06-03-2022, 09:03 AM
OOC: In two parts due to length.
She was already walking through the thick snow as she slowly realized where she was, her mind becoming ‘aware’ of its surroundings as if waking up from a dream. She could see the trees surrounding her, black needles of leaves that held up thick coats of snow, ready to drop them the moment the burden became too heavy.
I almost forgot this place… she admitted to herself, her thought sounding more like it was spoken rather than whispered in her mind. There was a bit of shame to it. Had she become complacent? Had she become consumed by what little happiness she had had in the prior months that her mind had ‘managed’ to dull her sleep with dreamless nights? Had it taken a death threat to Deanna and a deadline she could never reach to bring her back to this place? To the place she would always die?
Another step forward – always forward, never back. What was waiting for her back there anyway? Was it the same oblivion? Was it inevitability? The idea that, regardless of whichever she went, it would be ‘forward’? Taking her to the same spot – the same doom that awaited her?
Her eyes caught sight of something amidst the snowstorm that flowed around her. A clump of pale skin and hair with robes wrapped around it. The snow had buried most of him, but she recognized the long thick hair at the top of the head and hair that flowed from the bottom of the face that was buried in the snow. Cid…
Beyond him, just a few inches up lay his co-conspirator and Selena did not need to study her, for she was on her back, her eyes like glass, lifeless, as she ‘stared’ up at the storm. The wanderer felt no sadness at seeing Holly Adams like this. The woman was wretched and conniving – it was her that had created the whole “Brand” to begin with. Her that had manipulated Cid and Asher Hayes. Her that had tried to build that damn stable – like a cancer – into SCW to suck the life out of it. It had been enough of a power to bring back that maniacal bastard-
She almost tripped when her foot caught side of Glory Braddock, lying next to Autumn Valentine, both with the same lifeless expressions on their faces, though they obviously wore different attires suited to their ‘place’ in the world. These two women, Selena should have expected, yet she still felt a pang in her heart at seeming them like this – women she respected, if for nothing else, for their talent and hard work ethic. She wanted to stop and help them, but she knew she couldn’t.
“They aren’t real.” She whispered, seeing her breath condense on the air, misting away to join the other winds, as she continued walking.
Kimberly Williams
Brittany Lohan
Kandis – Selena stopped for a moment to regard her, feeling the regret seize her heart. Out of them all, she didn’t deserve to be in this field. She had been just caught in the ‘crossfire’ of Double Jeopardy, like Lohan… but it was far worse for Kandis, and in her temporary stopping, Selena wondered if she would ever be free of such regret…
The sight of Tommy Valentine – the furthest along the trail took her focus, the platinum-blonde continuing to walk. She passed them all, all lying in the snow, half or even three-quarters buried, all in different positions. All dead. Surrounding some of them, like Holly and Cid and even Kimberly, she could spy those same pamplets and pins she had seen in her past, some older than others – the discoloration and tears in some of them evident of that.
“Join The Brand”
“Vote Holly Adams! It’s Ugly If You Don’t”
“Embrace the Gleebnorb!”
“Join Lexy’s Group”
“BECOME A PLATINUM VIP MEMBER TODAY!!! AND FOR A LIMITED TIME WHEN YOU JOIN THE HAÜS OF NIRVANA YOU WILL GET A POSITIVE STATE PAMPHLET!!! WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR!? CALL NOW!!”
She kept walking, leaving it all behind her. The litter of bodies and paraphernalia – what more was it than a memory of where she had come from and where she was headed? Yet it had not been her past that had brought her back her. Her eyes scanned down to regard herself, the sight of her causing her to stop her pushing through the winds and heavy snow once more. She had not noticed what she was wearing until that moment.
Wrapped around her toned frame was her wrestling attire, at least in terms of the design. She recognized the snowflakes that decorated her shoulders and the sashes that flowed around her from being attached to her back. But instead of black and white, the usual colors of her attire, they were decorated in magenta… the color of her favourite nightgown. Running her hands down it, she ‘felt’ the fabric against her skin, achingly similar to the feeling of when she would snuggle with her beloved Deanna in their bed.
The sash around her waist, however, was leather, just like her favourite jacket. The one she had stolen from Gavin Scythe when they were children – her first true moment of defiance as “the Snow Queen”. Reaching up, she felt for her hair, finding it blowing in the wind as well. While it was tied up in her iconic braid… it was still shorter than it had been most of her life and there were dark purple flowers ‘pinned’ into it, like how Deanna had done her hair several weeks ago for her…
What was she here? Was she Selena Frost? Facing her doom at the hands of Killjoy? Was she the World Champion, about to be annihilated by Giovanni Aries? Was she the wife of Deanna Frost, about to lose the most important person in her life? Was she ‘The Face of SCW’ about to lose everything she had built for the federation she loved nearly as much as her family?
She… she didn’t know. Still, she kept walking. Even if she couldn’t be certain who she was in this space, she knew the ending – knew the inevitable conclusion. And she refused to run from it. She would face it like she had everything else. And screw pride! If she had to beg Killjoy to take her life and spare Deanna, she would do it in a heartbeat! No hesitation. No remorse.
I only pray to Odin that she’ll forgive me… Selena sighed. The platinum-blonde and her redhead of a wife had only been truly reunited for a little over a year, and they had promised each other many more years together now that Deanna had been free from prison. It was a promise Selena was certain she could no longer keep.
How many times had she lived this nightmare? Her own mind, as if in preparation, sending her through this trial over and over again, as if to prepare her for what it knew was inevitable? She had dodged so many bullets and deaths with the DeCarlos, then the Scythes, then the Dragon-Slayers, then her own clan of the Frost/Frostmere… all leading back to the Scythes, or rather Killjoy. A sad smile graced her lips.
Can’t keep dodging forever… she sighed. Sooner or later, a bullet would hit-
Lifting her head, the woman realized that the forest had cleared into a large field of snow, a clearing that was devoid of anything but white powder, winds, and one being standing there in the middle, waiting for her.
She recognized the dark leather the figure wore – leather that suddenly flashed white before it went back to black –blowing in the wind as she approached him closer and closer, the wind and snow slowly dying to become deadly silent. Even the sound of her wrestling boots in the snow no longer held the ‘crunching’ sound they once had. She was able to stand up straight to her full height now, no longer hindered by the wind, as she stopped just a few yards away from the madman. The closeness allowed her to see the black, grinning skull that covered the face – or was that just a long, messy beard that held the sinister grin? The eyes were sockets – but Selena was sure she saw eyes hiding in them – eyes that seemed cruel and conniving while they lied about ‘happiness’ and ‘bliss’ like they could be sold for money.
She wanted to say something to the figure, but she couldn’t find the words. Nothing came to her. She wanted to curse him for all he had taken from her, but he would just laugh at her. She wanted to damn him for stealing her time away from Deanna, but he would just laugh at her. She wanted to hear him swear that, once she was dead, that no harm would come to Deanna or their children, but he would just laugh at her.
Words would get her nowhere now. This was the conclusion of her war with Killjoy. And they both knew it.
Slowly, Selena saw the skulled-man lift his arm up towards her – were those tattoos of Alice in Wonderland characters etched into the leather of the coat he wore – no, that was ridiculous. In the bastard’s hand, he held a black gun, pointing directly at the Snow Queen’s heart, a kill-shot to be sure. Fitting… she thought, unable to stop the smile that slowly crossed her features.
“Time’s up.” Came the altered voice of Killjoy, but it was different. Why was she reminded of hearing such a voice during Breakdown and many past episodes of it as well as many infomercials she wished she hadn’t sat through?
“Yeah, I know.” Selena smiled, letting her arms rest to her side. “I know.”
She didn’t hear the bang of the shot. She didn’t see the bullet hit her, nor did she feel it. All she saw as she fell back were the dark skies above. All she heard was that damn laugh that she hated with every part of her…
Still, was it the laugh of an altered voice she hated more? Or the laugh she also heard mixed in with it. A laugh that she had heard many times as she stood in an SCW ring… She couldn’t be sure which one she hated more. It was the last thing she wondered. The last thing she wouldn’t receive an answer to.
And then… Oblivion.
***********************************************************
Gavin Scythe Campaign Headquarters – Church of the Nazarene
Nome, Alaska
June 1st, 2022
8:31pm
Time before Deadline: 3 hours, 29 minutes
The polls in Nome had been closed for about half an hour, meaning the live results of the “Mayoral Election” from each voting ‘station’ would soon begin being posted, a fact that was clear by the number of nervous glances towards the clock hanging on the wall, which continued to strike the hour.
Selena Frost envied them. She wished she could just be nervous about the election – there was enough reason to worry about that to the point a panic or anxiety attack would be expected. But no, the clock continued to mock her, reminding her not only of the uncertainty of her children’s future, but that of herself and her own wife. Seemingly unrelated worries yet all tied together by that skulled piece of crap!
Taking a slow breath to calm herself, the Snow Queen was temporarily distracted by a couple – two of the few dozen or so that had chosen to attend the sort of ‘election party’, for lack of better words – sharing a few words with them before they made their way further into the room. Almost traditional with other elections, Gavin Scythe had rented out a space for his ‘campaign headquarters’ for the night of elections so a sort of gathering could occur for those wishing to be supportive. The karma/irony was not lost on Selena that the place picked for the gathering had been the ‘meeting room’ for AA meetings in Nome, Alaska – a decently sized backroom of the Church of Nazarene – Nome’s most popular church. Despite herself, Selena almost found amusement in the simple white walls, which she and the others had decorated with “Gavin Scythe for Mayor” posters, and miscolored (and faded) carpeted floors.
Maybe I should have gone to some of the meetings here…
It was a bitterly amusing thought, that tonight was the first time she had ever stepped foot into the room meant for recovering alcoholics to meet and to heal. But it was her own fault – she had been a different woman back then. Before she had left this town, while she knew there were ‘things’ wrong with her, she hadn’t cared enough to believe that her drinking was one of them or that it was worth changing when she was already hated and vilified as “the Crazy Miner’s Daughter” and “The Snow Queen”. It had only been when she had taken a risk to change it all that she allowed herself to take a good look at her own person and see the problems that she needed to fix – her dependency on alcohol being just one of the many issues.
Now? She wouldn’t have hesitated to attend one of these meetings if she came back to live here, which she had no intention to – her place was in her ‘Forever Home’ with Deanna... And of course, speaking of which, there’s the “issue” that I’m a lesbian and happily married to one. she quietly laughed at her own humor, but even so, she had to remark that she had come a long way from where she had started nearly nine years ago.
