Deanna Frost vs. Gigi Steward

[SnowQueenSCW]

The Witches of Alden

”Needing”

Frost ‘Forever Home’
Manhattan, New York
October 21st, 2023
11:21pm

Deanna couldn’t really focus on the television screen as she sat on the couch, her back up against the soft cushion and the warm bowl of popcorn sitting in her lap. She was in comfy clothes of track pants and a dark-green, size ‘L’ t-shirt. She had never been as avid a fan of the ‘classic, black-and-white Universal monsters’ like the woman sitting beside her was. Still, tradition was tradition.

“Easily the best one.” She heard the platinum-blonde whisper, the older woman enthusiastically nibbling on the kernels of popcorn she had scooped up in her other hand, the glow of the television showing the magenta of her nightgown. Before them, the black and white monster trekked across the land, growling and moaning at the passing by villagers. They had already sat through “Dracula”, “Dracula’s Daughter” and “Frankenstein”, which put them on “Bride of Frankenstein”, Selena’s personal favorite, in their yearly marathon of Halloween classics.

Deanna sighed quietly, barely audible. What had started out as something to do to pass the time at one of the hotels they had visited during the early years of Selena’s SCW career (when money was tight) had become their tradition. Selena had always loved the classic black-and-white movies of the horror genre thanks to her father’s collection of VHS tapes. Deanna had been more DVDs and cartoons at that time (being barely more than a few years old) but these movies were okay.

For a moment, while her wife continued to watch the film attentively, Deanna managed to sneak a glance towards her wife’s delighted expression. The old days… She could even remember how the tradition had started.

Selena had been in SCW for a little less than a year and Deanna had just joined on as the Snow Queen’s manager through a happenstance auction in Kentucky. While the Nome-native was not ‘poor’ by any means, she had only just begun her climb up the SCW ranks, putting her at the lower end of the salary numbers compared to the headliners like Syren and Jake Starr and Shaun Cruze. With money being on the tighter end (before the limo-bus and private planes – which Deanna refused to use these days), the two had travelled by car and economy-class flights. One night in… Was it Wisconsin or somewhere in Washington? Deanna pondered, unable to remember the location. She remembered the room: dingy, yellow-stained walls, a dirty looking carpet. Gods, it had been a mess. But at 50 dollars a night, it was affordable. A quiet giggle just barely managed to escape her lips, unnoticed by her wife. The pair had been so afraid to go anywhere that wasn’t ‘mandatory’ because of the possible ‘creepy crawlies’ that could live in such a room, that they had barely managed to get sleep, especially when – Deanna still maintained – the world’s largest cockroach scurried from under the bed to a corner hole in the wall. Combine that with said walls not only being stained, but also so thin that they could hear the neighbours next door having what could only be described as ‘angriest sex in the world’ – seriously, Ace Marshall would have blushed at some of the things 17-year-old Deanna had heard that night! Selena had felt so guilty… another giggle wisped from Deanna at the thought.

Well, with monster cockroaches surrounding them and angry ‘animal-sounding’ sex noises adding to the mix, Selena and Deanna had desperately walked down the streets to pass the time. How they had stumbled upon a video rental store in 2014 – with the death of Blockbuster… poor Blockbuster… Deanna would never know – but they had. And with it being October, the shelves had been packed with horror movies and slasher flicks. It had been Selena that grabbed the silver-screen classics in an armful and rented about six or seven. They had spent the night huddled in the middle of their bed, the glow of Selena’s laptop keeping the cockroaches and other ‘scurry-beasts’ at bay and the volume at the max to try and drown out the sex-noises next door.

It had been terrible… and yet wonderful at the same time. No grand dreams of ‘saving SCW’, no desire to ‘quit’ and leave it all behind. The future had never looked so bright for Deanna… or for Selena. Again, the redhead stole a glance at the older Selena, the former wrestler still enraptured with her movie and popcorn.

She was certain Selena didn’t know what she had done last week. The former SCW superstar, having quit the federation, had refused to even acknowledge or talk about the company beyond passing comments. She never visited her office or ‘trophy room’ nor did she watch any show or clip or even check in. She had no idea who was champion (except Deanna, of course) and she didn’t care. She had given nearly ten years of her life to SCW, only to be shunned and hated for it. It was still a sore spot for Deanna, but she had also meant her words last week as well about karma.

She didn’t want to have the world on her shoulders. Nor did she want to be as affected as Selena had been with the crowds turning on the House of Frost. Hate her, like her, it was all okayish. She just wanted to wrestle and get better. That was all. If that wasn’t anyone’s cup of noodles then so be it.

Not like I was popular most of my life anyway…. Like the monster! Her eyes quietly settled on the TV screen, with Boris Karloff in full makeup talking to a mad doctor in the depths of a cemetery. None of that was truly plaguing her mind to begin with. None of that was what she wanted to talk about with Selena.

