Syren vs. Selena Frost vs. Amelia Nevado vs. Gavin Taylor

[SnowQueenSCW]

Scars of a Fascade

”The Cost of Winter”

Frost ‘Forever Home’
Manhattan, New York
April 28th, 2026
4:19pm

The tall house stood exactly as Selena remembered it. The walls, the shape, the pathway. The builders had done an excellent job rebuilding the house from the ashes of the house-fire that had claimed it almost a year ago...

That was the problem.

Nothing about the Frost “Forever Home” had changed. Not the black iron railings lining the short steps, not the soft amber glow spilling from the tall windows, not the quiet dignity of the Black Arrow neighbourhood that always felt just insulated enough from the chaos of Manhattan to pretend it wasn’t part of it.

For part of the platinum-blonde... It was still home. For another... it felt like a place she didn’t deserve to be.

Selena Frost stood across the street, gloved hands curled tightly at her sides as if she could sense a fierce cold coming.

Nome was colder. she tried to tell herself, and it was true. But Nome had been quieter, too. Empty in a way that suited her.

Nome had next to nothing. No expectations. No faces she had to answer to. No mirrors she couldn’t avoid. The perfect place for someone like her to hide...

Not here. Here, everything reflected her own image – something she found harder and harder to see, be it in a mirror or own posters, TVs, or – Gods forbid – SCW merchandise lining the stores.

Her sapphire eyes remained fixed on the front door across the street – a door that she had walked through a thousand times without thinking twice about it. On the other side, children would rush into her arms, or a dog would immediately be there, demanding pets and affection because ‘mom was home!’, or a redhead would be waiting there patiently...

Now... Selena couldn’t even cross the street in front of it.

You’ve come this far. The voice was firm, cold... The voice that had carried her through every match, every setback, every moment where her own boss, hell, the entire world had told her ‘no’.

They did all this. Not you. You’re so close! the voice urged her. You didn’t endure all of that just to stand here like a coward!

She felt her jaw tighten and her leg move, taking a step forward. Coward? another voice shot forth as Selena’s boot hit the ground. You stole from your wife. From the one person who believed in you when no one else did!

The Snow Queen inhaled slowly through her nose, the breath unsteady.

They were holding you back. the first voice insisted. You know it. You proved it! No ‘second match for the world title!’. No considerations for another chance! Did they ever pick YOU for the number-one contender spot? Oh no! They picked Kemal! Fucking Kemal! They picked Shaun Cruze fresh out of retirement! They picked Glory Braddock and Amelia Nevado – who ALREADY had title shots! But not you!

Every match.
Every win.
It never mattered... because every time... they told you to “earn it.”

Her fingers curled tighter. Another step was taken.

And what did you do? the second voice pressed. You took it! You didn’t earn it. You didn’t win it. You took it! From the-

Selena stepped off the curb before she could stop herself, trying to silence the latest voice.

It was necessary, she said to herself, the noise still going on inside her head. She had done everything right. Jumped through every hoop. Undefeated streaks that mocked Glory Braddock’s ‘reason’ for getting a shot at the world title. Beating people higher up than Kimberly Williams – way more than Syren had. Going the whole season unpinned – which was more than Amelia Nevado had done in her abysmal singles career! How the hell had Amelia even gotten into that number one contender match? Hell, how did Gavin even get a world title match in the first place?!

And all over you... who could beat them all... if CHBK hadn’t kept you locked in place with babysitting Xander...

HONK!

The loud sound of the horn jerked Selena out of her thoughts and ‘voices’ as she all but jumped out of her skin, turning her head to see the SUV stopped beside her, headlights glaring at her. Without a word, she quickly closed the distance, crossing the street, her heart hammering in her chest as the SUV carried on. By the time her heart had slowed, she wasn’t on the sidewalk or the driveway or the yard...

She was in front of her own front door of her ‘Forever Home’. And again, as it was across the street, she could only stare at the dark color of wood that made up the ‘barrier’ to the inside of the abode.

I could leave... she exhaled the thought. Right now.

It was true. She could just turn around go back to the airport and disappear again. Back to Nome. Back to the silence where nothing asked anything of her.

No judgment.
No disappointment.

Just the Snow Queen, preparing for a world title match long overdue – her only chance... a chance that was costing her everything...

Her hand lifted to knock but it paused half way up. She had a key. So why wasn’t she using it? Why not simple unlock the door and walk in like she owned the place? Like it was her own damn home that she had built for the family inside?!

Even so, her hand continued to rise up until her knuckles rapped against the wood. For a moment, nothing happened. Despite herself, the former world champion strained her ears to hear any sounds. Oberon barking – that was a usual tell when someone was at the door. Or maybe David running around or Ami yelling ‘I’ll get it!’.

