. A name she had abandoned long ago to embrace the name of her wife out of love and devotion. The name she’d given up not because she wanted to, but because names hadn’t mattered to her the same way it had to Selena. Frost was a legacy. Frost was history. Frost was power to Selena.

Springs had just been… hers. And yet...

Deanna swallowed hard. “Why?” she asked softly.
Elsianna’s jaw tightened. “Because I don’t want her name anymore.”

Ah. With a sudden realization at the answer, Deanna leaned back slightly, reaching up to rub her temple with her hand. “This about your mom.”

The younger girl let out a short, humourless laugh. “Everything is about her.”
“Elsianna…” Deanna tried. “You know your mom loves you.”
“Does she?” Elsianna shot back. “Because it doesn’t feel like it.”
“That’s not fair,” the redhead pressed gently, even as the words felt thin. “You know what she’s dealing with.”

Elsianna’s hands clenched into fists. “Everyone knows what she’s dealing with. Everyone knows Selena Frost, the biggest heel in SCW. They’re all hoping she either crashes her bus on the way to Montreal or gets the pulp beaten out of her by EFN.”

“Is that what they are saying at school?” Deanna asked, concern etched in her voice. “Are they still harassing you?”
“Not as much.” Elsianna sighed. “They’re just saying stuff like that in the halls when they pass me. That and the...” she shrugged. “You know.”
“Being with another girl.” Deanna nodded, understanding better than Elsianna fully knew. “I’ve lived that life, sadly. I won’t lie to you and say it’s fun, but eventually, people do grow up and move on.”

“Not any time soon.” Elsianna laughed at the idea. “You know what they call me at school?”
“In the halls, you mean?” Deanna asked, earning a nod from Elsa. “I rather not say the word but does it start with a ‘d’?”
“Besides that.” Elsianna huffed. “And worse... They call me ‘Little Frost.’ or ‘Frost B-word”. Like it’s an insult. Like I’m supposed to apologize for her. Like I did something wrong.”

Deanna reached out, laying a hand over her daughter’s hands as they became clenched fists. Elsianna didn’t pull away, but she didn’t relax either.

“I didn’t ask for this,” Elsianna finally said, her voice cracking. “I didn’t ask for her to turn into someone everyone despises. I didn’t ask for my friends’ parents to whisper about us. I didn’t ask to get shoved in the hallway and down the stairs...”

“And when I fell,” Elsianna added quietly, eyes flicking down to her cast, “I saw her at the top of the stairs - she just stood there. Didn’t even try to help me like she said she wanted. Probably too afraid of it ending up on YouTube and she’d look bad as the ‘Snow Queen pushing her kid down the stairs’.”

Deanna had no immediate response. She didn’t know if one even existed. What could she say? Elsianna, from a certain point-of-view, was correct. She had no doubt the whole accident was just that – unintended, but as she had confronted Selena on before, the platinum-blonde had escalated the matter by raising her voice and chasing after Elsianna.

“I don’t want her name anymore.” Elsianna shook her head. “I don’t want what comes with it. I don’t want people to look at me and see her.”

Deanna squeezed her hand gently. “Elsa...” she had to be honest. “You know changing your name won’t make all of that disappear, right?”

Elsianna shrugged, smaller this time. More tired. “Maybe not. But it’ll hurt her.”
Deanna’s heart ached at the raw emotion on her daughter’s face. “Elsianna…”

“She deserves it!” Elsianna blurted, tears finally spilling over. “She chose this. She chose being hated. She chose that... over us.”

“That’s not...” Deanna started but stopped - doubt creeping in despite herself.

“Isn’t it?” Elsianna challenged anyway. “You left. You came back. You’re fighting for something that matters to you. You’re refusing to be like the others – like her – and you’re getting better and I’ll...” she looked away. “You could win the tournament.” Her eyes found Deanna’s again, and there was no mistaking the new emotion there. “You could win a title like she USED to. With integrity! Doing the right thing! And I think about that and... I feel so proud. Like back then. But her?” she shook her head again. “She just… keeps getting worse.”

