Post by Selena Frost on Dec 17, 2022 23:36:20 GMT -5
Frost ‘Forever Home’
Manhattan, New York
December 22nd, 2045
1:13pm
Elsianna Frost stepped out of her car, letting the cold wind push her hair. The thirty-three-year-old felt the rush of nostalgia as she stood in the driveway of the Manhattan-located house. She sighed. It’s good to be home…
The yard was swarming with Christmas décor, looking like a variable “Santa’s village”! The young woman felt the warmth in her chest at the sight. With a sigh, Elsianna reached into her car to pull out her purse and the glass-pan of cheesecake she had made for the occasion. It was more than ‘Christmas-time’. It was her mothers’ pearl anniversary this year. Hard to believe it’s been thirty years…
She made her way along the driveway, her eyes catching the large vehicle in front of her. It was covered with snow, but there was no denying the ‘AXTGRIFF’ that sat there. Can’t believe they’ve kept it after all these years. Elsianna smiled amusingly at that. She could just hear her mothers refusing the idea of replacing it with a newer model. Words like ‘first-of-its-kind’ and ‘collector’s item’ and whatnot...
With a sigh, Elsianna ascended the stairs before reaching up to knock on the door with her free hand. Immediately, she heard a loud, joyous scream before the shuffling of feet on the other side before the door was thrown open. Before her, beaming, stood the shorter, older woman.
“Sweetie!” Deanna Frost exclaimed.
“Hey, mom.” Elsianna smiled, immediately being pulled into the house, the door being pushed closed behind her.
“Come in! Come in!” Deanna remarked. “You’re going to get sick standing in the cold!”
The forty-eight-year-old woman quickly took the pan from Elsianna, rushing away to place it in the kitchen.
“It’s cheesecake!” Elsianna called back after her mother, removing her coat to reveal the blue and white sweater she wore. She didn’t have to think twice where to hang her coat on the wooden coat rack by the door. Everything was still exactly as she remembered it.
“Your mother will love that.” Deanna remarked as she returned. While older with a white streak of hair amidst her red locks, Deanna still was the fireball her daughter knew her as. Hearing her remark, however, caused Elsianna’s smile to slightly diminish.
“How…” she eyed the interior. “How is she?”
“Fine.” Deanna smiled.
“Really?”
A knowing smile and tilt of the head gave away Deanna’s motherly tone. “There are good days and bad days, dear. When you have that ‘special someone’…”
“Mom…” whined Elsianna.
“I have to.” Deanna shrugged. “Your sister is too busy this year and your brother’s in another country. I have to nag you.”
Elsianna nodded. “I’m still too busy with work and…”
“Who is it?” the woman at the top of the stairs asked, grabbing the attention.
“It’s Elsianna, mother.” Elsa called out, moving to the base of the stairs as the older woman stepped into the light.
She wore a comfortable magenta gown, her once platinum-blonde hair now even more white. Wrinkles lined her eyes, but beyond those few ‘imperfections’, it was as if her features had been frozen in place despite her age.
Hearing her daughter’s name, a bright smile broke across the features of Selena Frost, the woman carefully moving down the rest of the stairs and reaching out. Immediately, Elsianna’s hand was out to take her mother’s.
“Snowflake…” she smiled before drawing the shorter woman into an embrace. “Welcome home.”
“Happy to be home.”
“Is there anyone else with you?” Selena asked, turning her head a little. “I don’t…”
“No.” Elsianna shook her head good-naturedly. “I’m alone again.”
“Elsa…” Selena sighed. “You need to put work aside and…” she stopped herself. “Who am I to give relationship advice. You know the mess I had before your mother.”
“Which more than makes up for it, thank you very much.” Deanna shot back, taking Selena’s arm and guiding her into the large family room/kitchen room, Elsianna following with her purse. “Elsianna made cheesecake.” She heard Deanna whisper to Selena, who merely smiled and nodded.
Entering the room, Elsianna saw the large Christmas tree. A bit further, however, she saw the pieces of Selena’s ‘version’ of the holiday: Yuletide – the bell, cards, gemstones and gifts. Such memories… she smiled before joining her mothers, sitting in a chair while they sat on the couch.
“Can I get anyone anything?” Deanna asked, immediately checking Selena over.
“I’m okay.” Elsianna smiled.
“Selena?“
“You know better than to fuss over me, pet.” Selena smiled, feeling her hand against her wife’s arm, drawing the redhead’s hand to her lips for a soft kiss. “Sit down. I want to hear what Elsianna’s been up to with her job.”
The young Frost was about to speak, but as she placed her purse on the table in front of her, she accidentally knocked it forward, the contents spilling a little. “Oops…” Elsianna sighed as she began picking the items up to place back in her purse. She saw Deanna’s hands move, the redhead handing things back to her…until they reached a piece of paper. Despite herself, Deanna’s eyes scanned it, at first thinking it was some kind of ‘love letter’ or ‘Christmas card’, but quickly realizing that it was anything but…
“Elsa…” she turned the paper over. “What is this?”
“Sorry.” Elsianna sighed. “I haven’t had the chance to take care of that. I meant to earlier.”
“What is it?” Selena asked, leaning closer to Deanna.
“It’s a speeding ticket.” Deanna sighed. “Really, Elsianna?”
“It’s not that serious.” The daughter tried to explain. “And don’t believe the number there. The cop was just being a doofus. No way was I doing-“
“100 in a 70 highway?” Deanna read in disbelief, causing Selena’s expression to morph into shock.
“Elsianna!” the former Snow Queen remarked.
“Mom…Mother…” the child explained. “Seriously. I was going 20 over tops. Trust me, I’ll have this brought down in no time with the court hearing.”
“Don’t try and ‘lawyer-talk’ us.” Selena pressed, referring to Elsianna’s profession. “It doesn’t matter that you can argue your way out of it.”
The oldest Frost sighed, crossing her arms over her chest before turning her attention to Deanna sitting beside her, the redhead keeping her hands on Selena in some loving way. “She gets this from you, you know.” Despite the situation, there was a slight tease in her voice.
“Me?” Deanna’s mouth hung agape.
“Well, I didn’t joyride when I was her age.”
“Horse-potatoes!” laughed Deanna. “You just wrestled in a big tournament, set a TV on fire…”
“And we were SCW World tag-team champions…” Selena added.
For a moment, Deanna looked up into her wife’s eyes, smiling.
“Don’t try to distract me.” Deanna remarked, though she reached up to caress her wife’s face. “Our daughter got a speeding ticket.”
“Yes.” Selena sighed, turning her attention back over to their daughter. “The point is, Elsianna, we taught you better. And in this life… you can have fun… but you can’t afford to be so reckless.”
***************************************************
Interstate 78
Manhattan, New York
December 23rd, 2022
11:33am
“SELENA! SLOW DOWN!” Deanna cried out as Selena sped their new vehicle down the Manhattan highway!
“Not a chance!” Selena smiled as she weaved around various cars.
“You’re going to get us arrested! Or killed!”
“Deanna…” The Snow Queen tilted her head. “Like I would even attempt this without knowing what I was doing-“ She was interrupted by the sound of sirens blaring behind her, a cop car chasing them!
“See?!” Deanna sighed. “I told you-“
“About time.” Selena huffed, impatiently. “I was wondering what was taking them so long.”
“What?!” The redhead looked incredulously at her wife. “You WANTED to get caught?”
“Well, sure!” Selena smiled. “We’ve been last-minute shopping all day!” she eyed the bags of presents and food in the back. “I wanna have some fun!”
“This isn’t-“ Deanna shook her head.
“Hold that thought!” Selena grinned, almost wickedly. “This is gonna be amazing!”
Immediately, Selena started pushing buttons and dials. “And…” she grinned. “There!” She leaned back. “Get ready!”
“For what?” Deanna barely had time to answer before she suddenly saw something forming around the car. Some waves of light of multiple colors, beautiful and amazing. “What is-“
“Bye, Mr. Cop!” Selena grinned before gunning the pedal down to the floor, the vehicle speeding forward!
With a bright flash, the light receded, but it was the entire landscape changing that shocked Deanna. For the highway of Manhattan was gone, replaced with…with… she wasn’t even sure! The buildings were tall, but the roads were smaller!
“What the-“ she gasped. “Where-“
“Italy!” Selena remarked. “We’re speeding through Rome right now!”
“How the-“
“Hang on!” the platinum-blonde grinned. “We’ve got company!”
Sure enough, the sound of sirens filled their ears again, Deanna, still in shock, checking the rear-view mirror to see the ‘Polizia’ sign bearing down on them!
“They are so much faster than Manhattan ones!” Selena laughed as she continued to speed down the roads, her hand punching in more commands. Again, that familiar, beautiful glow of light covered the car. “Arrivederci!” Selena shouted back before the vehicle lurched forward and the landscape changed!
Deanna blinked, now her eyes were taking in the- CARS COMING RIGHT AT THEM!
“Oh SHI-“ her voice couldn’t finish the sound out of terror as Selena swerved past several incoming cars before spinning the car around in a donut-style turn to drive the proper way down the round with the rest of the traffic.
“Sorry…” Selena breathed. “I forgot they drive on the left side here…”
“WHERE?!” Deanna gasped out.
“England.” Selena smiled. “See? There’s Big Ben.”
She pointed out her window to where the tall clock tower stood in the distance, Deanna’s features morphing back to shock. “I…I…you…this…” she stammered.