And it all ends tonight…
She sighed at that. She had tried. Tried with everything she had to meet the demands of Killjoy – to meet his deadline of uncovering what Project: Black Ice was. And she had come so close – she was sure of it. She and Deanna, along with Rebecca Scythe, had been onto something with Project: Snowman and the abandoned orphanage/homeless shelter Malcolm had built and then suddenly discarded officially in 1989. That fact STILL unnerved her. According to all files she and Deanna had found, the center had been closed three years after its construction – which Rebecca confirmed… but then there was the file of Resident 222: Atlas, that seemed to suggest it had continued ‘unofficially’, or at least to some effect according to Director Spencer’s files, for two more years…
The familiar headache that came with these thoughts hit Selena, forcing Selena to shake her head. She had spent the near ten days wracking her brain, trying to figure out the connection. The difference in dates, Atlas, the center, Project: Snowman, and how it all tied in with Black Ice – and the inevitable bitterness would return. The fact that she just didn’t know. There wasn’t enough facts to tie it all together – or she was just missing the single thread that did!
What were you doing, Malcolm? she wracked her brain. What were you planning?
Her eyes flew to the large television that Gavin had set up hours ago and set to the news channel KTUU-TV of NBC, which was set in Anchorage, but kept up to date with the going-ons of Nome. On the screen, to the right side was the smiling face of Ryan Scythe, while Gavin’s was on the left, each with a meter to determine how many votes/percentage of votes they currently had. At present, both were at zero as the first wave of results hadn’t been released yet. Still, there was always a face in the crowd glancing up at it nervously, hoping to see some good news towards their chosen candidate.
The flash of red amongst the crowd caught Selena’s eyes, instantly gaining her attention. It, inevitably as it always did, caused the Snow Queen to smile, despite herself, her sapphire eyes locked on the owner to see Deanna helping herself to a paper-cup of coffee, adding more than enough sugar and cream to it. For the occasion, she had worn a rather sharp black pantsuit with a striking red undershirt. It was very similar to Selena’s attire, though the older Frost had chosen a white dress shirt, black pants and added a special accessory at the literal last-minute over her frame.
She watched her beloved wife wince as Deanna drank too much of the hot coffee in her first sip, the redhead sticking her tongue out to try and ease the heat out of her mouth and avoid burning herself. Of course, when her emerald eyes opened, she spied Selena looking at her from across the room, the platinum-blonde quietly (and only a little) laughing behind her hand. Smirking with a bit of a pursed lip-pout, Deanna stole a quick glance to the side before picking up a napkin to nab one of the big doughnuts that filled several boxes lying on the tables near the wall – a snack station for the members that came out to support Gavin. The honey cruller in her hand, the younger Frost made her way through the crowd, excusing herself as she passed several people, their voices a jumble of noise as they mingled. Selena kept her eyes on her beloved, unable to stop the smile that stayed on her face.
I love her so much… she thought, feeling her eyes sting a little, wanting to release a few tears, but she held them back. Within a few seconds, the shorter Deanna was standing before her, holding the sugary-confection up to Selena.
“Honey cruller for my honey?” she asked with zero hesitation or shame.
“Oh, gods…” Selena couldn’t stop the snort of laugh that escaped her, brief as it was. It only added to her previous thought and the platinum-blonde chose to dive in, pulling Deanna to her to press a firm, needed kiss to her wife’s lips. Immediately, Deanna’s arms went wide, holding the cup of coffee and the doughnut as far away from the two of them as possible, though she was still kissing Selena back for all she was worth – with zero cares that they were standing in a VERY Christian church. Selena’s arms wrapped around her wife’s waist to keep her steady. Slowly, so as not to rock her beloved and spill the coffee/doughnut combo, Selena moved her head back to regard the shorter redhead. “You knew that was bad before you even said it, didn’t you?”
“Yep.” Deanna smiled, moving her arms in to sip at her coffee and offering the doughnut to Selena.
“No, thank you.” Selena smiled. “That’ll sit in my stomach like a lead weight. But I will have some…”. Carefully, she took the plastic cup from Deanna’s hand to sip a bit of the hot coffee, thankful for the excess cream that helped cool it a little. “Thanks.” She smiled, returning the cup to her wife. “I’m gonna need a few of those tonight, I think.”
Biting her lower lip, Deanna waited for Selena to fully release her before nibbling on the cruller. “Long night planned.” She replied – a statement rather than a question. “Guess I’ll take a few more too.”
“You don’t have to.” Selena tried. “He’s not waiting for you.”
“But I’m waiting for you.” Deanna warned, her eyes narrowing. “I’m not going to sleep till you’re in bed with me.”
“Deanna…” Selena tried. “You know that’s not how this may play out.”
“I don’t care.” Deanna shook her head, moving to a nearby table to place her food drink on them, dusting off her hands before regarding her wife.
“We tried, okay?” she exclaimed, shrugging her shoulders. “We tried doing it the honorable way. We tried doing it the good way. We even tried doing it Killjoy’s way by trying to solve his stupid mystery. Now? I’m done, okay? I am done. I am done with this guy scaring the hell out of us. I’m done with him threatening us. And I am done with this stupid deadline and endangering me and the woman I love, okay?”
She gave a quick shake of her head before shrugging her shoulders. “We know where he is going to be? We set up a trap. You draw him out, done deal.”
“Done deal?” Selena laughed sadly. “The police laughed us out of the station. You heard them. ‘Crazy miner’s daughter slash wrestler has an ‘in’ with the Nome Serial Killer?’. No one believed us.”
“So, we make our own trap.” Deanna gave her head a quick shake as she contemplated, her shoulders, again, giving a slight shrug. “There’s one of him and with you, me, Gavin, Jean and Zoe, that makes five-“
“You really want to endanger them to this?”
“I…” Deanna halted, biting her lower lip. “Okay, fine. You and me. Still two on one!”
“Last time we did that, he beat me to a pulp and-“
“And I shot him in the arm!” Deanna pressed. “We can do it, Selena! End this once and for all.”
“Deanna…” Selena tried. “You’re talking about killing someone. That isn’t you. It never will be.”
“How do you know?” Deanna dared, emerald eyes glaring at Selena.
Despite the angered stare from the redhead, Selena could only smile sadly before reaching up to caress her wife’s face. “Because if you could kill him, you would have done it nearly a year ago when you had the shot in Rebecca’s cabin.” She saw the shorter woman’s emerald eyes grow wide over such an assessment but nearly a year of replaying that scene over and over again in her head had made such a conclusion natural to Selena. “You purposefully aimed for the shoulder, didn’t you?”
Deanna’s mouth opened to protest, the jaw shaking a little before she looked down at her hands guiltily.
“I’ll meet Killjoy and tell him everything that we found. If it isn’t enough for him, I’ll beg for more time. If he refuses, I’ll…” she closed her mouth, Deanna’s head jerking up to stare her down.
“No.” growled Deanna quietly. “You will not sacrifice yourself for me.”
“Yes, I will.” Selena smiled, though her tone pressed the statement. “Because I love you.”
“Then I sacrifice myself for you!” Deanna countered sharply. “Because I love you! So, you can’t.”
“It doesn’t work like that, Deanna.” Again, a sad smile crossed her features as she shook her head. “He wants me destroyed. His game ends if I’m dead. At least where it involves you and the children. We’ve…” her eyes cast over to the television screen as numbers suddenly started to form on the ‘counters’ of both candidates. “I think we’ve survived one storm… I need to make sure the other one ends.”
She suddenly felt Deanna’s arms wrap around her, the redhead crushing herself into Selena’s toned form. “Let me go with you.” She whispered. “I’ll do anything you ask after that, but please don’t leave me alone.”
Despite herself, Selena wrapped her arms around her wife, letting the redhead silently cry into her dress-shirt and the purple jacket she wore. Despite herself, she wanted to Deanna with her. Gods above, she was fucking scared. She didn’t want to die. She didn’t want things to end now. She wanted to grow old with Deanna, watch their children grow up and have children of their own. She wanted to teach Elsianna about clothes and fashion. Wanted to teach David how to ride a motorcycle. Wanted to help Amiliah with science projects (after a quick stop to Wikipedia for guidance).
What’s more, she didn’t want to die alone. She wanted to die in Deanna’s arms – selfish as that was, especially given how she had been nine years ago, waiting for death to take her in her solitude and exile in Nome…
“I love you.” Selena whispered, reaching up to pet the back of her wife’s head affectionately. But I’ve come too far now to not see this through… too far to endanger you yet again…
***********************************************************
11 hours ago
Ryan Scythe’s house
Nome, Alaska
9:31am
Time till Deadline: 14 hours, 29 minutes
Every part of Selena was tense, and not just from the rough night she had had training. Being in Nome and its limited resources always made it difficult for her to train whenever she visited here… beyond the atypical gym and cardio training, but she hadn’t been in the mood for any of that since last Breakdown.
In terms of ‘how well the night had gone’ on the send-home episode of the SCW flagship show, Selena actually would have rated it as one of her better ones. Not only did she beat Sammy Davies Thomas – scratch that, she wasn’t going to sugar-coat a deluded follower of Giovanni Aries. She had vowed to expose both Sammy and, more importantly Giovanni and the Haus of Nirvanna for the frauds they were. They had preached about ‘success’ and ‘stardom’ like they were commodities to be easily bought, not earned, a gross disgrace to everything Selena believed in and strove to prove in SCW: the notion of integrity, honour and hard work being the backbone of why SCW was so named. So not only did she beat the man known for years as ‘STD’, ‘schooling him’ as Adam Sharper had remarked, she had dissected him and left him lying in the ring after one Glass Shard. And, to make the night even better, thanks to her beloved Deanna, she had not ended up knocked out from a blow to the head via someone using the world title for the umpteenth time – a stable in several of her matches/confrontations with the Brand, though she was sure that was exactly what Giovanni Aries had been planning to do.
Still, seeing the ‘Master of Nirvanna’ standing there with her title in his hands… eyeing it… only to toss it to the ground like it, and all it represented to her, was worthless trash… It had made her both ill and angry, almost ruining whatever positive emotions the match with Sammy had given her. If she had been anything less than a 10/10 in her desire to keep the world title away from Giovanni, the Haus, and The Brand, than seeing him holding it and tossing it to the ground effectively ramped that number up to a goddamn fourteen! She had already seen Giovanni literally dismantle a championship she had held dear – she refused to see it happen again!
