A/N: This is the whole rest of the story (well, almost), in one long chapter. I was afraid I would forget if I kept doing the one-chapter-at-a-time-thing. I hope you enjoy.
--
Magenta was reeling from this whole experience. One moment she was with Riff Raff at the party; the next, she was standing before some sadist in women's clothing who could rip her whole world apart with a photograph.
She glared at him, already dreading the decision she would have to make.
"Where did you get this?" she growled.
"Oh, love, I have my ways. It's not important, though. The important thing is that you accept my proposal. And I suggest you accept it soon."
"Are you going to separate us?" Magenta said, trying with no success to keep the fear out of her voice at the thought of that awful prospect.
"You and Riff Raff, you mean? Well, ma chérie, there's where we hit a snag. You and I, once we are joined, shall be moving to Earth, where you will assist me in my latest and greatest scientific endeavor," he explained smugly.
Magenta's blood went cold at his words. She suddenly felt dizzy, detached, sick.
"No," she snapped. "I won't give in to you. I never will."
"Maybe you'll reconsider when you remember the penalty for incest," Frank said coolly.
Her spine stiffened.
"Death," she breathed.
Frank smirked cruelly. "Yes, death. Imagine how that would break poor Riff Raff's heart. To see you cold, lifeless; slaughtered for protecting him. Right before he's sent to his own grave, of course."
Magenta trembled, her tears already flowing copiously.
"There, there," soothed Frank. He patted her on the arm, a grotesque parody of tenderness. "It doesn't have to be like that. All you have to do is say yes."
"Do you promise not to hurt Riff?" she managed.
"On my mother's grave," he purred.
She shook her head, hardly believing what she was doing. "Fine. I'll marry you."
"Splendid. Why don't we go announce our engagement? Oh, and by the way: you are to tell Riff Raff nothing of my…discoveries about you two."
"Of course," she said. "Just one more thing before we go…"
She stepped up to him, looked him square in the eye, and struck him in the face.
Frank laughed softly, spitting a wad of blood onto the ground. "Well, I suppose that was inevitable. But any more stunts like that—" he seized her hand, purposefully and painfully digging his nails into her flesh "—and you and Riff will both pay."
--
Where is she? Riff Raff wondered. She and Furter had been out on that balcony for a while, and Furter was famous for his skilled seduction of the most unwilling persons. But no, he knew his sister. She wouldn't be swayed by Furter's charms. So what were they doing out on that balcony?
As if in response to his mental question, Magenta and Furter walked back into the room, hand in hand, making their way to the stage in the front of the room. They paused for a moment and he kissed her.
Riff Raff was glued to the spot, too thunderstruck to react. Before he could regain his senses, however, Furter and Magenta were already standing on the stage, motioning for everyone to be quiet. Riff stood in silence, waiting for an explanation.
"My dear friends," Magenta began. "I have a very special announcement to make." She smiled tightly. "A few minutes ago, my…uh, secret lover, Dr. Frank-N-Furter, asked me to marry him."
The guests gasped. Riff almost passed out.
"And, of course, I said yes. My friends, Dr. Frank-N-Furter and I are going to be married!" She gazed at Furter with an expression that outsiders would describe as adoration, but that Riff knew to be thinly veiled contempt.
Furter stepped forward. "Yes, it's true: Magenta McKinley and I have been secret lovers for quite some time. But now we've decided to make it official!" And with an insincere simper, he gripped Magenta's dress, yanked her towards him, and kissed her.
The crowd cheered. Riff Raff screamed in rage, but his cry was lost in the chorus of joyous approval.
"The wedding is in a month, and you are all invited!" Furter bellowed. The crowd cheered again. "And after my wedding, Magenta and I are going on a very special journey together…" He paused dramatically, waiting for the noise to die down. "We are going on a journey to Earth!"
This time, Riff Raff actually passed out.
Magenta barely managed to suppress her strangled cry of anguish as she leapt off the stage and ran towards her brother. Frank looked sheepish as he said, "Guess the announcement was too much for him!"
The audience chuckled good-naturedly before crowding around Riff Raff, concerned.
