12-29-2020, 11:35 PM
OOC: 1 of 2. Hope everyone had/is having a wonderful holiday time! Enjoy!
Frankfurt Prison III
December 25th, 2020
Frankfurt, Germany
1:02pm
The keys were beautifully pressed, the notes of music floating into the young woman’s ear as she heard the song being played. Even so, the music from the keyboard, gears within and strings paled in comparison to the voice that accompanied them.
“Through the years…” the young redhead sang as she played, her fingers lightly strumming against the ivory keys. “We all will be together, if the fates allow.” Her eyes were closed, her own being lost in the music, and for a moment, the platinum-blonde watching her wondered if she was imaging being somewhere else. Perhaps home with her, with their children, in Manhattan. Granted, they didn’t have an old piano like the prison lounge had – or rather, the prison had rented for the holidays – but Selena was dead set on changing that now! She even could imagine the spot in the family room that it would occupy beautifully.
“Until then, we’ll have to muddle through somehow…” the pianist/singer opened her eyes, emerald green turning slightly to scan the room briefly before falling onto Selena’s sapphire ones, a smile both bright and, the Snow Queen could tell, holding… hiding… the inescapable sadness that filled them both. “So have yourself…a merry little Christmas now…” she ended the song with a few well placed keys before the music was replaced by a medium-applause.
Quickly, Selena hit the stop button on her phone to finish the recording before her sniffled and emotions got the better of watching her beloved play and sing. Her eyes were already a bit watery from unshed tears and she bit her lower lip as she joined in the applause of the small group.
It was hard to recall – and one could easily be deceived into thinking otherwise – that the majority of occupants were either prison guards, prisoners or visitors for prisoners. Turning her head, Selena turned off her phone and, as per her agreement with the Warden, handing it to the waiting guard. “Thank you so much.” She whispered. Understanding, the guard nodded before sliding the phone into his pocket. “I’ll be over there…” he said. “When you want it back.”
Giving a nod, Selena excused herself from the officer. It had been a rather magical moment when Deanna had told Selena about the prison’s plans for this Christmas. Usually, visitation hours were just extended for family to spend the day with inmates. But it seemed the Warden, whom Selena had only met a few times throughout the near two years of Deanna’s incarceration, had seemed to want to ‘boost morale’, as it were. He had rented a piano, decorated the visiting area into a bit of a lounge and, if prisoners had were not on the ‘troublemaker’s list’ – that being they weren’t likely to cause trouble for anyone, they were invited to attend, where there was a – Selena’s eyes scanned the long line of foldable tables lined up end to end with paper plates and utensils with sliced pieces of turkey and ham, mashed potatoes and other Christmas foods. Due to the place being, well, a prison, only the staff were providing food and all “gifts” had to be scanned and searched by said staff.
Of course, Selena’s gift of a sweater for her beloved had gone through without any issue, one that she saw her darling adjust the hem of as she stood up from the piano, thanking her audience with a wave of her hand before shuffling across the room. The second she was within reach, Selena had her wrapped in her arms, holding her as close to her as possible.
“You enchant me.” She half-whispered, half-cried as she held Deanna tightly.
“And you me.” Deanna replied back. “Everyday.”
Leaning her head back, Selena allowed herself enough space to maneuver her head to press her lips onto Deanna’s, sharing a soft kiss as they stood against the door. She tasted the slightest tint of gingerbread cookies, which made sense considering how many she and her beloved pet had devoured when the ‘feast’ had started for the prison celebration.
“I haven’t heard you sing in a so long.” Selena sighed after she broke the kiss. “Just one other thing I miss about you.”
Rather than reply with words, the redhead merely snuggled closer to her wife, the platinum-blonde feeling the soft fibers of the sweater her wife wore. She took a deep breath and exhaled an equally slow one, her eyes open and taking in the room. In truth, had it not been for the uniforms the inmates wore and the guards standing at all the doors, Selena could have been fooled that this was simply one of their neighbourhood Christmas parties back in Manhattan, probably with the same amount of Styrofoam being used and passed around. The smells of apple cider and hot chocolate were awfully similar.
As if reading her mind, Deanna’s whispered words drifted into the Snow Queen’s ears.
“I wish you could take me home.”
Almost immediately, the redheads stiffened upon hearing the words leave her. Her head shot up and her jaw shook as she stammered. “I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to say that – I mean, you know what I mean, I don’t want to sour the mood – it’s Christmas, it’s your birthday and-“
Pale fingers gently pressed against her lips to quiet her. “Deanna…” Selena whispered. “I get it. Believe me, not a day goes by that I don’t want you here with me…”
And if Selena had decided to prove it, she would have told her what happened… but then it would be her that would have soured the mood.
*****************************************************
Regan Street’s home
Santa Monica, California
December 22nd, 2020
11:54am
“It’s been a year!” Selena harped as she marched around the room, feeling the carpet beneath her feet, the wireless headphones pressed against her ears. “You’ve had a year and you’ve found nothing?!”
“No. Nothing would imply that I’ve done nothing.” The voice rang in response, filling Selena’s ears as she glared at the laptop computer screen. “But I told you it would take time!”
“Yes, time as in a few months! Not a few years!” harped the Snow Queen, running her hands along her long braid. “Talia, you’re supposed to be good at finding this out! There has to be something!”
The raven-haired woman glared back at her, brown eyes burning through the screen. “You think I want to stay in Germany, do you? Have you forgotten that I can’t go home until I get your child-fucker out of prison-“
In shock, Selena’s eyes widened before narrowing, her surprise being replaced with – clearly righteous – anger. “Watch you tongue.” She warned. “I don’t care who’s side you’re helping. Call her that again and I will be on the next plane to personally throw you out of that castle with half your face caved in!”
The bite and tone in her voice caused Talia, her former childhood best friend turned enemy turned ally (for the time being), to flinch, it clear that she was pushing the wrong button.
“Whatever.” The lawyer scoffed as she cracked her knuckles. “My point is that I want to be out of here as much as you want her out of that prison!”
“So why haven’t you found anything?” Selena asked, frustration settling on her brow. “Is this some kind of game to you?!”
Sharper: “And now this has become a game for Xander…”
“It’s not a matter of not finding anything!” Talia harped. “It’s a matter of not having enough to build a counter-case to get her out!”
Snapping back at the sound, the Snow Queen shook her head. It was beyond infuriating for Selena! Deanna was reaching a year and a half, closer to two years incarcerated, and they were no closer to getting her out than when they had started. Meanwhile, Selena had had to watch her beloved’s eyes grow with sadness as the months passed and she missed more and more of her wife and her children’s life.
David was four now and would be starting school soon. The boy was every bit like Deanna in spirit, eager and excited to see and experience everything! He was already dreaming of being an astronaut, he had often told her. Deanna would miss his first day of school and all that came with it. Hell, with Selena’s work schedule, she was scared that she would miss it, but she was determined to find a way around that.
Elsianna, her oldest, was becoming more and more the spitting image of Selena. Her hair was just as white and she was just as quiet and regal-bearing. She still loved her books and kept her nutcracker, Sir Crackshell, in her room. But she was also far quieter and more reserved than Selena’s was. Thankfully, the child had not had to deal with any more bullied like the Stanton boy in her new school in Frankfurt. She was a model student and was quickly learning the Germanic language, far faster than Selena, who could barely conjure up a few words.
And then there was Amiliah… the child born from the event that put Deanna in prison. Even so, Selena could only feel the utmost love for her little fireball. The little one had grown so much. She had hair just like Deanna’s, as well as the gift of gab, able to talk both real words and made up ones of blabber. Selena had lost track at how many times she had seen little Ami waddling up the stairs and around the castle, Elsianna, ever the protective big-sister, right on her trail. The two sisters had continued to grow close as the months had gone by, Elsianna the ever-guardian of Amiliah.
Deanna had missed words from the redhead like “mamma” and “si-si” which Selena figured meant ‘sister’ for Elsa. And while she put on a brave face, Selena could see the sadness in her wife’s face. The hope in her eyes fading each and every visit.
And after the events with Queenie-
Selena shook her head, returning her attention quickly back to Talia. “What about that boy we met a while back… Castle?”
“Fredric Castle.” Talia sighed. “He’s whom I’ve been looking into the most….”
The black-haired woman seemed to hesitate before looking back at Selena. “You sure you want to hear this?”
“Yes!” Selena ordered. “Give me something!”
“Fine.” Talia replied curtly. “Bartender at the place has no idea what happened, same as before. No one’s story’s changed. And with no witnesses beyond hearsay between Deanna and Fredric, there’s no disproving they had sex.”
“Deanna was drugged-“ Selena started to defend.
“Do you not understand the concept of hearsay?” spat Talia. “Point is, she had sex with a minor, that’s the only absolute truth. Amiliah is the evidence of that.”
Selena remained silent, her brain instantly punishing herself as the stray thought came into her head: If only she hadn’t been born…
What bothered her most was that the voice was that of Xander Valentine, not her. To say that the Executioner was on her mind often would have been a vast understatement. She had spent so much of her time watching segments, interviews, and matches – especially now… now that everything was on the line for her – the only thing she had left that Xander could take from her…
Sharper: “And now Xander is starting to assert himself in this match for the first time and Selena could really be in trouble here.”
Knots: “Selena will be in trouble and I hope that it is just her title that could be it trouble but you never can tell with Xander.”
”Did you hear me?!” the voice broke through and Selena shook her head again.
“No.” she replied. “You were lagging.” She added the lie.
“I said that I was digging into Castle.”
“The boy?” Selena asked. “I thought that was a dead end.”
“It’s the only way we can go about this!” Talia defended. “We can’t take back that they had sex. We have to prove that he drugged and had sex with Deanna. That’s the only way to get her out!”
“Okay! Okay!” Selena sighed. “How?”
“That’s what I’ve been working on!” Talia stated as, before Selena’s eyes, she held up a folder full of paper. “Everything on him since he moved here five years ago with his mother. Remember when I said something didn’t add up?”
Selena tried to recall. She had investigated the ‘victim’, Fredric Castle, once with Talia under aliases and that had been a waste of time. But beyond that?
“All I remember is you saying that the more you dug, the less sense things made.” Selena shrugged.
“Yes, exactly.” Talia sighed. “Because aside from the five years… there’s nothing.”
“Nothing?” Selena asked, raising an eyebrow. “What do you mean nothing?”
“As in nothing on anyone named ‘Fredric Castle’ or his mother ‘Louisa Castle’. No prior address, no prior reports. Not a speeding ticket – not even tax statements!”
“How did you-“
“Do not ask.” Talia crisply cut her off. “All I have been able to find if that Louisa moved here with her husband, Reinhart Castle. Three years in, they adopted a boy from somewhere in Italy. Husband dies in car accident shortly there after, and…that’s it.”