“Deanna?” Selena stole a glance at her wife, enthusiasm morphing into concern. “Are you alright?”
“I…” the redhead struggled to breath. “I don’t…”
“Oh geez…” Immediately, Selena punched in some buttons, once more channeling a destination, once more creating that gorgeous light that managed to distract Deanna for a second, and once more sending the vehicle lurching forward.
This time, however, as soon as the lights receded, Selena had pulled the vehicle over and stopped it. Undoing her seatbelt, Selena reached over to her wife, taking her by the shoulders. “De…pet… please… just breath.”
“I…I….” Deanna struggled.
“I stopped the car. See? We’re safe.”
Harshly, Deanna closed her eyes and forced herself to breathe, the shock slowly leaving her as Selena rubbed her arms. Carefully, she undid Deanna’s seatbelt before removing herself from the vehicle and running around it to help Deanna out.
“There.” Selena smiled. “Solid ground.”
“Solid…” Deanna’s head snapped up to Selena. “What the hell were you thinking?”
“I just…” Selena shrugged guiltily. “I just wanted to show off the new vehicle.” She gestured towards the dark-blue SUV. Even after all that ‘travel’, the AXTGRIFF looked pristine and gorgeous.
“And ‘hey, honey! Come check out the new car in the driveway’ couldn’t work?” Deanna asked, shaking her head. “What even the hell was that?”
Selena grinned. “The AXTGRIFF. Deanna, this thing can travel – stay with me here – across dimensions and time!”
Deanna eyed the car. “And you want to use it to go joyriding?”
The remark surprised Selena. “I…actually I was expecting some kind of disbelief.”
“I LITERALLY was sitting there with you when we travelled from Manhattan to Italy to England and now… where the hell are we now?”
“What? Oh, Hawaii.” Selena gestured towards the shore of the beach they stood on, the car parked in the sand. “I thought a calming beachside would help…”
For a split second, Deanna eyed the gorgeous view before returning her gaze to Selena. “Okay… put THIS place aside for a future vacation… Selena, this isn’t – you could have really gotten hurt. Or crashed. Or something!”
“I mean…”
“No, don’t ‘I mean’!” Deanna fought back. “At least with the motorcycle, you followed the laws. But this…” she sighed. “You’ve always been reckless with wrestling-“
“I haven’t been-“
“How many concussions?”
“No fair! I didn’t do those! My opponents did!”
“And you agreed to their matches and facing them.” Deanna countered. “How many scars do you have?”
“I mean…what is ‘one’ scar, anyway?“
“Selena…” Deanna tried. “You know better than to be this stupid, okay? You have me and the kids. And I…” she sighed. “I don’t want to lose you to something like this. Where you teleport or time-travel or whatever and end up eaten by a T-rex!”
She took Selena’s hands into hers. “I want you to promise me two things, or you can’t use this car.”
“Can’t- But Deanna…”
“No. I’m putting my foot down here! You can only use it safely – And no time travelling! I’ve seen enough of David’s shows and movies to know that is never a good idea.”
“But I…”
“Promise me!”
“But we can go anywhere! We can see The Beatles perform live – no! We can see Queen perform when Freddie Mercury was still around!“
“Selena! No!”
“But-“
“Promise me!”
The Snow Queen looked around in disbelief before slowly sighing. “Fine. I’ll stay in this time. I promise.”
“And?”
“And I won’t be reckless with dimension-travelling, okay?”
With a sigh, Deanna nodded. “Good. I don’t mind a wife’s that’s reckless. Just not one that’s stupid about it.” The redhead pulled herself into the vehicle. “Now, would you kindly take us back home? The ice-cream is going to melt.”
“Yes, dear.” Selena grumbled as she took the driver’s seat and punched in the coordinates to their home. “Try to show your wife a good time and it blows up in your face…” she muttered under her breath. “Didn’t see that coming…”
***************************************************
Frost ‘Forever Home’
Manhattan, New York
December 24th, 2045
4:56pm
Selena ran her hands along the cupboard until she felt the label and little bumps. Opening it, the older woman pulled out the bowl to hand to Deanna, who was adding the finishing touches to tomorrow’s Christmas dinner. Despite Selena’s dislike for the holiday itself, the years had dulled that hate into a mere dislike, easily overcome by the time spent with her wife and children. Well… not so much this year.
“Wish Amiliah and David could join us.” Selena sighed as she felt Deanna lead her to the kitchen counter.
“I do too.” Deanna agreed. “I need the dry ingredients mixed.” She said, handing Selena the wooden spoon and ingredient-full bowl. “But Elsa is here. That’s something.”
“It’s wonderful.” Selena smiled. “Cept for that speeding ticket.”
“Don’t get too upset over that.” Deanna remarked. Their daughter was upstairs in her room, talking to Amiliah via video-chat. “She’s a good lawyer.”
“So, I’ve heard.” Selena turned towards Deanna’s direction, smiling. “Least she knows how to make a compelling argument. Doesn’t need a catchphrase every other line.”
“Hey!” Deanna remarked. “I liked ‘Believe it!’.”
“Oh geez… it even sounds lame coming from you.” Laughed Selena as she mixed the ingredients in the bowl. “Can’t believe I thought that was catchy for so many years.”
“It WAS catchy.”
“I got last place in that t-shirt contest, remember?” Selena laughed. “They thought it was so lame!”
“But then you won the next two events!”
“I had to LITERALLY set something on fire to do that.” Selena shot back, delighting in the memories. It was one of the real reasons she had refused to get rid of the AXTGRIFF, despite being unable to drive it now.
The World Series of Wrestling… A big fish in the pond of SCW had been thrown into the ocean of wrestling thanks to ‘The Sauce Boss’ Tim… was that his name? Selena honestly couldn’t remember it – only his nickname and that stupidly funny tag-line “Feeling Saucey?” – it hadn’t even been spelled right! But still, seeing it had made Selena keep her own catchphrase. She still loved it, no matter how lame it sounded to her now.
“Well…” Deanna pressed. “I believe this Christmas will be perfectly fine.”
“I suppose.” Selena smiled back before the bowl slipped out of her hand. “Ah! I uh…” her hand shot out, moving around the counter. Quickly, Deanna pulled the bowl back into her wife’s searching hand.
“There.” She replied gently. “And none of it spilled.”
“Really?” Selena asked.
“Yeah. But more mixing’s needed though.”
With a nod, Selena continued mixing as Deanna moved around the room. She quietly pulled a paper towel off the rack and moved to the opposite side of the counter to wipe at the spill of flower and eggs that had come from the bowl. Selena didn’t notice as she continued mixing, too focused on the task at hand.
Some things never change… Deanna thought sadly. Still, after everything… she wasn’t sure if that was a bad thing now.
****************************************************
Frost ‘Forever Home’
Manhattan, New York
November 1st, 2035
12:31am
Selena sat there, the only illumination was the Christmas tree that stood in the family-room/kitchen area. All she could focus on was the sound of her wife pacing around the room. With Elsianna in university for her law-degree, Amiliah starting her first year in university and David working on his third-year in college, the house was just them, which served the redhead’s purpose just fine. She had no desire to hide her frustrations.
“A match?” she asked in disbelief. “You agree to come out of retirement and wrestle another match?! A street-fight?! Without telling or asking me till now?”
“I…yeah…” Selena sighed.
“And what was going through your head when THAT decision was made?”
“It was a big match…” Selena shrugged. “Like the World Series of Wrestling. It sounded fun and there was so much happening and it was a big event-“
“SELENA!” Deanna interjected. “You’re retired! Remember? You’re 46 years old!”
“So what?” Selena shrugged. “Adam Allocco was wrestling at that age against me in SCW! CHBK did too! Even older! He was like 60 or something-”
“What is this about?” Deanna asked. “This about your ego? You want to relive the glory days?”
Selena pushed herself out of her chair. “Better than acting like they didn’t happen!”
“Yes!” Deanna countered. “They happened! But we’ve moved on! The House of Frost retired years ago, Selena. Remember why?”
Despite herself, Selena turned away. Still, as she spied the many lights on the tree, she heard Deanna speak.
“All those concussions. The scars… over the years.” She was standing so close to Selena’s back, the Snow Queen could see traces of her wife’s shadow. “And then that night – when you fought Cerberus. You almost killed each other.”
Selena sighed. One of her last feuds and great enemies: Cerberus. They had fought for years in the ring and their last fight – they both were taken to the hospital, the match called a no-contest. Now? The world of wrestling was calling for a conclusion! Was willing to pay so much money and publicity for it! The SCW Universe, maybe the whole world of wrestling, wanted an answer to the feud of “The Prince of Hell” vs “The Snow Queen”.
And Selena had always wanted it too. But she had stayed away, not wanting to risk her well-being anymore than she already had. The doctors had all warned her. Given their ‘expert opinions’. Hell, even Cerberus had proclaimed for years that if Selena came back, he would kill her.
“So why now?” Deanna asked.
“Because I can still beat him now.” Selena replied. “Because I’m tired of living with that ‘what-if’ hanging over me. Everywhere I go, it’s not ‘I did this!’ or ‘You did that!’. It’s always about who’d win in a final fight? Me or him. It’s that unknown and I am so tired of living it.”
“Even if it costs you everything!”