There was nothing. No sound. And for that, Selena almost turned away. Almost took the silence as a sign to just leave, go back to Nome, and prepare for the main-event of Hubris. With Amelia and Syren involved, not to mention Gavin’s entourage, it was too easy to see that someone else getting pinned was the likely reason CHBK had made the match. A fatal-fourway meant she didn’t have to be pinned in order to lose, meaning no one had to be ‘better’ than her. They just had to get past her.

Gavin had been pinned this season.
Amelia had been pinned.
Syren had been pinned.

Selena hadn’t. And it made CHBK’s call to lump Selena’s ‘contract’ with Syren and Amelia make all the more sense. It was a way out for them and a way from keeping Selena from winning the world title – just like the old man had done for almost a year!

The sound of footsteps broke her thoughts. Light and quick, they seemed to patter down a flight of stairs and grow a little louder as they approached. Instinctively, Selena quickly adjusted her coat, maroon shirt, and her iconic braid, tossing it over her shoulder to rest against her back just as the door opened.

Elsianna stood there, mid-motion, already speaking. “Asuna, you forgot your-” She stopped as her eyes took in the woman before her. Immediately, everything about the girl changed.

The warmth vanished first.
Then the ease.
Then whatever softness had been there at all.
What replaced it now was cold.

Selena swallowed. “Hey, Snow-” she caught herself before she finished the nickname. “Elsa.”

Elsianna didn’t respond,  her eyes dragging over Selena’s face. “You’re not supposed to be here.” she finally said. The words were quiet – devoid of emotion.
“I know.” Selena replied with a sigh. “I just… I need to talk to your mom.”

She watched her eldest daughter stand there, Elsianna’s jaw clenching slightly. “She doesn’t want to talk to you.” the girl stated, causing Selena’s heart to drop.

“I know.” the Snow Queen forced herself to hold her daughter’s gaze. “But I need to talk to her anyway.”

Another silence formed, and, for a moment, Selena was sure the door was going to be slammed in her face. Instead, Elsianna stepped back without a word, letting her mother to cross the threshold.

The house wrapped around Selena instantly: familiar scents, familiar sounds. It should have made her feel ‘at home’. Instead, she felt like an intruder.

She saw Elsianna walk past her, the girl’s eyes refusing to meet Selena’s. She simply walked further into the house. They moved through the hallway, past photos Selena couldn’t bring herself to look at directly. Family portraits - moments frozen in time. Proof of something real.

Something she had broken...

The pair stopped at the living room and Selena saw the redhead before she fully entered. Deanna stood near the window, her back to both of them. The glow of the afternoon sun came through that window and showed the dark-green kimono the redhead wore.

She didn’t turn right away. Didn’t even acknowledge Selena was here, causing the older Frost’s chest to tighten at the sight.

“She’s here, mom.” Elsianna’s words broke the silence and it was enough for Deanna to turn slowly, her emerald-eyes taking in both women.

“Thank you, Elsa.” she offered a small smile to the girl. “Go look after David and Ami, okay?”

Elsianna hesitated for just for a second, her gaze flicking toward Selena before she gave a nod and slowly turned and left.

The room felt smaller without her, at least to Selena, which was odd considering the distance between her and Deanna in that moment felt so vast.

For a moment, nothing was said. Silence hanging in the room thicker than any fog. But slowly, almost unstoppable or perhaps fated, their eyes met. And for that brief, infinitesimal moment, everything else disappeared. The second voice that had chastised Selena outside was saying something – ambushing her with guilt – but Selena couldn’t understand the words as she looked into Deanna’s eyes.

“Hi.” was all she managed.

Deanna didn’t answer. She didn’t have to. Selena was looking into her eyes after all. And what she saw...almost broke her instantly.

There was hurt there. Deep and raw.

“I didn’t think you’d come back.” Deanna said finally, walking away from the window and towards the family room where Selena now stood.
“I didn’t think I would either.” the Snow Queen whispered out.
A faint, humourless breath escaped Deanna. “Yet, here you are.”

Silence lingered again between them, but heavier this time.

“I needed to explain.” Selena tried lamely.
Deanna’s expression merely tightened, her walking halted by those words. “Explain?” she asked, her eyes no longer on Selena.

“Yes.” came the automatic reply.

“Okay...” Deanna said, folding her arms as she returned her gaze back on the older woman. “Explain to me why my partner stole my contract and forged my signature.”

Selena flinched, but only slightly. She knew the words before they even formed in her head. She had spent countless hours, days, in practice speaking these words. A rehearsal of sorts of what she’d say. It all came out so naturally as she spoke.