“Okay, so what? You’re saying you’ve spent over a year finding out they didn’t exist?”
“They clearly did!” Talia shook her head. “But it’s like trying to nail jello to the damn wall!”
Selena tried to think for a moment. “What about the orphanage that the boy grew up in?”
“Never heard of him. I even sent a photo. No one on the staff recognized them, though they said that their staff changes every few years so he could have just been lost in the numbers.”
“Anything on the father? Maybe some connections?”
“Nothing. The man was a ghost. He apparently worked from home as some sort of private accountant. Neighbours never saw him.”
“For three years?”
“You saw how remote the place was, Selena.” Talia shrugged.
Another huff escaped the Snow Queen. “So where does that leave us?”
“I asked you if you really wanted to hear this. Were you expecting good news?”
“I was expecting something, Talia!” Selena all but shouted. “But you’re telling me that we have a mysterious father and the people involved didn’t exist outside of five years ago.”
The platinum-blonde turned her back to Talia, holding a hand to her face to cover her eyes. She didn’t want to see her former friend-turned enemy- turned ally due to circumstances cry or appear weak. She had survived the years of torture from her, the Scythes, and everyone else that went against her because she was strong. Because she didn’t show fear to her enemies. Because she kept fighting, regardless of how bad the odds were stacked against her.
That’s who I am… her mind repeated… I’m a Frost… I’m a Frost…
Turning back to Talia when she was sure she was far more composed, the young Frost woman took a deep breath. “So what’s next?” she asked directly.
“Well…I’ve got one potential lead to chase.” Talia sighed. “Meeting one of my contacts. Don’t get your hopes up but he might have something that could give us an idea of what else we’re dealing with.”
“Look, Talia…” Selena tried, an errant thought crossing her mind. “What if, and don’t chew me out for this – but what if we asked Malcolm for help-“
She hated asking for such a thing, the very idea of owing that worm making her skin crawl. But again, the idea of getting Deanna out of prison – the driving force of every action she had done outside of SCW for nearly two years – remained so. Still, she wasn’t expecting Talia to laugh her head off as she sat in her seat in one of the rooms of the Schonburg Castle.
“Oh that is a good one!” She laughed. “Thank you, blondie, I needed a laugh.”
The ‘blondie’, as Talia put it, remained quiet, crossing her arms over her chest and waiting for Talia to finish her little ‘display’.
“What? You’re serious?” Talia asked after settling down.
“He has resources we don’t.” Selena stated. “People we don’t.”
“And if I could do that, do you not think I would?” Talia asked with an annoyed smirk. “You seem to forget by who’s command that I am here helping you here. I didn’t come here because I wanted to. Malcolm exiled me here until I get your wife out of prison – meaning he won’t lift a finger to help us.”
“But they’re-“ Selena almost threw-up what little lunch she had that morning. “Elsianna and David are his grandchildren…”
Talia scoffed knowingly. “Bet that hurt the ego a little.”
“My ego’s been bruised enough to stand a few hits.” Selena coldly replied.
“Well, whatever, he isn’t going to help. Either I do it on my own or I stay in Germany for the rest of my life.”
“Fine.” Selena shook her head. “So what do I tell Deanna.”
“The hell do I care?” Talia laughed. “Tell her whatever you want. Lie to her for all I give a damn.”
“I don’t lie to the people I love.” Selena stated.
“Oh bullshit. I don’t even know your relationship and I know you lie. Everyone lies. Or they hide the truth, which is the same as a lie.”
Selena was about to retort but her jaw froze, her mind slamming down on the truth behind those words. Yes, she hated lying and did her best not to lie to those she loved and those that loved her, but far more than she was willing to admit, she had twisted the truth or kept things hidden from those people.
Deanna.
Regan.
Her children.
Her birthparents: Alejandra and Jonathan
Her friends: Jean and Zoe
How many times had she hidden things from them, trying to protect them or spare them pain? She was guilty beyond measure for taking such an approach and Talia could read it on the Snow Queen’s pale face.
“Thought so.” She stated smugly. “Get off your high horse, Selena. Because you ain’t a saint.”
“I never said-“
“Sure you didn’t.” Talia cut her off. “Save it for your next church confession.”
Selena rolled her eyes as she twisted her long platinum-blonde braid in her hands. “So when are you meeting this contact?”
“Tonight – in a few hours, actually.” Talia replied. “If anything comes up, I’ll let you know when you’re back here.”
“Tonight?” Selena thought for a moment. “Talia…I mean…” she wasn’t sure why this was bothering her, but Selena could not deny what she felt.
“What?” Talia asked impatiently.
“I mean…yeah, your contact thing. But, after, I mean, you are allowed to enjoy the holidays, you know?”
A look of mild surprise came to Talia’s face. “Oh really, boss? I can? I’m allowed to enjoy the few days of merriment alone without a single member of my family giving a damn about me? Here? Alone without a soul? How kind of you! You are so generous!”
“I didn’t mean it like that!” Selena tried. “I was trying-“
“You’re trying to be your ‘good-girl’, ‘nice to everyone’ princess nonsense.” Talia spat. “But guess what? I don’t have anyone here. No family, no friends. So if I’m going to spend Christmas alone, I rather be productive about it, if you don’t mind!”
“Fine!” Selena held her hands up in mild surrender. “Do whatever you want.”
“Don’t think I won’t.” Talia stated before clicking a button that terminated the messenger video chat.
Alone in the room, Selena angrily shoved the headphones off her head and tossed them onto the couch before slamming the laptop shut. With an irritated huff, she slammed a hand into the top cushion of the nearby leather couch, the soft ‘thud’ of impact filling her ears.
Anymore kicks in the stomach, 2020? she mentally screamed, not wanting to make too much noise and upset the resident upstairs. At this point, I’m pretty much ready to take another beating before you die!
One last chop of her hand into the couch cushion and a few deep breaths slowly calmed her irritated mind, allowing her to slowly make her way back up the flight of stairs she had travelled in the first place and onto the ground floor, where her socked feet met the tiles of the floor that lead her into the kitchen. The kitchen space was a large one, not unlike her own in Manhattan, and her sapphire eyes could pick up the various colors of the room. The blues on the wall, the shiny-gray of the stainless steel appliances and utensils, the bright red and green sweater that her sister wore as she continued to set up pots and pans.
“All good?” she asked as she raised her head and noticed Selena standing there. Unlike her sister that had dressed festively, Selena had chosen a simple maroon, snug v-neck sweater that showed her curves along with her blue jeans.
Hearing the question, the younger woman shook her head before huffing a little. “She’s chasing ghosts with no end in sight.” Came the saddened reply. “Way I feel, Deanna will never get out.”
“Don’t think like that.” Came the warm voice of Selena’s sister, Regan Street. “Worse case scenario, okay? You have to keep doing what you’re doing? You still get to see her all the time, right? And your ‘special visits’?” she moved the wooden spoon she had been holding in her hand to in-between her teeth to use air-quotes on that last part. “Time off for good behaviour, we can get that knocked down to eight or so years – you’re almost two in. That leaves six at most!”
Tilting her head to Regan, Selena could only offer her a sad smile. “I love you, Regan.” She sighed. “And I appreciate what you’re trying to do, but… what if it was six years without David?”
The kind smile Regan was offering deflated with a sigh of her own, the Hellcat knowing that remark was coming. “I know. I know.” She breathed. “I’d be in your spot too.”
“And I’d be in yours. Trying to tell you the same thing you’re telling me now.” Selena added, walking over towards the slightly taller woman. Without hesitating, the platinum-blonde wrapped her arms around the other woman, hugging her tightly. “Truly, sister, thank you.”
“Alright! Alright!” Regan griped, playfully squirming in Selena’s hug.
“No! You let me love you, mean kitty!” Selena played before blowing a raspberry kiss on Regan’s forehead.
“Oh come on! What are you – five?!” Regan whined, breaking free to rub the affected part of her face. Still, both were smiling brightly at their ‘childish’ antics. “You’re supposed to help me, remember?”
“Right, right.” Selena sighed. “Though I think you could have asked anyone and they’d be better suited for this than me.” She added, making her way around the counter, following Regan further into the kitchen area.
It had been an odd request made by the Hellcat, and had gone something like this:
Xander Valentine, Breakdown, stomping and stroking his own ego, which both members of Frozen Hell could attest, had grown beyond reason. He had goaded Selena and Regan out, Selena had called him out on his boasting, a basic “put-up or shut up” demand. But Xander had thrown a curveball, demanding that if he faced Frozen Hell in a handicap match and won, then Frozen Hell, following the Tag League, would forever disband.
Following that, Selena and Regan had disappeared into the changeroom, where the Snow Queen had expected the Hellcat to throw a fit based upon the demands of Xander – essentially them risking their existence as a tag-team and him risking nothing in the eyes of the SCW Universe. Selena had expected screaming and cursing and throwing of items through the changeroom, maybe even Regan blaming her - rightfully so – for being so manipulated by Xander. Whatever her expectations had been, they hadn’t been…
”Do you want to come back to my place?”
“What?”
“I need help cooking stuff for Christmas. David’s busy and so are the kids and… there’s a lot.”
To say that Selena had been baffled to levels of speechlessness would not have been inaccurate. Still, she had managed to offer a weak nod of her head at the time, which was why she found herself standing in the kitchen with Regan, who handed her a bowl.
It had been days since Breakdown – since they had agreed, signed the contract, to put their tag-team existence on the line – and not a word had been spoken about it. Not by her and not by Regan. No, in fact, the Hellcat had seemed to adopt a new personality altogether. She seemed to smile more when she saw Selena. Hugs were more often. Plans were discussed more for the tag-league, for their remaining matched with Jordan/Cookie and Dark Fantasy that would occur in the new year.
But nothing about the End of the Year event. Nothing about Xander Valentine. Nothing about what they were risking together.
For the Snow Queen, it was worse than getting a yelling from the Hellcat. Was Regan putting on a brave face? Was she not worried about it because she had an immeasurable faith in their team? Or… maybe…
Maybe the result doesn’t matter to her… her mind bitterly mocked. Because she already has her one-on-one title match in the new year… the direction she truly wants to go…
Quickly, Selena shook her head to dispel those thoughts. She refused to allow them to stay in her mind for any longer than the microsecond to which they were formed. “So…” she settled on saying to distract herself. “What are we-“
THUD!
The loud sound of the thick recipe book landing in front of her made her jump a little on the spot. “making…” she finished after a second to slow her suddenly quick heart.
“You…” Regan began, flipping through the pages with nimble fingers before stopping on a particular page she had marked with a sticky-divider. “Are making those.” She pointed towards the picture on the one side.