“That’s why it has to be now!” Selena all but shouted, glaring at Deanna. “Because I can feel it slipping! My strength, my speed, my kicks! Every day, I feel a little weaker. A little less than what I was! And if I don’t do it now – I’ll never be able to.” Angrily, the Snow Queen turned away again, this time to face the darker side of the room, where she could barely see the shapes and sizes due to the lower illumination.
There was a moment of silence between the two. “You’re going to risk more than just your pride if you do this.” The redhead finally said. “You’re going to spend our twentieth anniversary in a hospital bed. What will Elsianna, David and Amiliah think when you can’t get out of bed on Christmas to celebrate with them? Cerberus will kill you! He won’t stop until he does! He will rip you to pieces just to prove he can! And I… I can’t watch you be dismantled like that! I don’t want to see you lose more than you can imagine because you can’t let this go!”
Her voice was shaking in Selena’s ears. It had always been Deanna that had truly kept her out of wrestling these past few years after her last fight with Cerberus. Her words, her pleas, her logic…
But they didn’t ring the same as they usually did. They didn’t pull the same heartstrings. They didn’t make her feel the same certainty that ‘staying away’ was the best option.
“I can’t…” Selena whispered. “I have to do this.” She turned her head to stare at her wife, sapphire eyes meeting emerald ones. “I’m sorry.”
There was a moment of shock in Deanna’s eyes. But slow realization crept in on her features until she only nodded. Without another word, Selena watched her beloved wife walk out – not just out of the room, but out of the house – their house…
And if she had known that it would be the last time she ever saw her beloved wife again… perhaps that Christmas would have ended differently...
****************************************************
Manhattan, New York
December 24th, 2045
8:22pm
“Christmas Eve…” Deanna breathed, tightening her hold around Selena’s arm as she guided the two of them down the streets of Manhattan. “I love this part.”
“Me too.” Selena smiled, looking in no direction but squeezing her wife’s arm affectionately. “You always sound so excited when we walk this path.”
“I just wish you could enjoy it.”
“I have you.” Selena sighed. “That’s more than I deserve. And besides…” she leaned down to kiss her wife’s crown. “You enjoy them enough for both of us.”
The younger Frost opened her mouth to reply but closed it when she saw the nearby building, decorated from top to bottom with lights and decorations. “Wow…” Deanna whispered. “It has so many beautiful lights, different colors.”
“Where’s the tree?”
“I think it’s inside.” She answered Selena. “I can sort of see one beyond the window.”
Not wishing to linger, Deanna pulled on Selena’s arm, helping the older woman to continue their walk down the street. Elsianna had gone out to do some late shopping.
“I think she’s actually seeing someone.” Teased Deanna.
“Doubtful.” Selena laughed. “Elsa’s terrible at lying. She once tried to lie about breaking that cookie jar, remember?”
“Oh gods! She not only apologized…” Deanna laughed. “She wrote a ten-page essay on why lying is bad. Did you tell her to do that?”
“No!” Selena shook her head. “I honestly thought you had.”
“I thought you had!” Deanna remarked. “I thought you were being cruel.”
“I thought you just had a bad day.” Selena remarked before they were suddenly stopped by an individual standing in front of them, his hand grabbing Selena’s shoulder.
“Deanna…” Selena remarked in surprise. “Who is it?”
“An old friend.” Came the burly voice, sending a chill down Selena’s spine. “Hello, Selena. Long time… no see.” There was a laugh in his voice.
“Is that who I think it is?” Selena asked, earning an ‘uh-huh’ from Deanna.
“Can’t you tell?” the deep voice mocked. “Figured I dropped by and say Merry Christmas.”
“And break the restraining order?” Deanna asked. “When did they let you out of jail?”
“What? No Christmas cheer?”
“Deanna…” Selena tried, gently guiding the redhead out of the way to allow her to stand closer to the large man. “Cerberus…” She warned. “You’re not supposed to be anywhere near me or my family.”
“Still holding that grudge from, what? Ten years ago?”
“Yes.” Selena stated coldly. “You still upset that, even roided up, you couldn’t beat me?”
A growl came from the large man’s throat. “You got lucky.”
“No. You got stupid.” Selena growled back. “Did you really think you could take and sell steroids and no one would find out after the first offense? You were asking for trouble!”
“I got angry…” the man tried to explain but it was like throwing a snowball in Selena’s face.
“Yeah, it’s called ‘roid rage’, jackass!” she spat. “And it could have killed me.” She laughed bitterly. “If I had known that you were going to be that loaded up, I would never have faced you. Not in a million years!”
“You think you suffered?” the dark growl returned. “No one will hire me. I can’t wrestle anyone. Nobody wants to get in the ring with the guy that-“
“Go home, Cerberus.” Selena interjected. “I don’t care about the problems you caused yourself. I’m retired and, quite frankly, I’m done with that life. If I never have to…” she stopped herself. “Hear you again, it will be too soon.”
Turning on her heel, Selena reached for Deanna’s hand, taking it and walking forward, trying to keep on the path as Deanna guided her.
“That how it is?” she heard Cerberus yell, his steps closing in as he followed them. “You got your rich life, hot wife, tons of money and even got into the motherfucking Hall of Fame! What did I get for our matchup, huh?! NOTHING! Nobody wants anything to do with ‘Hell’s Prince’! Because of you!”
Everything seemed to slow in those next few moments. She suddenly felt a massive hand on her shoulder, yanking her away from Deanna. She heard Deanna scream. She felt herself be spun around. She heard Cerberus yell at her, something about ‘taking everything from me’…
But he kept his hand on Selena’s shoulder, thinking he held her in place. And if he had let go of said shoulder, he very well might have. But because his hand was there…
The Snow Queen grinned a little before suddenly grabbing Cerberus hand. With a spin, she evaded the punch that was headed her way, spun under the arm and slammed the man against the concrete of the sidewalk, a modified ‘slingblade’ on the streets of New York! She felt his head slam into the hard surface and his body go slack. With a sigh, the former Snow Queen pushed herself to her feet.
“Ten years… still got it.” She smiled before turning her head. “Deanna?” she called out, only feeling relief when she felt familiar hands grasping hers.
“Right here.” Deanna whispered, adding a soft kiss to Selena’s lips for added assurance.
“Thank Odin.” Selena whispered. “Are you alright?”
“Am I…” Deanna’s eyes widened. “How did you?”
Selena shrugged. “His hand on my shoulder told me everything he was going to do. Muscle tension, movement… Like a loud telegraph.”
The sound of sirens filled their ears. “Cops are headed this way.”
“Don’t worry.” Selena smiled, taking her wife’s hand. “I’m not going to run from them this time. I left the AXTGRIFF at home, remember?”
“Ha ha.” Deanna shook her head as the cars drew closer. The worry was gone. Cerberus was a repeat drug-offender and former jailbird. ‘He slipped on the ice while trying to attack us’ seemed perfectly reasonable to the redhead.
What was the alternative? The truth? That Cerberus had gotten his ass kicked by a blind woman? Who’d believe that?
****************************************************
Wrestling Hall of Fame Ceremony
Madison Square Gardens, New York
December 18th, 2038
8:41pm
“I still don’t believe it.” Selena breathed as she rubbed her hands. The noise of the crowd was deafening. It was so familiar and yet, had it not been three years since that last match.
“Hey.” She heard the voice of her wife standing before her, holding her hands tightly. “Believe it.” She teased, leaning up to gently kiss her wife’s lips. “You earned this.”
“And all I have to do is not walk right off the stage.” Selena laughed nervously.
“That’s why you’ve got me.”
“Well, that and the twenty-plus years of marriage.” Selena shrugged. “And, of course, the amazing sex-“
Two fingers pressed into her lips silenced her. “Later, my dearest.” Promised Deanna. “Just enjoy the moment.”
“Oh, yeah, sure!” Selena sighed. “No pressure!” She didn’t hear her name announced, but she heard her theme song “Kings and Queens” by Ava Max.
“That’s you!” Deanna exclaimed, taking Selena’s arm and guiding her through the hall.
The loud cheers and chants of “We Believe! We Believe!” filled her eyes as she stepped through a curtain with Deanna and was guided to a podium. Despite not needing to, Selena turned her head left and right towards the various voices she heard.
“Wow…” she started. “So…” she asked nervously. “You guys want to see my acceptance speech?” she asked, hearing the roar of ‘YES!’ from the crowd. “Yeah… I would too.”
The laughter hit immediately, causing Selena to smile. “So, this blind girl walks into a doctor’s office and says ‘Doctor, help! I need glasses!’. The doctor says, ‘You sure do. This is your Hall of Fame induction ceremony!”
Some groans came, as well as some amused cheers.
“Yeah, that’s the best blind person joke I know.” Selena smiled, her expression growing less joking and more loving. “But the best story I know is when a poor little girl from Nome walked into a wrestling ring. And she didn’t have a clue how to wrestle. But a place called Supreme Championship Wrestling took a chance on her. Took a look and for the first time in her life since she lost her father, someone said ‘she’s special. She’s got something worthwhile.’…”
“And I knew I couldn’t start this speech without first acknowledging the man and company that, if it weren’t for them, none of this would be happening for me. Oleksa, Adam, Jonathan, all the guys and girls of SCW. My dear sister-in-arms Regan, Kelcey, Dawn, Shaun, there are too many to mention for the decades of a career.”