Not when we’re so close…
Decidedly, Selena had committed whatever ‘training time’ she had in Nome until the pay-per-view to train outside in the woods, running through the paths/trails and using whatever she could find to train. Branches were for pullups, logs and rocks were her weights and soft fields of grass had served as her yoga/pilates mat for bodyweight exercises, balancing and meditation. The workouts always ran her ragged and, yes, they left her stiff and sore/hurt, but it was a far better method to burn out her anger and rage at those she hated than just trying to ‘lift dumbells’ and count reps.
I can’t be complacent with him again… she had told herself. I can’t ‘play it safe’ again with him…
The result had been a soreness that she knew she was going to feel all day – this morning’s and last night’s workout being particularly gruelling, but as she had noticed, that was only part of the reason for her tension. Her current location was the other.
She took another deep breath. Truthfully, she had dreaded this moment since it had been devised nearly two weeks ago. Dreaded it nine days ago when Deanna and her had rushed to the Norton Sound Regional hospital from the ‘Project: Snowman’ homeless shelter/orphanage center, having gotten a call from Gavin that Talia was in the ER.
Not only had the dark-haired woman returned to Nome from Manhattan – having stayed with the Frosts till that point – but she had also confronted her husband Ryan Scythe! In an act of pure defiance, not only had she told him that she was planning to divorce him, but she was also going to tell the papers of Nome and the news station in Anchorage that he had assaulted her. The result had been a vicious attack by Ryan to keep Talia quiet, which lead to her current inhabiting of the hospital...
How did Selena know all that had happened?
Because it was all YOUR plan. her mind hissed at her, part of her hating herself for even coming up with it. Talia leaving and confronting Ryan – an idea created from the depths of Selena’s desperation to take down the eldest Scythe son and save her children from his wrath – had been something Talia had clung to with gusto. Of course she would do it, Selena shook her head. Talia was tough and brave and she would never back down from anything. Of course she would take on this idea, even if it endangered her own well-being.
Seeing the lawyer, the woman that helped get Deanna out of Frankfurt Prison III, with a swollen black eye, a broken jaw and several broken ribs, just to name a few of her injuries, Selena could not have hated herself more in that moment. But, being awake (thanks to the painkillers), Talia had looked up at her former enemy, smiled as best as she could and used a paper and pencil to write the necessary messages to her.
I did it…
It’s behind the picture in the study. The one with Malcolm and I after I graduated law school...
It had taken every fiber of her being not to walk over to Ryan’s house then and there, kick his door down and beat the hell out of him. It had taken Deanna on top of that to stop her from doing so, but they had a plan that they needed to follow. If they had charged over there at that moment, suspicion would be on them and gods knew what Ryan would do if he found out too soon and had time to counter everything with his lawyers and resources.
No, the plan dictated that they go when it made sense to do so – and the only day that would not raise red flags with Selena’s former fiancée was today: the day of the election.
Bitterly, Selena reached up and knocked on the door sharply, taking a few breaths to calm her nerves. Conceal… don’t feel… she thought over and over again as she eventually heard steps from inside as the door opened before her, revealing the occupant who looked at her with surprise, at first, followed by a smug smile.
“Ah, Selena.” Ryan Scythe gave a tilt of his head. Despite the door only being open a small ways, it was enough for the platinum-blonde to see the black, collared shirt and dark purple pants he wore – first signs of that damned suit he always wore. “To what do I owe the pleasure?” he oozed knowingly, a smugness in his voice that always caused Selena to lose her composure then and there. “I assume this isn’t a social call?” he took the moment to run his eyes up and down her form, causing the wrestler to fight back several shivers of revulsion – she refused to show any sign of him getting to her (a practice she had mastered thanks to dealing with the likes of Giovanni and The Brand).
“It isn’t.” she replied curtly. “I want to talk about my children.”
“Our children, you mean?” Ryan raised an eyebrow.
“Biologically…” she bit her tongue, inhaling and exhaling slowly to calm herself. “I can’t refute that.”
“Oh…wow.” The eldest Scythe son grinned, satisfied. “How much did it hurt to say that?”
“Are you going to let me in so we can talk like adults or am I just wasting my time?” she asked, placing her hands on her hips. The mayoral candidate seemed to contemplate his options for a moment – whatever they were – before giving a short nod to himself and moving out of the way to grant access to the inside of his abode.
Stepping inside, the Snow Queen almost scoffed at what was before her. The place was, in a word, over the top. The walls didn’t match in wallpaper-color. One side was white, another was off-gray, the carpet kept changing colors as her eyes went from room-to-room that she could see and what were those big ‘spheres of glass’ hanging from the ceiling like chandeliers but having no lights in them? Were those necessary? Probably as ‘necessary’ as all the photos of himself on the wall. she thought in mild disgust but not much surprise. Admittedly, she did like the way the windows and dark curtains looked, much like her balcony in her Manhattan home, allowing much of the sunlight/moonlight to spill into the house whenever she wanted. Still, nothing about the interior of Ryan’s house screamed ‘home’ or ‘family’ or anything but a loud screaming of status. ‘LOOK AT ME! HERE I AM! PRAISE ME! TREAT ME LIKE A GOD OR SAVIOUR!’ The ego… no wonder he wants to be mayor so bad beyond the obvious…
The sound of the door closing behind her regained her attention, the home’s owner walking back around Selena to lean on the nearby red-stained wooden stair-rail, his arms crossed and that smugness never leaving his face.
“I want talk about-“ she started only for the brown-eyed man to scoff and laugh a little.
“Oh come on!” he mocked, turning his head to look around his abode. “As if I’m going to make THAT easy for you after all the shit you’ve put me through.”
“What are you talking about?” Selena asked, crossing her arms over her shoulder. “As I recall, you’re the one that’s done far more to me and my family than I to yours.”
“Opinions.” He scoffed, crossing his own arms, unfazed, over his chest as he continued to lean against the wooden structure. “But how do I know this isn’t some grand trick of yours – a… last second hail mary, if you will?”
“A hail mary?” Selena asked, raising an eyebrow.
“The woman that outsmarted dear old dad.” A slow grin grew across his features. “The woman that outsmarted the DeCarlo family. The Frost and Frostmere clan.” He tilted his head as he saw Selena’s eyes widened. “Did you really think we weren’t keeping tabs on you even during that stupid standstill you had with father? Please.” He scoffed. “Let’s face it, Selena, under it all, you’re as manipulating and scheming as I am.”
“That’s not true.” She replied coldly. “I do what I have to-“
“And I don’t?!”
The smugness was gone from Ryan in a second, the politician glaring daggers at his former paramour. “I didn’t ask Malcolm to mold me and fashion my path after him and then pull a ‘screw-you’ at the end and leave it all to those kids! I didn’t ask for that! And I didn’t ask YOU to bring in some lunatic to kill him.”
“I didn’t do that.” Selena warned.
“The hell you didn’t.” he shook his head. “He spoke to me, you know.”
Again, Selena’s eyes widened in shock. “Killjoy…spoke to you.”
“Oh yeah.” He nodded knowingly, licking his lips. “He said you were responsible for him. That YOU were the endgame for him now that Malcolm was dead. Not me. Not Gavin. You. So don’t stand there and tell me you don’t play a part in this.”
“What else did he say?” she asked, almost desperately. The deadline was fast approaching – only a handful of hours remained. She was almost forgetting her plan in favour for any clue to save her beloved wife from being ‘Killjoy’s latest victim’.
With a slow gesture of the hand towards her, Ryan also gave a shrug of his dress-shirt-covered shoulders. “Oh no. I told you I wasn’t falling for any of it. You could be wearing a wire or something.”
“You’ve watched too many law shows.” Selena scoffed.
“And you give me too little credit.” Glared the young man, refusing to budge from his spot. “You forget. I was there every step of the way during your wars with Malcolm. I was there when he kept his eyes on you. I was there every step – every moment – watching you.”
“I get it. You’re a sick, demented man.”
“Says the woman that once believed she had given birth to a snowman.” Ryan laughed. “How the hell did you ever come to THAT conclusion, anyway? I’ve always wondered.”
“A defence mechanism from falling into insanity.” Selena defended bitterly. “Your father, my stepmother, the drugs the pumped into my system… and you just letting it all happen.” She shook her head bitterly. “Did it ever bother you that they were doing that to me? While I was pregnant with Elsianna?” she refused to say the words that came to her head. to YOUR daughter.
“Of course it bothered me.” Ryan shook his head. “You think I believe myself flawless in all of this? I’m not.”
That surprised Selena, hearing it from such a person, but the young man continued. “I’ve made mistakes. I know that. I treated you poorly. I was a piss-poor fiancée and I lied to you. And yes, I should have done something when father and Anastasia orchestrated everything with your miscarriage – or attempted it. But I wasn’t strong enough.” He shrugged his shoulders, as if the facts were just that. Facts – with no emotional attachment to them.
“I lived for my father’s praise. I lived to follow in his footsteps and, yes, that became an obsession for me the older I got and the closer I got to doing so. I put you – Elsianna – second and I was dishonest. I was in a loveless relationship, so I cheated on you with Talia, you know that. But I deeply regret not helping you nsucceeded and you had gone mad. But…” he gave a shrug of his shoulders. “Nearly ten years and I had to move on, as did you. Now? I’m not interested in letting the past hold me back.”
“Or be held accountable.” Selena mocked.
“Again, fat lot of good that does coming from you.” He smirked, the cocky politician seemingly having returned to the forefront. “But that’s all you’re getting from me.”
“I’m not wearing a wire, Ryan.” Selena pressed.
“And I’m not dealing with the ‘Snow Queen’.” Ryan grinned. “See? I can lie too.”
“Oh for Odin’s…you want me to prove it?” she asked without thinking.
“Yes.” Came the knowing grin from Ryan.
“Fine!” the platinum-blonde barked, holding her hands up. “What you want to do? Pat me down or something?”
“No, I’m quite fine here.” He tilted his head. “Strip.”
“Excuse me?!” Selena asked, her jaw hanging open.
“You heard me.” Ryan replied coldly. “You want this conversation to go further? Prove to me you’re not bugged.”
Her pale jaw clenched, her hands tightened to fists, and her anger and hatred towards the man spiked. Despite his serious demeanor, Selena could still see the smug position of power that Ryan knew he had with her being her wanting to ‘talk’. With a huff, her head turned to look around the room, anywhere but at Ryan. She spied the ugly paintings on the wall, the coat-stand near the door that held the damned purple, single-breasted trench overcoat that he was famous of wearing, the fireplace that was clearly decorative…
Biting her lower lip, Selena quickly shrugged out of her leather jacket, dropping her beloved ‘armor’ to the ground. Her light-blue, buttoned up shirt came next, followed by her shoes, socks and, lastly, her blue jeans, until she stood there in her black underwear and bra, glaring daggers at Ryan.
