The beginning of the end.

X.x.x.x.X

"Dinner is prepared."

"I'm not hungry."

The domestic's shadow faded from the door, knowing better than to argue. Her Mickey Mouse ears were crooked, her pajamas a mess. She couldn't remember if she was hungry, or the last time she had eaten. It didn't matter anymore. It was great when it all began, the castle being the place that saved her. Now she needed saving from it's rooms and corridors…but not without Eddie. Her ring was still on her finger, the blue chipping slowly. 'They can pry it off me when I'm old and dead,' she thought, not bothering to wipe the tears off her face. It was a fruitless effort to do so, more would spill, and she'd have to touch them again.

Her hands were dry, and the nail polish was gone, but her fingers were bone-like now. Remembering a conversation she and the delivery boy once had, she grabbed a pen from behind a lamp. She needed to give Eddie's statue a lasting mark.

L-O-V-E and H-A-T-E were written with surprising composure, on his fingers with the blue pen. It would match nicely, she thought, with the others, the "HATE" making it seem edgy and tough. 'He was so much more,' Columbia reminisced miserably, finishing the last letter. 'He was better than all the sequins, and all the other wonderful things in the world. He was my world…" He had been her sanity since that night they really started talking; and now that he was gone, everything seemed obscure. She couldn't remember how old she was anymore…for a long time, she was convinced she was twenty three, but she could only really remember up to nineteen, anything that happened in those alleged four years seemed to found different homes in her head. Twenty-three was the age on her fake I.D, but she felt that was too young; she had lived such a long and tiring life. Kissing the statue, not having to worry about lipstick stains; she trudged slowly to the lift…

A teacher once told her to think of three things she was good at, every day. Real, genuine qualities to be proud of. It was always a hard thing to do, and she stopped doing it quickly. Now she felt like she could do it-maybe. The biker had given her confidence, actually made her feel good about herself. Swimming. She thought about it as she dove into the pool, opening her eyes to feel the sting of the chlorine. She felt like a mermaid, naked, and not quite real. Columbia felt like a fantasy, her whole life seemed like a story. Dancing. Tap-dancing particularly. She would tap-dance for Eddie one day, tap-dance, because he would get it, and it was the one time people really stared at her for a good reason. She would test out the rhinestone-covered shoes once she was feeling better. More sparkly. More like the human sequin she once was. The third one was hard; it was always the one that stumped her. One of a kind. The groupie felt extremely bold saying that to herself, not being so critical for once. "Ve accept ze love ve zink ve deserve," was something the domestic had said to her the first night Frank didn't let her spend the night. And it was ugly to hear, and it was true. But Frank also had a power over her that not even Eddie had.

X.x.x.x.X

"I just thought the vall needed something."

Where Frank's face once was there was Eddie. Columbia gasped, knees buckling under her and squeezing her eyes tight. Arms wrapped around her shoulders, and she was gently pulled to her feet by Magenta. The maid was rubbing circles in her back, something she had never done before. The groupie felt her mouse ears straightened, and her pajamas dusted off.

"Now now, come along," The domestic said sternly, but with a hint of maternal feeling. Shaky breathing and hiccups ceased as Columbia looked up at her friend sadly.

"Will I ever seem him again 'Genta?"

"If all goes right, zan yes…"

For the first time in days, Columbia made eye contact with someone. Her crying stopped, and she grabbed Magenta's wrist.

"What do you mean?"

A sly smile slid across the maid's scarlet lips. She took time to collect her thoughts, while the groupie shivered with anticipation. She gripped her friend's wrists harder, nails digging into skin.

"My brother…after ve perform ze…surgical tasks, Eddie shall be…placed in the freezer."

"But-he's not meatloaf, or some frozen dinner!"

The domestic smiled again, a lazy yet amused expression on her face. "It only opens vhen it reached ze 'Deep Freeze.' My brother could time it possibly, making ze door open ze night of ze Master's…convention. Zhere would be guests to…entertain. You two could just slip out."

It seemed so simple, but her mindset had snapped already. Columbia burst into tears again, maniacal happy ones, and grabbed the domestic in a sloppy hug. She noted the sadness, the loneliness in Magenta's voice, and when she pulled away, leaned forward again. This time however, she kissed her. It was deep, and sad, and filled with the emptiness they both felt. They were both so far from home, they were the only one they could each be frivolous and maternal with. Columbia was well aware of the hungry fingers scrambling to get clothing off, aware of the skin and the animalistic noises. It was nice to feel loved, Columbia decided, even if it's to fill the emptiness inside…

X.x.x.x.X

"Who is it?

Someone was knocking on the door, causing her to sit up abruptly, and answer groggily. Someone entered in the darkness, unruly hair pouring over their shoulders. It had to be Magenta, coming up from her duties or her brother.

"'Genta, wasn't I enough?"

She was laughing as she said it, and heard the domestic chuckle. Settling down on the bed with her, the maid ran her fingers through the groupie's hair. She giggled as her fingers got caught in fiery red curls, smiled as bodies collided.

The curls came out. It was a wig.

"Frankie!"

"I'm afraid so," the transvestite murmured, sounding quite pleased with himself. "But wasn't it nice?"

It was nice, but Columbia's mouth couldn't seem to form words. She gasped and sputtered, her body feeling totally immobile, intoxicated by the very touch of the man. It had been much to long, Frank hadn't made her feel amazing in so long. She felt overdue, but confused, and hurt. Tears spilled out again, scared, unsure tears, and was surprised when he pulled her close to him, so she could feel her heart beating against his.

"Frankie…oh Frankie," she sobbed, feeling him stroke her hair slowly, and put kisses on her face. She felt her clothes coming off again, and his hot breath all over her body. She felt the addiction coming on, but Eddie's head kept flashing through her mind. It was insanity, and it was wrong, and it was the only way she knew how to cope. Columbia would just have to cope until the convention, until she was back with someone more.

X.x.x.x.X

This is finished…that's so weird to think about, but it is and I would not have bothered finishing this if I hadn't received so much support. From all of you that reviewed, or favorite-ed, or alerted, or of course, read this: I love you, and you are my muses and my motivation. Now that this is finished, I'll actually reply to all of you. This story was started days after I saw Rocky Horror the first time. I was fourteen than, and I'm fourteen now. I hope I've entertained you since this started, and I can't wait to actually review your stories! Feel free to send a message; now that I'm not concentrating on this, I can actually answer that…so yeah. Thank you, now let's do the Time Warp again!