For a moment, Selena reached up to swipe at her eyes. “Them and so many people took this bitter, angry girl – mad at the world – and made her into a world champion. Made her into one of the biggest names in Supreme Championship Wrestling. And when I had done almost everything there, it was Oleksa that introduced me to Tim – you guys know him as Sauce Boss.”
There is a loud cheer from the audience, earning a laugh from Selena. “Yeah. I know. I met him in 2022, thanks to Oleksa and SCW, and it was just like peanut butter and jelly. It just worked. I dove into his company and The World Series of Wrestling and kept going. What I loved most about that was Saucey – that’s with an ‘e’…
“BOO!” replied the audience.
“I know! I know! It’s not supposed to have one but he never listens to me!” Selena shrugged. “Saucey made me realize that being a big fish in Nome was…meh. Being a big fish in SCW was great. But people like him and me, we were raised to be the little fish. To grow and keep growing rather than becoming big fish, we’d find a bigger pond to swim in. Sauce made Selena Frost more than just an SCW wrestler but a WORLD wrestler. He was always there for me with graphic ideas, t-shirt ideas – though I think he still has the first one I made for his wife. She was a big fan of it…” Selena tried to throw a wink towards the general direction of the noise. “Sauce is the reason the Snow Queen went from world-known to world-renowned. And again I could go on with the people that helped me become more and grow more in this business. The people, the friends, but I…”
“I know I don’t have all the time in the world, so I need to mention one more person. That’s my wife, Deanna. And I could fill this whole ceremony with stories of what a great mother and wife she is. How strong she is. But… I think I need to share one story with you.”
The Snow Queen took a deep breath, steadying herself. “A few years ago, I made a choice that Deanna could not follow me on. Because of my pride, my ego, I risked my health and well-being in a match that she, for the first time in twenty years, could not watch. She asked me, begged me not to, and I didn’t listen. So, she had to leave. I thought I had screwed up the best thing that had happened in my life...”
*****************************************************
Frost ‘Forever Home’
Manhattan, New York
December 25th, 2045
12:14am
Selena pressed pause on the video, the sound outside her office catching her attention. Slowly, she stood up and listened, hearing the expert footsteps that walked closer. With a knowing smile, Selena moved to the other side of the room. A few moments went by until the door finally opened, letting someone in. A moment of silence passed before she heard her name.
“Selena…”
The former Snow Queen smiled knowingly before turning towards the voice. “I wondered when I would meet you.”
“You did?” came the voice.
“Yes.” Smiled Selena. “You forget, I’ve been where you are right now. Twenty years ago, I was the Selena standing there, looking at me as you are now. You broke your promise to Deanna.”
She heard her younger self shuffle her head a little. “Just this once.” The young Selena answered honestly. “I just had to know…”
“Rather reckless, don’t you think?”
Her younger self said nothing, merely staring at Selena as the woman made her way to sit back in her seat. “Are you…”
“Blind?” Selena nodded. “Yes. For about ten years now.”
“Wha… how?!” she couldn’t blame this younger version of herself for sounding shocked and upset. She had been too. “What did you do to let this happen?”
The seated woman smiled sadly. “It doesn’t matter.” She sighed. “Even if I told you, it would still happen. You won’t be able to help it.”
“Why not?”
“Same reason a bird can’t help but fly and a fish can’t help but swim.” She answered. “You were born to wrestle, even when it was so stupid to do so. And until that desire is ripped out of you, you won’t be free of it.”
“I don’t want it ripped out of me.” The young girl remarked. “I love being a wrestler.”
“I did too.” Selena smiled sadly. “But it took being blinded to realize how little being a wrestler mattered compared to…” her voice trailed off, hearing her younger self pacing across the floor. “You’re upset.”
“Of course I’m upset! I break my promise to Deanna to secure our future and you’re telling me I HAVE no future in wrestling! What the hell kind of crap is that?!”
“No future?” Selena’s eyes narrowed.
“You’re blind, Selena.” The girl remarked. “What future do you have? Do I have?!”
Selena’s jaw tightened. “You want to know? Come over here.”
She waited till she heard the young platinum-blonde standing there beside her. Reaching out, she pressed ‘play’ on the keyboard, resuming the video.
“What’s this?” the girl asked.
“Your induction speech into the Wrestling Hall of Fame.”
“What?!” the younger Frost remarked but stopped as the video Selena continued to speak.
“And then I wrestled that match – you all know it. It’s the elephant in the room. Selena Frost vs. Cerberus. One of the bloodiest, most censored matches in history. And in the end, though I won… a monitor to the head from an angry, bitter person took something away from me.” She gestured towards her eyes.
“And I remember the last time I saw my wife was her crying in front of the Christmas tree because I was choosing to do this match. It was the last time I ever saw her face. Because when I woke up in the hospital, it was already too late for me.”
“And there, at the bottom of the barrel, couldn’t get lower…” a smile crossed her features. “There she was. Waiting for me. Telling me it was going to be okay. That she was still there.” Tears could be seen escaping Selena’s eyes in the video. “And I learned… that there was something else I could work better at being now that I was a big fish in the wrestling world. I could work to being the best wife and mother. And I…that is the greatest award I could possibly ask for.” In the video, Selena held up her HOF ring. “But dammit if this isn’t a close second! Thank you everyone and…” she chuckled. “BELIEVE IT!” Her theme played loudly as the video-Selena continued to smile, until the older Selena pressed stop on the video.
“You’re just seeing the end of one road, Selena.” The older woman pushed herself to her feet. “You haven’t seen anything yet.”
The younger Selena gazed back at her older, blind self. “Do you regret losing your sight?”
“No.” came the simple answer. “I broke a promise to Deanna only a few times in our marriage, and that was the last time I ever did. Until tonight.”
“Is she… is she still here?”
The question brought up a smile to the older woman’s face. “Any second now.”
“What?”
The door opened then and there, as predicted. “Selena, Elsianna hasn’t-“ Deanna stopped as her eyes scanned the room. “Wha…Selena…” she turned her head to the younger version. “Selena?”
“Oh gods…” the younger Selena remarked. “You’re still here… and you’re so beautiful.”
Despite her shock, Deanna moved towards her wife’s younger version, reaching up to caress the girl’s face. “What year are you from?”
“2022.” The young Selena sighed. “I know I broke my promise but… I had to know.”
“Still so reckless.” Deanna shook her head. “I shouldn’t be surprised.” She eyed her present-wife before gazing back at the Selena she touched. “I thought I would never see those perfectly-sapphire eyes again.”
Without thinking, the young Selena leaned in to kiss Deanna’s cheek, only for the redhead to hold her back gently with her hand. “I can’t. Sorry.” She smiled sadly. “I’m married. And yes…you’re her… you’re Selena…”
Moving around the room, Deanna stood by the older Selena, taking her hand in hers. “But this is MY Selena. Your Deanna is waiting for you.”
“Yeah…” the young Selena smiled in understanding. “She is…I guess I’m relieved that you still have each other. And that things turn out okay.” She thought about it before smiling. “Actually… that’s really all that matters to me. But… can you give me anything?”
The older Selena seemed to think about it before smiling. “Remember that supercard you made?”
“World’s End?”
“Remember that name. It will make a great flagship PPV for your company.”
“MY company?!” Selena’s eyes widened. “I have my own company?”
“Who knows?” Selena shrugged. “I’m just saying that it would make a great name. What does a blind, old woman know?”
Despite this vagueness, the younger Selena could not help but smile, turning her eyes up to the teary-eyed Deanna. “Merry Christmas.” She said at last. “To the both of you.”
“And Happy Yuletide to you.” The older Selena smiled. “Make sure you enjoy it and every year you can, Selena. For both our sakes.”
The younger woman gave a nod before she was out of the room and out of the house, leaving the Frost wives alone once more.
“You promised you wouldn’t time-travel.” Deanna teased.
“I know.” Selena sighed.
“So you knew… all along you knew and you couldn’t stop it?”
“No… I could have.” Selena sighed. “But then I might not have had you here with me. I might not be here now.”
“But you could have still been able to see.”
“See what?” Selena smiled, reaching over to pull her wife into her arms. “An empty house? No, Deanna. I rather hear you and your voice here then that. Even if I never see again… you’re worth it.”
She heard her wife sniffle a little before drawing Selena in for a long kiss. They heard the loud roar of an engine outside, assuming it was Selena’s AXTGRIFF returning to 2022. But when the door was opened and they heard not one but three different voices, the Frost wives looked at one another before rushing up the stairs.
As they entered the mudroom area, they were shocked to see not only Elsianna, but Amiliah and David – all three of their children!
“Kids…” Deanna remarked.
“Mom…” Amiliah rushed over to hug Deanna first, followed by Selena. “It’s Ami, Mother!”
“I can hear you!” Selena exclaimed in delight. “David?”
“Here, mom.” The boy smiled before reaching over to touch his mother’s shoulder. “Elsa said you needed some company this year.”
She couldn’t help it – she hadn’t cried much since her Hall of Fame speech, the tears falling from her eyes down her cheeks as she held her children and wife. She turned towards Elsianna, feeling her nearby.
“You did something reckless, didn’t you?” she asked knowingly.
“Yep.” Deanna remarked, casting her gaze outside. “I can see the light of the AXTGRIFF just fading from a jump…”
Despite herself, Elsianna shrugged. “Yeah…this time I did.”
Selena smiled at that, hugging her daughter tighter. “Like mother, like daughter.” She whispered. “Merry Christmas, kids.”