“Satisfied?” she growled, her hands at her sides.
The politician didn’t even appraise the view before him, merely nodding his head and moving off his ‘perch’ to saunter further into the house. “Come.” He ordered and, despite herself, Selena obeyed, following him as he made his way further down the halls and down a flight of stairs until they were inside an office space – or what appeared to be an office space to Selena. It had a shelf full of books, a large computer stand/station, dark purple walls (Gods, he was obsessed with that color) and a large, black throne chair, which Ryan moved to occupy as he sat comfortably in it, his eyes back on Selena.
“Go.” He ordered.
“I want to know…” she tried, closing her eyes to maintain her composure. There was nothing about this that she liked – feeling this exposed, almost vulnerable. Giovanni and The Brand had nothing on this, but they weren’t demanding she strip in front of the SCW Universe just to make a statement, to which Selena was grateful. She could just imagine Holly making superficial remarks about the Snow Queen’s breasts and legs and scars like the Brand leader had on Twitter regarding Selena’s makeup and eyes. All superficial, while Giovanni simply laughed and pointed and make some asinine theory about Selena’s scars or hair or eyes that involved witchcraft or aliens or gods knew what else.
“You want to know?” Ryan prompted, pressing Selena’s focus to return to the present.
“I want to know what it will take for you to leave our children alone.” Selena replied. “Is it just about the money, Ryan? I mean, truthfully. Because if it is, I…” she sighed, shrugging her shoulders. “I can get that.”
The man’s eyes narrowed. “You can provide me with ten million dollars?” he scoffed at that notion, earning a sigh from Selena.
“I can’t legally touch what Malcolm has put aside for the children.” Selena admitted. “But… yes. If I sell the house, sell the bus and plane, investments, and what savings I’ve amassed-“
“Savings?” Ryan laughed. “We’re talking about-“
“Ryan…” Selena shook her head. “I’ve been a main-event SCW superstar for years. My income has been one of the highest currently in SCW – we’re talking millions, okay? And do you have any idea how long I’ve been World Champion in the past year? I made a million just on the bonuses of that. So, yes! It is possible that I could get you that much money if you gave me some time.”
It was Ryan’s turn to be surprised, his dark eyes going wide before his expression turned sour, a scowl growing across his features. “All that money and yet he CHOSE you.”
“He chose his grandchildren.” Selena corrected. “But what does it matter, Ryan? This whole thing was about getting more money? If that’s all that matters, then I can get it for you.”
Looking away, the young man seemed to be deep in thought for several minutes before turning his head back to the Snow Queen. “Conditions?”
“Of course there are.” Selena huffed. “You’re asking me to basically uproot my entire life and much of my earnings. Of course there are conditions.”
“What are they?” he asked, his voice detached and cold. “I suppose you’ll want me to drop out of the mayoral race?”
“No.” Selena shook her head. “If that’s truly what you want, then I will let whatever happens today happen if you agree to this. You win? More power to you. But what I want is immunity.”
“Immunity?” Ryan asked, an eyebrow raised.
“You take the money, this ends. You leave me alone. Leave the children alone. Leave Deanna alone. All of it. No more trying to take them from me. No more threatening us or ‘altering the laws of Nome’ or whatever the hell you’re planning.” He grinned at that. “This ends.” She gestured towards herself and Ryan.
“Anything else?” He asked, tilting his head to the side.
“Yes.” Selena’s eyes narrowed. “You let Talia divorce you without any resistance.”
A knowing smile came to the man at the mention of that particular demand. “I see.” He started, pushing himself out of his chair. “I take it she spoke to you?”
“She can’t really speak after you broke her jaw.”
“Hearsay.” Ryan remarked with a grin. “And if anyone should be mad, it should be me. You turned her against me.”
“Me?” laughed Selena. “You’re blaming me for her choices?”
“How else can I explain it?” Ryan laughed. “She hated you! Despised you with every fiber of her being. In fact, that’s how we bonded. She hated you and I hated being tied down to you over some plan of my father’s. Yet, what was it? A year? Year and a half? In Germany and, suddenly, she’s singing you praises! Suddenly, we don’t connect like we use to. Suddenly, she’s second-guessing me and growing a conscience? The X factor here is you and Germany.”
“You think I brainwashed her?” Selena asked in disbelief.
“I was going to say hex or witchcraft.” Ryan mocked. “Cause I thought the idea was hilarious when the bearded guy on television kept saying it about you. ‘Selena the Wicked Witch’. Fits, I think.”
Selena narrowed her eyes and kept quiet for a moment. She had no desire to talk or even think about work in her current state of undress – her arms instinctively crossing over her chest.
“Or maybe she realized being tied to you wasn’t worth whatever ‘revenge’ she could have against me. Maybe, unlike you, she grew up and held herself accountable for her choices and letting go of the past – as you claimed to do just a few minutes ago.” Selena shook her head. “I want an answer, Ryan.” She pressed. “Yes or no.”
Before her sapphire eyes, Ryan took a long inhale and exhale, reaching up to scratch at the underside of his chin before turning back to Selena. “No.” he replied simply.
“Are you serious?” Selena asked, though she was only partially surprised.
“Very.” Ryan replied. “See, Selena, it’s not just about the money at this point. Sure, ten million is a lot but that’s all you’re offering me. But if I were to go through with my plan, not only do I eventually get said ten million, but I also get to throw it all back in father’s face!”
“Throw what-“
“The fact that he chose you!” Ryan shot back before Selena could even finish her sentence. “The fact that, despite EVERYTHING I did for him, he chose you! The people I ‘removed’ for him. The obstacles I took down for him – all I did, all I HAD, was his word that it would all be mine if I obeyed and worked myself to death FOR HIM!” his eyes narrowed and Selena could feel the anger – like a damn burn – of his glare. “And he chose you.”
For a brief moment, warning lanced through Selena’s frame, the Snow Queen acutely aware that she was standing in a room with a man that was not above beating women, as he had Talia.
“Easy, Ryan.” She held up her hand. “I’m not Talia.” Her glare grew colder. “I’ve taken down men twice your size-“ she eyed him, the man only a little broader and taller in stature than her. “Don’t think I won’t throw a punch at you if you throw one at me.”
For a moment, Ryan seemed to register the logistics such an act from him would result… and he must not have liked what he surmised, for he slowly backed away, nodding his head. “Funny…”
“What is?” Selena asked, tilting her head to the side.
“That bastard said the same thing. What did you call him? Killjoy? He was far more intimidating. And yet…” he held up his hand as if waiting for something before suddenly shaking a little. “Oh there it is! I could feel it coming.”
“Feel what coming?”
“That tingle of fear down my spine. Just like it. You know what? Forget what I said about us being similar.” He laughed. “You’ve got more in common with him than you do with me! It’s uncanny!”
“Now you’re just spouting whatever you want to hurt me. You’ve already proven you don’t have a spine, daddy’s boy.”
“Maybe.” He shrugged. “But this ‘daddy’s boy’ is gonna throw everything daddy did back in his face…” he was suddenly very close to Selena, glaring down at her from his taller stature. “And if you go down in the process… well, I doubt I’ll lose much sleep about it by this point.”
His eyes trailed down Selena’s frame for a slight second before he scoffed. “Nice panties, by the way.” He said before pushing past her, heading back towards the exit of the office and into the house. “I trust you know the way out. I’ve got an election to win and a town to run-“
He never got to finish his sentence as Selena acted, the Snow Queen grabbing the thin man by his neck and shoulder. With a kick of her foot to the back of his knees, Ryan was suddenly down and falling, the target clear in Selena’s mind. She had noticed the door handle when she had walked in. With a BANG!, as she had with dozens of superstars against ring-posts, turnbuckles, tables and even stairs in SCW, Selena slammed Ryan’s head into the brass doorknob, the politician’s head bouncing off it and her former fiancée falling into a heap on the floor.
“Gotta watch those bumps in the carpet, Ryan.” Selena whispered before moving past the unconscious man. Quickly, her eyes scanned the room fully, taking in the shelf of pictures. Again, Talia’s words echoed in her mind.
Behind the picture in the study. The one with Malcolm and I after I graduated law school...
Carefully, Selena’s eyes scanned every shelf quickly. There weren’t many pictures on the shelf. Mostly of Ryan doing something like a charity or graduating or standing with Malcolm – there wasn’t even one of his wedding to Talia, which only made Selena scoff. Still, a second later, she spied the only picture that wasn’t of him. The one Talia had pointed out. Desperately, she reached behind it and up against the wall of the tall drawer, her fingers tracing against the small cube that was stuck to it. With a sharp tug, she freed it from the magnet that kept it there and pulled the device off the shelf to examine it.
The miniature spy came was no bigger than a Lego piece and yet, this close, she could see the little camera-lens that stared back at her. This was what Talia had wanted her to find – what she had planted there per Selena’s instructions before confronting Ryan.
“Gotcha…” Selena whispered, turning her head to look down at the still unconscious man. “You were right, Ryan.” She sighed, holding up the small camera that had all the footage she needed to ruin him. “I did have a plan…but I wasn’t the one that was bugged.”
Quickly, and carefully, Selena stepped over Ryan and ran down the hall, stopping only at the door she had used to enter the house to throw her clothes back on, immediately feeling the security as her clothes rested over her skin and scars. Without a second’s thought, she unlocked the door, shoved the camera into her pant pocket and was about to step out when her eyes spied the dark purple-colored coat she had spotted earlier – Ryan’s trademark coat, like the leather jacket had been Gavin’s when they were teenagers.
Her hand moved as her brain formed the thought. Might as well complete the set… As she threw the coat over her frame, surprised that it fit her better than she had thought it would. “You would be needing it where you’re going…” she added before picking up her leather coat and rushing out the door. She had to get to the others – the polls had already opened and they needed to get to a computer.
The entire election literally depended on it!
************************************************************
Project: Black Ice
”The Line is Dead”
She was already walking through the thick snow as she slowly realized where she was, her mind becoming ‘aware’ of its surroundings as if waking up from a dream. She could see the trees surrounding her, black needles of leaves that held up thick coats of snow, ready to drop them the moment the burden became too heavy.