Magenta held her brother limply, grieving silently for their lost life together. She couldn't believe she was hurting her brother like this. He was her brother, her lover, the only family she had left. He was everything. And she was hurting him for what; their lives? Did their lives really matter without each other?
"Riff," she said, suddenly aware of the audience that was forming around them. She shook him half-heartedly before saying, "I think I should take him to his room. He'll come out of it in a moment, I'm sure. Be right back, love," she said to Frank. With strength she didn't know she had, she hoisted her brother into her arms and rushed off before Frank could protest.
--
"My dear brother."
Riff Raff stirred, opening his eyes to find Magenta's concerned face staring back at him. Immediately, he felt a rare flash of fury possess him.
"How could you do this to me? Why didn't you tell me about him?" he screamed, sitting bolt upright.
Magenta just sat passively, absorbing his hateful words as if she knew she deserved them.
Riff abruptly slumped, looking defeated. "Why didn't you tell me? I would have understood."
Magenta shook her head and looked around nervously. "We don't have much time before Furter comes back. I want you to listen to me and not make a sound." She took a shaky breath. "Furter knows. He's threatened to report us unless I marry him and accompany him to Earth to assist with his experiments. I don't have any choice; for both of our sakes, I have to marry him."
For the second time that day, Riff almost passed out. "Wha—but…how did he find out?"
"I don't know," whispered Magenta urgently. "But it doesn't matter. I…" She began to sob.
Riff clutched her to his chest, trying to calm her down.
"I can't move to Earth without you. I can't do it," she whimpered.
Riff froze. "For how long?" he asked, not sure if he wanted to know the answer.
"I don't know…I don't know. Riff Raff…" She continued to lament, shaking in his arms.
Unexpectedly, the click-clack of Frank's high heels rang throughout the hallway, causing an astonishing change in Magenta's demeanor. She straightened up, reluctantly untangled herself from her brother, and smoothed out her disheveled clothes just as Frank stepped into the room.
"Knock, knock. How are you, Riff Raff?"
"He's fine; nothing that a bit of rest won't cure. I think the happy news was just too much for him," she said with a small giggle.
Frank grinned. "That's good, then. I'll go tell our guests, and then perhaps you two can return to the party."
Magenta nodded. "We'll be right there."
Frank grinned again and left, his high heels clicking obnoxiously on the floor.
As soon as he was out of sight, Magenta wilted again. Riff Raff hugged her tightly for a moment, then said, "Magenta. My love. We must go back to the party."
"I know. But first…" She kissed him longingly. When she pulled back, Riff thought he saw a smidgen of her old fire in her eyes.
"We'll find a way out of this, my beautiful sister," he said as he took her hand and led her out the door. "We always do."
--
Magenta rolled over restlessly, allowing last evening's events to replay in her head for the umpteenth time.
She had been up all night, trying to wrap her mind around the fact that this was her life. Just yesterday, she had been completely content, living out a blissful dream with her brother. And the whims of a powerful man had shattered it all.
Riff Raff's warm body moved slightly beside her, and she touched his face gently. He was so perfect, so…hers.
Her eyes grew wet again. What kind of world did she live in, this world that caused her to abandon the only man she'd ever loved?
"Good morning," breathed Riff Raff, awakening and smiling under her caress. Immediately his smile faded, and Magenta knew he had remembered.
They lay still for a while, her hand tracing the curves of his face, despair thick in the air like a poison.
She broke the silence by saying, "I think I have found a way for you to come with me."
--
"Magenta—" he began.
"I'm serious. I might have found a way."
She sat up straighter in their bed, as if on a mission. "Frank needs a lab assistant to come with us to Earth. Why couldn't it be you?"
If the situation hadn't been so serious, Riff would have burst out laughing. "Love, he would never agree to that. Besides…isn't that why you are going with him?"
"No, he just needs me so he can have children. Listen to me," she insisted. "Furter is to appear before the Council to present the plan for his latest project, and I, as his fiancée, am expected to attend. If I publicly suggest you as his lab assistant to the Council, how can he refuse? And why wouldn't it work? You're certainly qualified enough—"
"Magenta, it couldn't work," he said. But even as the objection left his mouth, he was already beginning to accept her scheme in his mind. Frank couldn't challenge the Council, and if they proposed him as Frank's assistant, he would become Frank's assistant.
