Xander Valentine vs. Selena Frost

[SnowQueenSCW]

The Royal Letter

The camera simply fades into a scene – that of a white wall, brown chair and a woman sitting in said chair. Her hair is not in its braid but free, and as for her clothes – a white t-shirt of “Where the Wild Things Are” - is casual. Her makeup? Simple. 

Sorry if you were expecting more glitz and glam, Xander Valentine. Selena Frost speaks as she sits in the chair, her eyes on the audience – to the people she knows are watching.

I know how much you want to pull out all the stops for this match. You want it 'to count', don't you? You want this win to 'go into the books'. 'Xander Valentine beats Selena Frost'. Prove that 'Xander Valentine is better than Selena Frost'. That's what this is all about for you now, right? That's what you want me to believe? That's what you want SCW to believe? That after months of all the hiding at home, cowering in the shadows, attacking from behind, attacking my family, attacking the True-Believers – FINALLY, Xander Valentine wants a respectful, one-on-one match with Selena Frost...

For a moment, Selena is silent, until a huff escapes her lips.

Where the fuck do you get off?

Her voice is cold and her glare – even colder.

Where do you get off making ANY requests from this company? You ought to be down on your pathetic knees and BEGGING that governor that's watching you not to throw you in jail for the rest of your damned life! You should be on your knees WORSHIPPING Sasha D. – WORSHIPPING O. D. - who was in the same room with you – when they agreed to give you a 'second chance'!

You should be on your knees THANKING SCW for saving your pathetic ass from oblivion once again!

Because that's what always happened, doesn't it, Xander? You come in, cause a fuss, make some chaos, some damage, and ruin some lives and careers - and when all is said and done and you, inevitably, fail and your momentum dies out and you crawl away back to your hole, who is there to pick up the pieces? Who's there to keep your face on the splash page of the website? Who's there to give you chance after chance after chance the next time around?

Yeah – the same company you've lambasted! The same company who's people you assaulted! S-C-W!

Sitting back, Selena shakes her head, partially in disbelief.

And that's something I still can't understand. That's something I can't wrap my head around. And, you know something, Sasha, I have done my absolute best to stand by you and support you as you took over your father's company. Hell, I fought for your team in that massive chamber of metal and steel – I began that match, in case you forgot, that allowed you to be in power over your sister, Katya, or Giovanni, or Gods forbid, the Beauty Network.

Me, Kennedy, Regan, and Owen, we fought and we bled for you – you know why, Sasha? Because we believed in SCW. More specifically, we believed in what SCW meant to you. I believed in you, Sasha. And... A sad sigh comes from the Snow Queen as she runs a hand through her hair. I have never spoken a harsh word against you, Sasha. I've never spoken disrespectfully to you and it was never because of 'what you could give me'. While you were handing out rematches to the Syrens and the Siennas, while you were passing me by for a title I never got a rematch for, did I complain?

No, Sasha. And you still won't hear me complain about that. Because I believed that your heart was in the right place. That everything had a purpose – that everything was for the 'good of SCW'. And I had to be better than that – I had to be 'The Face of SCW'...

But this?

Selena shakes her head, scratching her scalp while she does, her voice breaking a little. 

How is THIS for the 'good of SCW'?! You think you've tamed him? You think that you've tamed the beast that is Xander Valentine? Because of what? Fancy words like 'arbitration' and 'parameters'? You think that your team of lawyers with stacks of printed paper can hold him back? Keep him in line?

The platinum-blonde shakes her head. I honestly thought you, of all people, would understand that men like Xander Valentine – MONSTERS like Xander Valentine – cannot be controlled by such things. The rules don't matter to them. Hell, they feel they don't apply to them! How else can you explain his lack of hesitation at what he did to my wife? To your father?! To our fans?!

To me?

There's a flash on the screen that shows Xander Valentine powerbombing Selena into the cage and dropping her onto the mat before going back to Selena. 

You're fooling yourself, Sasha. You're buying into the lies that's he's shilling out to you. He smiles and signs some papers and throws some dollar bills around and you're all 'Welcome back to SCW' with open arms, is that it? You're THAT forgiving?

Is that how it works here, Sasha? Is that what SCW is to you now? Someone pays enough money and they get free run of the house? That why Syren still around? That why Sienna can do whatever the hell she wants? Are they signing papers behind the scenes? Paying out people? Making promises they have no intention of keeping?

Selena sniffles a little as she reaches up to scratch her nose. Well, I'll guess I'll deal with that issue in the main-event, and you better believe I WILL be there, one way or another! But as for Xander? His words are no different from the crap spewed by those liars in Infamous and the Beauty Network.

But you know that, don't you, big man? Selena smirks. Bet you're sitting there in your dark corner – laughing to yourself that you've got all the executives fooled by your little show. “I respect Selena Frost now” - yeah, that was cute. That was REALLY cute, Xander.

Cute because it's as fake as you are.

Selena shrugs. You say you respect me? Yeah? Well let me take you back a bit, shall we? Let's talk about that big speech where you brought the word 'respect' into this conversation!