I almost forgot this place… she admitted to herself, her thought sounding more like it was spoken rather than whispered in her mind. There was a bit of shame to it. Had she become complacent? Had she become consumed by what little happiness she had had in the prior months that her mind had ‘managed’ to dull her sleep with dreamless nights? Had it taken a death threat to Deanna and a deadline she could never reach to bring her back to this place? To the place she would always die?
Another step forward – always forward, never back. What was waiting for her back there anyway? Was it the same oblivion? Was it inevitability? The idea that, regardless of whichever she went, it would be ‘forward’? Taking her to the same spot – the same doom that awaited her?
Her eyes caught sight of something amidst the snowstorm that flowed around her. A clump of pale skin and hair with robes wrapped around it. The snow had buried most of him, but she recognized the long thick hair at the top of the head and hair that flowed from the bottom of the face that was buried in the snow. Cid…
Beyond him, just a few inches up lay his co-conspirator and Selena did not need to study her, for she was on her back, her eyes like glass, lifeless, as she ‘stared’ up at the storm. The wanderer felt no sadness at seeing Holly Adams like this. The woman was wretched and conniving – it was her that had created the whole “Brand” to begin with. Her that had manipulated Cid and Asher Hayes. Her that had tried to build that damn stable – like a cancer – into SCW to suck the life out of it. It had been enough of a power to bring back that maniacal bastard-
She almost tripped when her foot caught side of Glory Braddock, lying next to Autumn Valentine, both with the same lifeless expressions on their faces, though they obviously wore different attires suited to their ‘place’ in the world. These two women, Selena should have expected, yet she still felt a pang in her heart at seeming them like this – women she respected, if for nothing else, for their talent and hard work ethic. She wanted to stop and help them, but she knew she couldn’t.
“They aren’t real.” She whispered, seeing her breath condense on the air, misting away to join the other winds, as she continued walking.
Kimberly Williams
Brittany Lohan
Kandis – Selena stopped for a moment to regard her, feeling the regret seize her heart. Out of them all, she didn’t deserve to be in this field. She had been just caught in the ‘crossfire’ of Double Jeopardy, like Lohan… but it was far worse for Kandis, and in her temporary stopping, Selena wondered if she would ever be free of such regret…
The sight of Tommy Valentine – the furthest along the trail took her focus, the platinum-blonde continuing to walk. She passed them all, all lying in the snow, half or even three-quarters buried, all in different positions. All dead. Surrounding some of them, like Holly and Cid and even Kimberly, she could spy those same pamplets and pins she had seen in her past, some older than others – the discoloration and tears in some of them evident of that.
“Join The Brand”
“Vote Holly Adams! It’s Ugly If You Don’t”
“Embrace the Gleebnorb!”
“Join Lexy’s Group”
“BECOME A PLATINUM VIP MEMBER TODAY!!! AND FOR A LIMITED TIME WHEN YOU JOIN THE HAÜS OF NIRVANA YOU WILL GET A POSITIVE STATE PAMPHLET!!! WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR!? CALL NOW!!”
She kept walking, leaving it all behind her. The litter of bodies and paraphernalia – what more was it than a memory of where she had come from and where she was headed? Yet it had not been her past that had brought her back her. Her eyes scanned down to regard herself, the sight of her causing her to stop her pushing through the winds and heavy snow once more. She had not noticed what she was wearing until that moment.
Wrapped around her toned frame was her wrestling attire, at least in terms of the design. She recognized the snowflakes that decorated her shoulders and the sashes that flowed around her from being attached to her back. But instead of black and white, the usual colors of her attire, they were decorated in magenta… the color of her favourite nightgown. Running her hands down it, she ‘felt’ the fabric against her skin, achingly similar to the feeling of when she would snuggle with her beloved Deanna in their bed.
The sash around her waist, however, was leather, just like her favourite jacket. The one she had stolen from Gavin Scythe when they were children – her first true moment of defiance as “the Snow Queen”. Reaching up, she felt for her hair, finding it blowing in the wind as well. While it was tied up in her iconic braid… it was still shorter than it had been most of her life and there were dark purple flowers ‘pinned’ into it, like how Deanna had done her hair several weeks ago for her…
What was she here? Was she Selena Frost? Facing her doom at the hands of Killjoy? Was she the World Champion, about to be annihilated by Giovanni Aries? Was she the wife of Deanna Frost, about to lose the most important person in her life? Was she ‘The Face of SCW’ about to lose everything she had built for the federation she loved nearly as much as her family?
She… she didn’t know. Still, she kept walking. Even if she couldn’t be certain who she was in this space, she knew the ending – knew the inevitable conclusion. And she refused to run from it. She would face it like she had everything else. And screw pride! If she had to beg Killjoy to take her life and spare Deanna, she would do it in a heartbeat! No hesitation. No remorse.
I only pray to Odin that she’ll forgive me… Selena sighed. The platinum-blonde and her redhead of a wife had only been truly reunited for a little over a year, and they had promised each other many more years together now that Deanna had been free from prison. It was a promise Selena was certain she could no longer keep.
How many times had she lived this nightmare? Her own mind, as if in preparation, sending her through this trial over and over again, as if to prepare her for what it knew was inevitable? She had dodged so many bullets and deaths with the DeCarlos, then the Scythes, then the Dragon-Slayers, then her own clan of the Frost/Frostmere… all leading back to the Scythes, or rather Killjoy. A sad smile graced her lips.
Can’t keep dodging forever… she sighed. Sooner or later, a bullet would hit-
Lifting her head, the woman realized that the forest had cleared into a large field of snow, a clearing that was devoid of anything but white powder, winds, and one being standing there in the middle, waiting for her.
She recognized the dark leather the figure wore – leather that suddenly flashed white before it went back to black –blowing in the wind as she approached him closer and closer, the wind and snow slowly dying to become deadly silent. Even the sound of her wrestling boots in the snow no longer held the ‘crunching’ sound they once had. She was able to stand up straight to her full height now, no longer hindered by the wind, as she stopped just a few yards away from the madman. The closeness allowed her to see the black, grinning skull that covered the face – or was that just a long, messy beard that held the sinister grin? The eyes were sockets – but Selena was sure she saw eyes hiding in them – eyes that seemed cruel and conniving while they lied about ‘happiness’ and ‘bliss’ like they could be sold for money.
She wanted to say something to the figure, but she couldn’t find the words. Nothing came to her. She wanted to curse him for all he had taken from her, but he would just laugh at her. She wanted to damn him for stealing her time away from Deanna, but he would just laugh at her. She wanted to hear him swear that, once she was dead, that no harm would come to Deanna or their children, but he would just laugh at her.
Words would get her nowhere now. This was the conclusion of her war with Killjoy. And they both knew it.
Slowly, Selena saw the skulled-man lift his arm up towards her – were those tattoos of Alice in Wonderland characters etched into the leather of the coat he wore – no, that was ridiculous. In the bastard’s hand, he held a black gun, pointing directly at the Snow Queen’s heart, a kill-shot to be sure. Fitting… she thought, unable to stop the smile that slowly crossed her features.
“Time’s up.” Came the altered voice of Killjoy, but it was different. Why was she reminded of hearing such a voice during Breakdown and many past episodes of it as well as many infomercials she wished she hadn’t sat through?
“Yeah, I know.” Selena smiled, letting her arms rest to her side. “I know.”
She didn’t hear the bang of the shot. She didn’t see the bullet hit her, nor did she feel it. All she saw as she fell back were the dark skies above. All she heard was that damn laugh that she hated with every part of her…
Still, was it the laugh of an altered voice she hated more? Or the laugh she also heard mixed in with it. A laugh that she had heard many times as she stood in an SCW ring… She couldn’t be sure which one she hated more. It was the last thing she wondered. The last thing she wouldn’t receive an answer to.
And then… Oblivion.
***********************************************************
Gavin Scythe Campaign Headquarters – Church of the Nazarene
Nome, Alaska
June 1st, 2022
8:31pm
Time before Deadline: 3 hours, 29 minutes
The polls in Nome had been closed for about half an hour, meaning the live results of the “Mayoral Election” from each voting ‘station’ would soon begin being posted, a fact that was clear by the number of nervous glances towards the clock hanging on the wall, which continued to strike the hour.
Selena Frost envied them. She wished she could just be nervous about the election – there was enough reason to worry about that to the point a panic or anxiety attack would be expected. But no, the clock continued to mock her, reminding her not only of the uncertainty of her children’s future, but that of herself and her own wife. Seemingly unrelated worries yet all tied together by that skulled piece of crap!
Taking a slow breath to calm herself, the Snow Queen was temporarily distracted by a couple – two of the few dozen or so that had chosen to attend the sort of ‘election party’, for lack of better words – sharing a few words with them before they made their way further into the room. Almost traditional with other elections, Gavin Scythe had rented out a space for his ‘campaign headquarters’ for the night of elections so a sort of gathering could occur for those wishing to be supportive. The karma/irony was not lost on Selena that the place picked for the gathering had been the ‘meeting room’ for AA meetings in Nome, Alaska – a decently sized backroom of the Church of Nazarene – Nome’s most popular church. Despite herself, Selena almost found amusement in the simple white walls, which she and the others had decorated with “Gavin Scythe for Mayor” posters, and miscolored (and faded) carpeted floors.
Maybe I should have gone to some of the meetings here…
It was a bitterly amusing thought, that tonight was the first time she had ever stepped foot into the room meant for recovering alcoholics to meet and to heal. But it was her own fault – she had been a different woman back then. Before she had left this town, while she knew there were ‘things’ wrong with her, she hadn’t cared enough to believe that her drinking was one of them or that it was worth changing when she was already hated and vilified as “the Crazy Miner’s Daughter” and “The Snow Queen”. It had only been when she had taken a risk to change it all that she allowed herself to take a good look at her own person and see the problems that she needed to fix – her dependency on alcohol being just one of the many issues.
Now? She wouldn’t have hesitated to attend one of these meetings if she came back to live here, which she had no intention to – her place was in her ‘Forever Home’ with Deanna... And of course, speaking of which, there’s the “issue” that I’m a lesbian and happily married to one. she quietly laughed at her own humor, but even so, she had to remark that she had come a long way from where she had started nearly nine years ago.
