AN: It's been a while, but I got the idea from my girlfriend Nat who's in my Rocky Horror shadow cast. I hope you guys enjoy this.
It was the Friday before Halloween. Karen Xavier was Janet Weiss in her cast's performance of Rocky Horror Picture Show. It was her third show with the Apoca-lips Cast at her school. She was so nervous to play Janet for the first time.
"Hey, you okay?" her best friend in college Morgan Ketcham asked her. He was her Brad to his Janet for the evening.
Karen shook her head. "I don't know, man," she said to Morgan. They were standing with the rest of the cast, making prop bags. Karen stepped forward to brush a strand of dark green hair out of Morgan's face. "I'm so nervous of this show. Most of the audience will probably know me and I'm playing Janet! What if I mess up?"
Morgan laughed. "Trust me, Ace, you will do amazing. I've known you since my first day of college over a year ago and I know you were born for this performance," he told his best friend. "I'm nervous because Alice is coming." He was biting his lips.
She smiled. Her best friend had a crush on their mutual friend Alice. "She likes you back, why don't you ask her out already? Your romance is almost as suspenseful as mine and Alex," she said, referencing her boyfriend Alexander Lawrence.
Karen had known Alex since her first semester of college. They were in calculus together Karen's first semester. Her first show, Karen was a Transylvanian. Alex came to support her in the show, even though he had never seen the movie. That was the moment she knew that Alex was special. At the end of the show, he asked her out. They've been dating ever since.
Little did she know it was going to be a special night.
One of the directors, the heavy set female blonde one walked up to Morgan and Karen. "Hey you two, because you're both in college and are leads, go promote the show at the dance," she told them.
Morgan led Karen out of the room.
A few minutes after they left the room, entered a tall, slightly chunky guy with soft brown hair and bright blue eyes.
"Hey, Alex, she's not here. We sent her off to the dance," Jaqueline told him, walking over to him. She was wearing a maids outfit and her auburn hair was curled. "Are you ready for tonight?"
He smiled. "I'm so nervous, but look at it," he pulled out a little box. A few of the cast members walked over to them. Alex opened the box to reveal an engagement ring. "But I know when I ask Karen to marry me, she's going to be so surprised."
"I talked to Pat, he knows that after the dance, he's going to have Karen help hand out popcorn and prop bags," Lily, a small, bubbly blonde, another director turned her attention to members of the cast. "The rest of us will tell the audience that this is going to be a special show and set up for the show." She found one of Karen's best friends from the cast, Max. "You will get all of her props and costumes set up where she placed them last rehearsal."
"And you and Morgan will go over Dammit Janet one last time," the male director interjected. "Do you have your outfit?"
Alex nodded. "Yes, I do. I will put it on during pre show. I don't want give Karen any idea this is happening."
I can't believe I'm going to ask the woman I love to marry me in the thing she loves to do, Alex thought to himself, smiling.
A few hours later, everyone was running around, setting up chairs, placing costumes and props where the belong. Everyone was busy getting ready for the midnight show of Rocky Horror Picture Show.
"Thank you for setting me stuff up, Pat needed my help because I'm apart of CAB," Karen told Max. "Have you seen Morgan or Alex, I haven't seen them in a while."
At that moment, Alex appeared with Alice and Morgan behind him. Alice and Morgan were flirting.
Alex leaned in and kissed Karen. "Hey, babe. I just got here from work," he lied to his soon to be finance. "I got out late."
"Thank you baby, did you get my text about food, the dance food sucked," Karen asked her boyfriend.
"Um, yeah, I left the food in the car. Let me go grab it for you," he answered. Alex walked away with Morgan.
Alice sat next to Karen. "Hey, you ready for tonight?" she asked Karen, knowing what was happening tonight.
Karen nodded. "Yeah, I guess. I'm so nervous. More than half the audience is going to see me in my underwear and bra. I'm kinda being self conscious." She handed a prop bag to a couple of people.
"I'll be front row if you need me," she told her best friend.
Karen eyes widened. "Will you be my Betty, Janets get to choose their Bettys and Brads pick their Ralphs so I choose you," she asked Alice.
"Yes!" she said.
At a quarter to midnight, everyone was in the cafeteria, watching the pre show. Karen looked around to find Alex but couldn't find him. His seat in the front was empty. Weird, she thought.
During the virgin games and the rules of the prop bag, most of the cast was in the back of the cafeteria getting ready for The Wedding Scene.
Standing next to Morgan was Alex. He was in a black tuxedo with a crisp white dress shirt. He's wearing a maroon coloured bow tie and matching cummerbun. His hair is gelled back. The two of them were talking about something.
"Woah, you look beautiful," Alex told Karen. Love was in his eyes.