“That...” Deanna said softly, but stopped herself. There was more to this than a twelve-year old could understand. “That doesn’t mean she doesn’t love you.”

Elsianna wiped angrily at her cheeks. “Love isn’t enough if it keeps hurting people.”

“Tell me something I don’t already know.”

Both girls froze, their eyes widening at the sound of a third voice. As they turned, Deanna saw the woman first as she stood in the doorway on the other side of the room. The platinum-blonde was still in her gym clothes, black leather jacket draped over her shoulders, dark hair pulled back tight. Her sapphire eyes simply gazed back and forth between her lover and her daughter.

“What’s going on?” Selena Frost asked.
Deanna’s stomach dropped. She couldn’t get her voice to speak. She felt powerless despite wanting to say something!

Yet it was Elsianna who straightened herself, turning to glare at her standing mother. “I’m changing my name.” she stated defiantly.

Selena said nothing at first, her eyes merely widening in surprise. “What?” The word eventually came out flat, slow, almost disbelieving.

Elsa stood her ground. “I don’t want to be Elsianna Frost anymore.” she repeated, casting a glance towards Deanna. “I want to be Elsianna Springs.”

Selena’s mouth opened, then closed again. She took a step forward, then stopped, as if unsure. “You… what?” she asked, confusion blatant.

Quickly, sensing the tension rising, Deanna rose slowly to her feet, placing herself instinctively between the two—not as a barrier, but as a bridge. “Selena.” she tried, “We were just talking.”

“No, I mean it!” Elsa pressed, her eyes never leaving Selena’s. “I don’t want your name.”
Selena’s jaw tightened. “You don’t understand what you’re saying.”
“I understand perfectly,” Elsianna said. “Your name makes my life worse!”

The room went deathly quiet, Deanna feeling her heart drop with every second, almost in time with her heartbeat. Selena’s eyes flicked towards hers...

“Did you put this in her head?”
Deanna stiffened. “Absolutely not.”
“Then why—”
Elsianna interrupted. “Because I’m tired of being punished for your choices!”

Somewhere in the back of Deanna’s mind, unbidden and unwelcome, she could hear the Heart’s laughter and see Dexter Grant’s smirk flashing through her thoughts—another battle looming, another fight where the stakes were everything.

Deanna opened her mouth to speak— But Selena finally did too, her voice trembling with something dangerously close to hurt.

“If you give up my name... our name...” Selena said, “And you don’t want to be part of this family...” she eyed Elsianna, the hurt in the older woman’s eyes. “Then you can go and find something better.” she added so defeated.

Yet the shock of her statement rocked the room. Elsianna didn’t respond. Deanna could barely believe what she had heard. And the silence that followed was louder than any crowd SCW had ever produced...

[Digitox]

RP 1: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1cgYY...sp=sharing

A big thank you to Polly's handler for clearing the use of her image in something for this.

[SnowQueenSCW]

Frost No More

”What’s In a Name?”

Eyrie Tower
New York City, New York
December 10th, 2025
7:12am

Deanna woke before the alarm. She’d been getting up early for months now—ever since the tournament and ever since her body had decided sleep was optional and anxiety wasn’t. She lay still for several seconds, staring at the ceiling. If she strained her ears and slowed her breathing, she could hear some sort of noises, perhaps Oberon or Midna waking up and making their way around the house. And while she was not entirely tired and groggy still, the redhead was still on the edge of ‘sleep amnesia”, where a person, as they awaken, forgets things for a brief moment.

For the briefest of moments, Deanna could not recall what had awakened her – some kind of nightmare? Even so, as she allowed her eyes to settle closed again, inhaling and exhaling a long breath, it felt so peaceful. Nestled next to her partner, the kids minutes away from charging in for morning attention (the younger children anyway) along with their pets.

It all sounded wonderful... normal... ordinary...

Can’t say the same about last night, can we?

The voice was like the coldest of water being poured on her, her mind snapping awake and, instinctively, connecting everything together. Last night. Her being worried about her match with Grant for the Adrenaline Championship this coming weekend. Elsianna coming downstairs to talk to her.... Wanting to change her name to... to...

