Colleen McDonald vs. Deanna Frost

[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.

Frost No More

”A Dream-Like State”

Halloween Spirit Store
Manhattan, New York
September 17th, 2024
5:49pm

“Come on, Mom…”

Deanna shot up the few centimeters her head allowed itself to lift, immediately scanning the space around her – that millisecond of panic upon awakening where the person can’t recall where they are, what has happened recently and, sometimes, who they are. It’s a singular moment that is easily overcome as the brain recovers itself and its knowledge and before Deanna could even recognize what it was that had transpired, she had already scanned her eyes around the space and, just as quickly, come back to the awakening reality of herself and location.

For smiling in front of her, on a shelf about her eye-level, was a decorative Jack-O’lantern. She was sure people would consider this design ‘Jack Classic’ or something like that, for it was the most ‘stereotypical’ design for a pumpkin for Halloween. Triangle eyes, square teeth, and a small triangle-nose to boot. It was some kind of ceramic, not a real pumpkin. Beside it were other similar decorations. Her shock eased, Deanna exhaled slowly, allowing herself to fully return to her senses.

She must have nodded off for a brief second, if her hand grasping the shelf for a little support had been any consideration. She gave the ‘supporting’ metal and plastic a slight squeeze with her fingers before pushing herself up to her full height, gaining a whole half-inch by standing on her own. Turning her head towards the voice, she spotted the young girl waiting patiently for her, wearing a solid black dress that went to her knees. Her hair, platinum like her mother’s, flowed down freely and she still wore her gloves over her hands, those these ones matched her dress. With a smile, Deanna marched the few steps towards her eldest daughter.

“Coming, sweetheart.” She replied in calling to Elsianna, reaching without difficulty. “Sorry, guess I got a little lost in my thoughts.”

For herself, Elsa nodded understandably. “You look…” she tried to choose her words carefully. “Tired, mom. Sorry, but I couldn’t really think of a better way to say it.”

Slowly smiling and blinking her eyes, Deanna nodded her head. “I’ve been… having some rough nights.” She admitted. “But…” she quickly straightened up, adopting a strong ‘face’. “Not to worry. I am seeing a doctor this weekend after work. We’ll get to the bottom of this.” She added with a confident smile.

At least, that’s what she was hoping for. She had known Doctor Tarr since she and Selena had moved to Manhattan. At the very least, she trusted his opinion. That would have to do in this case. “Now, then…” Deanna huffed in focus, gazing around the aisles of the store. “What do we need?”

Pushing the shopping cart, Elsianna lead the way, Deanna following behind her and eyeing all the decorations. It wasn’t her ‘Forever Home’ that they were shopping for. They certainly had enough decorations to properly decorate the place just like every year, though the redhead had quietly asked not to be considered for ‘competition’ in the neighbourhood yearly ‘Halloween decoration contest’. It just… didn’t feel the same doing it by herself. Let Leslie have it this year… or, hopefully, someone else. She thought to herself, truly not caring about it. And this shopping excursion to the ‘Halloween Spirit’ store had nothing to do with their costumes either. That was already solved.

David wanted to be Venom from his Marvel movies.
Amiliah wanted to be fairy.
Elsianna was the only one that actually wanted to collaborate with one of her parents. She would be dressing as Lydia Deetz from Beetlejuice, with Deanna going as the title character with her. Though she had made it clear she was not going to say anything vulgar and couldn’t really drop her voice that low.

Fortunately! Fortunately! Elsianna had only been allowed to watch the old 90s cartoon, the child still a bit too young to be watching PG-13. The girl hadn’t complained, but… Deanna looked up to see her eldest picking up things off the shelf and studying them carefully, evaluating them.