Selena’s eyes gazed over the beautiful picture. They were cookies of red swirls with white dough. “Candy cane pinwheel cookies?” she read out.
“All the stuff is on the counter.” Regan gestured with a wave of her hand, indicating the bags of items that were sitting on said counter. Selena meanwhile, was still reading the instructions. “You’re aware that I’m more likely to make these thing look like deformed, colorful hockey pucks than actual cookies, right?”
“Are you saying you can’t cook?” Regan challenged with a lifting eyebrow.
“No, it’s not…” Selena trailed off.
And she wasn’t lying. Selena did know how to cook – living alone for the years she did had forced her to come to terms with being fully independent. That included knowing your way around a kitchen and a grocery store (especially when on a minimum wage budget). And as her financial status had improved with her wrestling career, she had still maintained some level of cooking abilities, opting to cook, at times, for her wife and children back in Manhattan.
But…. Times had changed. Selena no longer lived in her Manhattan house, not without Deanna, and though she had volunteered many times at the Schonburg Castle to help cook, Gunther’s wife, Marguerite would not hear of it. As the mistress of the castle, hostess, whatever she desire to call herself, she refused to let her guests assist with the cooking.
That just left being on the road for SCW and… Selena bit her lower lip…. Food didn’t appeal to her that way. In the past, with Deanna with her, they would explore the town, try all different cuisine, from New Orleans to Japan. At times, Deanna would surprise her wife with an amazing dinner after a wrestling show, while they were on her “Believe it!” limo bus, and Selena would do the same for Deanna.
But without her redhead… the Snow Queen had settled on what she could grab and put in her fridge and cupboard. Yogurt, fruits, nuts, tuna, salmon, milk - stuff you just opened and ate/drank. Nothing overly complex and nothing like what was displayed before amidst the pages of this thick book Regan had.
“What are you making?” Selena asked absent-mindedly, casting her eyes away from the pages that illustrated the candy-caned monstrosity she had been challenged to make.
“Actually, I’m working on the main dishes.” Regan huffed. “Stuffing, turkey, etc.”
Selena nodded her head. “How many people are coming over?”
“Quite a few.” Regan replied as she got to work, gathering vegetables to dice on a separate counter than Selena. When the Hellcat turned her head and noticed Selena hadn’t gotten started it, she waved her hand towards her partner encouragingly. “Get going!” she laughed. “Those cookies aren’t going to make themselves.”
Wouldn’t that be better… Selena sighed before resigning herself to her fate. Carefully, she gathered up the butter and sugar into the bowl Regan had offered her and, with Regan pointing out where the mixer was, managed to start mixing the items together, adding an egg and some flour as she did so.
“So…” Selena spoke out loudly over the whirling engine of the egg-beater. “Have you given any though to strategy?”
“Strategy?” Regan called back, just as loud.
“Yeah, you know… for the thing.” Selena slowly tried to explain. “The thing coming up?”
“Christmas?” Regan asked. “Yeah, with you helping me, thank you for that by the way-“ she added with a grin. “With you helping me, we get the food prepped as much as necessary and then I can have David help me with the-“
“I don’t mean-“ Selena sighed as she turned off the beater, making sure the bowl’s contents were mixed as the book suggested. “Great…” she muttered. “Now the hard part.”
The book demanded that she take the contents and knead them on a lightly floured surface to make dough. Using the flour to cover the large cutting board Regan offered her wasn’t the issue, but Selena had never really ‘made dough’ in her life. It was one thing to just mix and mix until cookie dough was made, but this felt like it was asking her to make bread or something equally crazy!
“Knead dough…” she read aloud quietly. “Knead…knead…”
“Means press and fold.” Regan explained, peering over Selena’s shoulder to read the page as well. “Yeah, just press and fold slowly until it’s nice and smooth.”
“Seriously.” Selena tried. “Nobody else was available? Jennifer? Mikalea? Anyone?”
“Nope.” Regan grinned before turning on her food to return to her own duties.
And Selena didn’t buy her answer for a single second. “Why do I get the feeling you’re being untruthful to me?” her eyes narrowed as she brought the ‘blended mix’ onto the cutting board, throwing it down with a soft ‘plat!’ sound.
To answer her partner, Regan merely shrugged her shoulders, though she kept her back to the Snow Queen.
“Okay, Regan.” Selena sighed. “I know for a fact you didn’t ‘have no choice’. So can we talk about the elephant in the room?”
“Which one?” Regan asked.
“There’s more than one?” Selena asked, somewhat surprised as she began to fold and press into the dough.
“At least two.” Regan replied simply. “We still haven’t decided what to have the other ‘do’ as part of the bet.”
Not meaning to, Selena rolled her eyes. Why the hell was Regan thinking about THAT at a time like this?! The wager they had made on Halloween regarding ‘if they won the Tag League’- why was that a matter now? They were one loss/tie away from elimination and if Xander Valentine beat them in a week or so, it wouldn’t matter one way or the other!
Despite her best efforts to breath and calm herself, Selena could not help the frustration and…no, she could admit it – the anger – that was welling up in her. Again, her mind rehashed the former thought of Regan’s future in 2021. A future that involved a rematch with Xander AND a United States Title shot, an opportunity Selena had tried to support, even if it meant her being ignored for any rematch in doing so. She wanted to support her sister in every way, and taking the belt off Xander would mean a lot to Regan. So, Selena had gone alone with it.
It’s what sisters do…
But if that was the case, why did her sister not seem to care about the fact that, come 2021, they would no longer be a tag-team… or a tag-team on borrowed time?
She gripped the dough and threw it down onto the floured cutting board, her frustration pushing her actions, which were being taken out on the defenceless dough.
“You know…” Regan tilted her head a bit. “I’ve been thinking about that for abit.”
“Have you?” Selena replied through clenched teeth, fighting against the negative emotions that were swirling within her.
“Yes.” Regan replied. “What if we got tattoos?”
Selena’s hand stopped temporarily as she heard Regan’s words. “Got what?” she was sure she misheard.
“Tattoos.” Regan shrugged. “I don’t know, it just seemed like a fun idea.”
Surprised, Selena reached up to scratch her left shoulder, unintentionally leaving a muddied, white handprint of flour where her hand had been. “Sounds rather permanent…” Selena tried. She had never really thought about the idea of having tattoos. Back in the early days of 4Saken, Dawn Lohan had opted for Selena to dye her hair a streak of black as some form of ‘solidarity’, but that had gone as well as one would expect when it came to Selena and her hair. Though this sounded more… realistic for the Snow Queen, she couldn’t imagine what else Regan was planning in her mind.
“What? Does mine say ‘Property of Regan Street’?” she asked, her attempt at humor doing little to quell the frustrations within her.
“Oh geez, I wouldn’t ask that.” Regan laughed. “Though that would be kind of funny. No, you could do whatever you wanted. Anyway, it’s just an idea.” She dismissed with a wave of her hand.
“Yeah…” Selena lifted the dough and pressed into hard again, kneading her frustrations into the mixture. “I think we should focus on whether or not we can still be in the Tag League in the new year, you know?” she tried, hinting towards what was before them. “I mean – would you even want to if we’re not a tag-team anymore officially?”
“Sure!” Regan answered without thinking. “You love winning tournaments! And I think that’s a fun way to stick it to everyone that wants to see us go down – one big ‘F you’ to the critics.”
“I don’t know, Regan.” Selena pressed, dusting her hands off and making her way over the book to get the next set of instructions, which involved a rolling pan and some plastic wrap. “Personally, and maybe I’m selfish, but I’m not looking past the End of the Year…” she stressed the last set of words.
The Hellcat said nothing, simply staying focused on her job of dicing vegetables for, Selena assumed, the stuffing.
“You know…” Selena continued as she flattened the dough into two equal parts. “Because what’s at stake here…”
It was then that Regan, through no fault of her own, said the worst string of words the Hellcat could have chosen to stay… “Meh, I’m not worried about it.”
It was the spark that set off the fire. The straw the broke the camel’s back… the line that pushed Selena over the edge.
“No, of course you’re not!” she said coldly before pale hands found the dough she was flattening and, with as much force as she could, threw the large piece against the wall, along with the rolling pin, the pair making the oddest crashing sound she had ever heard. It was enough to cause Regan to jump on the spot and spin around, eyes wide as she took in the scene, shock written all over her face…
And anger written all over Selena’s…
**************************************************
“You threw the dough and rolling pin?”
Deanna’s eyes were wide as she danced in Selena’s arms, the pair swinging and stepping to various Christmas tunes that were played on the piano throughout the prison, sometimes by inmates, other times by hired players the Warden had brought in, and other times still by visiting family members. The pair of them didn’t care if those playing were good or bad (and there was a range between the two labels), they had just enjoyed their Christmas (or Yuletide in Selena’s case) dancing and enjoying the food, until Selena had begun to regale her wife with that story.
“It…wasn’t my proudest moment.” Selena admitted. “I was just so frustrated with her. She was acting so nonchalant – like it didn’t matter if Frozen Hell survived or not. I mean…”
“Do you really believe she would feel that way?” Deanna semi-glared at her wife. “After everything you two have been through? That she would just toss you aside?”
“Well, I don’t think that now…” Selena tried. “But at the time, I was frustrated and stressed and just…”
“Scared?” Deanna tried, earning a quiet nod from her wife.
“Completely.” Selena admitted.
“So…what happened?” the redhead slowly offered. “I mean, after you super-flattened the dough?”
“I…” Selena began but stopped when she spotted one of the guards coming towards her, the same one she had handed her cellphone to after she had recorded Deanna’s performance of “Have yourself a merry little Christmas” (in accordance with the party rules of ‘zero electronics’ – the warden had kindly allowed Selena to record Deanna’s performance, under guard supervision naturally).
“Mrs. Frost.” He stated.
“What is it?” Selena asked, her movement stopped as she tentatively observed the guard.
“We have a phone call for you.”
Selena’s eyes widened. “Phone call? Who knows I’m here?” She asked, alarm filling her.
Deanna, surprisingly, was the more level-headed one. “Go.” She ordered to her wife. “I’ll wait here.”
Giving her beloved a nod, Selena was quick to follow the guard into another room, where a phone was resting on the table, away from the receiver, which was further away. Her mind was racing. Was it someone at the Schonburg Castle? Was it Regan? Who would call her on Christmas day?
Her hand shaking a little, she picked up the phone and pressed it to her ear. “Hello? Selena Frost here.”
“Mrs. Frost.” The voice was thickly, Germanic accent, making it a little difficult for Selena to understand. The words that spewed out first were in german, causing Selena to stop the conversations. “Excuse me… Excuse me…” she tried. “I do not speak German very well. Can you please speak English?”
“Yes, I can.” Came the thick, feminine voice. “This is the Loreley-Klinken Standort St. Goar.”