Yours... stated the Heart. You must feel so happy and proud of yourself. You’re now the ‘favourite mom’! And if you win the title this weekend – oh she may be the president of your fan club... after she builds it! You think she’ll dye her hair red to look more like you? Sel-Sel would probably have an aneurysm at the sight!

Slowly turning her head to look beside her, the redhead saw the woman lying next to her. The platinum-blonde lay on her back, one arm draped over her own stomach while the other rested near her head. Her breathing was shallow but steady. Carefully, Deanna shifted onto her side and studied the platinum-blonde. There were shadows under her eyes and her jaw was somewhat tense, like she’d fallen asleep that way. Resisting the urge to reach out and smooth the tension away from the Snow Queen’s face, Deanna, instead, breathed a quiet sigh as she kept watching.

Last night... she knew that she couldn’t stay in bed and hide from the world, despite part of her wanting to. Slowly, the redhead slipped out of bed and padded towards the bathroom, immediately closing the door and turning the light on. The first thing she saw in the large room was the large mirror and her own reflection within it.

Red hair mussed.
Green eyes tired but alert.

She looked… steady. That was the word Selena had used last night after their talk. Studying herself, Deanna wasn’t sure when that had happened... Or if it was even a real observation.

She dressed quietly and stepped out of the bedroom, making her way into the kitchen and starting the kettle out of habit more than need. Tea had become her ritual, it seemed. As the water heated, she leaned her hip against the counter and let her thoughts drift where they’d been carefully avoiding.

Elsianna.

The memory of the girl’s voice still rang in her ears. I don’t want to be you anymore. An honest remark that was like a sniper’s shot to Selena’s heart. It was impossible for Deanna not to see the immediate damage such a remark had done to her partner. Exhaling slowly through her nose, she glanced toward the hallway where the stairs were located. The kids’ rooms were still quiet. No movement. No sound of crutches yet.

Good. she thought honestly. This morning needed to unfold gently, if it was going to unfold at all.

The kettle clicked off and Deanna, immediately, poured the water, added the tea bag, and wrapped both hands around the mug as if anchoring herself. For a moment, she allowed herself to move to the second issue in her mind: SCW.

Specifically, Dexter Grant and the Adrenaline Championship. Her pulse quickened despite herself. She could almost feel the canvas beneath her boots, hear the crowd — would they be wanting her to succeed? Or would they want her to fail now that there was a chance that a Frost could be a champion again? The Heart of Veil stirred faintly in the back of her mind, amused.

Everything colliding at once it whispered – which Deanna didn’t answer. She knew the damn thing was just trying to egg her on. To push her. She had dealt with that before – people trying to tell her who she was or what she was or who she would have to be in order to ‘beat them’. Kimberly Williams had bragged about making Deanna ‘embrace the darkness’ when they had brawled all those years ago for the Underground title, which the redhead had refused. Bree Lancaster had done something similar back in the day. And with the way Dexter Grant conducted himself and the kind of promos he would air – analytical with a twisted-narrative, actually somewhat like Selena’s – she was certain she’d be hearing similar words and ‘assessments’.

Product of the machine...
Part of the conspiracy...
Golden-child...
Selena’s shadow-dweller...
Fragile flower...

His various words from Breakdowns and promos – she had done her research. She refused to be unprepared. Grant wanted to see this as ‘just another title defence’ against another person ‘blinded by social media’, whatever that meant – Deanna didn’t really use social media anymore – but the truth was, it wasn’t just another match in the tournament. It was so much more...

She heard the movement just as she brought her cup of tea up to her lips to sip, causing a sort of oopsie-moment as she, instinctively turned her head, causing a few drops to spill on her tongue and lips, making her wince at the still hot drink. “Ouch! Ouch!” she hissed, wiping her mouth and tongue with her hand to try and dispel the spark of pain.

Selena stood in the doorway, hair loose, and gave a tilt of her head at the whole display. She wore one of Deanna’s hoodies—an old dark-green one, faded from countless washes. She’d taken to doing that every now and then, slipping into clothes that were big and comfy for Deanna.

A small thing, but a telling one.