“They weren’t going to give me a chance...” she began. “No matter what I did. Every match, every win - it didn’t matter. They kept moving the goalposts. ‘Earn it.’” Gods, she hated those words!  “Always the same thing! ‘Earn it. Earn it. Earn it.’” her eyes flew back to Deanna. “Tell me I didn’t! Tell me I didn’t earn it, Deanna. Tell me after nearly a year that I didn’t earn it over and over again! Tell me that I didn’t earn it more than Shaun Cruze or Kemal Yamaz, or Glory Braddock, or Amelia, or Syren or Gavin! Tell me I didn’t earn it more than Gavin Taylor!”

Deanna didn’t say a word, though her eyes never left Selena’s, causing the platinum-blonde to scoff knowingly.

“They were never going to let me have it.” she continued. “Not fairly. Not cleanly. No matter what I did. Not CHBK or Frank were going to give me what I was owed... So I took the only opportunity that existed.”

“You took it.” Deanna repeated softly, her voice as flat as Elsianna’s had been, unnerving the platinum-blonde.

“What else was I supposed to do?!” Selena shot back, her frustration bleeding through. “Tell me that! You’re the hero, right? The one who does everything the right way. ‘The Frost everyone loves!’ now. What was I supposed to do?”

Deanna’s eyes flickered.

“Hmmm? What was I supposed to do? Sit there and keep waiting?” Selena pressed. “Keep proving myself while they kept denying me? How many times do I have to be better than everyone else before it counts? Before it’s ‘enough’ to be earned? Before you and everyone else believes it’s ‘fair’?”

“I never said it was fair.” Deanna replied, her voice rising slightly. “It wasn’t fair. They were holding you to a different standard. I saw that.”

Selena’s eyes widened a little in surprise. “You did?”
“Of course I did!” Deanna huffed. “Hell, I’m sure Xander did too! All those months and hearing all the names that came up for the world title and you not getting called up or mentioned once? Of course it was sketchy! And you keep blasting the fans – I’ll bet some of them thought so too-”

“Then you understand-” Selena stated.
“I understand why you’re angry.” Deanna snapped, interrupting Selena. “I don’t understand why you thought this was okay.”

Selena’s mouth opened - then closed. Again, her brain slipped into its rehearsed script. “They were screwing me over again.” she said, clinging to the argument. “Even now - it was supposed to be a singles match. Now it’s a fatal four-way! More politics. More games. They were – are - trying to cheat me out of this!”

“And your solution...” Deanna said, her voice sharpening, “was to cheat first.”

Selena’s expression hardened. “I did what I had to do.”
“No.” Deanna said firmly. “You did what was easiest.”
Selena’s jaw clenched at that accusation. “Easy? You think that was easy?”
“I think it was easier than trusting that you’d get there the right way.” Deanna shot back.

“I tried the right way!” Selena all but roared back. “And every path was blocked! Undefeated streak? Did that – got nothing. Applied for Trios – miraculously, I wasn’t drawn! What a surprise! Most of CHBK’s pals were drawn but not me. So that didn’t work! Babysit Xander? I made him a damn tag-team champion! Not enough! I TRIED to do things the right way!”

“And you were getting there!”

Selena shook her head. “No, I wasn’t! That’s the problem, Deanna! You just think that because you were handed everything!”

The redhead’s eyes widened and her jaw opened a little in shock. “How can you say that?”

“Cause it’s true!” Selena threw back. “Soon as you came back? You got the chance to get back the United States title! And you lost! But did you get told to ‘earn it’ for another opportunity? Did you get saddled with someone you hate?! NO! You instantly got put into the Shot of Adrenaline tournament!”

“Selena-”
“Instantly got put into the Trios Tournament-”
“Stop.” there was a begging in Deanna’s voice that Selena missed in her anger.
“You were given EVERYTHING and I was given NOTHING!”

“I WAS GOING TO GIVE YOU THE CONTRACT.”

The words hit like a gunshot or the loudest thunderclap. Everything stopped. It was like the world has ceased to move and sound had evaporated into nothing. In that silence, Selena could only blink.

“W-What?” she asked, sure she hadn’t heard right.

Deanna’s breathing was uneven now, emotion finally cracking through as tears formed in her eyes. “The contract didn’t matter to me. I won it because I could. Because I wanted to prove something. But... But I was going to give it to you.”

Selena stared at her, disbelief giving way to something far heavier. Far more shameful. “You…” The word barely formed. “You were going to—”

“Yes...” Deanna said, voice trembling now as the tears fell from her emerald eyes. “Because all I wanted was the Adrenaline title. That was my goal. You… you were the one who wanted the world title. You needed that shot more than I did.”