“Okay…what is that?”
“Hospitalgasse.”
“Wait… a hospital?” Selena asked, her eyes widening in further alarm.
“Da. Correct.” The woman on the other line replied. “You are….” She seemed to need to think of the words to say. “Emergency contact for one Talia Scythe.”
“Talia?!” Selena blurted in disbelief. “Wha- what happened to her?”
“She’s here with us. There was a car accident…”
The rest was a blur to the Snow Queen, as she mentally cursed the year, and herself, for one more
______________________________________
The camera fades in to reveal Selena Frost sitting on a leather couch, which contrasts with the light blue shirt and white pants she wears. Her eyes are locked on the camera in front of her, staring through the lens to the people she is sure will be watching.
The End. she whispers softly, letting those words rise and fall into silence before continuing.
I know, sounds morbid, doesn’t it? And certainly not fitting, at first glance, with the season. But how many of us are chomping at the bit? Waiting for 2020 to simply end?
And for me – all I’ve wanted this entire year was to team up with my sister, work together in the tag-division, yes, but also do our jobs in entertaining all of you, the SCW Universe, through this trying time.
With her leg crossed over the other at the knee, Selena takes a moment to fix a stray, platinum-blonde lock of hair, tucking it behind her ear. And yet…according to one man. One single man. That shouldn’t even be a right for Regan and I, the right to be able to compete as a tag-team within SCW.
Her jaw clenches and her gaze grows colder. Harsher.
Are you happy now, Xander? Huh? Now that you have what you wanted? Is that enough to get you to come crawling out of your hole to actually back up all you’ve been bragging about for months? ‘Unstoppable’? ‘Unbeatable’? ‘Feared’? ‘Dominant’?
Funny, about that. If you were so ‘dominant’ as you’d like to claim, you wouldn’t care if Regan and I existed as a tag-team, would you? You’d just beat us and let us exist… if it was so easy.
See, Xander, you showed so much more than just a ‘crafty mind’ last Breakdown when you made that ultimatum against us at the End of the Year. You exposed so much more of yourself than you may have wanted to, didn’t you? Perhaps you’re not even aware of it.
That despite how much you have laughed in our faces, laughed at me, mocked our words, our thoughts, despite how much you may have ‘risen to a new level’… some things still haven’t changed, have they?
Shifting her weight and leg, Selena places the resting foot on the ground to lean forward, closer to the camera, her elbows on her knees.
Let me take you back, Xander. Back to how this all began over a year and a half ago. You came after Regan and I. We didn’t come after you. You came after us. Why? Because you couldn’t stand that two women were seen as two of the most dominant people within SCW, a concept you once held, what? Fifteen or so years ago? she shrugs.
And the thing is, Xander, you could have easily just challenged one of us, or both of us. Fought us to prove yourself again. Prove that you were still that person – that Executioner. We wouldn ‘t have blamed you. Hell, we would have respected you for it – true respect. Not the kind you’ve tossed around and turned on and off at your convenience… Sapphire eyes narrow.
But you didn’t, did you? You didn’t just challenge us. You attacked and injured Mr. D.. You took a sledgehammer to my bus. You sought to endanger my wife! My children!
A growl escapes deep within the pale throat of the Snow Queen, her expression a scowl at the memory.
Remember, Xander? You were the one that made it personal. You were the one that had to go too far. You were the one that turned our match at Rise to Greatness into something ugly. And then, when you lost?
You made it personal again.
You attacked women, mothers… you attacked men, fathers… you attacked children.
And after that? When you wanted that “legitimate match”? What happened?
You went to my house. You went to the home were I raised my babies. Were I built a life with the woman that I love more than anything on this Earth!
As she reminisces, it is clear the memories are only angering the young woman more and more, her posture becoming more rigid and her tone edgier.
And it still wasn’t enough to do what you vowed. To finish me off. To end me.
Fast forward to 2020 and Xander Valentine finally has his ‘mojo’ back! He’s The Executioner again. You even manage to beat me and take the United States title from me. I’ll give you the credit you deserve in that. Bravo.
But again, Xander that wasn’t good enough for you, was it? You decided to relabel me – or try to. “The Shadow of SCW”, right? After my seven consistent years in this business – a career that that can’t hope to match in consistent longevity and accomplishments, you were trying to make the world think I was running on empty. That I was slowing down. That I wasn’t the woman that knocked you out faster than any superstar in the history of SCW. That stood all you took and kept going in a Last Person Standing Match… you tried to make me something ‘less’. Something ‘forgettable’.
Selena shakes her head as she bites her lower lip, casting her gaze to the side for a moment, as if to collect her thoughts once more.
Yeah, Xander, you went for my ego. Way to go. Not exactly hard. I’ve got one. Regan’s got one. That’s why we’re chomping at the bit to rip a piece of your hide off. Because, as wrestlers? We are sick of your crap. “Dominance this” and “Dominance that”. It’s all crap!
The Snow Queen takes a few breaths and a moment to let things settle, her voice much calmer.
Xander, you beat me once. You beat Regan once. Do you have any idea where that places you in the long list of wrestlers? Hell, I got beat by Ikario Yoshiada once.
I’ve been beaten before, Xander. More times than I can count. Regan has been beaten before. I imagine she’d say the same thing. But unlike you, we didn’t blame innocent people for it. We used it to motivate us. We used it to become stronger. Ask Datura. Ask Bree Lancaster. Ask Christy Matthews. Ask Syren.
But for you: you say what you do – what you’ve done - it’s dominance. That it’s dominance what you did to Konrad Raab, simply because he saved me from your interference in a match you had no reason to involve yourself in in the first place! You claim that it was dominance what you did to Dylan Howell, who merely stood up for his sister and friend. And you say it was ‘dominance’ what you did to Peyton…
A laugh escapes the pale lips of the “Face of SCW”.
Was that what it was, Xander? You clutching your ribs? Limping to the back? Was that ‘dominance’? Or was that you getting that ‘lucky’ break after Peyton was ready to put you away? I’ll say you were the better wrestler that night, just like you were against me a few months ago. But ‘dominance’?
Selena slowly shakes her head, her expression unmoving. Her lips a firm line.
I got sick of hearing that word like it was a punchline from you. Like you were trying to convince us all – make us forget what we saw with our own two eyes! So last Breakdown, I did what you should have done over a year ago. I said ‘prove it!’. I didn’t go after your family. I didn’t go after your sidekick, Artemis. I looked you in the eye and dared you to prove it.
But again, just like always, you made it personal.
You wanted Regan and I to put our tag-team existence on the line against you. To wager our future in SCW as a tag-team. To remove Frozen Hell from SCW permanently.
The young woman sits back against the couch, jerking her head a little to crack her neck a bit. For a moment, she gazes away.
Because that’s what it’s always been about to you, hasn’t it, Xander? All this time. Regan and I. This force that you cannot stand standing above you. Standing above your wrath. Above your abilities. A force that you tried to endear yourself to by becoming Regan’s partner earlier this year. Again, trying to split us up.
You said it was ‘jealousy’. Jealousy that Regan chose me. That what Regan and I have is what something you’ve never had. But if that’s all it was, you wouldn’t need Frozen Hell gone from SCW, would you? No, Xander… you fear us.
You, the Executioner, fear what Regan and I can do together. Because alone, Xander – between you and me – there was only one time that true dominance was shown! And you know it!
The screen suddenly shifts to a quick clip of Selena nailing Xander Valentine with her “Defying Gravity” kick at Rise to Greatness a year and a half ago, knocking the Executioner out to a stunned crowd. The voice of Adam Sharper and Jonathan Knots can be heard as part of the clip.
“Oh my God! My God! Selena hit the Defying Gravity!”
“Xander is down! He’s down!”
The shot slowly fades back to the present, to Selena sitting on the couch, her eyes on the camera in front of her.
You were right, Xander. her voice is as calm as a whisper. I am ‘The Shadow’. The Shadow you’ve been trying to escape from for nearly two years. The shadow that has been the definition of ‘dominance’ that you could never achieve – have NEVER achieved.
And then you have Regan. The woman you NEEDED Tommy Valentine’s help with to put away. The woman that you couldn’t beat on your own – that you FAILED to beat on your own.
Selena’s words of “couldn’t” and “failed” almost echo a little as she finishes her sentence, grim reminders of the failings of Xander Valentine.
And put us together? Frozen Hell? That terrifies you, Xander. That terrifies you because it’s something you’ve NEVER encountered before. Because I possess the weapons that can knock you out for good. Regan possesses the will that you can’t extinguish.
In short, Frozen Hell is the dominant force you envy – you fear – because you can’t be what we are. And you never will be! Never.
Again, the last word seems to echo a little within the room, but Selena presses on. Xander… all you did with your ‘stipulation’ was remove any choice we have left. See, now, it’s not enough to simply beat you. It’s not enough to simply have you slink off and say “it took two! It took two!”
No. As I said, Xander Valentine, this is the end. Truly the end. The end of the year and the end of your so-called ‘dominance’. Sapphire eyes narrow.
Because Regan and I are going to dominate you, Xander. We are going to beat you inside the ring, outside it and everywhere else we can until you cannot stand. We are going to throw every single move, attack, weapon we have at you until you cannot get back up. We are going to manhandle you and show you what true ‘dominance’ is!
Selena smiles a little at the thought.
You were right, Xander. This stopped being a ‘wrestling match’ long ago. This is now what is necessary to end this for me. A fight. A fight to do the one thing you can’t stand, but no one is better at doing than Regan and I…
Because in the end, Xander Valentine, Frozen Hell will humble you. We will stand above you as you lie on the mat, unable to move a single muscle. Unable to hurt another innocent person, feeling more pain than you have ever felt in your miserable career. Only with one last image burned into your mind…
Selena slowly pushes herself off the couch and onto her feet, the camera following her as she stands.
The lights behind us, casting our shadows over your beaten…
Broken…
Defeated…
Dominated body.
The end, Xander… and whatever’s left? Will be burned by the Hellcat…
Believe it, you bastard.
The camera stays on the Snow Queen as she stands there, the lights in the room shining brighter behind her, creating a shadowy silhouette before the light encompasses it all and the scene fades to black.
The Dark Side of the Sun
”Holi-daze aplenty”
Frankfurt Prison III
December 25th, 2020
Frankfurt, Germany
1:02pm
The keys were beautifully pressed, the notes of music floating into the young woman’s ear as she heard the song being played. Even so, the music from the keyboard, gears within and strings paled in comparison to the voice that accompanied them.
“Through the years…” the young redhead sang as she played, her fingers lightly strumming against the ivory keys. “We all will be together, if the fates allow.” Her eyes were closed, her own being lost in the music, and for a moment, the platinum-blonde watching her wondered if she was imaging being somewhere else. Perhaps home with her, with their children, in Manhattan. Granted, they didn’t have an old piano like the prison lounge had – or rather, the prison had rented for the holidays – but Selena was dead set on changing that now! She even could imagine the spot in the family room that it would occupy beautifully.