She was worried about her children. She couldn’t imagine this ‘to-and-fro’ with Selena had been healthy for them, where one minute they were separated, the next minute they were dating and Selena was coming to visit them, the next minute again they were back at barely-speaking terms. Concerned, she had spoken to them about seeing a therapist. It had taken some discussing, but, surprisingly, Elsianna had been the hardest to convince. She had simply not wanted her mother to ‘worry about her’, which only caused the opposite effect. Still, after weeks of talking about it, Elsianna had agreed with the others to see someone.

She’s already been through so much… Deanna thought sadly, eyeing her daughter’s gloved hands before forcing her tired brain to refocus on the current task.

The task in thought – to clarify – was for Elsianna’s school. Each grade was doing something for the yearly Halloween open house and Elsa’s class had opted to turn the gymnasium into a sort of ‘haunted house’. A project that the eldest Frost child had been made ‘in charge of’. Well…in charge of while being supervised by an adult – common sense still needed to apply. Elsa had dived into it, which delighted Deanna, seeing her child so driven and passionate about a project.

“Not scary enough…” she heard Elsianna say before putting the skull decoration she held back on the shelf.

“Whatever you can’t find here.” Deanna offered patiently. “We can find online as well. We have a lot of time to prepare.”

The remark got a nod from Elsianna. “I just…” she tried to think. “I want to be scary but fun. Does that make sense?”

“Of course.” Deanna smiled. “Too scary and kids are going to be running home and parents will be complaining. Not scary enough and well…”

“My classmates will hate me.”

“I was going to say ‘kids will get bored’.” Deanna corrected. “Is that really on your mind?”

Slowly, she saw her daughter nod her head. “I’ve…” the young girl spoke slowly. “I’ve not really been too popular and I’m fine with that.” She admitted. “But…” she tilted her head this way and that. “It would be nice if they could… like what I do?” she turned to face her mother. “Is that wrong?”

Deanna shook her head. “No, dear.” Reaching out, she wrapped her daughter in a hug, not caring that they were in the middle of an aisle. “You want friends. That’s…that’s natural.” She sighed. “We’re meant to form connections with people. It’s how we learn and grow.”

“That’s what Doctor Keaton said.” Elsianna admitted.
“Well, then take BOTH our words for it then.” Deanna offered good-naturedly. “Mother and doctor know best.”

Satisfied with that, Elsianna turned and continued to walk down the aisle, checking other various decorations. Some she added to the cart, some she returned to their exact place on the shelf she had taken them from.

However, as she turned the corner of the current aisle to turn and walk down the other, Deanna following her, the redhead suddenly saw the flash of black hit her as another customer accidentally walked into her, neither woman able to stop the collision. Instinctively, Deanna grabbed the woman’s shoulders to steady the woman.

“I am so sorry!” she offered, immediately checking over the woman.
“No, I’m sorry.” The woman, taller than Deanna, offered. “I wasn’t watching where I was going.”
“Me either.” Deanna admitted. “I was following my daughter.”
“Not a problem.” The woman offered before gently moving past the shorter Deanna.

Looking up, Deanna wasn’t able to catch the woman’s features. She wore a wide, black hat that matched her long-coat. Still, that didn’t stop the woman’s hair from being seen under it.

The platinum-blonde hair underneath it…

Emerald eyes going wide in recognition, Deanna turned her head towards the woman, her actions no longer spurned by logic but by emotion. She double-checked the hair, seeing it far more clearly with the woman’s back to Deanna. There was no denying that color!

“You know if you wanted to spend time with us, you could have just called.” She said plainly to the woman’s back. In response, the woman said nothing, merely walking down the aisle Deanna had come from as if she wasn’t really paying attention.

“Hey!” Deanna called out, following her back into the aisle. “Come on!” she sighed. “If you didn’t want me to see you, why did you stay that close? Not like you can’t watch a few aisles down or something. Did you lose us or something?”

Again, the woman didn’t seem to really acknowledge Deanna, simply walking down the aisle and eyeing the items on the shelves. It was beyond infuriating to the redhead! One thing to stay away from her – that was painful enough and she understood it – the divorce and all that and their different paths in SCW and how one had changed, fine! She was living with that best she could! But to be flat-out ignored when they were just a few feet from each other?!