And it all ends tonight…
She sighed at that. She had tried. Tried with everything she had to meet the demands of Killjoy – to meet his deadline of uncovering what Project: Black Ice was. And she had come so close – she was sure of it. She and Deanna, along with Rebecca Scythe, had been onto something with Project: Snowman and the abandoned orphanage/homeless shelter Malcolm had built and then suddenly discarded officially in 1989. That fact STILL unnerved her. According to all files she and Deanna had found, the center had been closed three years after its construction – which Rebecca confirmed… but then there was the file of Resident 222: Atlas, that seemed to suggest it had continued ‘unofficially’, or at least to some effect according to Director Spencer’s files, for two more years…
The familiar headache that came with these thoughts hit Selena, forcing Selena to shake her head. She had spent the near ten days wracking her brain, trying to figure out the connection. The difference in dates, Atlas, the center, Project: Snowman, and how it all tied in with Black Ice – and the inevitable bitterness would return. The fact that she just didn’t know. There wasn’t enough facts to tie it all together – or she was just missing the single thread that did!
What were you doing, Malcolm? she wracked her brain. What were you planning?
Her eyes flew to the large television that Gavin had set up hours ago and set to the news channel KTUU-TV of NBC, which was set in Anchorage, but kept up to date with the going-ons of Nome. On the screen, to the right side was the smiling face of Ryan Scythe, while Gavin’s was on the left, each with a meter to determine how many votes/percentage of votes they currently had. At present, both were at zero as the first wave of results hadn’t been released yet. Still, there was always a face in the crowd glancing up at it nervously, hoping to see some good news towards their chosen candidate.
The flash of red amongst the crowd caught Selena’s eyes, instantly gaining her attention. It, inevitably as it always did, caused the Snow Queen to smile, despite herself, her sapphire eyes locked on the owner to see Deanna helping herself to a paper-cup of coffee, adding more than enough sugar and cream to it. For the occasion, she had worn a rather sharp black pantsuit with a striking red undershirt. It was very similar to Selena’s attire, though the older Frost had chosen a white dress shirt, black pants and added a special accessory at the literal last-minute over her frame.
She watched her beloved wife wince as Deanna drank too much of the hot coffee in her first sip, the redhead sticking her tongue out to try and ease the heat out of her mouth and avoid burning herself. Of course, when her emerald eyes opened, she spied Selena looking at her from across the room, the platinum-blonde quietly (and only a little) laughing behind her hand. Smirking with a bit of a pursed lip-pout, Deanna stole a quick glance to the side before picking up a napkin to nab one of the big doughnuts that filled several boxes lying on the tables near the wall – a snack station for the members that came out to support Gavin. The honey cruller in her hand, the younger Frost made her way through the crowd, excusing herself as she passed several people, their voices a jumble of noise as they mingled. Selena kept her eyes on her beloved, unable to stop the smile that stayed on her face.
I love her so much… she thought, feeling her eyes sting a little, wanting to release a few tears, but she held them back. Within a few seconds, the shorter Deanna was standing before her, holding the sugary-confection up to Selena.
“Honey cruller for my honey?” she asked with zero hesitation or shame.
“Oh, gods…” Selena couldn’t stop the snort of laugh that escaped her, brief as it was. It only added to her previous thought and the platinum-blonde chose to dive in, pulling Deanna to her to press a firm, needed kiss to her wife’s lips. Immediately, Deanna’s arms went wide, holding the cup of coffee and the doughnut as far away from the two of them as possible, though she was still kissing Selena back for all she was worth – with zero cares that they were standing in a VERY Christian church. Selena’s arms wrapped around her wife’s waist to keep her steady. Slowly, so as not to rock her beloved and spill the coffee/doughnut combo, Selena moved her head back to regard the shorter redhead. “You knew that was bad before you even said it, didn’t you?”
“Yep.” Deanna smiled, moving her arms in to sip at her coffee and offering the doughnut to Selena.
“No, thank you.” Selena smiled. “That’ll sit in my stomach like a lead weight. But I will have some…”. Carefully, she took the plastic cup from Deanna’s hand to sip a bit of the hot coffee, thankful for the excess cream that helped cool it a little. “Thanks.” She smiled, returning the cup to her wife. “I’m gonna need a few of those tonight, I think.”
Biting her lower lip, Deanna waited for Selena to fully release her before nibbling on the cruller. “Long night planned.” She replied – a statement rather than a question. “Guess I’ll take a few more too.”
“You don’t have to.” Selena tried. “He’s not waiting for you.”
“But I’m waiting for you.” Deanna warned, her eyes narrowing. “I’m not going to sleep till you’re in bed with me.”
“Deanna…” Selena tried. “You know that’s not how this may play out.”
“I don’t care.” Deanna shook her head, moving to a nearby table to place her food drink on them, dusting off her hands before regarding her wife.
“We tried, okay?” she exclaimed, shrugging her shoulders. “We tried doing it the honorable way. We tried doing it the good way. We even tried doing it Killjoy’s way by trying to solve his stupid mystery. Now? I’m done, okay? I am done. I am done with this guy scaring the hell out of us. I’m done with him threatening us. And I am done with this stupid deadline and endangering me and the woman I love, okay?”
She gave a quick shake of her head before shrugging her shoulders. “We know where he is going to be? We set up a trap. You draw him out, done deal.”
“Done deal?” Selena laughed sadly. “The police laughed us out of the station. You heard them. ‘Crazy miner’s daughter slash wrestler has an ‘in’ with the Nome Serial Killer?’. No one believed us.”
“So, we make our own trap.” Deanna gave her head a quick shake as she contemplated, her shoulders, again, giving a slight shrug. “There’s one of him and with you, me, Gavin, Jean and Zoe, that makes five-“
“You really want to endanger them to this?”
“I…” Deanna halted, biting her lower lip. “Okay, fine. You and me. Still two on one!”
“Last time we did that, he beat me to a pulp and-“
“And I shot him in the arm!” Deanna pressed. “We can do it, Selena! End this once and for all.”
“Deanna…” Selena tried. “You’re talking about killing someone. That isn’t you. It never will be.”
“How do you know?” Deanna dared, emerald eyes glaring at Selena.
Despite the angered stare from the redhead, Selena could only smile sadly before reaching up to caress her wife’s face. “Because if you could kill him, you would have done it nearly a year ago when you had the shot in Rebecca’s cabin.” She saw the shorter woman’s emerald eyes grow wide over such an assessment but nearly a year of replaying that scene over and over again in her head had made such a conclusion natural to Selena. “You purposefully aimed for the shoulder, didn’t you?”
Deanna’s mouth opened to protest, the jaw shaking a little before she looked down at her hands guiltily.
“I’ll meet Killjoy and tell him everything that we found. If it isn’t enough for him, I’ll beg for more time. If he refuses, I’ll…” she closed her mouth, Deanna’s head jerking up to stare her down.
“No.” growled Deanna quietly. “You will not sacrifice yourself for me.”
“Yes, I will.” Selena smiled, though her tone pressed the statement. “Because I love you.”
“Then I sacrifice myself for you!” Deanna countered sharply. “Because I love you! So, you can’t.”
“It doesn’t work like that, Deanna.” Again, a sad smile crossed her features as she shook her head. “He wants me destroyed. His game ends if I’m dead. At least where it involves you and the children. We’ve…” her eyes cast over to the television screen as numbers suddenly started to form on the ‘counters’ of both candidates. “I think we’ve survived one storm… I need to make sure the other one ends.”
She suddenly felt Deanna’s arms wrap around her, the redhead crushing herself into Selena’s toned form. “Let me go with you.” She whispered. “I’ll do anything you ask after that, but please don’t leave me alone.”
Despite herself, Selena wrapped her arms around her wife, letting the redhead silently cry into her dress-shirt and the purple jacket she wore. Despite herself, she wanted to Deanna with her. Gods above, she was fucking scared. She didn’t want to die. She didn’t want things to end now. She wanted to grow old with Deanna, watch their children grow up and have children of their own. She wanted to teach Elsianna about clothes and fashion. Wanted to teach David how to ride a motorcycle. Wanted to help Amiliah with science projects (after a quick stop to Wikipedia for guidance).
What’s more, she didn’t want to die alone. She wanted to die in Deanna’s arms – selfish as that was, especially given how she had been nine years ago, waiting for death to take her in her solitude and exile in Nome…
“I love you.” Selena whispered, reaching up to pet the back of her wife’s head affectionately. But I’ve come too far now to not see this through… too far to endanger you yet again…
***********************************************************
11 hours ago
Ryan Scythe’s house
Nome, Alaska
9:31am
Time till Deadline: 14 hours, 29 minutes
Every part of Selena was tense, and not just from the rough night she had had training. Being in Nome and its limited resources always made it difficult for her to train whenever she visited here… beyond the atypical gym and cardio training, but she hadn’t been in the mood for any of that since last Breakdown.
In terms of ‘how well the night had gone’ on the send-home episode of the SCW flagship show, Selena actually would have rated it as one of her better ones. Not only did she beat Sammy Davies Thomas – scratch that, she wasn’t going to sugar-coat a deluded follower of Giovanni Aries. She had vowed to expose both Sammy and, more importantly Giovanni and the Haus of Nirvanna for the frauds they were. They had preached about ‘success’ and ‘stardom’ like they were commodities to be easily bought, not earned, a gross disgrace to everything Selena believed in and strove to prove in SCW: the notion of integrity, honour and hard work being the backbone of why SCW was so named. So not only did she beat the man known for years as ‘STD’, ‘schooling him’ as Adam Sharper had remarked, she had dissected him and left him lying in the ring after one Glass Shard. And, to make the night even better, thanks to her beloved Deanna, she had not ended up knocked out from a blow to the head via someone using the world title for the umpteenth time – a stable in several of her matches/confrontations with the Brand, though she was sure that was exactly what Giovanni Aries had been planning to do.
Still, seeing the ‘Master of Nirvanna’ standing there with her title in his hands… eyeing it… only to toss it to the ground like it, and all it represented to her, was worthless trash… It had made her both ill and angry, almost ruining whatever positive emotions the match with Sammy had given her. If she had been anything less than a 10/10 in her desire to keep the world title away from Giovanni, the Haus, and The Brand, than seeing him holding it and tossing it to the ground effectively ramped that number up to a goddamn fourteen! She had already seen Giovanni literally dismantle a championship she had held dear – she refused to see it happen again!
Not when we’re so close…
Decidedly, Selena had committed whatever ‘training time’ she had in Nome until the pay-per-view to train outside in the woods, running through the paths/trails and using whatever she could find to train. Branches were for pullups, logs and rocks were her weights and soft fields of grass had served as her yoga/pilates mat for bodyweight exercises, balancing and meditation. The workouts always ran her ragged and, yes, they left her stiff and sore/hurt, but it was a far better method to burn out her anger and rage at those she hated than just trying to ‘lift dumbells’ and count reps.