Karen was wearing a light pink laced dress with a mess skirt. Her light brown hair was curled. She had macara on and light eye shadow. The white hat she had on had trim of light pink to match the dress. Her brown eyes shown love in them.
"Are you..." she trailed off. "Are you actually going on that stage as Ralph?"
Alex laughed. "Why is that weird?" he asked his girlfriend. He knew that she was going to question him.
Karen shook her head. "You have never wanted to be a part of the show, no matter how many times I asked you to," she inquired. "You never even stand to do the Time Warp."
"Yes I do, you just never see," he lied, laughing. He took took Karen's hand. "I love you, babe."
Karen smiled."I love you, too, cutie," she told him.
"In the back row"
"Fuck the back row!" people in the front row called out.
"Fuck the front row!" the cast and people in the back row screamed.
"We fucked you first!"
"We fucked you better!"
"We swallowed!"
"Jackie's mom made us cookies!" That call back was special for the cast.
"To the late night double feature picture show."
Karen took Morgan's hand while Alex took Alice's. The group of weirdos ran forward, wearing their wedding scene outfits. They were all talking and cheering.
"Picture time!" Lily's husband called out. Everyone gathered together. Alex stood next to Alice, but pulled Karen close to him. She looked up at him, laughing. Morgan was standing next to Alice.
Morgan pulled Alex away from the crowd, as scripted. They were supposed to talk, like Brad and Ralph did in the movie.
"Hey, are you ready?" Morgan asked Alex, lightly punching him.
Alex nodded, taking a deep breath. "Yes, I love Karen with all my heart and I'm ready to ask her to spend the rest of our lives together," he told Morgan. His hands were in his suit jacket right hand was fumbling with the ring case in his pocket.
"Time to throw the bouquet!" the movie called out. Alice threw the bouquet to Karen. She jumped around, happily.
"Good luck, man," Morgan wished Alex, giving him a hug.
Following the scene, the cast runs off, led by Alice and Morgan holding hands.
"What are you doing here?" Karen asked when she noticed Alex standing next to her instead of Morgan.
"Hey Janet"
"I have my reasons," he told her. His hands were in his pockets.
"Yes Brad?"
"Oh yeah?" she responded.
"I've got something to say
I really loved the skilful way
You beat the other girls to the bride's bouquet!"
Alex beamed at her. He grabbed her hands. He followed the screen, doing what Brad was doing. He kept following the screen as Brad ran around, while Karen followed him, with a confused on her face.
Oh, she looks so cute when she looks confused, Alex thought.
"The river was deep but I swam it, Janet
The future is ours so let's plan it, Janet
So please don't tell me to can it, Janet
I've one thing to say and that's
Dammit, Janet, I love you"
Karen leaned in to kiss Alex. Unlike in the movie, Alex gave Karen a peck on the lips. Alex continued following the screen. He ran backwards as Brad did. He did this over the top romantic gesture. He was doing all of this for Karen.
As this all surprised Karen. She was worried that Morgan was sick or hurt. But he was hanging out with her all at the dance and was fine. Then she realised, Alex was planning something. She didn't know what but she knew he got her cast involved.
"The road was long but i ran it, Janet
There's a fire in my heart and you fan it, Janet
If there's one fool for you then I am it, Janet
Now I've one thing to say and that's"
"Dammit, Janet, I love you"
Alex pulled Karen close. "Dammit, Karen, I love you!"
He went down on one knee. He pulled the ring box out of his pocket. "Kare, I love you. You make me so happy. The past two years, have been amazing with you in my life. I can't see my life without you in it. Oh K-A-R-E-N, I love you so."
"Here's a ring to prove that I'm no joker
There's three ways that love can grow
That's good, bad or mediocre
Oh J-A-N-E-T I love you so"
Karen gasped. "This is no joke, I'm actually doing this. Karen Marie Xavier, will you do me the honour and marry me?" Alex placed the ring on her finger. "I want to spend the rest of my life with you."
"Alex..." she trailed off. Her mind was racing. In front of everyone, her boyfriend of two amazing years asked her to marry him. This was not at all how she imagined this moment.
"Oh it's nicer than Betty Munroe had,oh Brad
Now we're engaged and I'm so glad,oh Brad
That you've met Mum and you know Dad, oh Brad
I've one thing to say and that's
Brad I'm mad for you too"
"You can answer me at the end of the song," Alex said, standing up.
"Oh Brad"
Karen linked arms with Alex, subconsciously. "Uh huh," she said, doubfoundly.
"Oh, dammit!"
Morgan watched from the side. Alice was holding his hand.
"Do you think she's going to say yes?" Alice asked Morgan.