Rather, it was her demand to CHBK. She wasn’t sure what had possessed her in the days leading up to Breakdown and in that moment, but she had demanded the Hall of Famer to bring back the chamber so she could defend her United States championship! She wanted to! She was excited at the prospect! She was chomping at the bit at the idea of coming back to it a year after being forced into the chamber by Lexy Chapel in a failed attempt to slow down The House of Frost. Would she get some former world champions like Glory Braddock? Would she get some rookies that were hungry for their shot like she had been? Some old rivals like Kristen Scott/The One? Pro? Someone from the Holly Adams Brand? She didn’t know – and it excited her more than she could say. And yet… none of the adrenaline could stop the single thought that had invaded her mind the second she had made the challenge, making a home in her brain even now.

Selena is going to kill me…

It was the only somber thought in her head regarding all of this, and partly why she had hesitated telling her wife all week, despite wanting to. She wanted to ask Selena for advice. The woman had won several chamber matches, both single and on a team – the wars she had fought for SCW and for titles had been contenders (and winners) for matches of the year! Deanna had not truly been prepared last year, but she wanted to be this year! She wanted to win and retain her title!

And advice from her wife would only aid with that… except Selena wanted nothing to do with SCW…

Still trapped, Deanna settled back into her cushion, helping herself to a little of the popcorn. Just tell her… her mind pressed. She knew she could. After all, wouldn’t Selena be prompted to help her wife be as safe as possible? Wouldn’t she feel compelled to maybe step back into the ring and help Deanna be as prepared for such a match as possible? Maybe…maybe this would actually be what her beloved needed to give some answers to the redhead, questions she was tired of not knowing the answers to on Breakdown.

“I still don’t know why they chose to name him Henry.” Selena suddenly remarked beside her. “The name is Victor Frankenstein. They kept most of the names right in Dracula-“

“Last week on Breakdown, I made a challenge to CHBK to bring back the chamber and let me defend the U.S title inside it at Under Attack!”

The words came out like vomit – loud and barely controllable. Deanna was actually surprised she had managed to get each word out without stammering. Still, her eyes remained fixed on her wife as she finished speaking them. She saw Selena suddenly grow silent, sapphire eyes still on the screen. Her spine had gone stiff, as had her hands but only for the briefest of moments. Still, only another second passed before the platinum-blonde relaxed back into her seat.

“I just wish I could figure out why.” She continued, her eyes still on her movie. “I mean, they added a hunchback – the novel is barely even used in the first one. It’s more used in this one but even so… why change so much? Not that I mind, it’s good, but I’m just curious.”

“Selena…” Deanna sighed. “I know you heard me.”

“Pretty sure the neighbourhood heard you, Deanna.” Selena sighed.
“Well?”

Finally, after another breath, Selena turned her head. “Well what?”

“The chamber.” Deanna restated. “I could really use some advice and-“

“Mommy?” The sound came from behind them, prompting Selena, not weighed down by a bowl of popcorn, to turn and stand far easier.

“Fireball…” Selena remarked, seeing the small redhead that was their daughter Amelia.
“I had a nightmare.” The child pouted, rubbing her eyes sadly.

Immediately, Selena was moving across the room to pick up her daughter, cradling her in her arms as best as she could. “It’s okay, darling.” She smiled, kissing the child’s cheek affectionately. “Let’s get you back to bed and I’ll have you get back to sleep.”

Deanna watched the two, mother and daughter, head towards the family room exit.

“Selena…” Deanna called out, feeling her chance at any kind of progress with her wife’s non-wrestling ways slipping away. Her call-out was enough to get her wife’s attention, the taller Selena standing in the doorway with Amelia still in her arm. “I could really use your advice on this.”

Despite the dimly lit room, illuminated only by the marathon of movies they were watching, Deanna saw Selena’s sapphire eyes study her intently for a moment.

“Try not to get your arm broken this time.”

The statement was all that was said – cold and emotionless – before Selena was gone, taking their child back upstairs to her room. The ‘advice’ echoed in Deanna’s mind, leaving the redhead at a loss for words to speak. But mentally? The same statement permeated through her mind.

Would have been better if I had said nothing at all…

_______________________________________________________________

The Guard Tower

Last Breakdown, I spoke about karma and my belief in it. It was something that I had been thinking a lot about since watching my wife’s career come to a, seeming, end. And while I still don’t understand everyone’s hatred of me or my family, I do understand that things were on us too.

For my wife, driven and passionate and kind and loyal to SCW that she was, she really could not understand the concept of karma. Consequences? Sure but they had to be direct and they had to be this or that. And it had to be between those in the match or whatever. You take Apocalypse. She would have been throwing a fit last Breakdown about the unfairness of it. And yeah, I’m frustrated at it too, but where Selena would have blamed SCW, blamed management, blamed this person and that person, I… I don’t. Do I like it? No. I rather prove my worth in the ring and win matches on my own skill, grit, and merit.