"When is this meeting?"
"Two weeks. It might not work, but we have to try," she said determinedly. "Otherwise…everything is lost."
And she was right. All they could do now was wait and savor the time they had together.
The next two weeks were sweet agony for both her and Riff. Neither of them spoke of Frank or Earth or marriage; they just wanted to forget. They gorged themselves on each other; every moment Magenta wasn't obliged to be with Frank, she was with her brother. They would make love, fast and sincere, and then lay together, sometimes talking, sometimes singing, sometimes just breathing. They clung to each other brutally, fiercely, and God help anyone who tried to separate them.
And then one day they woke up and those ambrosial, savage two weeks were over. The meeting was that day, and it was their last hope.
She and Riff Raff met Frank at the Council's Headquarters at 9 AM. When he saw Riff Raff with her, he nearly exploded.
"What is your brother doing here?" he hissed under his breath, his face livid beneath a thick layer of makeup.
"You never said I couldn't bring him," she hissed back.
Just as Frank was about to have a tantrum, a shrill beep sounded in the small, drab lobby of the Headquarters. A tiny man in a plaid jumpsuit galloped out of an even tinier door and skidded to a stop before them.
"Dr. Frank-N-Furter, Magenta McKinley, and Riff Raff McKinley: the Council will see you now," he stated in a surprisingly deep voice.
Frank snatched Magenta's hand away from Riff Raff's shoulder. His nails left tiny crescent moons on her palm, but she did not grimace.
"The Council knows about this?" Frank growled quietly.
"Yes, I made the arrangements about two weeks ago. I hope you don't mind; all I wanted was for Riff to witness your moment of glory." She smiled sweetly.
"Oh, shut up," he snapped crossly, still whispering. "Neither of you will cause a scene, or we shall leave for Earth this very afternoon! Do I make myself clear?"
"Crystal," replied Magenta. She had a feeling that in the end, it would be Frank who wished to cause a scene.
--
The Council was superintended by a man known only as the Criminologist. No one knew who he used to be or where he had come from; he had just appeared one day and had been the head of the Council ever since. His position was never protested; he was a brilliant and steadfast leader, and had served them well thus far. The only thing he demanded in return was complete and total obedience.
When Magenta walked into the Council's chamber, she knew exactly why the Criminologist was their leader. He looked the part in every way, from his frown of concentration to the fine cigar that smoldered in his hand. He looked like someone honest, someone with an iron will. He was exceedingly dangerous, but Magenta felt she could trust him to help her.
"Greetings, Criminologist," said Frank. He made a move somewhere between a bow and a curtsy. The Criminologist nodded grimly.
"Greetings, Dr. Frank-N-Furter." He surveyed the room and caught sight of Magenta and her brother. "And who might you be?" he asked Magenta.
"I am Magenta McKinley, and this is my brother Riff Raff McKinley." She and Riff inclined their heads in unison.
"Ah, Magenta…I understand you are Dr. Furter's bride-to-be," the Criminologist said.
Magenta nodded.
"Why have you brought your brother with you today?" he asked, examining her face.
"Well, my dear fiancé needs a lab assistant for his experiments, and I thought that Riff Raff would be the perfect candidate," Magenta said breathlessly.
The Criminologist consulted the papers he had on his desk. "So it seems. Riff Raff, have you brought a list of your qualifications with you?"
"Yes, of course," replied Riff. He removed a sheet of paper from his coat and presented it to the Criminologist.
After looking it over for a few moments, he nodded. "That seems to be in order, then. Dr. Furter, I formally recommend that Riff Raff be appointed as your assistant. Do you have any objections?"
Frank eyes revealed his desire to combust from sheer anger, but he succeeded in answering calmly, "None, Criminologist."
"Good, good. Magenta and Riff Raff McKinley, you are dismissed—unless you have other business to discuss?"
"None," said Magenta levelly.
"Good day to both of you, then," said the Criminologist.
"Good day," Magenta and Riff Raff replied in unison.