I can’t be complacent with him again… she had told herself. I can’t ‘play it safe’ again with him…
The result had been a soreness that she knew she was going to feel all day – this morning’s and last night’s workout being particularly gruelling, but as she had noticed, that was only part of the reason for her tension. Her current location was the other.
She took another deep breath. Truthfully, she had dreaded this moment since it had been devised nearly two weeks ago. Dreaded it nine days ago when Deanna and her had rushed to the Norton Sound Regional hospital from the ‘Project: Snowman’ homeless shelter/orphanage center, having gotten a call from Gavin that Talia was in the ER.
Not only had the dark-haired woman returned to Nome from Manhattan – having stayed with the Frosts till that point – but she had also confronted her husband Ryan Scythe! In an act of pure defiance, not only had she told him that she was planning to divorce him, but she was also going to tell the papers of Nome and the news station in Anchorage that he had assaulted her. The result had been a vicious attack by Ryan to keep Talia quiet, which lead to her current inhabiting of the hospital...
How did Selena know all that had happened?
Because it was all YOUR plan. her mind hissed at her, part of her hating herself for even coming up with it. Talia leaving and confronting Ryan – an idea created from the depths of Selena’s desperation to take down the eldest Scythe son and save her children from his wrath – had been something Talia had clung to with gusto. Of course she would do it, Selena shook her head. Talia was tough and brave and she would never back down from anything. Of course she would take on this idea, even if it endangered her own well-being.
Seeing the lawyer, the woman that helped get Deanna out of Frankfurt Prison III, with a swollen black eye, a broken jaw and several broken ribs, just to name a few of her injuries, Selena could not have hated herself more in that moment. But, being awake (thanks to the painkillers), Talia had looked up at her former enemy, smiled as best as she could and used a paper and pencil to write the necessary messages to her.
I did it…
It’s behind the picture in the study. The one with Malcolm and I after I graduated law school...
It had taken every fiber of her being not to walk over to Ryan’s house then and there, kick his door down and beat the hell out of him. It had taken Deanna on top of that to stop her from doing so, but they had a plan that they needed to follow. If they had charged over there at that moment, suspicion would be on them and gods knew what Ryan would do if he found out too soon and had time to counter everything with his lawyers and resources.
No, the plan dictated that they go when it made sense to do so – and the only day that would not raise red flags with Selena’s former fiancée was today: the day of the election.
Bitterly, Selena reached up and knocked on the door sharply, taking a few breaths to calm her nerves. Conceal… don’t feel… she thought over and over again as she eventually heard steps from inside as the door opened before her, revealing the occupant who looked at her with surprise, at first, followed by a smug smile.
“Ah, Selena.” Ryan Scythe gave a tilt of his head. Despite the door only being open a small ways, it was enough for the platinum-blonde to see the black, collared shirt and dark purple pants he wore – first signs of that damned suit he always wore. “To what do I owe the pleasure?” he oozed knowingly, a smugness in his voice that always caused Selena to lose her composure then and there. “I assume this isn’t a social call?” he took the moment to run his eyes up and down her form, causing the wrestler to fight back several shivers of revulsion – she refused to show any sign of him getting to her (a practice she had mastered thanks to dealing with the likes of Giovanni and The Brand).
“It isn’t.” she replied curtly. “I want to talk about my children.”
“Our children, you mean?” Ryan raised an eyebrow.
“Biologically…” she bit her tongue, inhaling and exhaling slowly to calm herself. “I can’t refute that.”
“Oh…wow.” The eldest Scythe son grinned, satisfied. “How much did it hurt to say that?”
“Are you going to let me in so we can talk like adults or am I just wasting my time?” she asked, placing her hands on her hips. The mayoral candidate seemed to contemplate his options for a moment – whatever they were – before giving a short nod to himself and moving out of the way to grant access to the inside of his abode.
Stepping inside, the Snow Queen almost scoffed at what was before her. The place was, in a word, over the top. The walls didn’t match in wallpaper-color. One side was white, another was off-gray, the carpet kept changing colors as her eyes went from room-to-room that she could see and what were those big ‘spheres of glass’ hanging from the ceiling like chandeliers but having no lights in them? Were those necessary? Probably as ‘necessary’ as all the photos of himself on the wall. she thought in mild disgust but not much surprise. Admittedly, she did like the way the windows and dark curtains looked, much like her balcony in her Manhattan home, allowing much of the sunlight/moonlight to spill into the house whenever she wanted. Still, nothing about the interior of Ryan’s house screamed ‘home’ or ‘family’ or anything but a loud screaming of status. ‘LOOK AT ME! HERE I AM! PRAISE ME! TREAT ME LIKE A GOD OR SAVIOUR!’ The ego… no wonder he wants to be mayor so bad beyond the obvious…
The sound of the door closing behind her regained her attention, the home’s owner walking back around Selena to lean on the nearby red-stained wooden stair-rail, his arms crossed and that smugness never leaving his face.
“I want talk about-“ she started only for the brown-eyed man to scoff and laugh a little.
“Oh come on!” he mocked, turning his head to look around his abode. “As if I’m going to make THAT easy for you after all the shit you’ve put me through.”
“What are you talking about?” Selena asked, crossing her arms over her shoulder. “As I recall, you’re the one that’s done far more to me and my family than I to yours.”
“Opinions.” He scoffed, crossing his own arms, unfazed, over his chest as he continued to lean against the wooden structure. “But how do I know this isn’t some grand trick of yours – a… last second hail mary, if you will?”
“A hail mary?” Selena asked, raising an eyebrow.
“The woman that outsmarted dear old dad.” A slow grin grew across his features. “The woman that outsmarted the DeCarlo family. The Frost and Frostmere clan.” He tilted his head as he saw Selena’s eyes widened. “Did you really think we weren’t keeping tabs on you even during that stupid standstill you had with father? Please.” He scoffed. “Let’s face it, Selena, under it all, you’re as manipulating and scheming as I am.”
“That’s not true.” She replied coldly. “I do what I have to-“
“And I don’t?!”
The smugness was gone from Ryan in a second, the politician glaring daggers at his former paramour. “I didn’t ask Malcolm to mold me and fashion my path after him and then pull a ‘screw-you’ at the end and leave it all to those kids! I didn’t ask for that! And I didn’t ask YOU to bring in some lunatic to kill him.”
“I didn’t do that.” Selena warned.
“The hell you didn’t.” he shook his head. “He spoke to me, you know.”
Again, Selena’s eyes widened in shock. “Killjoy…spoke to you.”
“Oh yeah.” He nodded knowingly, licking his lips. “He said you were responsible for him. That YOU were the endgame for him now that Malcolm was dead. Not me. Not Gavin. You. So don’t stand there and tell me you don’t play a part in this.”
“What else did he say?” she asked, almost desperately. The deadline was fast approaching – only a handful of hours remained. She was almost forgetting her plan in favour for any clue to save her beloved wife from being ‘Killjoy’s latest victim’.
With a slow gesture of the hand towards her, Ryan also gave a shrug of his dress-shirt-covered shoulders. “Oh no. I told you I wasn’t falling for any of it. You could be wearing a wire or something.”
“You’ve watched too many law shows.” Selena scoffed.
“And you give me too little credit.” Glared the young man, refusing to budge from his spot. “You forget. I was there every step of the way during your wars with Malcolm. I was there when he kept his eyes on you. I was there every step – every moment – watching you.”
“I get it. You’re a sick, demented man.”
“Says the woman that once believed she had given birth to a snowman.” Ryan laughed. “How the hell did you ever come to THAT conclusion, anyway? I’ve always wondered.”
“A defence mechanism from falling into insanity.” Selena defended bitterly. “Your father, my stepmother, the drugs the pumped into my system… and you just letting it all happen.” She shook her head bitterly. “Did it ever bother you that they were doing that to me? While I was pregnant with Elsianna?” she refused to say the words that came to her head. to YOUR daughter.
“Of course it bothered me.” Ryan shook his head. “You think I believe myself flawless in all of this? I’m not.”
That surprised Selena, hearing it from such a person, but the young man continued. “I’ve made mistakes. I know that. I treated you poorly. I was a piss-poor fiancée and I lied to you. And yes, I should have done something when father and Anastasia orchestrated everything with your miscarriage – or attempted it. But I wasn’t strong enough.” He shrugged his shoulders, as if the facts were just that. Facts – with no emotional attachment to them.
“I lived for my father’s praise. I lived to follow in his footsteps and, yes, that became an obsession for me the older I got and the closer I got to doing so. I put you – Elsianna – second and I was dishonest. I was in a loveless relationship, so I cheated on you with Talia, you know that. But I deeply regret not helping you nsucceeded and you had gone mad. But…” he gave a shrug of his shoulders. “Nearly ten years and I had to move on, as did you. Now? I’m not interested in letting the past hold me back.”
“Or be held accountable.” Selena mocked.
“Again, fat lot of good that does coming from you.” He smirked, the cocky politician seemingly having returned to the forefront. “But that’s all you’re getting from me.”
“I’m not wearing a wire, Ryan.” Selena pressed.
“And I’m not dealing with the ‘Snow Queen’.” Ryan grinned. “See? I can lie too.”
“Oh for Odin’s…you want me to prove it?” she asked without thinking.
“Yes.” Came the knowing grin from Ryan.
“Fine!” the platinum-blonde barked, holding her hands up. “What you want to do? Pat me down or something?”
“No, I’m quite fine here.” He tilted his head. “Strip.”
“Excuse me?!” Selena asked, her jaw hanging open.
“You heard me.” Ryan replied coldly. “You want this conversation to go further? Prove to me you’re not bugged.”
Her pale jaw clenched, her hands tightened to fists, and her anger and hatred towards the man spiked. Despite his serious demeanor, Selena could still see the smug position of power that Ryan knew he had with her being her wanting to ‘talk’. With a huff, her head turned to look around the room, anywhere but at Ryan. She spied the ugly paintings on the wall, the coat-stand near the door that held the damned purple, single-breasted trench overcoat that he was famous of wearing, the fireplace that was clearly decorative…
Biting her lower lip, Selena quickly shrugged out of her leather jacket, dropping her beloved ‘armor’ to the ground. Her light-blue, buttoned up shirt came next, followed by her shoes, socks and, lastly, her blue jeans, until she stood there in her black underwear and bra, glaring daggers at Ryan.
“Satisfied?” she growled, her hands at her sides.