But why should I discredit myself for the consequences of other people’s actions? Why do I need to verbally or emotionally beat myself up or management up for the actions of adults? You look at those that went after The One. I mean… who was it that started the fight in the first place? Who was it that took it too far? Kristen did! Of course there was going to be retaliation!

So, she wants to proclaim she ‘had me beat’? Yeah, she also had me ‘running scared’ after she broke my arm, right? How did that turn out? How did Apocalypse turn out? Do I wish it was her I pinned again rather than Kelsai? Yeah, kinda. Would have been nice to remind her how far I’ve come along! But you don’t always get what you want in this sport. You have to make opportunities and accept the consequences of your actions. I think that’s something Selena lost track of in some respects in her near-decade here. That… sometimes… this place IS unfair. But so is life. We… we have to deal with it and move forward.

Maybe that’s why I made the challenge I did for the chamber. I won’t go into that because I want to talk about that later and we are not at Under Attack yet! But my point is that, you’re not going to hear me whine and cry about ‘integrity’ and ‘there shouldn’t be any interference’ or whatever. I just… I don’t have that in me.

This is SCW. There will always be interferences. There will always be controversy. But there’ll also always be consequences for actions. Maybe that will cost me this title one day or cost me a match or something, I don’t know. I’m not skilled enough to prepare for anything or predict everything. I don’t have that foresight nor will I ever. But what I can do is promise to keep doing my best in spite of it, whether karma works with me or against me depending on the night and people I face.

You take tonight for example. The natural thing to do, obviously, is to expect old colors to come back with Katie Steward running in to help GiGi or even TJ Johnson doing it, right? Classic Stewards, right? I mean, I’ve lost track of how many times that happened in Katie’s battles with Selena! Anyone else remember those?

But… I don’t know Gigi… I’m choosing to be optimistic. I’m not going to insult you on your choice to not be part of the Underground Invitational last Apocalypse at the last minute. I’ve been there, okay? That division is tough. It… it takes a lot out of you, and it changes you. I’d be lying if my time there didn’t influence my choices in fighting in chambers both last year and, hopefully, this coming year. It isn’t for everyone, Gigi, and I respect that you are learning what it is you want here in SCW – or what kind of title gold you want. I know the joy of tag-teaming with family and holding those tag titles while you do it, so I respect that of you.

But yeah, I have to hope that that desire to prove yourself can lead to a match tonight that I can be proud of. That your desire to prove yourself against me, the current United States Champion, will not have to end in some kind of controversy like Apocalypse did for me. Always good to hope for that! But whether I am right and we can do that or that old adage that ‘a leopard cannot change its spots’… or is it tigers and their stripes that can’t change? I’ve heard both – ANYWAY! Either I’m right and you and I will steal the show on Breakdown or that phrase will be right and I’ll have to fight at a bit of a handicap.

But let me tell you where I stand on that, GiGi. Because it, honestly, doesn’t matter to me which way that situation goes. I do not have the time to be slowed down either way. You think I’m going to let myself stop now when I have placed a chamber of chain and steel before me? You think I’m going to hesitate to show that I am ready this time around for the chamber at Under Attack? You backed out of the Underground division – imagine what awaits for everyone involved in that chamber! You think I have the time to trip and ‘second-guess’ like you did?

No. Already, I’ve heard the rumblings. That I’m ‘biting off more than I can chew’. That I’m ‘getting cocky because I retained the United States title again’. That I’m ‘setting myself up’ for a fall.

And…you know, maybe I am. Or maybe I’ve realized that I don’t want to be where you are GiGi, wrestling once every few months or only in tag matches. Maybe I want to be the woman that moves forward rather than stays in the shadow of her family name – and actually does it! Maybe I believe that the only way to do that is to face the demons and challenges over and over again until you conquer them! Maybe, just maybe, I’m the woman that means what she says and wants to forge her own path. And I’m not going to do that backing out of promises or matches. I’m not going to do that coming by once in awhile or trying to control every element of SCW when a board of people much smarter than me can’t seem to do it half the time.

No, I’m going to do it by being here. By being responsible only for myself and my actions and my beliefs. By pushing myself further and seeing what I can do! By trying things that scare me and overcoming people that may be better than me! By still going! Even if karma, or the SCW Universe, or everyone is against me.

So, GiGi, you step into the singles division tonight for the first time in awhile, I imagine, and you could not be up against a tougher opponent. Not necessarily stronger, not necessarily smarter, but definitely tougher – with enough grit to show it! Against a woman that wants to head to Under Attack with a single clear message. A message I could not give last year but one I need to give now! A message I WILL give tonight!

“My name is Deanna Frost… and I am ready for the chamber!”

Checkmate, bitches!