“Merry Christmas, mother.” They all said as they stood there, the day of Christmas already begun…
Manhattan, New York
December 22nd, 2045
1:13pm
Elsianna Frost stepped out of her car, letting the cold wind push her hair. The thirty-three-year-old felt the rush of nostalgia as she stood in the driveway of the Manhattan-located house. She sighed. It’s good to be home…
The yard was swarming with Christmas décor, looking like a variable “Santa’s village”! The young woman felt the warmth in her chest at the sight. With a sigh, Elsianna reached into her car to pull out her purse and the glass-pan of cheesecake she had made for the occasion. It was more than ‘Christmas-time’. It was her mothers’ pearl anniversary this year. Hard to believe it’s been thirty years…
She made her way along the driveway, her eyes catching the large vehicle in front of her. It was covered with snow, but there was no denying the ‘AXTGRIFF’ that sat there. Can’t believe they’ve kept it after all these years. Elsianna smiled amusingly at that. She could just hear her mothers refusing the idea of replacing it with a newer model. Words like ‘first-of-its-kind’ and ‘collector’s item’ and whatnot...
With a sigh, Elsianna ascended the stairs before reaching up to knock on the door with her free hand. Immediately, she heard a loud, joyous scream before the shuffling of feet on the other side before the door was thrown open. Before her, beaming, stood the shorter, older woman.
“Sweetie!” Deanna Frost exclaimed.
“Hey, mom.” Elsianna smiled, immediately being pulled into the house, the door being pushed closed behind her.
“Come in! Come in!” Deanna remarked. “You’re going to get sick standing in the cold!”
The forty-eight-year-old woman quickly took the pan from Elsianna, rushing away to place it in the kitchen.
“It’s cheesecake!” Elsianna called back after her mother, removing her coat to reveal the blue and white sweater she wore. She didn’t have to think twice where to hang her coat on the wooden coat rack by the door. Everything was still exactly as she remembered it.
“Your mother will love that.” Deanna remarked as she returned. While older with a white streak of hair amidst her red locks, Deanna still was the fireball her daughter knew her as. Hearing her remark, however, caused Elsianna’s smile to slightly diminish.
“How…” she eyed the interior. “How is she?”
“Fine.” Deanna smiled.
“Really?”
A knowing smile and tilt of the head gave away Deanna’s motherly tone. “There are good days and bad days, dear. When you have that ‘special someone’…”
“Mom…” whined Elsianna.
“I have to.” Deanna shrugged. “Your sister is too busy this year and your brother’s in another country. I have to nag you.”
Elsianna nodded. “I’m still too busy with work and…”
“Who is it?” the woman at the top of the stairs asked, grabbing the attention.
“It’s Elsianna, mother.” Elsa called out, moving to the base of the stairs as the older woman stepped into the light.
She wore a comfortable magenta gown, her once platinum-blonde hair now even more white. Wrinkles lined her eyes, but beyond those few ‘imperfections’, it was as if her features had been frozen in place despite her age.
Hearing her daughter’s name, a bright smile broke across the features of Selena Frost, the woman carefully moving down the rest of the stairs and reaching out. Immediately, Elsianna’s hand was out to take her mother’s.
“Snowflake…” she smiled before drawing the shorter woman into an embrace. “Welcome home.”
“Happy to be home.”
“Is there anyone else with you?” Selena asked, turning her head a little. “I don’t…”
“No.” Elsianna shook her head good-naturedly. “I’m alone again.”
“Elsa…” Selena sighed. “You need to put work aside and…” she stopped herself. “Who am I to give relationship advice. You know the mess I had before your mother.”
“Which more than makes up for it, thank you very much.” Deanna shot back, taking Selena’s arm and guiding her into the large family room/kitchen room, Elsianna following with her purse. “Elsianna made cheesecake.” She heard Deanna whisper to Selena, who merely smiled and nodded.
Entering the room, Elsianna saw the large Christmas tree. A bit further, however, she saw the pieces of Selena’s ‘version’ of the holiday: Yuletide – the bell, cards, gemstones and gifts. Such memories… she smiled before joining her mothers, sitting in a chair while they sat on the couch.
“Can I get anyone anything?” Deanna asked, immediately checking Selena over.
“I’m okay.” Elsianna smiled.
“Selena?“
“You know better than to fuss over me, pet.” Selena smiled, feeling her hand against her wife’s arm, drawing the redhead’s hand to her lips for a soft kiss. “Sit down. I want to hear what Elsianna’s been up to with her job.”
The young Frost was about to speak, but as she placed her purse on the table in front of her, she accidentally knocked it forward, the contents spilling a little. “Oops…” Elsianna sighed as she began picking the items up to place back in her purse. She saw Deanna’s hands move, the redhead handing things back to her…until they reached a piece of paper. Despite herself, Deanna’s eyes scanned it, at first thinking it was some kind of ‘love letter’ or ‘Christmas card’, but quickly realizing that it was anything but…
“Elsa…” she turned the paper over. “What is this?”
“Sorry.” Elsianna sighed. “I haven’t had the chance to take care of that. I meant to earlier.”
“What is it?” Selena asked, leaning closer to Deanna.
“It’s a speeding ticket.” Deanna sighed. “Really, Elsianna?”
“It’s not that serious.” The daughter tried to explain. “And don’t believe the number there. The cop was just being a doofus. No way was I doing-“
“100 in a 70 highway?” Deanna read in disbelief, causing Selena’s expression to morph into shock.
“Elsianna!” the former Snow Queen remarked.
“Mom…Mother…” the child explained. “Seriously. I was going 20 over tops. Trust me, I’ll have this brought down in no time with the court hearing.”
“Don’t try and ‘lawyer-talk’ us.” Selena pressed, referring to Elsianna’s profession. “It doesn’t matter that you can argue your way out of it.”
The oldest Frost sighed, crossing her arms over her chest before turning her attention to Deanna sitting beside her, the redhead keeping her hands on Selena in some loving way. “She gets this from you, you know.” Despite the situation, there was a slight tease in her voice.
“Me?” Deanna’s mouth hung agape.
“Well, I didn’t joyride when I was her age.”
“Horse-potatoes!” laughed Deanna. “You just wrestled in a big tournament, set a TV on fire…”
“And we were SCW World tag-team champions…” Selena added.
For a moment, Deanna looked up into her wife’s eyes, smiling.
“Don’t try to distract me.” Deanna remarked, though she reached up to caress her wife’s face. “Our daughter got a speeding ticket.”
“Yes.” Selena sighed, turning her attention back over to their daughter. “The point is, Elsianna, we taught you better. And in this life… you can have fun… but you can’t afford to be so reckless.”
***************************************************
Interstate 78
Manhattan, New York
December 23rd, 2022
11:33am
“SELENA! SLOW DOWN!” Deanna cried out as Selena sped their new vehicle down the Manhattan highway!
“Not a chance!” Selena smiled as she weaved around various cars.
“You’re going to get us arrested! Or killed!”
“Deanna…” The Snow Queen tilted her head. “Like I would even attempt this without knowing what I was doing-“ She was interrupted by the sound of sirens blaring behind her, a cop car chasing them!
“See?!” Deanna sighed. “I told you-“
“About time.” Selena huffed, impatiently. “I was wondering what was taking them so long.”
“What?!” The redhead looked incredulously at her wife. “You WANTED to get caught?”
“Well, sure!” Selena smiled. “We’ve been last-minute shopping all day!” she eyed the bags of presents and food in the back. “I wanna have some fun!”
“This isn’t-“ Deanna shook her head.
“Hold that thought!” Selena grinned, almost wickedly. “This is gonna be amazing!”
Immediately, Selena started pushing buttons and dials. “And…” she grinned. “There!” She leaned back. “Get ready!”
“For what?” Deanna barely had time to answer before she suddenly saw something forming around the car. Some waves of light of multiple colors, beautiful and amazing. “What is-“
“Bye, Mr. Cop!” Selena grinned before gunning the pedal down to the floor, the vehicle speeding forward!
With a bright flash, the light receded, but it was the entire landscape changing that shocked Deanna. For the highway of Manhattan was gone, replaced with…with… she wasn’t even sure! The buildings were tall, but the roads were smaller!
“What the-“ she gasped. “Where-“
“Italy!” Selena remarked. “We’re speeding through Rome right now!”
“How the-“
“Hang on!” the platinum-blonde grinned. “We’ve got company!”
Sure enough, the sound of sirens filled their ears again, Deanna, still in shock, checking the rear-view mirror to see the ‘Polizia’ sign bearing down on them!
“They are so much faster than Manhattan ones!” Selena laughed as she continued to speed down the roads, her hand punching in more commands. Again, that familiar, beautiful glow of light covered the car. “Arrivederci!” Selena shouted back before the vehicle lurched forward and the landscape changed!
Deanna blinked, now her eyes were taking in the- CARS COMING RIGHT AT THEM!
“Oh SHI-“ her voice couldn’t finish the sound out of terror as Selena swerved past several incoming cars before spinning the car around in a donut-style turn to drive the proper way down the round with the rest of the traffic.
“Sorry…” Selena breathed. “I forgot they drive on the left side here…”
“WHERE?!” Deanna gasped out.
“England.” Selena smiled. “See? There’s Big Ben.”
She pointed out her window to where the tall clock tower stood in the distance, Deanna’s features morphing back to shock. “I…I…you…this…” she stammered.