The siblings calmly said goodbye to Frank and the other Council members. They coolly walked out the door, chatting pleasantly as they exited the building. Then they went into a side alley and fucked before running home, laughing all the way.
"Oh my God, we did it! You're coming with me!" Magenta shrieked hysterically, bouncing up and down on their bed like a madwoman.
Riff said nothing; he simply smiled and watched his sister celebrate.
"Get up here!" she demanded, wrenching him up on the bed.
She tackled Riff Raff, screaming giddily. Riff, laughing, clasped her hands as she writhed with happiness on top of him. "You're coming with me! Haha!"
She collapsed on the bed next to him as her delirium finally subsided. "Oh, God, I can't believe it."
"Magenta," said Riff Raff gently. "This might not work."
She leapt to her feet, scowling down at him as she stood on the bed. "What do you mean?" she asked, a hint of desperation already in her voice.
"I mean that he could simply…not take me along. What could the Council do, anyway? Furter could remain on Earth forever." His tone was bleak. "Or he could have me murdered for this…"
Magenta fell into his lap. "Don't say that. I admit it was a stupid and risky idea, but we're desperate, and it worked! Furter would not defy the Council. They would execute him!"
Even as she comforted him, she knew her words weren't totally true. Yes, all Furter ever wanted was to be on that bloody Council, and of course there was the very real danger of execution if he disobeyed. But he was also impulsive and vengeful; there was no telling what lengths he would go to just to hurt her. They had to be careful.
"I know, love," responded Riff Raff. "But he'll do anything to get what he wants. Everything rests on what he wants."
--
How could they do this? How could they get away with this?
Frank was in a steaming, boiling, frothing rage. How the hell did this happen? His perfect life with his perfect wife—ruined by that idiot hunchback!
He was angrier at Magenta, though—the incestuous little slut. He couldn't believe she had found a way for her brother to come with her. Frank saw through her plan at once, and was furious with himself for not anticipating it. The plan was too simple, but horribly foolproof: manipulate the Council into making him an offer he couldn't refuse.
How could his plot have gone wrong like this? First Magenta, refusing to be his wife until he threatened her with death, then her imbecilic brother's plot to ruin his chances—what the hell was going to happen next?
The thing that killed him though, more than his anger, more than his pride, was his helplessness. He could do nothing but go along with it. If he defied the Council, he lost everything; his job, his dreams, his very life. The only solution that kept everything intact was to marry Magenta and move to Earth with her brother in tow.
At the thought of this defeat, Frank began to boil up inside. It was then that he made a choice. Yes, his ambition was great, but in the end he was ruled by his passion. And passion was now commanding him to get revenge—swift, final, cold revenge.
Magenta would be the perfect wife, but she wasn't the only candidate. He could tear her apart and watch her float away and find someone new.
Well, he had two weeks to decide what was going to happen to the McKinley siblings. Two weeks to decide if they would live or die, and if they would ever see each other again.
"Magenta!" Dr. Frank-N-Furter screamed as he barged into her room, fuming.
"What do you want?" she snapped, not bothering to look up from the book she was reading. Inside, however, she trembled.
"Your brother will NOT be accompanying us to Earth," Furter growled, livid.
Magenta carefully set down her book and gave him a bored glare. "The Council appointed him your assistant."
"Not if I have anything at all to say about it!"
She peered up at him. "You dare to defy the Council?"
"He's not coming with us. If the Council does not agree with this decision, well, then, yes, I am defying the Council," he replied smoothly.
Magenta went back to her book. "Then you are crazy, and you'll be executed. Now go away."
Furter simply smiled. "Oh, Magenta. Two weeks, two short weeks, and you will be mine forever. Don't you understand, my love? It's not just about business anymore. You have greatly angered me. Now, dear, it's personal."
He turned on his six-inch heel and left, leaving Magenta to wither with anguish and fear. Somehow, Furter would make good on his word, even if it cost him his life.
Furter sighed, collapsing heavily onto the chair in front of his makeup table. Sure, he had scared Magenta out of her wits, but what good were empty threats?