The room tilted in Selena’s mind. She felt it - just for a second. That shift. That fracture in everything she had been telling herself – the logic hitting her like a ton of bricks.

You didn’t need to take it. Her throat tightened. You chose to.

“No...” she said quietly.
Deanna’s brow furrowed. “Selena-”
“No.” Selena repeated, more firmly now, and stepping away from Deanna. “That doesn’t change anything!”

A bold-faced lie. It did change things – it changed everything. She knew it did... But she couldn’t let it. Focus on the task – why you’re here... she told herself darkly. It was too late – she was too far in. There was only one option left... and that was to win... by any means necessary.

“If you were going to give it to me...” she slowly continued, pushing forward, “Then you understand how important this is.”

Deanna’s expression faltered - confusion mixing with disbelief. Her eyes kept on Selena as the Snow Queen turned to her once more.

“I need you to talk to Kimberly... Like you did the other week.” Selena said. “And Luz, too. I need you to make sure they stay out of the match. No interference. No distractions. I need this to be clean.”

It took several seconds for the words to land and several seconds more as Deanna just stared at her.

“Selena…” Her voice dropped, almost disbelieving. “Are... are you kidding me?” she asked with a shake of her head. “You come here, after everything, and that’s – that’s why?”

“Deanna...” Selena insisted. “This is my only chance now. I can’t afford to lose again - not like at Rise to Greatness. Don’t you see? I lose and that’s it. Alex won’t give me another opportunity. Neither will Frank, no matter what I do. I lose this...”

“And you think I’m going to manipulate my friends for you?” Deanna asked.
“It’s not manipulation – it’s...it’s...” Selena couldn’t find the word, but Deanna did.
“It’s manipulation.” she cut in sharply. “And I won’t do it!”

Selena’s frustration flared. “You said you wanted to help me!”
“I did!” Deanna’s voice broke. “Before you made it clear you didn’t care how many people you hurt to get what you wanted!”
Selena stepped forward. “This is bigger than that.”
“No.” Deanna said, shaking her head. “It’s not. It never has been! It’s just been about you. You and that stupid world title! That’s more important than anything – anyone - else... including me...”

The silence was stifling as Deanna turned away from the woman she loved. “I’m not doing this.” she declared. “I’m not being part of it. Not like this.” she added as she started towards the door.

“Deanna-” Selena tried, her words failing.

The redhead stopped - but didn’t turn. “Maybe I...” she said quietly, before stopping herself with a sigh... “Maybe you should keep your appointment with that balcony in July.”

Then she was gone.

Selena stood alone in the room. For a moment, there was nothing. Until she heard a sound and turned her head. Elsianna stood in the doorway and her expression said it all. She had heard everything. Of course she had.

Selena opened her mouth to try and explain. “Elsi—”

The slap came out of nowhere! Enough to send Selena stumbling sideways, her shoulder colliding with the edge of a cabinet. The sound echoed and Selena could only look up, stunned, at her daughter.

Her daughter who was shaking. “Why?” she demanded.

Selena tried to speak - but nothing came.

“You had everything!” Elsianna’s voice cracked, tears spilling over now. “You had her back! You had us back! I was starting to believe in you again!”

Another slap Selena didn't see coming collided with her face.

“Why?!”

Selena’s head snapped to the side again.

Still no answer. Because there wasn’t one. Not anymore. The logic, the arguments, and the justifications - they all felt hollow here in front of her daughter.

Another slap.

“WHY?!” Elsianna screamed, her eyes crying like Deanna’s had.

Selena’s knees buckled slightly, her back hitting the cabinet as she slid halfway down it. She tried. Gods, she tried to find the words. But they were gone.

Elsianna’s hand dropped. Her expression shifted from anger to something worse. Something Selena hadn’t seen in weeks but recognized instantly.  Disappointment.

“Get out.” her daughter said weakly before glaring at Selena fully. “I said, ‘Get out!” Elsianna repeated. “Just… go.”

Slowly, Selena pulled herself upright. Her face stung and her chest felt hollow. She looked at her daughter. At the distance between them. At everything she had lost...

And said nothing.

She just.. walked out, hearing the door close behind her with a soft, final click.

Outside, the neighbourhood carried on like nothing had changed. And maybe it hadn’t.

She had come here for something: A purpose. A plan. And she was leaving with it intact.

The world title shot was still hers.
The path still set.
So close to everything she had ever wanted.
And yet-

Her hands trembled slightly at her sides. The cold didn’t feel like Nome anymore. It felt like something deeper. Something she couldn’t outrun.

Even so, she didn’t look back.
She couldn’t.
Because if she did...

She wasn’t sure she’d keep walking away.