“Until then, we’ll have to muddle through somehow…” the pianist/singer opened her eyes, emerald green turning slightly to scan the room briefly before falling onto Selena’s sapphire ones, a smile both bright and, the Snow Queen could tell, holding… hiding… the inescapable sadness that filled them both. “So have yourself…a merry little Christmas now…” she ended the song with a few well placed keys before the music was replaced by a medium-applause.
Quickly, Selena hit the stop button on her phone to finish the recording before her sniffled and emotions got the better of watching her beloved play and sing. Her eyes were already a bit watery from unshed tears and she bit her lower lip as she joined in the applause of the small group.
It was hard to recall – and one could easily be deceived into thinking otherwise – that the majority of occupants were either prison guards, prisoners or visitors for prisoners. Turning her head, Selena turned off her phone and, as per her agreement with the Warden, handing it to the waiting guard. “Thank you so much.” She whispered. Understanding, the guard nodded before sliding the phone into his pocket. “I’ll be over there…” he said. “When you want it back.”
Giving a nod, Selena excused herself from the officer. It had been a rather magical moment when Deanna had told Selena about the prison’s plans for this Christmas. Usually, visitation hours were just extended for family to spend the day with inmates. But it seemed the Warden, whom Selena had only met a few times throughout the near two years of Deanna’s incarceration, had seemed to want to ‘boost morale’, as it were. He had rented a piano, decorated the visiting area into a bit of a lounge and, if prisoners had were not on the ‘troublemaker’s list’ – that being they weren’t likely to cause trouble for anyone, they were invited to attend, where there was a – Selena’s eyes scanned the long line of foldable tables lined up end to end with paper plates and utensils with sliced pieces of turkey and ham, mashed potatoes and other Christmas foods. Due to the place being, well, a prison, only the staff were providing food and all “gifts” had to be scanned and searched by said staff.
Of course, Selena’s gift of a sweater for her beloved had gone through without any issue, one that she saw her darling adjust the hem of as she stood up from the piano, thanking her audience with a wave of her hand before shuffling across the room. The second she was within reach, Selena had her wrapped in her arms, holding her as close to her as possible.
“You enchant me.” She half-whispered, half-cried as she held Deanna tightly.
“And you me.” Deanna replied back. “Everyday.”
Leaning her head back, Selena allowed herself enough space to maneuver her head to press her lips onto Deanna’s, sharing a soft kiss as they stood against the door. She tasted the slightest tint of gingerbread cookies, which made sense considering how many she and her beloved pet had devoured when the ‘feast’ had started for the prison celebration.
“I haven’t heard you sing in a so long.” Selena sighed after she broke the kiss. “Just one other thing I miss about you.”
Rather than reply with words, the redhead merely snuggled closer to her wife, the platinum-blonde feeling the soft fibers of the sweater her wife wore. She took a deep breath and exhaled an equally slow one, her eyes open and taking in the room. In truth, had it not been for the uniforms the inmates wore and the guards standing at all the doors, Selena could have been fooled that this was simply one of their neighbourhood Christmas parties back in Manhattan, probably with the same amount of Styrofoam being used and passed around. The smells of apple cider and hot chocolate were awfully similar.
As if reading her mind, Deanna’s whispered words drifted into the Snow Queen’s ears.
“I wish you could take me home.”
Almost immediately, the redheads stiffened upon hearing the words leave her. Her head shot up and her jaw shook as she stammered. “I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to say that – I mean, you know what I mean, I don’t want to sour the mood – it’s Christmas, it’s your birthday and-“
Pale fingers gently pressed against her lips to quiet her. “Deanna…” Selena whispered. “I get it. Believe me, not a day goes by that I don’t want you here with me…”
And if Selena had decided to prove it, she would have told her what happened… but then it would be her that would have soured the mood.
*****************************************************
Regan Street’s home
Santa Monica, California
December 22nd, 2020
11:54am
“It’s been a year!” Selena harped as she marched around the room, feeling the carpet beneath her feet, the wireless headphones pressed against her ears. “You’ve had a year and you’ve found nothing?!”
“No. Nothing would imply that I’ve done nothing.” The voice rang in response, filling Selena’s ears as she glared at the laptop computer screen. “But I told you it would take time!”
“Yes, time as in a few months! Not a few years!” harped the Snow Queen, running her hands along her long braid. “Talia, you’re supposed to be good at finding this out! There has to be something!”
The raven-haired woman glared back at her, brown eyes burning through the screen. “You think I want to stay in Germany, do you? Have you forgotten that I can’t go home until I get your child-fucker out of prison-“
In shock, Selena’s eyes widened before narrowing, her surprise being replaced with – clearly righteous – anger. “Watch you tongue.” She warned. “I don’t care who’s side you’re helping. Call her that again and I will be on the next plane to personally throw you out of that castle with half your face caved in!”
The bite and tone in her voice caused Talia, her former childhood best friend turned enemy turned ally (for the time being), to flinch, it clear that she was pushing the wrong button.
“Whatever.” The lawyer scoffed as she cracked her knuckles. “My point is that I want to be out of here as much as you want her out of that prison!”
“So why haven’t you found anything?” Selena asked, frustration settling on her brow. “Is this some kind of game to you?!”
Sharper: “And now this has become a game for Xander…”
“It’s not a matter of not finding anything!” Talia harped. “It’s a matter of not having enough to build a counter-case to get her out!”
Snapping back at the sound, the Snow Queen shook her head. It was beyond infuriating for Selena! Deanna was reaching a year and a half, closer to two years incarcerated, and they were no closer to getting her out than when they had started. Meanwhile, Selena had had to watch her beloved’s eyes grow with sadness as the months passed and she missed more and more of her wife and her children’s life.
David was four now and would be starting school soon. The boy was every bit like Deanna in spirit, eager and excited to see and experience everything! He was already dreaming of being an astronaut, he had often told her. Deanna would miss his first day of school and all that came with it. Hell, with Selena’s work schedule, she was scared that she would miss it, but she was determined to find a way around that.
Elsianna, her oldest, was becoming more and more the spitting image of Selena. Her hair was just as white and she was just as quiet and regal-bearing. She still loved her books and kept her nutcracker, Sir Crackshell, in her room. But she was also far quieter and more reserved than Selena’s was. Thankfully, the child had not had to deal with any more bullied like the Stanton boy in her new school in Frankfurt. She was a model student and was quickly learning the Germanic language, far faster than Selena, who could barely conjure up a few words.
And then there was Amiliah… the child born from the event that put Deanna in prison. Even so, Selena could only feel the utmost love for her little fireball. The little one had grown so much. She had hair just like Deanna’s, as well as the gift of gab, able to talk both real words and made up ones of blabber. Selena had lost track at how many times she had seen little Ami waddling up the stairs and around the castle, Elsianna, ever the protective big-sister, right on her trail. The two sisters had continued to grow close as the months had gone by, Elsianna the ever-guardian of Amiliah.
Deanna had missed words from the redhead like “mamma” and “si-si” which Selena figured meant ‘sister’ for Elsa. And while she put on a brave face, Selena could see the sadness in her wife’s face. The hope in her eyes fading each and every visit.
And after the events with Queenie-
Selena shook her head, returning her attention quickly back to Talia. “What about that boy we met a while back… Castle?”
“Fredric Castle.” Talia sighed. “He’s whom I’ve been looking into the most….”
The black-haired woman seemed to hesitate before looking back at Selena. “You sure you want to hear this?”
“Yes!” Selena ordered. “Give me something!”
“Fine.” Talia replied curtly. “Bartender at the place has no idea what happened, same as before. No one’s story’s changed. And with no witnesses beyond hearsay between Deanna and Fredric, there’s no disproving they had sex.”
“Deanna was drugged-“ Selena started to defend.
“Do you not understand the concept of hearsay?” spat Talia. “Point is, she had sex with a minor, that’s the only absolute truth. Amiliah is the evidence of that.”
Selena remained silent, her brain instantly punishing herself as the stray thought came into her head: If only she hadn’t been born…
What bothered her most was that the voice was that of Xander Valentine, not her. To say that the Executioner was on her mind often would have been a vast understatement. She had spent so much of her time watching segments, interviews, and matches – especially now… now that everything was on the line for her – the only thing she had left that Xander could take from her…
Sharper: “And now Xander is starting to assert himself in this match for the first time and Selena could really be in trouble here.”
Knots: “Selena will be in trouble and I hope that it is just her title that could be it trouble but you never can tell with Xander.”
”Did you hear me?!” the voice broke through and Selena shook her head again.
“No.” she replied. “You were lagging.” She added the lie.
“I said that I was digging into Castle.”
“The boy?” Selena asked. “I thought that was a dead end.”
“It’s the only way we can go about this!” Talia defended. “We can’t take back that they had sex. We have to prove that he drugged and had sex with Deanna. That’s the only way to get her out!”
“Okay! Okay!” Selena sighed. “How?”
“That’s what I’ve been working on!” Talia stated as, before Selena’s eyes, she held up a folder full of paper. “Everything on him since he moved here five years ago with his mother. Remember when I said something didn’t add up?”
Selena tried to recall. She had investigated the ‘victim’, Fredric Castle, once with Talia under aliases and that had been a waste of time. But beyond that?
“All I remember is you saying that the more you dug, the less sense things made.” Selena shrugged.
“Yes, exactly.” Talia sighed. “Because aside from the five years… there’s nothing.”
“Nothing?” Selena asked, raising an eyebrow. “What do you mean nothing?”
“As in nothing on anyone named ‘Fredric Castle’ or his mother ‘Louisa Castle’. No prior address, no prior reports. Not a speeding ticket – not even tax statements!”
“How did you-“
“Do not ask.” Talia crisply cut her off. “All I have been able to find if that Louisa moved here with her husband, Reinhart Castle. Three years in, they adopted a boy from somewhere in Italy. Husband dies in car accident shortly there after, and…that’s it.”
“Okay, so what? You’re saying you’ve spent over a year finding out they didn’t exist?”
“They clearly did!” Talia shook her head. “But it’s like trying to nail jello to the damn wall!”
Selena tried to think for a moment. “What about the orphanage that the boy grew up in?”
“Never heard of him. I even sent a photo. No one on the staff recognized them, though they said that their staff changes every few years so he could have just been lost in the numbers.”
“Anything on the father? Maybe some connections?”
“Nothing. The man was a ghost. He apparently worked from home as some sort of private accountant. Neighbours never saw him.”
“For three years?”
“You saw how remote the place was, Selena.” Talia shrugged.