The politician didn’t even appraise the view before him, merely nodding his head and moving off his ‘perch’ to saunter further into the house. “Come.” He ordered and, despite herself, Selena obeyed, following him as he made his way further down the halls and down a flight of stairs until they were inside an office space – or what appeared to be an office space to Selena. It had a shelf full of books, a large computer stand/station, dark purple walls (Gods, he was obsessed with that color) and a large, black throne chair, which Ryan moved to occupy as he sat comfortably in it, his eyes back on Selena.
“Go.” He ordered.
“I want to know…” she tried, closing her eyes to maintain her composure. There was nothing about this that she liked – feeling this exposed, almost vulnerable. Giovanni and The Brand had nothing on this, but they weren’t demanding she strip in front of the SCW Universe just to make a statement, to which Selena was grateful. She could just imagine Holly making superficial remarks about the Snow Queen’s breasts and legs and scars like the Brand leader had on Twitter regarding Selena’s makeup and eyes. All superficial, while Giovanni simply laughed and pointed and make some asinine theory about Selena’s scars or hair or eyes that involved witchcraft or aliens or gods knew what else.
“You want to know?” Ryan prompted, pressing Selena’s focus to return to the present.
“I want to know what it will take for you to leave our children alone.” Selena replied. “Is it just about the money, Ryan? I mean, truthfully. Because if it is, I…” she sighed, shrugging her shoulders. “I can get that.”
The man’s eyes narrowed. “You can provide me with ten million dollars?” he scoffed at that notion, earning a sigh from Selena.
“I can’t legally touch what Malcolm has put aside for the children.” Selena admitted. “But… yes. If I sell the house, sell the bus and plane, investments, and what savings I’ve amassed-“
“Savings?” Ryan laughed. “We’re talking about-“
“Ryan…” Selena shook her head. “I’ve been a main-event SCW superstar for years. My income has been one of the highest currently in SCW – we’re talking millions, okay? And do you have any idea how long I’ve been World Champion in the past year? I made a million just on the bonuses of that. So, yes! It is possible that I could get you that much money if you gave me some time.”
It was Ryan’s turn to be surprised, his dark eyes going wide before his expression turned sour, a scowl growing across his features. “All that money and yet he CHOSE you.”
“He chose his grandchildren.” Selena corrected. “But what does it matter, Ryan? This whole thing was about getting more money? If that’s all that matters, then I can get it for you.”
Looking away, the young man seemed to be deep in thought for several minutes before turning his head back to the Snow Queen. “Conditions?”
“Of course there are.” Selena huffed. “You’re asking me to basically uproot my entire life and much of my earnings. Of course there are conditions.”
“What are they?” he asked, his voice detached and cold. “I suppose you’ll want me to drop out of the mayoral race?”
“No.” Selena shook her head. “If that’s truly what you want, then I will let whatever happens today happen if you agree to this. You win? More power to you. But what I want is immunity.”
“Immunity?” Ryan asked, an eyebrow raised.
“You take the money, this ends. You leave me alone. Leave the children alone. Leave Deanna alone. All of it. No more trying to take them from me. No more threatening us or ‘altering the laws of Nome’ or whatever the hell you’re planning.” He grinned at that. “This ends.” She gestured towards herself and Ryan.
“Anything else?” He asked, tilting his head to the side.
“Yes.” Selena’s eyes narrowed. “You let Talia divorce you without any resistance.”
A knowing smile came to the man at the mention of that particular demand. “I see.” He started, pushing himself out of his chair. “I take it she spoke to you?”
“She can’t really speak after you broke her jaw.”
“Hearsay.” Ryan remarked with a grin. “And if anyone should be mad, it should be me. You turned her against me.”
“Me?” laughed Selena. “You’re blaming me for her choices?”
“How else can I explain it?” Ryan laughed. “She hated you! Despised you with every fiber of her being. In fact, that’s how we bonded. She hated you and I hated being tied down to you over some plan of my father’s. Yet, what was it? A year? Year and a half? In Germany and, suddenly, she’s singing you praises! Suddenly, we don’t connect like we use to. Suddenly, she’s second-guessing me and growing a conscience? The X factor here is you and Germany.”
“You think I brainwashed her?” Selena asked in disbelief.
“I was going to say hex or witchcraft.” Ryan mocked. “Cause I thought the idea was hilarious when the bearded guy on television kept saying it about you. ‘Selena the Wicked Witch’. Fits, I think.”
Selena narrowed her eyes and kept quiet for a moment. She had no desire to talk or even think about work in her current state of undress – her arms instinctively crossing over her chest.
“Or maybe she realized being tied to you wasn’t worth whatever ‘revenge’ she could have against me. Maybe, unlike you, she grew up and held herself accountable for her choices and letting go of the past – as you claimed to do just a few minutes ago.” Selena shook her head. “I want an answer, Ryan.” She pressed. “Yes or no.”
Before her sapphire eyes, Ryan took a long inhale and exhale, reaching up to scratch at the underside of his chin before turning back to Selena. “No.” he replied simply.
“Are you serious?” Selena asked, though she was only partially surprised.
“Very.” Ryan replied. “See, Selena, it’s not just about the money at this point. Sure, ten million is a lot but that’s all you’re offering me. But if I were to go through with my plan, not only do I eventually get said ten million, but I also get to throw it all back in father’s face!”
“Throw what-“
“The fact that he chose you!” Ryan shot back before Selena could even finish her sentence. “The fact that, despite EVERYTHING I did for him, he chose you! The people I ‘removed’ for him. The obstacles I took down for him – all I did, all I HAD, was his word that it would all be mine if I obeyed and worked myself to death FOR HIM!” his eyes narrowed and Selena could feel the anger – like a damn burn – of his glare. “And he chose you.”
For a brief moment, warning lanced through Selena’s frame, the Snow Queen acutely aware that she was standing in a room with a man that was not above beating women, as he had Talia.
“Easy, Ryan.” She held up her hand. “I’m not Talia.” Her glare grew colder. “I’ve taken down men twice your size-“ she eyed him, the man only a little broader and taller in stature than her. “Don’t think I won’t throw a punch at you if you throw one at me.”
For a moment, Ryan seemed to register the logistics such an act from him would result… and he must not have liked what he surmised, for he slowly backed away, nodding his head. “Funny…”
“What is?” Selena asked, tilting her head to the side.
“That bastard said the same thing. What did you call him? Killjoy? He was far more intimidating. And yet…” he held up his hand as if waiting for something before suddenly shaking a little. “Oh there it is! I could feel it coming.”
“Feel what coming?”
“That tingle of fear down my spine. Just like it. You know what? Forget what I said about us being similar.” He laughed. “You’ve got more in common with him than you do with me! It’s uncanny!”
“Now you’re just spouting whatever you want to hurt me. You’ve already proven you don’t have a spine, daddy’s boy.”
“Maybe.” He shrugged. “But this ‘daddy’s boy’ is gonna throw everything daddy did back in his face…” he was suddenly very close to Selena, glaring down at her from his taller stature. “And if you go down in the process… well, I doubt I’ll lose much sleep about it by this point.”
His eyes trailed down Selena’s frame for a slight second before he scoffed. “Nice panties, by the way.” He said before pushing past her, heading back towards the exit of the office and into the house. “I trust you know the way out. I’ve got an election to win and a town to run-“
He never got to finish his sentence as Selena acted, the Snow Queen grabbing the thin man by his neck and shoulder. With a kick of her foot to the back of his knees, Ryan was suddenly down and falling, the target clear in Selena’s mind. She had noticed the door handle when she had walked in. With a BANG!, as she had with dozens of superstars against ring-posts, turnbuckles, tables and even stairs in SCW, Selena slammed Ryan’s head into the brass doorknob, the politician’s head bouncing off it and her former fiancée falling into a heap on the floor.
“Gotta watch those bumps in the carpet, Ryan.” Selena whispered before moving past the unconscious man. Quickly, her eyes scanned the room fully, taking in the shelf of pictures. Again, Talia’s words echoed in her mind.
Behind the picture in the study. The one with Malcolm and I after I graduated law school...
Carefully, Selena’s eyes scanned every shelf quickly. There weren’t many pictures on the shelf. Mostly of Ryan doing something like a charity or graduating or standing with Malcolm – there wasn’t even one of his wedding to Talia, which only made Selena scoff. Still, a second later, she spied the only picture that wasn’t of him. The one Talia had pointed out. Desperately, she reached behind it and up against the wall of the tall drawer, her fingers tracing against the small cube that was stuck to it. With a sharp tug, she freed it from the magnet that kept it there and pulled the device off the shelf to examine it.
The miniature spy came was no bigger than a Lego piece and yet, this close, she could see the little camera-lens that stared back at her. This was what Talia had wanted her to find – what she had planted there per Selena’s instructions before confronting Ryan.
“Gotcha…” Selena whispered, turning her head to look down at the still unconscious man. “You were right, Ryan.” She sighed, holding up the small camera that had all the footage she needed to ruin him. “I did have a plan…but I wasn’t the one that was bugged.”
Quickly, and carefully, Selena stepped over Ryan and ran down the hall, stopping only at the door she had used to enter the house to throw her clothes back on, immediately feeling the security as her clothes rested over her skin and scars. Without a second’s thought, she unlocked the door, shoved the camera into her pant pocket and was about to step out when her eyes spied the dark purple-colored coat she had spotted earlier – Ryan’s trademark coat, like the leather jacket had been Gavin’s when they were teenagers.
Her hand moved as her brain formed the thought. Might as well complete the set… As she threw the coat over her frame, surprised that it fit her better than she had thought it would. “You would be needing it where you’re going…” she added before picking up her leather coat and rushing out the door. She had to get to the others – the polls had already opened and they needed to get to a computer.
The entire election literally depended on it!
************************************************************
![[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, 2024)
Winner of Roofed Cage Match (2019)
Winner of Last Person Standing Match (2019)
The Unbelievable Main Event (2021-2025)
Winner of Double Jeopardy Match (2022)
Winner of EOTY Invitational (2023)
Winner of EOTY Invitational (2023)
Winner of Ironman Match (2024)
Wrestler of the Year (2016, 2021, 2022, 2024)
Tag-Team of the Year (2020 - w/ Regan Street)
Match of the Year (2018, 2019, 2021, 2023, 2024)
Feud of the Year (2014, 2019)
Shocking Moment of the Year (2024)
![[Image: 34zetxl.png]](https://i.ibb.co/SnpvD5T/34zetxl.png)