Could she be more immature?!

“Selena!” Deanna called out, grabbing the woman’s shoulder and turning her around with ease, feeling justified in her actions.

An emotion that turned to shock, shame, and boarder-line terror as the woman’s hat fell off her head, revealing a face that… Deanna didn’t recognize at all.

“Oh my god!” The woman cried out, too stunned to move beyond holding her hands up. “Please don’t hurt me!”

Stunned, Deanna gazed at the woman. Her hair was no longer platinum-blonde. It was more a dirty-blonde. How had she messed that up? What had she seen…

“I…” Deanna stammered, backing away. “I am so sorry.” She tried lamely, holding her own hands up. “I didn’t mean…I thought…” She couldn’t stop the tears from gathering in her eyes. “I thought you were someone I knew… please…” her eyes flying to the ground, she quickly lowered herself down to pick up the woman’s falling hat, handing it to her. “I’m sorry…”

Hesitantly, the taller woman took the hat into her hands. “You’re not some creeper of the store are you? Who prays on single women or something?” she asked, holding the hat to her chest.

“No!” Deanna shook her head. “No! Honestly, I’m not! I really was with my daughter! It’s just that you reminded me of my ex-wife and why the hell did I just mention that? Now, you’re definitely going to think I’m a psycho!”

Despite that confession, the woman didn’t run. She merely tilted her head at Deanna. “Recent breakup?” she asked, earning a slow, hesitant nod from Deanna, which actually caused the woman to sigh and nod her head. “I get it.” She nodded, putting her hat back on her head. “When my ex left me, I couldn’t sleep for weeks. And then for months, I’d saw them everywhere. It’s…” she offered a sad, knowing smile to Deanna. “It’s tough. But… it does get better.”

“Not if I’m accosting innocent women in the stores.”

“Yeah… be more sure next time you jump, okay?” the woman offered a patient smile before excusing herself. Deanna watched her go before letting her legs give out from under her, the woman finding a bare spot on one of the shelves to sit. Holding her head in her hands, she let the shame and embarrassment wash over her.

“What is wrong with me?” she asked, not really having an answer. And sadly, she wasn’t given the time to come up with an answer.

“Mom?” she heard Elsianna call just before the child was pushing the cart at the end of the aisle. “There you- are you okay?”

Gazing up, Deanna offered her daughter a smile, though she figured it looked as tired as her delusional mind that had conjured up Selena in a stranger. “I’m…” she sighed. “I’m not, dear. But…” she pushed herself to her feet. “I’m going to try to be.”

It was the best answer she could possibly give, even if she wasn’t so certain about it.

_________________________________________



Alright… so… where do we start?

I actually wish I could see everyone watching this or do some kind of poll, cause I really wanna ask – How many of you think I’m crazy at this point?

I’m actually serious. I mean, I’m not going to be offended if that number is high. I’ve seen the replays of Breakdown and how I’ve been acting. I might even start believing it a little – or at the very least would call my behavior erratic. But come on, guys! You also can’t deny that I’m right here, right?! You all saw the explosives in the turnbuckles! You all saw what was INTENDED to happen to me! And what if the others had gone off and got Gavin? Or gone off in another match earlier or later in the night?! What if someone HAD been on one of them and they had gone off! Not just me but the high-fliers of SCW! People with their whole careers ahead of them?!

Gone in a flash…

That’s… that’s… that’s beyond sick! That’s beyond twisted! This is a damned sport, guys! Not the Hunger Games. I know! I know it’s an important sport and I know it’s tough and I even know that it’s the “Wild Wild West” here now with Josh Hudson as the world champion, but I doubt he would disagree that friggin explosives in the ring?! People’s LIVES being risked instead of titles and win/loss records? I’d wager that’s not what he meant by that!