Another huff escaped the Snow Queen. “So where does that leave us?”
“I asked you if you really wanted to hear this. Were you expecting good news?”
“I was expecting something, Talia!” Selena all but shouted. “But you’re telling me that we have a mysterious father and the people involved didn’t exist outside of five years ago.”
The platinum-blonde turned her back to Talia, holding a hand to her face to cover her eyes. She didn’t want to see her former friend-turned enemy- turned ally due to circumstances cry or appear weak. She had survived the years of torture from her, the Scythes, and everyone else that went against her because she was strong. Because she didn’t show fear to her enemies. Because she kept fighting, regardless of how bad the odds were stacked against her.
That’s who I am… her mind repeated… I’m a Frost… I’m a Frost…
Turning back to Talia when she was sure she was far more composed, the young Frost woman took a deep breath. “So what’s next?” she asked directly.
“Well…I’ve got one potential lead to chase.” Talia sighed. “Meeting one of my contacts. Don’t get your hopes up but he might have something that could give us an idea of what else we’re dealing with.”
“Look, Talia…” Selena tried, an errant thought crossing her mind. “What if, and don’t chew me out for this – but what if we asked Malcolm for help-“
She hated asking for such a thing, the very idea of owing that worm making her skin crawl. But again, the idea of getting Deanna out of prison – the driving force of every action she had done outside of SCW for nearly two years – remained so. Still, she wasn’t expecting Talia to laugh her head off as she sat in her seat in one of the rooms of the Schonburg Castle.
“Oh that is a good one!” She laughed. “Thank you, blondie, I needed a laugh.”
The ‘blondie’, as Talia put it, remained quiet, crossing her arms over her chest and waiting for Talia to finish her little ‘display’.
“What? You’re serious?” Talia asked after settling down.
“He has resources we don’t.” Selena stated. “People we don’t.”
“And if I could do that, do you not think I would?” Talia asked with an annoyed smirk. “You seem to forget by who’s command that I am here helping you here. I didn’t come here because I wanted to. Malcolm exiled me here until I get your wife out of prison – meaning he won’t lift a finger to help us.”
“But they’re-“ Selena almost threw-up what little lunch she had that morning. “Elsianna and David are his grandchildren…”
Talia scoffed knowingly. “Bet that hurt the ego a little.”
“My ego’s been bruised enough to stand a few hits.” Selena coldly replied.
“Well, whatever, he isn’t going to help. Either I do it on my own or I stay in Germany for the rest of my life.”
“Fine.” Selena shook her head. “So what do I tell Deanna.”
“The hell do I care?” Talia laughed. “Tell her whatever you want. Lie to her for all I give a damn.”
“I don’t lie to the people I love.” Selena stated.
“Oh bullshit. I don’t even know your relationship and I know you lie. Everyone lies. Or they hide the truth, which is the same as a lie.”
Selena was about to retort but her jaw froze, her mind slamming down on the truth behind those words. Yes, she hated lying and did her best not to lie to those she loved and those that loved her, but far more than she was willing to admit, she had twisted the truth or kept things hidden from those people.
Deanna.
Regan.
Her children.
Her birthparents: Alejandra and Jonathan
Her friends: Jean and Zoe
How many times had she hidden things from them, trying to protect them or spare them pain? She was guilty beyond measure for taking such an approach and Talia could read it on the Snow Queen’s pale face.
“Thought so.” She stated smugly. “Get off your high horse, Selena. Because you ain’t a saint.”
“I never said-“
“Sure you didn’t.” Talia cut her off. “Save it for your next church confession.”
Selena rolled her eyes as she twisted her long platinum-blonde braid in her hands. “So when are you meeting this contact?”
“Tonight – in a few hours, actually.” Talia replied. “If anything comes up, I’ll let you know when you’re back here.”
“Tonight?” Selena thought for a moment. “Talia…I mean…” she wasn’t sure why this was bothering her, but Selena could not deny what she felt.
“What?” Talia asked impatiently.
“I mean…yeah, your contact thing. But, after, I mean, you are allowed to enjoy the holidays, you know?”
A look of mild surprise came to Talia’s face. “Oh really, boss? I can? I’m allowed to enjoy the few days of merriment alone without a single member of my family giving a damn about me? Here? Alone without a soul? How kind of you! You are so generous!”
“I didn’t mean it like that!” Selena tried. “I was trying-“
“You’re trying to be your ‘good-girl’, ‘nice to everyone’ princess nonsense.” Talia spat. “But guess what? I don’t have anyone here. No family, no friends. So if I’m going to spend Christmas alone, I rather be productive about it, if you don’t mind!”
“Fine!” Selena held her hands up in mild surrender. “Do whatever you want.”
“Don’t think I won’t.” Talia stated before clicking a button that terminated the messenger video chat.
Alone in the room, Selena angrily shoved the headphones off her head and tossed them onto the couch before slamming the laptop shut. With an irritated huff, she slammed a hand into the top cushion of the nearby leather couch, the soft ‘thud’ of impact filling her ears.
Anymore kicks in the stomach, 2020? she mentally screamed, not wanting to make too much noise and upset the resident upstairs. At this point, I’m pretty much ready to take another beating before you die!
One last chop of her hand into the couch cushion and a few deep breaths slowly calmed her irritated mind, allowing her to slowly make her way back up the flight of stairs she had travelled in the first place and onto the ground floor, where her socked feet met the tiles of the floor that lead her into the kitchen. The kitchen space was a large one, not unlike her own in Manhattan, and her sapphire eyes could pick up the various colors of the room. The blues on the wall, the shiny-gray of the stainless steel appliances and utensils, the bright red and green sweater that her sister wore as she continued to set up pots and pans.
“All good?” she asked as she raised her head and noticed Selena standing there. Unlike her sister that had dressed festively, Selena had chosen a simple maroon, snug v-neck sweater that showed her curves along with her blue jeans.
Hearing the question, the younger woman shook her head before huffing a little. “She’s chasing ghosts with no end in sight.” Came the saddened reply. “Way I feel, Deanna will never get out.”
“Don’t think like that.” Came the warm voice of Selena’s sister, Regan Street. “Worse case scenario, okay? You have to keep doing what you’re doing? You still get to see her all the time, right? And your ‘special visits’?” she moved the wooden spoon she had been holding in her hand to in-between her teeth to use air-quotes on that last part. “Time off for good behaviour, we can get that knocked down to eight or so years – you’re almost two in. That leaves six at most!”
Tilting her head to Regan, Selena could only offer her a sad smile. “I love you, Regan.” She sighed. “And I appreciate what you’re trying to do, but… what if it was six years without David?”
The kind smile Regan was offering deflated with a sigh of her own, the Hellcat knowing that remark was coming. “I know. I know.” She breathed. “I’d be in your spot too.”
“And I’d be in yours. Trying to tell you the same thing you’re telling me now.” Selena added, walking over towards the slightly taller woman. Without hesitating, the platinum-blonde wrapped her arms around the other woman, hugging her tightly. “Truly, sister, thank you.”
“Alright! Alright!” Regan griped, playfully squirming in Selena’s hug.
“No! You let me love you, mean kitty!” Selena played before blowing a raspberry kiss on Regan’s forehead.
“Oh come on! What are you – five?!” Regan whined, breaking free to rub the affected part of her face. Still, both were smiling brightly at their ‘childish’ antics. “You’re supposed to help me, remember?”
“Right, right.” Selena sighed. “Though I think you could have asked anyone and they’d be better suited for this than me.” She added, making her way around the counter, following Regan further into the kitchen area.
It had been an odd request made by the Hellcat, and had gone something like this:
Xander Valentine, Breakdown, stomping and stroking his own ego, which both members of Frozen Hell could attest, had grown beyond reason. He had goaded Selena and Regan out, Selena had called him out on his boasting, a basic “put-up or shut up” demand. But Xander had thrown a curveball, demanding that if he faced Frozen Hell in a handicap match and won, then Frozen Hell, following the Tag League, would forever disband.
Following that, Selena and Regan had disappeared into the changeroom, where the Snow Queen had expected the Hellcat to throw a fit based upon the demands of Xander – essentially them risking their existence as a tag-team and him risking nothing in the eyes of the SCW Universe. Selena had expected screaming and cursing and throwing of items through the changeroom, maybe even Regan blaming her - rightfully so – for being so manipulated by Xander. Whatever her expectations had been, they hadn’t been…
”Do you want to come back to my place?”
“What?”
“I need help cooking stuff for Christmas. David’s busy and so are the kids and… there’s a lot.”
To say that Selena had been baffled to levels of speechlessness would not have been inaccurate. Still, she had managed to offer a weak nod of her head at the time, which was why she found herself standing in the kitchen with Regan, who handed her a bowl.
It had been days since Breakdown – since they had agreed, signed the contract, to put their tag-team existence on the line – and not a word had been spoken about it. Not by her and not by Regan. No, in fact, the Hellcat had seemed to adopt a new personality altogether. She seemed to smile more when she saw Selena. Hugs were more often. Plans were discussed more for the tag-league, for their remaining matched with Jordan/Cookie and Dark Fantasy that would occur in the new year.
But nothing about the End of the Year event. Nothing about Xander Valentine. Nothing about what they were risking together.
For the Snow Queen, it was worse than getting a yelling from the Hellcat. Was Regan putting on a brave face? Was she not worried about it because she had an immeasurable faith in their team? Or… maybe…
Maybe the result doesn’t matter to her… her mind bitterly mocked. Because she already has her one-on-one title match in the new year… the direction she truly wants to go…
Quickly, Selena shook her head to dispel those thoughts. She refused to allow them to stay in her mind for any longer than the microsecond to which they were formed. “So…” she settled on saying to distract herself. “What are we-“
THUD!
The loud sound of the thick recipe book landing in front of her made her jump a little on the spot. “making…” she finished after a second to slow her suddenly quick heart.
“You…” Regan began, flipping through the pages with nimble fingers before stopping on a particular page she had marked with a sticky-divider. “Are making those.” She pointed towards the picture on the one side.
Selena’s eyes gazed over the beautiful picture. They were cookies of red swirls with white dough. “Candy cane pinwheel cookies?” she read out.
“All the stuff is on the counter.” Regan gestured with a wave of her hand, indicating the bags of items that were sitting on said counter. Selena meanwhile, was still reading the instructions. “You’re aware that I’m more likely to make these thing look like deformed, colorful hockey pucks than actual cookies, right?”
“Are you saying you can’t cook?” Regan challenged with a lifting eyebrow.
“No, it’s not…” Selena trailed off.
And she wasn’t lying. Selena did know how to cook – living alone for the years she did had forced her to come to terms with being fully independent. That included knowing your way around a kitchen and a grocery store (especially when on a minimum wage budget). And as her financial status had improved with her wrestling career, she had still maintained some level of cooking abilities, opting to cook, at times, for her wife and children back in Manhattan.