He could rage and rant and groan all he liked, but the hard, cold fact was, Riff Raff was going with them. He couldn't give up his life, not now, not when he was on the cusp of fulfilling his supreme goal.
The only thing Frank could do now was to keep Magenta and Riff Raff sweating; let them believe they were always just about to be discovered.
He might get away with this yet.
"I think he plans to defy the Council," Magenta said.
"Magenta, love, there is no way in hell he'd do that. He would be killed!"
Magenta bit her lower lip. "I know, it's just—he came to my room, and he told me it was personal now, because I had made him angry. And it's just words, but somehow…I just can't be sure he won't do anything."
"If does something, he'll be executed," replied Riff Raff firmly. "And that's the end of it."
--
In spite of those words of reassurance and logic, Magenta and Riff lived tensely during those next two weeks. Success was so close, and yet so far.
Magenta allowed herself to be dressed. She appeared listless, but was actually struggling not to cry. Worries plagued her, and although they were useless and unfounded, she couldn't shake them.
"You look beautiful," the servant Furter had sent to assist her squawked kindly.
"Thank you," said Magenta softly. And indeed, she did. Every detail: her pale makeup, her teasing black dress with the massive ruby, the veil…yes, every detail had been planned out so she would look exquisite.
"Dr. Frank-N-Furter said you should go to the Zen Room as soon as you're done; there are people to meet and stuff," the servant said.
"Thank you; I'll go in a second. Would you go to the Zen Room and tell him I'm coming?"
"Yup," the servant said, and sped away.
Magenta waited until she had gone, then turned to face herself in the mirror. She looked tired, defeated; someone who had been afraid of too much for too long.
"What has become of me?" she whispered. "What will become of me?"
She lowered the veil over her face, letting it fall where it would, and set off for the Zen Room.
"Splendid!" cried Dr. Frank-N-Furter, clapping his hands. "Oh, Magenta, mon amour! You look bewitching!"
Magenta smiled slightly, leaning against the door of the Zen Room in a very provocative manner.
"As do you, fiancé chéri," she cooed sweetly. Inside, she was burning with anger.
"I think it's best we captured the moment for posterity, don't you?" asked Furter, showing off his horse-grin.
Magenta obligingly walked to his side, and they posed for photographs for what seemed like hours on end. She thought idly that their matching fake smiles would look good in the wedding album.
The photos were over at last. Furter turned to his bride-to-be and said, "It's time."
He held out a bouquet of blue hydrangeas. "For you, as a symbol of my deepest affection."
"Thank you," she murmured, accepting them with a muffled sob.
Furter caught the glint of grief in her eye. "Dearest, don't cry. We're not even married yet!"
Everyone smiled at the seemingly caring comment. Only Magenta recognized the cruelty behind it.
"I'm sorry, darling; I'm just so happy," she sighed.
"Well, let's not dilly-dally, then!" cried Frank. "To the chapel!"
As the wedding party left the room, Frank whispered in her ear, "Stop crying, Magenta. You'll have plenty more to cry about later."
The music was playing, the guests were seated, and all the little bridesmaids in their adorable purple and black pinstripe dresses had made their way to altar. Now all that remained was for her and Furter to head to the front and say the vows.
She was numbly aware of a change in the tempo of the music as she felt a tug on her hand. Frank was pulling her toward the altar, she realized. She let herself be led, knowing she should struggle but remembering that she couldn't.
And before she knew it, she stood face to face with Frank in front of the Criminologist, blankly repeating her vows. She promised to love him, honor him, and regularly fuck him into oblivion. He promised the same to her, and all too soon she felt his meaty lips against hers. They were married.
The guests rose to their feet with a roar, already dancing to the infectious beat of the Time Warp. Frank lifted her into his arms with a smirk.
"Time for a little fun!" he cried, and bodily carried her towards the bedroom beyond the altar as the guest threw congratulatory confetti at them.
Magenta cried.
--
Frank rolled off of her, already lighting a cigarette.
"Want one?" he asked, tossing the pack at her carelessly.
Magenta failed to catch it. She simply laid there, comatose except for her burning eyes.