“Deanna?” Selena stole a glance at her wife, enthusiasm morphing into concern. “Are you alright?”
“I…” the redhead struggled to breath. “I don’t…”
“Oh geez…” Immediately, Selena punched in some buttons, once more channeling a destination, once more creating that gorgeous light that managed to distract Deanna for a second, and once more sending the vehicle lurching forward.
This time, however, as soon as the lights receded, Selena had pulled the vehicle over and stopped it. Undoing her seatbelt, Selena reached over to her wife, taking her by the shoulders. “De…pet… please… just breath.”
“I…I….” Deanna struggled.
“I stopped the car. See? We’re safe.”
Harshly, Deanna closed her eyes and forced herself to breathe, the shock slowly leaving her as Selena rubbed her arms. Carefully, she undid Deanna’s seatbelt before removing herself from the vehicle and running around it to help Deanna out.
“There.” Selena smiled. “Solid ground.”
“Solid…” Deanna’s head snapped up to Selena. “What the hell were you thinking?”
“I just…” Selena shrugged guiltily. “I just wanted to show off the new vehicle.” She gestured towards the dark-blue SUV. Even after all that ‘travel’, the AXTGRIFF looked pristine and gorgeous.
“And ‘hey, honey! Come check out the new car in the driveway’ couldn’t work?” Deanna asked, shaking her head. “What even the hell was that?”
Selena grinned. “The AXTGRIFF. Deanna, this thing can travel – stay with me here – across dimensions and time!”
Deanna eyed the car. “And you want to use it to go joyriding?”
The remark surprised Selena. “I…actually I was expecting some kind of disbelief.”
“I LITERALLY was sitting there with you when we travelled from Manhattan to Italy to England and now… where the hell are we now?”
“What? Oh, Hawaii.” Selena gestured towards the shore of the beach they stood on, the car parked in the sand. “I thought a calming beachside would help…”
For a split second, Deanna eyed the gorgeous view before returning her gaze to Selena. “Okay… put THIS place aside for a future vacation… Selena, this isn’t – you could have really gotten hurt. Or crashed. Or something!”
“I mean…”
“No, don’t ‘I mean’!” Deanna fought back. “At least with the motorcycle, you followed the laws. But this…” she sighed. “You’ve always been reckless with wrestling-“
“I haven’t been-“
“How many concussions?”
“No fair! I didn’t do those! My opponents did!”
“And you agreed to their matches and facing them.” Deanna countered. “How many scars do you have?”
“I mean…what is ‘one’ scar, anyway?“
“Selena…” Deanna tried. “You know better than to be this stupid, okay? You have me and the kids. And I…” she sighed. “I don’t want to lose you to something like this. Where you teleport or time-travel or whatever and end up eaten by a T-rex!”
She took Selena’s hands into hers. “I want you to promise me two things, or you can’t use this car.”
“Can’t- But Deanna…”
“No. I’m putting my foot down here! You can only use it safely – And no time travelling! I’ve seen enough of David’s shows and movies to know that is never a good idea.”
“But I…”
“Promise me!”
“But we can go anywhere! We can see The Beatles perform live – no! We can see Queen perform when Freddie Mercury was still around!“
“Selena! No!”
“But-“
“Promise me!”
The Snow Queen looked around in disbelief before slowly sighing. “Fine. I’ll stay in this time. I promise.”
“And?”
“And I won’t be reckless with dimension-travelling, okay?”
With a sigh, Deanna nodded. “Good. I don’t mind a wife’s that’s reckless. Just not one that’s stupid about it.” The redhead pulled herself into the vehicle. “Now, would you kindly take us back home? The ice-cream is going to melt.”
“Yes, dear.” Selena grumbled as she took the driver’s seat and punched in the coordinates to their home. “Try to show your wife a good time and it blows up in your face…” she muttered under her breath. “Didn’t see that coming…”
***************************************************
Frost ‘Forever Home’
Manhattan, New York
December 24th, 2045
4:56pm
Selena ran her hands along the cupboard until she felt the label and little bumps. Opening it, the older woman pulled out the bowl to hand to Deanna, who was adding the finishing touches to tomorrow’s Christmas dinner. Despite Selena’s dislike for the holiday itself, the years had dulled that hate into a mere dislike, easily overcome by the time spent with her wife and children. Well… not so much this year.
“Wish Amiliah and David could join us.” Selena sighed as she felt Deanna lead her to the kitchen counter.
“I do too.” Deanna agreed. “I need the dry ingredients mixed.” She said, handing Selena the wooden spoon and ingredient-full bowl. “But Elsa is here. That’s something.”
“It’s wonderful.” Selena smiled. “Cept for that speeding ticket.”
“Don’t get too upset over that.” Deanna remarked. Their daughter was upstairs in her room, talking to Amiliah via video-chat. “She’s a good lawyer.”
“So, I’ve heard.” Selena turned towards Deanna’s direction, smiling. “Least she knows how to make a compelling argument. Doesn’t need a catchphrase every other line.”
“Hey!” Deanna remarked. “I liked ‘Believe it!’.”
“Oh geez… it even sounds lame coming from you.” Laughed Selena as she mixed the ingredients in the bowl. “Can’t believe I thought that was catchy for so many years.”
“It WAS catchy.”
“I got last place in that t-shirt contest, remember?” Selena laughed. “They thought it was so lame!”
“But then you won the next two events!”
“I had to LITERALLY set something on fire to do that.” Selena shot back, delighting in the memories. It was one of the real reasons she had refused to get rid of the AXTGRIFF, despite being unable to drive it now.
The World Series of Wrestling… A big fish in the pond of SCW had been thrown into the ocean of wrestling thanks to ‘The Sauce Boss’ Tim… was that his name? Selena honestly couldn’t remember it – only his nickname and that stupidly funny tag-line “Feeling Saucey?” – it hadn’t even been spelled right! But still, seeing it had made Selena keep her own catchphrase. She still loved it, no matter how lame it sounded to her now.
“Well…” Deanna pressed. “I believe this Christmas will be perfectly fine.”
“I suppose.” Selena smiled back before the bowl slipped out of her hand. “Ah! I uh…” her hand shot out, moving around the counter. Quickly, Deanna pulled the bowl back into her wife’s searching hand.
“There.” She replied gently. “And none of it spilled.”
“Really?” Selena asked.
“Yeah. But more mixing’s needed though.”
With a nod, Selena continued mixing as Deanna moved around the room. She quietly pulled a paper towel off the rack and moved to the opposite side of the counter to wipe at the spill of flower and eggs that had come from the bowl. Selena didn’t notice as she continued mixing, too focused on the task at hand.
Some things never change… Deanna thought sadly. Still, after everything… she wasn’t sure if that was a bad thing now.
****************************************************
Frost ‘Forever Home’
Manhattan, New York
November 1st, 2035
12:31am
Selena sat there, the only illumination was the Christmas tree that stood in the family-room/kitchen area. All she could focus on was the sound of her wife pacing around the room. With Elsianna in university for her law-degree, Amiliah starting her first year in university and David working on his third-year in college, the house was just them, which served the redhead’s purpose just fine. She had no desire to hide her frustrations.
“A match?” she asked in disbelief. “You agree to come out of retirement and wrestle another match?! A street-fight?! Without telling or asking me till now?”
“I…yeah…” Selena sighed.
“And what was going through your head when THAT decision was made?”
“It was a big match…” Selena shrugged. “Like the World Series of Wrestling. It sounded fun and there was so much happening and it was a big event-“
“SELENA!” Deanna interjected. “You’re retired! Remember? You’re 46 years old!”
“So what?” Selena shrugged. “Adam Allocco was wrestling at that age against me in SCW! CHBK did too! Even older! He was like 60 or something-”
“What is this about?” Deanna asked. “This about your ego? You want to relive the glory days?”
Selena pushed herself out of her chair. “Better than acting like they didn’t happen!”
“Yes!” Deanna countered. “They happened! But we’ve moved on! The House of Frost retired years ago, Selena. Remember why?”
Despite herself, Selena turned away. Still, as she spied the many lights on the tree, she heard Deanna speak.
“All those concussions. The scars… over the years.” She was standing so close to Selena’s back, the Snow Queen could see traces of her wife’s shadow. “And then that night – when you fought Cerberus. You almost killed each other.”
Selena sighed. One of her last feuds and great enemies: Cerberus. They had fought for years in the ring and their last fight – they both were taken to the hospital, the match called a no-contest. Now? The world of wrestling was calling for a conclusion! Was willing to pay so much money and publicity for it! The SCW Universe, maybe the whole world of wrestling, wanted an answer to the feud of “The Prince of Hell” vs “The Snow Queen”.
And Selena had always wanted it too. But she had stayed away, not wanting to risk her well-being anymore than she already had. The doctors had all warned her. Given their ‘expert opinions’. Hell, even Cerberus had proclaimed for years that if Selena came back, he would kill her.
“So why now?” Deanna asked.
“Because I can still beat him now.” Selena replied. “Because I’m tired of living with that ‘what-if’ hanging over me. Everywhere I go, it’s not ‘I did this!’ or ‘You did that!’. It’s always about who’d win in a final fight? Me or him. It’s that unknown and I am so tired of living it.”
“Even if it costs you everything!”