That’s what’s…that’s what’s been driving me crazy – yes, I said it! Because this can’t continue! This can’t go on! This has to stop! It has to end! I don’t care if it’s in an unsanctioned match or what I have to put on the line to get him – Enigma needs to be stopped! Because what happens next time? What if he actually succeeds and someone gets really hurt? If someone loses their career to this maniac? If someone loses their LIFE to this monster?!!

So…if everyone thinks I’m crazy or obsessed, I get it. I won’t hold it against any of you, guys. But I also can’t stop now. Just like I can’t just stand around and wait for the axe to drop. I have to do something. I have to do something to help SCW and stop people from being in that danger.

And I’m sorry I started with this before getting to my Breakdown opponent. I just… I just wanted to make that clear, Colleen. Before this goes down, I wanted to make that clear more than anything. Because I don’t want you to think less of me. We’ve had some battles in the past when the Playgirls Three came at the House of Frost, I recall that, even as tired as I am, heh heh. But more than that, I’ve watched you. I’ve watched you bring the fight on your own in that royale at RTG for the number one contender to the Adrenaline and Underground title. I watched you and Asling, Body Heart and Soul show that when you beat BOTH Kandis and Kristen Scott – which, let me tell you, is NOT easy. I’ve seen you wage war with Waylon Creek, the unstoppable TV champ and nearly bring him to a loss!

I bring this up, hun, because I want you to understand how I see you. Someone I would love nothing more than to tear it up with in the ring. Someone I’d love nothing more than to prove myself against because I KNOW she wants to prove herself against me! People like you, like Knox, like Reed, like Polly, too! Wanting to break that glass ceiling! Chomping at the bit for that big break! Wanting to make their mark here and push themselves to that next level! I get it – and it makes me smile even now to be part of that. It makes me giddy. The idea of facing such hungry challengers – or it would – to fight such a hungry superstars.

But Colleen, and I need you to listen to me carefully on this. This isn’t a match that we can just focus in the ring and on nothing else. You saw what happened in my last match. You saw the explosives going off! You saw what was ‘meant’ to happen. And if something happens to you… because of me…

I would never forgive myself…

So, Colleen, I need you to promise me something – something I told Gavin Taylor. In my heart, I want you to come at me with all you have, okay? I want this to be our proving ground. You and me. I want to believe that we can have this match together, something worthwhile to entertain the SCW Universe! That we aren’t going to stop because the presence of ‘fear’. That we will do all we can to be SCW superstars! And I will do all I can to give you my best! You have my word on that!

But…

I need you to trust me, Colleen. Because I cannot allow my guard to drop again. It almost cost me more than I can say. One inch closer to that turnbuckle…

Ahem… So! If I stop you. And I mean REALLY stop you. Not stop you as in reversing a move or breaking a hold or whatever, but if I suddenly yell at you to ‘STOP’ and ‘RUN’ or ‘LEAVE’… I need you to do it. I need you to get out of the ring – go through the crowd if you have to, but get away from the ring… and away from me…

Because I can’t promise more than giving you all I have and doing all I can to protect you. Because I… I don’t know what is going to happen. And I am too scared to not believe something terrible is going to happen.

And if it does, whether before or after that second bell rings, I need you to be able to run somewhere safe. I’ll… I’ll forfeit the match for you if I have to! I’ll stop it and declare you the winner if that helps! You can tell Polly you beat me and whatever that entails!

I will, Colleen, if I see that smoke or the lights go out or something happens before we can conclude our match. Because as much as I respect you and want to give you my best – what you deserve… I will NOT be the one that costs you your career… or worse.

So, please, I beg you, Colleen… give me your best but heed my warning and please trust me if I do make that demand.

Because, if it comes down to it… and he traps you… I… I don’t know what will happen. And I don’t know if I can protect you… once HE has you…

And that… that is what scares me more than anything…

Check…

Check…

I’m sorry, Colleen… but please… think about it….