“You’re up early,” the platinum-blonde remarked.
“So are you,” Deanna replied gently, tongue out to try and cool it off.

With a shrug, Selena stepped into the kitchen, leaning against the counter opposite the redhead. For a moment, neither of them spoke. The silence wasn’t hostile—but it wasn’t example comfortable either.

“Did she sleep?” Deanna finally asked.
Selena nodded. “Eventually.”
“Did you?”
The platinum-blonde huffed a short laugh. “Define sleep.”

“Fair enough.” the younger woman sighed. She, herself, had managed only a few hours. The two stood there quietly while Deanna made another cup of tea, this one for Selena.

“Do we have a plan today?” Deanna finally asked, passing it to her.
“Depends on what mood-”

Before Selena could finish, the sound of crutches echoed faintly from the hallway, causing both women to turn at the same time. Elsianna appeared slowly, carefully navigating the corner into the kitchen. She also wore a hoodie two sizes too big and her hair was still sleep-tangled.

“Morning,” Deanna tried softly.

Elsianna nodded. “Morning.” Her eyes flicked to Selena. Long enough to acknowledge her presence but nothing more.  If the Snow Queen was affected by such behaviour, she gave no sign of it.

“Good morning,” she simply said.

Awkwardly, Elsa manoeuvred herself to the table and sat, setting her crutches aside. Deanna moved automatically, pouring another mug of tea and setting it near Elsianna, the girl giving a murmured thanks in response before everyone fell back into silence.

No one mentioned last night. Not yet...

The quiet stretched until Deanna felt it pressing on her chest. It was one thing to be delicate about things, another to avoid them entirely! That’s when it just ended up being avoidance, and she sure as hell wasn’t going to allow that! She cleared her throat softly, gaining the attention of the other two women.

“I have training later today.” she said, keeping her tone neutral. “Just a light session.” she did not mention her trainer – that secret still maintained. If anything, she had demanded harsher workouts with Akina to prepare her for the match with Dexter. While Akina had been confused, she had acquiesced soon as the redhead had explained how important it was to her. But again, that didn’t need to be shared...

In response, Selena just nodded. “I’ve got a meeting at noon.” she replied. “Some kind of online interview to promote the pay-per-view.” she sipped at her tea, grumbling, “Least I’m booked this time...”

Oh, you can relate to that, can’t you? teased the Heart. Didn’t they keep you off the big show so they could ship you to KABLAMia?

Deanna mentally silenced the voice. She hadn’t cared then and she didn’t care now where SCW sent her. If that’s what was needed to help the tournament and the Adrenaline division, time and location were irrelevant to her. It’s why she hadn’t raised a fuss over spending several Breakdowns these past months with nothing to do, management having ‘nothing’ for her in terms of time or segment(s). It was fine. Deanna had seen it as an opportunity to let whatever TV-time she had to be focused on her matches – Let my work do the talking...

It had actually been a blessing. She had seen Dexter’s little jab at her with Page last Breakdown – the champion clutching at straws and jumping from one ‘Line/remark/assessment’ to another without really addressing anything. Was that how his promo was going to be? Or would he just make up some narrative and paint her as something she clearly wasn’t? Maybe having less of a presence than some of the other SoA combatants, and certainly less than Selena, was more advantageous than she realized...

Looking up from her drink, the redhead eyed her daughter across the table. “Elsa…” Deanna tried. “About what we talked about last night...” She saw Elsianna’s shoulders tensed. “We’re not deciding anything today. That hasn’t changed.”

“I know,” Elsianna replied flatly.
“But...” Deanna added, meeting her daughter’s gaze, “We’re also not pretending it didn’t happen.”
Elsianna’s jaw tightened at that last statement. “I didn’t change my mind.”
“I didn’t ask you to.” Deanna pressed gently.

Another bout of silence, which was enough for Deanna to throw a glance at Selena. SAY SOMETHING! she mentally commanded – causing the platinum-blonde’s eyes to widen before she cleared her throat.

“Elsa,” Selena began, then stopped, then began again. “I meant what I said last night. About talking and listening.”

Elsianna didn’t answer.