“That’s why it has to be now!” Selena all but shouted, glaring at Deanna. “Because I can feel it slipping! My strength, my speed, my kicks! Every day, I feel a little weaker. A little less than what I was! And if I don’t do it now – I’ll never be able to.” Angrily, the Snow Queen turned away again, this time to face the darker side of the room, where she could barely see the shapes and sizes due to the lower illumination.
There was a moment of silence between the two. “You’re going to risk more than just your pride if you do this.” The redhead finally said. “You’re going to spend our twentieth anniversary in a hospital bed. What will Elsianna, David and Amiliah think when you can’t get out of bed on Christmas to celebrate with them? Cerberus will kill you! He won’t stop until he does! He will rip you to pieces just to prove he can! And I… I can’t watch you be dismantled like that! I don’t want to see you lose more than you can imagine because you can’t let this go!”
Her voice was shaking in Selena’s ears. It had always been Deanna that had truly kept her out of wrestling these past few years after her last fight with Cerberus. Her words, her pleas, her logic…
But they didn’t ring the same as they usually did. They didn’t pull the same heartstrings. They didn’t make her feel the same certainty that ‘staying away’ was the best option.
“I can’t…” Selena whispered. “I have to do this.” She turned her head to stare at her wife, sapphire eyes meeting emerald ones. “I’m sorry.”
There was a moment of shock in Deanna’s eyes. But slow realization crept in on her features until she only nodded. Without another word, Selena watched her beloved wife walk out – not just out of the room, but out of the house – their house…
And if she had known that it would be the last time she ever saw her beloved wife again… perhaps that Christmas would have ended differently...
****************************************************
Manhattan, New York
December 24th, 2045
8:22pm
“Christmas Eve…” Deanna breathed, tightening her hold around Selena’s arm as she guided the two of them down the streets of Manhattan. “I love this part.”
“Me too.” Selena smiled, looking in no direction but squeezing her wife’s arm affectionately. “You always sound so excited when we walk this path.”
“I just wish you could enjoy it.”
“I have you.” Selena sighed. “That’s more than I deserve. And besides…” she leaned down to kiss her wife’s crown. “You enjoy them enough for both of us.”
The younger Frost opened her mouth to reply but closed it when she saw the nearby building, decorated from top to bottom with lights and decorations. “Wow…” Deanna whispered. “It has so many beautiful lights, different colors.”
“Where’s the tree?”
“I think it’s inside.” She answered Selena. “I can sort of see one beyond the window.”
Not wishing to linger, Deanna pulled on Selena’s arm, helping the older woman to continue their walk down the street. Elsianna had gone out to do some late shopping.
“I think she’s actually seeing someone.” Teased Deanna.
“Doubtful.” Selena laughed. “Elsa’s terrible at lying. She once tried to lie about breaking that cookie jar, remember?”
“Oh gods! She not only apologized…” Deanna laughed. “She wrote a ten-page essay on why lying is bad. Did you tell her to do that?”
“No!” Selena shook her head. “I honestly thought you had.”
“I thought you had!” Deanna remarked. “I thought you were being cruel.”
“I thought you just had a bad day.” Selena remarked before they were suddenly stopped by an individual standing in front of them, his hand grabbing Selena’s shoulder.
“Deanna…” Selena remarked in surprise. “Who is it?”
“An old friend.” Came the burly voice, sending a chill down Selena’s spine. “Hello, Selena. Long time… no see.” There was a laugh in his voice.
“Is that who I think it is?” Selena asked, earning an ‘uh-huh’ from Deanna.
“Can’t you tell?” the deep voice mocked. “Figured I dropped by and say Merry Christmas.”
“And break the restraining order?” Deanna asked. “When did they let you out of jail?”
“What? No Christmas cheer?”
“Deanna…” Selena tried, gently guiding the redhead out of the way to allow her to stand closer to the large man. “Cerberus…” She warned. “You’re not supposed to be anywhere near me or my family.”
“Still holding that grudge from, what? Ten years ago?”
“Yes.” Selena stated coldly. “You still upset that, even roided up, you couldn’t beat me?”
A growl came from the large man’s throat. “You got lucky.”
“No. You got stupid.” Selena growled back. “Did you really think you could take and sell steroids and no one would find out after the first offense? You were asking for trouble!”
“I got angry…” the man tried to explain but it was like throwing a snowball in Selena’s face.
“Yeah, it’s called ‘roid rage’, jackass!” she spat. “And it could have killed me.” She laughed bitterly. “If I had known that you were going to be that loaded up, I would never have faced you. Not in a million years!”
“You think you suffered?” the dark growl returned. “No one will hire me. I can’t wrestle anyone. Nobody wants to get in the ring with the guy that-“
“Go home, Cerberus.” Selena interjected. “I don’t care about the problems you caused yourself. I’m retired and, quite frankly, I’m done with that life. If I never have to…” she stopped herself. “Hear you again, it will be too soon.”
Turning on her heel, Selena reached for Deanna’s hand, taking it and walking forward, trying to keep on the path as Deanna guided her.
“That how it is?” she heard Cerberus yell, his steps closing in as he followed them. “You got your rich life, hot wife, tons of money and even got into the motherfucking Hall of Fame! What did I get for our matchup, huh?! NOTHING! Nobody wants anything to do with ‘Hell’s Prince’! Because of you!”
Everything seemed to slow in those next few moments. She suddenly felt a massive hand on her shoulder, yanking her away from Deanna. She heard Deanna scream. She felt herself be spun around. She heard Cerberus yell at her, something about ‘taking everything from me’…
But he kept his hand on Selena’s shoulder, thinking he held her in place. And if he had let go of said shoulder, he very well might have. But because his hand was there…
The Snow Queen grinned a little before suddenly grabbing Cerberus hand. With a spin, she evaded the punch that was headed her way, spun under the arm and slammed the man against the concrete of the sidewalk, a modified ‘slingblade’ on the streets of New York! She felt his head slam into the hard surface and his body go slack. With a sigh, the former Snow Queen pushed herself to her feet.
“Ten years… still got it.” She smiled before turning her head. “Deanna?” she called out, only feeling relief when she felt familiar hands grasping hers.
“Right here.” Deanna whispered, adding a soft kiss to Selena’s lips for added assurance.
“Thank Odin.” Selena whispered. “Are you alright?”
“Am I…” Deanna’s eyes widened. “How did you?”
Selena shrugged. “His hand on my shoulder told me everything he was going to do. Muscle tension, movement… Like a loud telegraph.”
The sound of sirens filled their ears. “Cops are headed this way.”
“Don’t worry.” Selena smiled, taking her wife’s hand. “I’m not going to run from them this time. I left the AXTGRIFF at home, remember?”
“Ha ha.” Deanna shook her head as the cars drew closer. The worry was gone. Cerberus was a repeat drug-offender and former jailbird. ‘He slipped on the ice while trying to attack us’ seemed perfectly reasonable to the redhead.
What was the alternative? The truth? That Cerberus had gotten his ass kicked by a blind woman? Who’d believe that?
****************************************************
Wrestling Hall of Fame Ceremony
Madison Square Gardens, New York
December 18th, 2038
8:41pm
“I still don’t believe it.” Selena breathed as she rubbed her hands. The noise of the crowd was deafening. It was so familiar and yet, had it not been three years since that last match.
“Hey.” She heard the voice of her wife standing before her, holding her hands tightly. “Believe it.” She teased, leaning up to gently kiss her wife’s lips. “You earned this.”
“And all I have to do is not walk right off the stage.” Selena laughed nervously.
“That’s why you’ve got me.”
“Well, that and the twenty-plus years of marriage.” Selena shrugged. “And, of course, the amazing sex-“
Two fingers pressed into her lips silenced her. “Later, my dearest.” Promised Deanna. “Just enjoy the moment.”
“Oh, yeah, sure!” Selena sighed. “No pressure!” She didn’t hear her name announced, but she heard her theme song “Kings and Queens” by Ava Max.
“That’s you!” Deanna exclaimed, taking Selena’s arm and guiding her through the hall.
The loud cheers and chants of “We Believe! We Believe!” filled her eyes as she stepped through a curtain with Deanna and was guided to a podium. Despite not needing to, Selena turned her head left and right towards the various voices she heard.
“Wow…” she started. “So…” she asked nervously. “You guys want to see my acceptance speech?” she asked, hearing the roar of ‘YES!’ from the crowd. “Yeah… I would too.”
The laughter hit immediately, causing Selena to smile. “So, this blind girl walks into a doctor’s office and says ‘Doctor, help! I need glasses!’. The doctor says, ‘You sure do. This is your Hall of Fame induction ceremony!”
Some groans came, as well as some amused cheers.
“Yeah, that’s the best blind person joke I know.” Selena smiled, her expression growing less joking and more loving. “But the best story I know is when a poor little girl from Nome walked into a wrestling ring. And she didn’t have a clue how to wrestle. But a place called Supreme Championship Wrestling took a chance on her. Took a look and for the first time in her life since she lost her father, someone said ‘she’s special. She’s got something worthwhile.’…”
“And I knew I couldn’t start this speech without first acknowledging the man and company that, if it weren’t for them, none of this would be happening for me. Oleksa, Adam, Jonathan, all the guys and girls of SCW. My dear sister-in-arms Regan, Kelcey, Dawn, Shaun, there are too many to mention for the decades of a career.”
For a moment, Selena reached up to swipe at her eyes. “Them and so many people took this bitter, angry girl – mad at the world – and made her into a world champion. Made her into one of the biggest names in Supreme Championship Wrestling. And when I had done almost everything there, it was Oleksa that introduced me to Tim – you guys know him as Sauce Boss.”