Frank rolled his eyes at her distraught state. "Here, eat this," he said, handing her a blue tablet. "It'll make you less depressing."
She chewed and swallowed it; it tasted like rubber. "What does it really do?" she asked when she was finished.
"It ensures you'll become pregnant," he said with a shrug.
"What happens after I have your child?" she asked, concealing the hope in her voice.
He smiled sharply. "You raise the child on Earth until I'm finished my experiment. Then we return to Transylvania, I serve on the Council, and you are my doting little trophy wife forever afterward."
Her eyes widened, burning more brightly than fire, but she didn't say a word.
"Now if you'll excuse me," he said lazily. "I have some other…business to attend to." He wrapped a silky green robe around himself and tromped out of the room.
As soon as he was gone, Magenta burst into tears.
What was becoming of her? All she did these days was cry and torture herself about things she could not change. But she couldn't help it. This whole situation seemed like a nightmare from which she could never wake up.
"Love?" said a soft, hoarse voice. She peered through her tears to see Riff-Raff standing in the doorway.
"Come here," she murmured sadly. He flew to her arms, holding her tightly as she let herself go.
Before long her sobs ceased, and she thanked him and kissed him gently. Then her kisses became harder, and his hands began to roam, and soon enough they were making love on her marriage bed.
Frank stood silently in the doorway, observing the oblivious lovers for a moment with a callous eye. Then he slipped away. Magenta has crossed the line.
Tomorrow, he would go to the Council and present them with evidence of the McKinley siblings' incest. Then his beautiful bride and her hideous brother would be executed, and his stubborn battle would be won.
--
"What do you have to say for yourselves, Riff Raff and Magenta?" asked the Criminologist.
Magenta gripped her brother's hand. How had Frank managed to get those photographs of them? He had been safely in bed with others last night. Or so she had thought. Apparently, he had taken a break from his numerous conquests.
"I'm not sorry," she said firmly. Riff Raff clutched her hand. She could feel the panic in his pulse. "My husband is a cruel man, and I don't love him. But he threatened to expose me and Riff Raff unless I married him. He's not a man of his word, obviously," she said bitingly.
The Criminologist turned to the scientist. "Is this true, Dr. Furter?"
"Absolutely not!" he cried, the picture of wounded outrage. "I have no idea why my beloved would turn against me like this. Frankly, I'm shocked by this whole thing."
"Oh, shut up," snarled Riff, speaking for the first time. "You left your sobbing wife alone on your wedding night while you were off sleeping with random people!"
"That is not true!" Frank shouted. "I love my wife! The only thing I did last night was weep at this shocking, foul betrayal!"
"Your melodrama isn't fooling anyone, Doctor," interjected the Criminologist. The room went dead silent.
"Excuse me?" managed Frank, mouth agape.
"I know of your reputation, Dr. Furter. You are a man of loose and questionable morals. I don't know if the story Magenta McKinley tells of these threats is true, but I will take no chances. I hereby suspend the normal penalty of death that usually accompanies incest, and offer the defendants a choice. Magenta and Riff Raff McKinley: you will serve Dr. Furter on Earth as his assistants until he has completed his experiment. Also, Magenta, as his wife, you will bear him an heir. When those two tasks are completed, you will all return to Transylvania. At this point, you both shall be free to do as you please, provided you do not continue practicing incest. If you do, you will be executed without question. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes," they said.
"Good. You are dismissed. I suggest you start making preparations for the flight to Earth immediately."
They nodded mutely, hurrying out of the room before the Criminologist could regain his senses and withdraw the ludicrously merciful offer he had just made.
This time, there was no celebrating, no uncontained joy. They just stood outside the Council's chambers, as if waiting for the world to collapse around them.
Riff Raff spoke first. "Magenta."
"Yes?"
"We should begin to get the ship ready."
"You're right," she replied. But neither of them moved.
"We should go," Riff Raff said gently. "Furter will only get angrier if we're not ready to go soon."
"Is this how it's going to be on Earth?" she asked sadly. "Dodging his blows, cowering in corners, stealing the moments that we should rightfully have?"
He took her pale, cold hands in his. "I don't know, and I don't care, so long as I'm with you."