The shot changes with a flicker to reveal Xander Valentine in the ring on the November 20th edition of Breakdown: 

I defeated Selena Frost on the night of Under Attack. I took the Snow Queen and I dismantled her in this ring to the point where she could not stand. She can hide it all she wants, but the fact is that I brought her to her knees to where she could not stand for any of you!

She failed you. She failed SCW. Yes, you should boo her for that. Unlike her, I only make simple claims and one was that I felt that her and others have taken my mantle and ruined it…On the night of Under Attack I proved that she cannot get lucky twice and that I still am to be feared!

The scene freezes before going back to Selena, who can't help the smirk that forms on her lips.

Well, doesn't that just sum up your 'respect' in a nice little pile, Xander. I mean – where do I begin? How bout we start off with the fact that, for your 'respect', you still can't admit what happened with us at Rise to Greatness!

You wanna know why I played it back last Breakdown, Xander? Cause for all your 'respect', you still think it was some fluke. Some luck for me. When you can't admit that, on that night, I took everything you had and dealt you blow after blow until you were the one that was knocked out. If you respected me, as you claim, Xander, you'd actually accept the loss for what it is and move on from it. Instead, you've used it to justify every vile act you've done since then! Hiding behind your lawyer? Lying to the board? Attacking people? 

Is THAT respect?!

Selena takes a deep breath as she shakes her head. But oh! It gets SO much better, and I'm praying that Sasha truly IS watching this because I want her to see the truth that's right in front of her. I want her to understand the truth about you, Xander. It's the reality of how fake your 'words' are. You came out that Breakdown and bragged about how you beat me. How you took me on and 'dismantled me'. How I 'failed SCW' because I didn't pin you and win the match.

To repeat my words from last Breakdown: Roll it!

Once more, the camera shot shifts a little before a replay is played, this one BEFORE Under Attack!

Let’s not waste time with such trivialities. Let’s skip all that bullshit. I’m done playing games. And I don’t give a damn about my win-loss record.

I have had to drag you through the streets, bare, exposed… to humiliate you like you’ve humiliated me. Now, that’s more important to me than wins and losses...

The shot flicks back to Selena. You wanna know what I saw there, Xander? Sasha? In those eyes? I saw the truth. In those eyes – on that night, I saw the truth of the man that truly is Xander Valentine. The man you think you have under control, Sasha. Arrogant, bloodthirsty, and dangerous – not the man that stood before the world and praised himself for “beating me” like he did on that episode of Breakdown. 

The truth is, Xander, you may have beaten me and, yes, you hurt me worse than almost anyone – dare I say, maybe even more than Regan Street did. But let's face the reality – you're the one that's hiding behind the mask now, aren't you? You're the one smiling and taking delight in beating me because we know, deep down, YOU were the one that failed. Not only did you fail to humiliate me, you failed to make me out to be something that I am not.

You wanted so badly to 'expose me' – make the world see me as something. A weakling. A lucky superstar. Someone undeserving of your mantle.... And now? While you smile and play nice? As I look in those eyes? I still see anger. I still see hatred. And I see how it eats you up inside.

The weak Snow Queen... the one who broke your nose... cracked open your skull... scarred you from head to back... the 'lucky one' that you kept down for three seconds, left you unable to get back up afterwards. For the second time, Xander Valentine could not just 'walk away' after a battle with Selena Frost... couldn't even stand.

I didn't do that to get your 'respect', Xander. Selena shakes her head. You want me to 'be real'? I'm here with no wrestling gear on, no effects – this is as REAL as it gets, Xander. You want Selena Frost to talk to you, Xander Valentine? Here she is:

I didn't do all I did at Under Attack to get you to respect me. I didn't jump fifteen feet onto you and a pile of chairs just so you could offer me your hand in respect! I did what I did to hurt you!

I did what I did for O., for Sasha, for my wife, for the True Believers – for that little girl, Corrie - Selena suddenly stops, running a hand through her hair. That little girl you grabbed and roared at? I spoke to her and her dad. That innocent girl, Xander? She can't watch SCW anymore. She can't talk about it – her father says she constantly has nightmares! She has to see a therapist now!

A little girl... because of you! Where's her apology, Xander? Where's her solace? Huh?!!

Selena's jaw tightens and her fist clenches as she breathes through her nose. You were right then – when the real you spoke to me, Xander. When you said wins and losses were secondary. I realized how right you were when it came to that match and to you and me. And all I cared about that night was hurting you like you did so many others! All I cared about was making YOU cower in fear. Making YOU cry out for help!

And in THAT regard: I damn succeeded! I made you take solace in something that was secondary. I made you slap on a smile and enjoy a consolation prize! Your true desire still beyond your reach!

Sitting back, Selena crossed her arms.

So you can take your respect, Xander, and stick it in that hole you came out of, because I don't need it and I sure as hell don't want it. You'll get none of that from me. I don't give a damn if you respect me, I sure as hell don't respect you and that's not going to change at Clarity...