“I won’t push.” Selena continued quietly. “But I need you to know… I don’t want you to go anywhere.”It wasn’t much, but it was something - least Deanna thought so.
“I’m going to school.” was all Elsa would give as a reply.
“I’ll drive you,” Deanna said immediately.
Elsianna hesitated, then nodded.

As she gathered her things, Selena remained frozen, like any wrong move might shatter what little ground she’d regained. Deanna caught her eye and gave a small, reassuring nod, before getting ready. Before long, the redhead and Elsa were on the road to get the Frost-daughter to school (Selena promising to take Amiliah and David after they woke up).

At an intersection stop, Deanna stole a glance towards her daughter. “Hey.” she offered, getting the girl’s attention. “No matter what name you carry, you’re still my daughter, okay? That won’t change.”

Elsianna slowly nodded. “I know.” The school eventually came into view as Deanna parked the car. Elsianna unbuckled her seat, pausing before opening the door.

“Mom?” she said quietly. “If I do change it... Will you hate me?”
“Never.” Deanna replied firmly. “Not in a million years.”

Elsianna nodded, then stepped out of the car. As Deanna watched her disappear into the building, she let out a sigh.

War within her family over a name.
War within SCW in the name of the Adrenaline Championship.

The Heart had been right. It was all coming to a head in both directions... and she wasn’t sure where she’d be when either concluded. Whether she was driving toward victory and redemption... or towards disaster.

Or towards something far more complicated.

In short, for the first time in a long time, Deanna Frost wasn’t sure which name she was fighting for anymore...
_________________________________________


So… where do we start?

How about this, gritters? A year ago, I was confined to my hometown in Kentucky, being told my future in SCW was in doubt. My return date was TBD. My historic 480+ day reign as United States Champion was colder than my wife can be in front of a camera.

In short, after about two years of working as a wrestler, where my career was beginning to take off... it was all taken away from me. Nobody, least of all me, knew if it would ever come back, let alone be what it once was, or if I would ever be the same again.

And while I can’t be sure if that doubt is still lingering or if it’s finally behind me, one thing I can say is this: Here we are, over a year later, and Deanna Frost and her gritters are going to the semifinals of the Shot of Adrenaline Tournament!

Five matches in. Ten points. That might just be numbers to management, but to me? There’s only one other person who’s done that as well, and that’s my opponent tonight, the Adrenaline Champion. And while he’s going to strip things down, tie some things around, and make some twisted tie-ins about how I’m connected to this “machine” he claims to be fighting against, all in an attempt to push me back down, that is not going to happen!

Because this isn’t just my moment. It’s all of yours, gritters. It belongs to everyone who saw me come back nervous and unsure. It’s for everyone who saw me filled with doubt and zero belief. It’s for everyone who watched me fail at Rise to Greatness, admit that I was completely lost, and who still said to me, “Keep fighting.”

Two words. Two simple words that have meant more to me than anything else over the last year. Two words that have been the backbone of my return! Two words that’s what’s been driving me. What’s been motivating me and pushing me to give this tournament everything I have. Every match, every night, every opportunity.

Dexter Grant likes to talk about his theories, right? His conspiracy theories. “This happens because of that.” “That happens because of this.” He’s concocted a narrative where he is the center of the universe and everything that happens purely does so just to mess with him or screw him over, where every decision exists solely to hurt him. And first of all, Grant, could you possibly be any more egotistical?

Let me share something with you. I was around during the first Shot of Adrenaline Tournament ten years ago, when my partner—my future wife—competed in it. Long before you ever stepped foot in an SCW ring. Guess what? The rules were the same back then as they are now.

And part of me honestly wishes this match between you and me for the Adrenaline title had happened sooner. Because while you want to cry about the very foundation of the tournament, while you want to make excuses and demand that people not get shots because they’re “subbing in,” I would have loved to defend that title every single match in this tournament.

When I was United States Champion, I asked for the chamber just to give more people a chance. I saw it as an opportunity to elevate the title and push SCW forward. Something you claim to want to do, yet here you are complaining about the one thing you’re actually supposed to do as champion.

Defend.