There is a loud cheer from the audience, earning a laugh from Selena. “Yeah. I know. I met him in 2022, thanks to Oleksa and SCW, and it was just like peanut butter and jelly. It just worked. I dove into his company and The World Series of Wrestling and kept going. What I loved most about that was Saucey – that’s with an ‘e’…
“BOO!” replied the audience.
“I know! I know! It’s not supposed to have one but he never listens to me!” Selena shrugged. “Saucey made me realize that being a big fish in Nome was…meh. Being a big fish in SCW was great. But people like him and me, we were raised to be the little fish. To grow and keep growing rather than becoming big fish, we’d find a bigger pond to swim in. Sauce made Selena Frost more than just an SCW wrestler but a WORLD wrestler. He was always there for me with graphic ideas, t-shirt ideas – though I think he still has the first one I made for his wife. She was a big fan of it…” Selena tried to throw a wink towards the general direction of the noise. “Sauce is the reason the Snow Queen went from world-known to world-renowned. And again I could go on with the people that helped me become more and grow more in this business. The people, the friends, but I…”
“I know I don’t have all the time in the world, so I need to mention one more person. That’s my wife, Deanna. And I could fill this whole ceremony with stories of what a great mother and wife she is. How strong she is. But… I think I need to share one story with you.”
The Snow Queen took a deep breath, steadying herself. “A few years ago, I made a choice that Deanna could not follow me on. Because of my pride, my ego, I risked my health and well-being in a match that she, for the first time in twenty years, could not watch. She asked me, begged me not to, and I didn’t listen. So, she had to leave. I thought I had screwed up the best thing that had happened in my life...”
*****************************************************
Frost ‘Forever Home’
Manhattan, New York
December 25th, 2045
12:14am
Selena pressed pause on the video, the sound outside her office catching her attention. Slowly, she stood up and listened, hearing the expert footsteps that walked closer. With a knowing smile, Selena moved to the other side of the room. A few moments went by until the door finally opened, letting someone in. A moment of silence passed before she heard her name.
“Selena…”
The former Snow Queen smiled knowingly before turning towards the voice. “I wondered when I would meet you.”
“You did?” came the voice.
“Yes.” Smiled Selena. “You forget, I’ve been where you are right now. Twenty years ago, I was the Selena standing there, looking at me as you are now. You broke your promise to Deanna.”
She heard her younger self shuffle her head a little. “Just this once.” The young Selena answered honestly. “I just had to know…”
“Rather reckless, don’t you think?”
Her younger self said nothing, merely staring at Selena as the woman made her way to sit back in her seat. “Are you…”
“Blind?” Selena nodded. “Yes. For about ten years now.”
“Wha… how?!” she couldn’t blame this younger version of herself for sounding shocked and upset. She had been too. “What did you do to let this happen?”
The seated woman smiled sadly. “It doesn’t matter.” She sighed. “Even if I told you, it would still happen. You won’t be able to help it.”
“Why not?”
“Same reason a bird can’t help but fly and a fish can’t help but swim.” She answered. “You were born to wrestle, even when it was so stupid to do so. And until that desire is ripped out of you, you won’t be free of it.”
“I don’t want it ripped out of me.” The young girl remarked. “I love being a wrestler.”
“I did too.” Selena smiled sadly. “But it took being blinded to realize how little being a wrestler mattered compared to…” her voice trailed off, hearing her younger self pacing across the floor. “You’re upset.”
“Of course I’m upset! I break my promise to Deanna to secure our future and you’re telling me I HAVE no future in wrestling! What the hell kind of crap is that?!”
“No future?” Selena’s eyes narrowed.
“You’re blind, Selena.” The girl remarked. “What future do you have? Do I have?!”
Selena’s jaw tightened. “You want to know? Come over here.”
She waited till she heard the young platinum-blonde standing there beside her. Reaching out, she pressed ‘play’ on the keyboard, resuming the video.
“What’s this?” the girl asked.
“Your induction speech into the Wrestling Hall of Fame.”
“What?!” the younger Frost remarked but stopped as the video Selena continued to speak.
“And then I wrestled that match – you all know it. It’s the elephant in the room. Selena Frost vs. Cerberus. One of the bloodiest, most censored matches in history. And in the end, though I won… a monitor to the head from an angry, bitter person took something away from me.” She gestured towards her eyes.
“And I remember the last time I saw my wife was her crying in front of the Christmas tree because I was choosing to do this match. It was the last time I ever saw her face. Because when I woke up in the hospital, it was already too late for me.”
“And there, at the bottom of the barrel, couldn’t get lower…” a smile crossed her features. “There she was. Waiting for me. Telling me it was going to be okay. That she was still there.” Tears could be seen escaping Selena’s eyes in the video. “And I learned… that there was something else I could work better at being now that I was a big fish in the wrestling world. I could work to being the best wife and mother. And I…that is the greatest award I could possibly ask for.” In the video, Selena held up her HOF ring. “But dammit if this isn’t a close second! Thank you everyone and…” she chuckled. “BELIEVE IT!” Her theme played loudly as the video-Selena continued to smile, until the older Selena pressed stop on the video.
“You’re just seeing the end of one road, Selena.” The older woman pushed herself to her feet. “You haven’t seen anything yet.”
The younger Selena gazed back at her older, blind self. “Do you regret losing your sight?”
“No.” came the simple answer. “I broke a promise to Deanna only a few times in our marriage, and that was the last time I ever did. Until tonight.”
“Is she… is she still here?”
The question brought up a smile to the older woman’s face. “Any second now.”
“What?”
The door opened then and there, as predicted. “Selena, Elsianna hasn’t-“ Deanna stopped as her eyes scanned the room. “Wha…Selena…” she turned her head to the younger version. “Selena?”
“Oh gods…” the younger Selena remarked. “You’re still here… and you’re so beautiful.”
Despite her shock, Deanna moved towards her wife’s younger version, reaching up to caress the girl’s face. “What year are you from?”
“2022.” The young Selena sighed. “I know I broke my promise but… I had to know.”
“Still so reckless.” Deanna shook her head. “I shouldn’t be surprised.” She eyed her present-wife before gazing back at the Selena she touched. “I thought I would never see those perfectly-sapphire eyes again.”
Without thinking, the young Selena leaned in to kiss Deanna’s cheek, only for the redhead to hold her back gently with her hand. “I can’t. Sorry.” She smiled sadly. “I’m married. And yes…you’re her… you’re Selena…”
Moving around the room, Deanna stood by the older Selena, taking her hand in hers. “But this is MY Selena. Your Deanna is waiting for you.”
“Yeah…” the young Selena smiled in understanding. “She is…I guess I’m relieved that you still have each other. And that things turn out okay.” She thought about it before smiling. “Actually… that’s really all that matters to me. But… can you give me anything?”
The older Selena seemed to think about it before smiling. “Remember that supercard you made?”
“World’s End?”
“Remember that name. It will make a great flagship PPV for your company.”
“MY company?!” Selena’s eyes widened. “I have my own company?”
“Who knows?” Selena shrugged. “I’m just saying that it would make a great name. What does a blind, old woman know?”
Despite this vagueness, the younger Selena could not help but smile, turning her eyes up to the teary-eyed Deanna. “Merry Christmas.” She said at last. “To the both of you.”
“And Happy Yuletide to you.” The older Selena smiled. “Make sure you enjoy it and every year you can, Selena. For both our sakes.”
The younger woman gave a nod before she was out of the room and out of the house, leaving the Frost wives alone once more.
“You promised you wouldn’t time-travel.” Deanna teased.
“I know.” Selena sighed.
“So you knew… all along you knew and you couldn’t stop it?”
“No… I could have.” Selena sighed. “But then I might not have had you here with me. I might not be here now.”
“But you could have still been able to see.”
“See what?” Selena smiled, reaching over to pull her wife into her arms. “An empty house? No, Deanna. I rather hear you and your voice here then that. Even if I never see again… you’re worth it.”
She heard her wife sniffle a little before drawing Selena in for a long kiss. They heard the loud roar of an engine outside, assuming it was Selena’s AXTGRIFF returning to 2022. But when the door was opened and they heard not one but three different voices, the Frost wives looked at one another before rushing up the stairs.
As they entered the mudroom area, they were shocked to see not only Elsianna, but Amiliah and David – all three of their children!
“Kids…” Deanna remarked.
“Mom…” Amiliah rushed over to hug Deanna first, followed by Selena. “It’s Ami, Mother!”
“I can hear you!” Selena exclaimed in delight. “David?”
“Here, mom.” The boy smiled before reaching over to touch his mother’s shoulder. “Elsa said you needed some company this year.”
She couldn’t help it – she hadn’t cried much since her Hall of Fame speech, the tears falling from her eyes down her cheeks as she held her children and wife. She turned towards Elsianna, feeling her nearby.
“You did something reckless, didn’t you?” she asked knowingly.
“Yep.” Deanna remarked, casting her gaze outside. “I can see the light of the AXTGRIFF just fading from a jump…”
Despite herself, Elsianna shrugged. “Yeah…this time I did.”
Selena smiled at that, hugging her daughter tighter. “Like mother, like daughter.” She whispered. “Merry Christmas, kids.”
“Merry Christmas, mother.” They all said as they stood there, the day of Christmas already begun…