But that is such a fitting title, because I am intend to give Sasha D. and her board members some clarity about you and that's where this match comes into play. The Last Person Standing Match.

You know it's funny, but for all your mentions of this person, you fail to see the clarity of it yourself. I'm talking about the second woman in this match, and no – before you go off spouting, it's NOT Artemis. I mean, if you truly are a man of your word, and after what I've been talking about, I have no reason to believe you are, but IF you are, then Artemis shouldn't even fit into this equation, should she?

No, the second woman in this match between you and me is Regan Street, and I am SO glad that you can't seem to stop talking about her. Makes what I have to say next so relevant. Last time you and I fought, you vowed that you were not like Regan Street. You vowed to beat me far worse than she beat me, but let me point out a couple of things about that statement, Xander. I won't deny you the satisfaction of knowing that you sure as hell beat me down, probably, as bad as Regan did over a year ago – subjective as that may be to whoever wishes to agree or disagree – but here's the two key differences you have yet to fully realize.

Selena holds up her pointer finger. First, was that the fights between Regan and I got so bad that SCW forbid us from fighting each other for the rest of our careers. Whether we're friends or enemies, she and I, baring some act of the gods that I can't foresee, can NEVER fight one another in an SCW ring ever again. That's how brutal our battles were.

Second, the match was so brutal, in fact, that when the last one was said and done, do YOU remember what happened next, Xander? The very next episode of Breakdown? I sure as hell do. Regan Street came out and apologized to Mr. D. for all she had done. Mr. D. APOLOGIZED for all he had done. Hell, I apologized to Regan for my part in it.

And let me tell you something, Xander, when Regan apologized, she didn't demand a match. She didn't make promises. She looked the boss in the eyes, she looked the world in the eyes and she looked me in the eyes and she meant every single word. Not only that, Xander, but in her eyes, I saw respect. True respect forged from battle and war. Respect for me, for this business, for SCW. You want to know how Regan and I were able to regain our sisterhood? Because that war we had – true respect emerged from that war!

Selena shrugs a little. 

So when some cheap imitation is right in front of me, I can tell the difference! Because when you were out there? There wasn't a damn bit of sincerity in your eyes, Xander. Not for a single second. Even backstage, there was none. No respect. No remorse for going too far. Nothing but the same arrogance I've seen over and over again. Like you said... nothing like Regan.

And that's what I am going to change at Clarity. Not only am I going to be the one that exposes you as the lying sack of crap you are, but I'm going to actually make an honest man out of you for the first time in your miserable career. Because I am going to make you sorrier than you've ever been in your entire life. I am going to make you sorry for every second you spent hatching your plans together, every person you laid hands on and every lie you've spun.

That's what this match does, Xander. You can't just have an official call for the bell after you get knocked out for a few seconds. You can't just beat down an opponent so they stay done for a few seconds. No, this match? It tests every single thing you and I brag about ourselves. Our power. Our strength. Our wills. Our very careers and existence. It makes you doubt how much more you can take – and if you'll ever be the same after it...

And while I've surprised you at every turn – you've proven just how quick you are to cry for help when the tide starts turning. Or should we all forget who was responsible for raising that cage that helped seal your “win” against me, Xander? What? Did you dig Giovanni Aries out of the hole he's in for this too? Got him in your pocket in case things go south tonight? Gonna call up your old buddy, Damian Angel? I'm sure he's pissed after I've mocked his little “twitter riddles”.

Selena shakes her head. No, Xander. I know you, and I know that your ego will not allow you to give me what you've promised. I know your ego will not let you simply face me one on one once things get tough for you. I've proven that I can do it. You haven't. So you and me? Yeah, we're going to beat the holy hell out of each other again. And when I keep getting back up before that ten count? Just like in that empty arena, you are going to get more and more desperate until... snap! Selena's hands imitate the snapping of something. The paper collar Sasha thinks she has on you will break and you will break every rule and every promise you've made just so that I don't humiliate you again. 

And when that happens, Xander? Then I'll make you honest.

Tilting her head, Selena reaches a hand up to massage her right temple with her fingers.

You once asked me if I had it in me to take that 'kill shot'. If the Snow Queen could reach down, deep inside herself, and get the job done and 'pull the trigger' on Xander Valentine? Well, Xander, look right here – look in my eyes now. Selena stares at the camera, sapphire eyes glaring. You should have killed me when you had the chance...

The words are haunting, the same words Xander mocked Selena with over a month ago. Because I am ready to do what you have feared all along, Xander. I am ready to take up your mantle and be the Executioner... your Executioner.

And at Clarity, it won't be luck and it won't be a fluke – it'll be what you, for all your 'respect', still can't accept. Me. Better than you. And your throne? Your mask? It'll be like that win you hold over me that you covet so tightly...

Out of the books... out of the records... and out of SCW...

With a dark smile, Selena leans forward a little.

Like it never happened...

Believe it, Xander. Because I sure as hell don't believe you. And after I'm done... Nobody will ever again.

Pushing herself out of the chair, Selena walks out of shot before the camera fades to black.