But…. Times had changed. Selena no longer lived in her Manhattan house, not without Deanna, and though she had volunteered many times at the Schonburg Castle to help cook, Gunther’s wife, Marguerite would not hear of it. As the mistress of the castle, hostess, whatever she desire to call herself, she refused to let her guests assist with the cooking.
That just left being on the road for SCW and… Selena bit her lower lip…. Food didn’t appeal to her that way. In the past, with Deanna with her, they would explore the town, try all different cuisine, from New Orleans to Japan. At times, Deanna would surprise her wife with an amazing dinner after a wrestling show, while they were on her “Believe it!” limo bus, and Selena would do the same for Deanna.
But without her redhead… the Snow Queen had settled on what she could grab and put in her fridge and cupboard. Yogurt, fruits, nuts, tuna, salmon, milk - stuff you just opened and ate/drank. Nothing overly complex and nothing like what was displayed before amidst the pages of this thick book Regan had.
“What are you making?” Selena asked absent-mindedly, casting her eyes away from the pages that illustrated the candy-caned monstrosity she had been challenged to make.
“Actually, I’m working on the main dishes.” Regan huffed. “Stuffing, turkey, etc.”
Selena nodded her head. “How many people are coming over?”
“Quite a few.” Regan replied as she got to work, gathering vegetables to dice on a separate counter than Selena. When the Hellcat turned her head and noticed Selena hadn’t gotten started it, she waved her hand towards her partner encouragingly. “Get going!” she laughed. “Those cookies aren’t going to make themselves.”
Wouldn’t that be better… Selena sighed before resigning herself to her fate. Carefully, she gathered up the butter and sugar into the bowl Regan had offered her and, with Regan pointing out where the mixer was, managed to start mixing the items together, adding an egg and some flour as she did so.
“So…” Selena spoke out loudly over the whirling engine of the egg-beater. “Have you given any though to strategy?”
“Strategy?” Regan called back, just as loud.
“Yeah, you know… for the thing.” Selena slowly tried to explain. “The thing coming up?”
“Christmas?” Regan asked. “Yeah, with you helping me, thank you for that by the way-“ she added with a grin. “With you helping me, we get the food prepped as much as necessary and then I can have David help me with the-“
“I don’t mean-“ Selena sighed as she turned off the beater, making sure the bowl’s contents were mixed as the book suggested. “Great…” she muttered. “Now the hard part.”
The book demanded that she take the contents and knead them on a lightly floured surface to make dough. Using the flour to cover the large cutting board Regan offered her wasn’t the issue, but Selena had never really ‘made dough’ in her life. It was one thing to just mix and mix until cookie dough was made, but this felt like it was asking her to make bread or something equally crazy!
“Knead dough…” she read aloud quietly. “Knead…knead…”
“Means press and fold.” Regan explained, peering over Selena’s shoulder to read the page as well. “Yeah, just press and fold slowly until it’s nice and smooth.”
“Seriously.” Selena tried. “Nobody else was available? Jennifer? Mikalea? Anyone?”
“Nope.” Regan grinned before turning on her food to return to her own duties.
And Selena didn’t buy her answer for a single second. “Why do I get the feeling you’re being untruthful to me?” her eyes narrowed as she brought the ‘blended mix’ onto the cutting board, throwing it down with a soft ‘plat!’ sound.
To answer her partner, Regan merely shrugged her shoulders, though she kept her back to the Snow Queen.
“Okay, Regan.” Selena sighed. “I know for a fact you didn’t ‘have no choice’. So can we talk about the elephant in the room?”
“Which one?” Regan asked.
“There’s more than one?” Selena asked, somewhat surprised as she began to fold and press into the dough.
“At least two.” Regan replied simply. “We still haven’t decided what to have the other ‘do’ as part of the bet.”
Not meaning to, Selena rolled her eyes. Why the hell was Regan thinking about THAT at a time like this?! The wager they had made on Halloween regarding ‘if they won the Tag League’- why was that a matter now? They were one loss/tie away from elimination and if Xander Valentine beat them in a week or so, it wouldn’t matter one way or the other!
Despite her best efforts to breath and calm herself, Selena could not help the frustration and…no, she could admit it – the anger – that was welling up in her. Again, her mind rehashed the former thought of Regan’s future in 2021. A future that involved a rematch with Xander AND a United States Title shot, an opportunity Selena had tried to support, even if it meant her being ignored for any rematch in doing so. She wanted to support her sister in every way, and taking the belt off Xander would mean a lot to Regan. So, Selena had gone alone with it.
It’s what sisters do…
But if that was the case, why did her sister not seem to care about the fact that, come 2021, they would no longer be a tag-team… or a tag-team on borrowed time?
She gripped the dough and threw it down onto the floured cutting board, her frustration pushing her actions, which were being taken out on the defenceless dough.
“You know…” Regan tilted her head a bit. “I’ve been thinking about that for abit.”
“Have you?” Selena replied through clenched teeth, fighting against the negative emotions that were swirling within her.
“Yes.” Regan replied. “What if we got tattoos?”
Selena’s hand stopped temporarily as she heard Regan’s words. “Got what?” she was sure she misheard.
“Tattoos.” Regan shrugged. “I don’t know, it just seemed like a fun idea.”
Surprised, Selena reached up to scratch her left shoulder, unintentionally leaving a muddied, white handprint of flour where her hand had been. “Sounds rather permanent…” Selena tried. She had never really thought about the idea of having tattoos. Back in the early days of 4Saken, Dawn Lohan had opted for Selena to dye her hair a streak of black as some form of ‘solidarity’, but that had gone as well as one would expect when it came to Selena and her hair. Though this sounded more… realistic for the Snow Queen, she couldn’t imagine what else Regan was planning in her mind.
“What? Does mine say ‘Property of Regan Street’?” she asked, her attempt at humor doing little to quell the frustrations within her.
“Oh geez, I wouldn’t ask that.” Regan laughed. “Though that would be kind of funny. No, you could do whatever you wanted. Anyway, it’s just an idea.” She dismissed with a wave of her hand.
“Yeah…” Selena lifted the dough and pressed into hard again, kneading her frustrations into the mixture. “I think we should focus on whether or not we can still be in the Tag League in the new year, you know?” she tried, hinting towards what was before them. “I mean – would you even want to if we’re not a tag-team anymore officially?”
“Sure!” Regan answered without thinking. “You love winning tournaments! And I think that’s a fun way to stick it to everyone that wants to see us go down – one big ‘F you’ to the critics.”
“I don’t know, Regan.” Selena pressed, dusting her hands off and making her way over the book to get the next set of instructions, which involved a rolling pan and some plastic wrap. “Personally, and maybe I’m selfish, but I’m not looking past the End of the Year…” she stressed the last set of words.
The Hellcat said nothing, simply staying focused on her job of dicing vegetables for, Selena assumed, the stuffing.
“You know…” Selena continued as she flattened the dough into two equal parts. “Because what’s at stake here…”
It was then that Regan, through no fault of her own, said the worst string of words the Hellcat could have chosen to stay… “Meh, I’m not worried about it.”
It was the spark that set off the fire. The straw the broke the camel’s back… the line that pushed Selena over the edge.
“No, of course you’re not!” she said coldly before pale hands found the dough she was flattening and, with as much force as she could, threw the large piece against the wall, along with the rolling pin, the pair making the oddest crashing sound she had ever heard. It was enough to cause Regan to jump on the spot and spin around, eyes wide as she took in the scene, shock written all over her face…
And anger written all over Selena’s…
**************************************************
“You threw the dough and rolling pin?”
Deanna’s eyes were wide as she danced in Selena’s arms, the pair swinging and stepping to various Christmas tunes that were played on the piano throughout the prison, sometimes by inmates, other times by hired players the Warden had brought in, and other times still by visiting family members. The pair of them didn’t care if those playing were good or bad (and there was a range between the two labels), they had just enjoyed their Christmas (or Yuletide in Selena’s case) dancing and enjoying the food, until Selena had begun to regale her wife with that story.
“It…wasn’t my proudest moment.” Selena admitted. “I was just so frustrated with her. She was acting so nonchalant – like it didn’t matter if Frozen Hell survived or not. I mean…”
“Do you really believe she would feel that way?” Deanna semi-glared at her wife. “After everything you two have been through? That she would just toss you aside?”
“Well, I don’t think that now…” Selena tried. “But at the time, I was frustrated and stressed and just…”
“Scared?” Deanna tried, earning a quiet nod from her wife.
“Completely.” Selena admitted.
“So…what happened?” the redhead slowly offered. “I mean, after you super-flattened the dough?”
“I…” Selena began but stopped when she spotted one of the guards coming towards her, the same one she had handed her cellphone to after she had recorded Deanna’s performance of “Have yourself a merry little Christmas” (in accordance with the party rules of ‘zero electronics’ – the warden had kindly allowed Selena to record Deanna’s performance, under guard supervision naturally).
“Mrs. Frost.” He stated.
“What is it?” Selena asked, her movement stopped as she tentatively observed the guard.
“We have a phone call for you.”
Selena’s eyes widened. “Phone call? Who knows I’m here?” She asked, alarm filling her.
Deanna, surprisingly, was the more level-headed one. “Go.” She ordered to her wife. “I’ll wait here.”
Giving her beloved a nod, Selena was quick to follow the guard into another room, where a phone was resting on the table, away from the receiver, which was further away. Her mind was racing. Was it someone at the Schonburg Castle? Was it Regan? Who would call her on Christmas day?
Her hand shaking a little, she picked up the phone and pressed it to her ear. “Hello? Selena Frost here.”
“Mrs. Frost.” The voice was thickly, Germanic accent, making it a little difficult for Selena to understand. The words that spewed out first were in german, causing Selena to stop the conversations. “Excuse me… Excuse me…” she tried. “I do not speak German very well. Can you please speak English?”
“Yes, I can.” Came the thick, feminine voice. “This is the Loreley-Klinken Standort St. Goar.”
“Okay…what is that?”
“Hospitalgasse.”
“Wait… a hospital?” Selena asked, her eyes widening in further alarm.
“Da. Correct.” The woman on the other line replied. “You are….” She seemed to need to think of the words to say. “Emergency contact for one Talia Scythe.”
“Talia?!” Selena blurted in disbelief. “Wha- what happened to her?”
“She’s here with us. There was a car accident…”
The rest was a blur to the Snow Queen, as she mentally cursed the year, and herself, for one more
______________________________________
The Royal Letter
The camera fades in to reveal Selena Frost sitting on a leather couch, which contrasts with the light blue shirt and white pants she wears. Her eyes are locked on the camera in front of her, staring through the lens to the people she is sure will be watching.