Morgan nodded. "Yeah, she loves him. She and I have talked about each other's weddings before, in the middle of night."
"I'm mad"
Jacqueline looked over at Max and Amelia. They were on stage behind the couple. Amelia was Columbia and Max was Riff Raff. "Can you believe this?" Jacqueline asked Max.
"She's going to say yes. You know her so well, and me, well I love her enough to let her go to the man she loves," Max said.
Jacqueline nodded. "She does love him. A couple of times when she and I got drunk at my apartment after a long, stressful rehearsal, we would talk about her wedding. She's always wanted to marry Alex."
"I didn't know anything about this at all," Amelia stated coldly.
"It's because you're a cold hearted bitch and you torment Karen. Alex told everyone but you about this because he didn't want you involved. You would have found a way to ruin it," Max told her the truth.
Jacqueline shook her head. "You always find a way to ruin things," she spat at Amelia. "BTW, you're not invited to the after party at my house. If you come, I'll call the cops on your ass!"
"Oh Janet!"
The plump blonde director and the male director stood in the audience watching. "Do you think she'll say yes?" asked the blonde.
The male director nodded. "I don't think, um, Alex would put so much into this without knowing Karen would say yes."
"For you"
Lily sat next to her husband, videoing the whole number. Alex asked her to video tape it for they could back and watch the proposal. Her husband, John, was getting a lot of photos, as well as another cast member, Cassie.
Lily heard the audience murmuring. Rumours spread around the room like a wildfire. All whether or not Karen would say yes to Alex. The biggest rumour was that Karen and Morgan were really a thing.
Please say yes, Lily thought.
"I love you too
There's one thing left to do, and that's"
Alex and Karen continued follow the screen. Alex really wanted her to say yes already. Karen wanted to say yes, but she couldn't speak. They were stuck in this time warp, doing the number, but wanting to change it at the same time.
"Go see the man who began it, Janet
When we met in his science exam-it, Janet
Made me give you the eye and then panic"
Alex pulled Karen close to him. They started waltzing, like Brad and Janet did on the screen. The couple stared into each other lives lovingly. "I love you so much Kar," he whispered in her ear.
"I love you, too babe," she said back.
"Janet
There's one thing to say and that's
Dammit, Janet, I love you"
Why hasn't she answered me yet? Everyone is watching them. What if she says no? But she loves me. Maybe I scared her. Please say yes, Kare, Alex thought.
"Dammit Janet"
I can't believe he asked me to marry him. I love him. And no one can ever say that they got proposed to while doing Rocky Horror Picture Show. It's a great way to continue our love story. I do want to marry him, Karen thought.
"Oh brad, I'm mad"
Alex spun Karen. He was hoping she would finally answer him. He wanted her to be his fiance, then his wife, later on.
"Dammit Janet;"
"Yes Alexander Lawrence, I will marry you," Karen answered leaning in to kiss Alex. Alex wrapped is arms around Karen and pulled her into a long kiss. The audience went crazy clapping.
"I love you!"
The couple pulled away as the last notes of the song played and ran behind the curtain, so Karen could get ready for the next scene.
After the show, everyone in the room was congrating Karen and Alex on their engagement.
Finally, Morgan and Alice walked over to the couple. "Congratulations!" Morgan told his best friend, pulling her into a hug. They both smelled of sweat and were still in their floor show outfits.
"You knew about it, didn't you?" she asked her best friend. He pulled away from the hug. He had an evil grin on his face.
Max came over to the engaged couple. "Congrats.." he said to the girl he was in love with fiance.
"Thanks," Alex said, stuffing his hands in his pockets.
Karen was talking to Morgan and Alice, discovering the new couple that finally happened. Alex stared at his fiance with love in his eyes.
The directors walked up to the group. "Congratulations Alex and Karen," Lily told them, hugging them both.
"Wait a minute..." Karen thought for a minute. She turned to her directors. "Did I get the role of Janet just because of the proposal?"
"No, you got the role because of your talent and because this was at the college, so we prioritised college students," the male director told her.
Alex wrapped his arms around Karen. "After you called me to tell me that you got Janet, I got the idea to propose to you on stage. It was after you got the role. Then I got everyone to help me." Alex turned towards Morgan. "It helps that one of your best friends was Brad and willing to let me Brad for that scene."
"I love you so much," Karen told her fiance.
"I love you more," Alex said, pulling Karen into a long kiss.
When they pulled away, Jacqueline was standing there. "You guess ready to celebrate?" she asked them.
"Yes," they said at the same time.
As the group was walking out of the building, Karen stopped for a moment. Thanks to the Rocky Horror Picture Show she had met the love of her life. Now she was engaged to him. She will always be thankful to the movie and the Apoca-lips Cast.