But that hasn’t been the road taken for me. And let me tell you my theory about that, Grant, because you seem to think management is against you and I’m this “golden goose,” the one meant to save SCW or save the division.

Gods, I hate when people talk like that. SCW doesn’t need saving, Grant. What, you think you’re the first “savior” to walk through these doors talking about fighting the machine? Guess what—SCW is still here. SCW is still standing. And if they wanted to mess with you or get the title off you, you wouldn’t be facing me.

You’d be facing a far more dangerous Frost.

Reality check—disconnect to reconnect, right?—here’s yours. I don’t think the reason we haven’t fought sooner has anything to do with money, or pay-per-view buys, or anything like that.

I think the reason it’s taken so long for me to face you for the Adrenaline Championship is because I wasn’t ready.

Yes, Grant, I’m putting that on me.

It’s been a long few months getting through the ranks of this tournament, and I know—I know—that if I had faced you earlier, you would have beaten me. I wasn’t where I needed to be to beat you. That’s why I had to go through the ringer. That’s why I had to take the long way, longer than anyone else has.

Spencer’s energy.
Lawler’s drive.
Kim’s chaotic style.
Polly’s desperation.
Kemal’s violence.

No match was the same for me, Dexter. Every match forced me to adapt. I had to think fast. I had to find a way to survive. And every single time, I had to get better and BE better, because what was the alternative?

You talk about this “do-or-die” thing. About how you have to win. About how it’s different for you than it is for me. But while you were staring ahead and bathing in the spotlight, you didn’t see me chasing at your heels.

Thanks to Trios, I fell behind early with my matches happening later. I watched you pull further and further ahead of the pack, and I knew that if I lost even one match, my momentum was gone. I lose a step? And that gap between us widens until I can never catch you.

And on a personal note, Grant? I didn’t want to fall behind someone who treats this division the way you do.

I didn’t want my heart, my grit, and the SCW Universe’s support of me to be belittled and discredited by someone too busy whining about Kimberly Williams getting a path to the world title or about Alex Belmont coming in on behalf of Dumont to actually care about the Adrenaline division.

I’m not going to say the line you think I am about you ruining the division. And I’m not going to lie and say I’m saving it.

But you sure as hell aren’t making it better.

Back to Belmont. You talked about wanting to bring prestige to this tournament, then complained about facing Alex instead of being handed a free pass. Let’s be clear—you had no problem taking free points when Spencer was taken off the shelf. You were happy to take those points because it benefited you. But the second you had to take a risk, the second the ruling didn’t go your way, you complained.

You’d rather get a free pass than defend the Adrenaline Championship, and that’s a problem I have with you.

Because let’s pull the veil back, Grant. You bend rules. You cheat. You use Wendell. You screwed Lawler. You cheated Polly. The list goes on. You talk about doing good for SCW, but your actions tell a very different story.

And that’s the thing—I don’t care about your message. This isn’t about silencing you for management. This isn’t about a vendetta or some conspiracy.

I want to beat you because I don’t like how you are treating this division.

You justify cheating and screwing people because your message “needs to be said”, but without that title, you have no message. No podium. No power. And the truth is, Grant, you’re afraid to be without it. Afraid of losing. Afraid of being seen as less.

That’s my issue with you, Grant. Because this division isn’t meant to be used for yourself. It’s meant to inspire others. It’s meant to push people to work harder and be better.

Want proof? I’m the proof!

I came back after nearly nine months and have run the same gauntlet as you, but I did it cleanly and proudly! I’m undefeated like you, except I earned it. No tricks. No friends.

That’s what Shattered Reality is for us, Grant. The meeting of two ‘ways’. You represent one future for the Adrenaline division, and I represent another.

And there’s only room for one.

And when all your tricks and lies don’t work, Grant? When heart beats hypocrisy. When faith beats frauds, and all your little plans can’t stop that title from being taken from you... When you’re left without the thing you’ve built your identity around—

The only thing you’ll need to talk about is who the hell is Dexter Grant going to be now?

Checkmate, bitches.

[Digitox]

RP 2: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1taoH...sp=sharing