The End. she whispers softly, letting those words rise and fall into silence before continuing.
I know, sounds morbid, doesn’t it? And certainly not fitting, at first glance, with the season. But how many of us are chomping at the bit? Waiting for 2020 to simply end?
And for me – all I’ve wanted this entire year was to team up with my sister, work together in the tag-division, yes, but also do our jobs in entertaining all of you, the SCW Universe, through this trying time.
With her leg crossed over the other at the knee, Selena takes a moment to fix a stray, platinum-blonde lock of hair, tucking it behind her ear. And yet…according to one man. One single man. That shouldn’t even be a right for Regan and I, the right to be able to compete as a tag-team within SCW.
Her jaw clenches and her gaze grows colder. Harsher.
Are you happy now, Xander? Huh? Now that you have what you wanted? Is that enough to get you to come crawling out of your hole to actually back up all you’ve been bragging about for months? ‘Unstoppable’? ‘Unbeatable’? ‘Feared’? ‘Dominant’?
Funny, about that. If you were so ‘dominant’ as you’d like to claim, you wouldn’t care if Regan and I existed as a tag-team, would you? You’d just beat us and let us exist… if it was so easy.
See, Xander, you showed so much more than just a ‘crafty mind’ last Breakdown when you made that ultimatum against us at the End of the Year. You exposed so much more of yourself than you may have wanted to, didn’t you? Perhaps you’re not even aware of it.
That despite how much you have laughed in our faces, laughed at me, mocked our words, our thoughts, despite how much you may have ‘risen to a new level’… some things still haven’t changed, have they?
Shifting her weight and leg, Selena places the resting foot on the ground to lean forward, closer to the camera, her elbows on her knees.
Let me take you back, Xander. Back to how this all began over a year and a half ago. You came after Regan and I. We didn’t come after you. You came after us. Why? Because you couldn’t stand that two women were seen as two of the most dominant people within SCW, a concept you once held, what? Fifteen or so years ago? she shrugs.
And the thing is, Xander, you could have easily just challenged one of us, or both of us. Fought us to prove yourself again. Prove that you were still that person – that Executioner. We wouldn ‘t have blamed you. Hell, we would have respected you for it – true respect. Not the kind you’ve tossed around and turned on and off at your convenience… Sapphire eyes narrow.
But you didn’t, did you? You didn’t just challenge us. You attacked and injured Mr. D.. You took a sledgehammer to my bus. You sought to endanger my wife! My children!
A growl escapes deep within the pale throat of the Snow Queen, her expression a scowl at the memory.
Remember, Xander? You were the one that made it personal. You were the one that had to go too far. You were the one that turned our match at Rise to Greatness into something ugly. And then, when you lost?
You made it personal again.
You attacked women, mothers… you attacked men, fathers… you attacked children.
And after that? When you wanted that “legitimate match”? What happened?
You went to my house. You went to the home were I raised my babies. Were I built a life with the woman that I love more than anything on this Earth!
As she reminisces, it is clear the memories are only angering the young woman more and more, her posture becoming more rigid and her tone edgier.
And it still wasn’t enough to do what you vowed. To finish me off. To end me.
Fast forward to 2020 and Xander Valentine finally has his ‘mojo’ back! He’s The Executioner again. You even manage to beat me and take the United States title from me. I’ll give you the credit you deserve in that. Bravo.
But again, Xander that wasn’t good enough for you, was it? You decided to relabel me – or try to. “The Shadow of SCW”, right? After my seven consistent years in this business – a career that that can’t hope to match in consistent longevity and accomplishments, you were trying to make the world think I was running on empty. That I was slowing down. That I wasn’t the woman that knocked you out faster than any superstar in the history of SCW. That stood all you took and kept going in a Last Person Standing Match… you tried to make me something ‘less’. Something ‘forgettable’.
Selena shakes her head as she bites her lower lip, casting her gaze to the side for a moment, as if to collect her thoughts once more.
Yeah, Xander, you went for my ego. Way to go. Not exactly hard. I’ve got one. Regan’s got one. That’s why we’re chomping at the bit to rip a piece of your hide off. Because, as wrestlers? We are sick of your crap. “Dominance this” and “Dominance that”. It’s all crap!
The Snow Queen takes a few breaths and a moment to let things settle, her voice much calmer.
Xander, you beat me once. You beat Regan once. Do you have any idea where that places you in the long list of wrestlers? Hell, I got beat by Ikario Yoshiada once.
I’ve been beaten before, Xander. More times than I can count. Regan has been beaten before. I imagine she’d say the same thing. But unlike you, we didn’t blame innocent people for it. We used it to motivate us. We used it to become stronger. Ask Datura. Ask Bree Lancaster. Ask Christy Matthews. Ask Syren.
But for you: you say what you do – what you’ve done - it’s dominance. That it’s dominance what you did to Konrad Raab, simply because he saved me from your interference in a match you had no reason to involve yourself in in the first place! You claim that it was dominance what you did to Dylan Howell, who merely stood up for his sister and friend. And you say it was ‘dominance’ what you did to Peyton…
A laugh escapes the pale lips of the “Face of SCW”.
Was that what it was, Xander? You clutching your ribs? Limping to the back? Was that ‘dominance’? Or was that you getting that ‘lucky’ break after Peyton was ready to put you away? I’ll say you were the better wrestler that night, just like you were against me a few months ago. But ‘dominance’?
Selena slowly shakes her head, her expression unmoving. Her lips a firm line.
I got sick of hearing that word like it was a punchline from you. Like you were trying to convince us all – make us forget what we saw with our own two eyes! So last Breakdown, I did what you should have done over a year ago. I said ‘prove it!’. I didn’t go after your family. I didn’t go after your sidekick, Artemis. I looked you in the eye and dared you to prove it.
But again, just like always, you made it personal.
You wanted Regan and I to put our tag-team existence on the line against you. To wager our future in SCW as a tag-team. To remove Frozen Hell from SCW permanently.
The young woman sits back against the couch, jerking her head a little to crack her neck a bit. For a moment, she gazes away.
Because that’s what it’s always been about to you, hasn’t it, Xander? All this time. Regan and I. This force that you cannot stand standing above you. Standing above your wrath. Above your abilities. A force that you tried to endear yourself to by becoming Regan’s partner earlier this year. Again, trying to split us up.
You said it was ‘jealousy’. Jealousy that Regan chose me. That what Regan and I have is what something you’ve never had. But if that’s all it was, you wouldn’t need Frozen Hell gone from SCW, would you? No, Xander… you fear us.
You, the Executioner, fear what Regan and I can do together. Because alone, Xander – between you and me – there was only one time that true dominance was shown! And you know it!
The screen suddenly shifts to a quick clip of Selena nailing Xander Valentine with her “Defying Gravity” kick at Rise to Greatness a year and a half ago, knocking the Executioner out to a stunned crowd. The voice of Adam Sharper and Jonathan Knots can be heard as part of the clip.
“Oh my God! My God! Selena hit the Defying Gravity!”
“Xander is down! He’s down!”
The shot slowly fades back to the present, to Selena sitting on the couch, her eyes on the camera in front of her.
You were right, Xander. her voice is as calm as a whisper. I am ‘The Shadow’. The Shadow you’ve been trying to escape from for nearly two years. The shadow that has been the definition of ‘dominance’ that you could never achieve – have NEVER achieved.
And then you have Regan. The woman you NEEDED Tommy Valentine’s help with to put away. The woman that you couldn’t beat on your own – that you FAILED to beat on your own.
Selena’s words of “couldn’t” and “failed” almost echo a little as she finishes her sentence, grim reminders of the failings of Xander Valentine.
And put us together? Frozen Hell? That terrifies you, Xander. That terrifies you because it’s something you’ve NEVER encountered before. Because I possess the weapons that can knock you out for good. Regan possesses the will that you can’t extinguish.
In short, Frozen Hell is the dominant force you envy – you fear – because you can’t be what we are. And you never will be! Never.
Again, the last word seems to echo a little within the room, but Selena presses on. Xander… all you did with your ‘stipulation’ was remove any choice we have left. See, now, it’s not enough to simply beat you. It’s not enough to simply have you slink off and say “it took two! It took two!”
No. As I said, Xander Valentine, this is the end. Truly the end. The end of the year and the end of your so-called ‘dominance’. Sapphire eyes narrow.
Because Regan and I are going to dominate you, Xander. We are going to beat you inside the ring, outside it and everywhere else we can until you cannot stand. We are going to throw every single move, attack, weapon we have at you until you cannot get back up. We are going to manhandle you and show you what true ‘dominance’ is!
Selena smiles a little at the thought.
You were right, Xander. This stopped being a ‘wrestling match’ long ago. This is now what is necessary to end this for me. A fight. A fight to do the one thing you can’t stand, but no one is better at doing than Regan and I…
Because in the end, Xander Valentine, Frozen Hell will humble you. We will stand above you as you lie on the mat, unable to move a single muscle. Unable to hurt another innocent person, feeling more pain than you have ever felt in your miserable career. Only with one last image burned into your mind…
Selena slowly pushes herself off the couch and onto her feet, the camera following her as she stands.
The lights behind us, casting our shadows over your beaten…
Broken…
Defeated…
Dominated body.
The end, Xander… and whatever’s left? Will be burned by the Hellcat…
Believe it, you bastard.
The camera stays on the Snow Queen as she stands there, the lights in the room shining brighter behind her, creating a shadowy silhouette before the light encompasses it all and the scene fades to black.
![[Image: hffOaUZ.png]](https://i.imgur.com/hffOaUZ.png)
SCW Supreme Champion
6x SCW World Champion
4x SCW World Tag-Team Champion
2x SCW United States Champion
3x SCW Adrenaline Champion
SCW Television Champion
Longest Reigning SCW World Champion (234 days)
Winner of Shot of Adrenaline Tournament (2016)
Winner of Best of the Best Tournament (2016)
Winner of Trios Tournament (2018)
Winner of U.S. Championship Tournament (2020)
Winner of World Championship Tournament (2023)
Winner of Tactical Warfare (2014, 2019)
Winner of Elimination Chamber (2015)
Winner of Roofed Cage Match (2019)
Winner of Last Person Standing Match (2019)
The Unbelievable Main Event (2021-2023)
Winner of Double Jeopardy Match (2022)
Winner of EOTY Invitational (2023)
Winner of EOTY Invitational (2023)
Female Wrestler of the Year (2016, 2021, 2022)
Tag-Team of the Year (2020 - w/ Regan Street)
Match of the Year (2018, 2019, 2021, 2023)
Feud of the Year (2014, 2019)
![[Image: 34zetxl.png]](https://i.ibb.co/SnpvD5T/34zetxl.png)