P R O V E your L O V E ♥Ryan♥

[MAGGIE SINCLAIRE]

THIS IS WHAT A CUT THROAT BITCH WEARS.

Okay, this was just getting boring at this point.

The shouting had been going on for near an hour at this point, leaving Maggie in this painfully boring room. No decorations hung from the walls, and it was a a horrible shade of robin egg blue. She hated blue, it just irked her. And it went awful with her hair. She had tried to locate something of interest. A gun, an open box of condemns, a playboy. Nothing. It tragic, how boring this boy was. She really was doing him a favor by associating with him.

The current argument down the stairs- he seemed to have picked the highest room in the house, to assure mother dearest would remain out (not that she could venture far, currently beached in the midst of her bed)- was about the necklace that hung from Maggie's slender neck. Red, crystal, Swarovski, in the shape of a heart. It was lovely, and a nice change from the cheap shit she had been wearing around him. She loathed cheap jewelry, but it added to the wholesome persona she was portraying to him. jeans, the tank top, the bra and panties which didn't match. His sweatshirt, wrapped around her, smelling of generic shampoo and a deoderant that was not terrible, but not her favorite.

She laid on his bed, which was old and lumpy, thinking it over. Maggie had a plan, she always had a plan after all. But she wasn't entirely sure she wanted to go through with it. Her first venture to this house had proven most interesting. While she was disgusted to fine the obscenely obese Mrs. Frost, she did find some loose paper work around. A life insurance policy. A life insurance policy worth a great deal of money, enough for even Maggie to be startled over. Enough to make Maggie want it. Two things stood in her way:

One, that heifer below breathing.

Two, her and Ryan not being united in the bonds of holy matrimony.

She tried to imagine a life with Ryan. It wasn't too difficult. He was romantic, would be thrilled to know the thought of marriage had crossed her mind. It wouldn't be hard. The first problem was basically the one real problem. Laying on her stomach, various thoughts ran through her mind.

Maggie liked this house, but would love it with a real woman's touch. Remodeling, and such. Get rid of things like tacky ceramic knicknacks and robin egg blue paint. A touch of class, a splash of paint, updated appliances. And that woman below, how much longer could she live?

That was the thing, wasn't it?

A young person could die, bam, right there, in an instant. Healthy, vibrant, youthful, dead. And an old person could hang on forever, in limbo, forever there. Fat, bitter, lonely, alive. It was a crime, a goddamn crime.

And then it came to her. What she must do. What Ryan must do.

A testament to his love for her.

When the door opened, she put on her most loving gaze,eyes sympathetic and sweet. "Oh Ryan..." She breathed, holding her arms open, ready to comfort him. After a row like that with Mommy dearest, he'd be upset. This was the perfect time to strike. Now, when he was vulnerable. When he'd listen to her pleas of reason. It was now or never, and if Maggie Sinclaire could do anything right, it was strike at the most opportune moment.

[hedgiefrost]

Ryan hated moments like this. When his mother decided to argue with him about something stupid like this. So what if he wanted to buy Maggie something nice? It's not that he hadn't done it before. It seemed that she just decided to bring it up harshly while...

Oh god, Maggie was upstairs. The fight had gotten pretty loud. As he slammed the door to her room behind him, finished with the discussion and really pissed off, he wondered what she had heard. He pondered every way she would react, not really bringing them to his frontmost thoughts, but it was enough to make him take his time getting upstairs to his room. It was the farthest away from his mother's so it wasn't difficult, but he did linger on the stairs to fix the random cheaply framed photographs that hung on the walls and had been there since before he could remember. How had they gotten so crooked? Ryan guessed that he had been preoccupied with college and his mother and Maggie to really notice.

He remembered his dad telling him when he was young that those photos gave the house character. In return, Ryan asked, being the unimaginative kid that he was, why a house would need character. His father had laughed and didn't try to explain it to him, and Ryan didn't ask.

Why hadn't he asked?

Moments like that had been coming more often lately. Moments of regret from before his dad had committed suicide. Sometimes he blamed himself, which didn't exactly help him.

Needless to say, he wasn't in a very cheerful mood when he finally got up to his room. Luckily tears hadn't reached his eyes, but that didn't stop him from accidently putting too much force into the door. He hesitated, trying to take back the slam, but it was obviously too late.

"Oh Ryan..."

He went to Maggie for comfort, putting his arms around her. Sometimes it seemed that she was the only bright thing in his life nowadays. The only thing that wasn't against him at heart.

AND THIS IS WHAT AN UPSET AND EASILY MANIPULATED ROMANTIC WEARS

[MAGGIE SINCLAIRE]

Oh, her Ryan.

He was so weak, so in need of a backbone. Luckily, Maggie was quite good at fill in as various body parts. Even more luckily she did not have to fill in for all body parts, so he proved to be at least some use. You had to coax him a bit, as he was a rabbit of a man, but once you soothed his confidence a bit...

She was getting off tracked.

Stroking his back, she snuggled him, glaring hatefully at the cheap jewelry around her wrist. Maggie was a fucking lady of society, that piece of plastic was beneath her. Dammit, she was sick of this wholesome crap. Oh yes, that settled that, this was going to happen. As soon as a pretty diamond was on her finger, she'd be able to finally be herself again. He wouldn't dare divorce her after all. "Oh, Ryan. I hate seeing you like this." She spoke gently, a sympathetic and loving voice on. It was such a startling contrast to the shriek that had been directed at him below. "I hate hearing you spoken to like that... Especially when all you do is good..."

First, the walls would go. Oh, that wallpaper in the kitchen especially. Geese? Really? Why in the hell would someone want dirty farm animals to be plastered in the room they prepare food in? Soooo tacky. "You don't deserve it." And the bathrooms. She was certain she had seen carpet in one of them downstairs. "I try to be sympathetic to her... really I do. It must be hard-" A large bathroom! "-being so very alone and ill. Poor thing. But-" A new wardrobe! Oh, she had seen a pair of shoes that were a little out of her price range. An engagement present. If not from Ryan, then most certainly Daddy. "-to take it out on you. It hurts my heart." And the wedding! That would be utterly gorgeous. After a somber moment of silence, she let out a sigh. "Let's talk about something else."

She laid with him, on the lumpy mattress, in that bland and hideous Robin Egg Blue room. And she stroked his hair gently, and snuggled with him. Maggie would kiss him lightly, but did not initiate fun time... no, that was a last resort move. This had to be played perfectly.

And so the game of psychological chess began.

With Ryan, but still.

Novice's kept morale high, at the very least.

"Ryan..." Maggie would never cease to marvel at herself, being a vain creature. But, at this particular moment, it was her ability to blush on command that she most appreciated. "-you're going to think I'm such a silly girl, or a creep, or something." Her eyelids lowered bashfully, a tiny grin playing on her face, as pushed him gently on his back and rose over him. This was important. Elevating yourself from the person you were trying to... manipulates such a harsh word... NUDGE, was an important advantage. But to him, she'd just seem playful. "But... do you ever think about us..." She giggled, letting her rosette locks fall in her hair. "I mean. You know... in the future. Married. With... little Frost's running around?" Ugh. Children. She hated them. Sticky, greedy, selfish, smelly, whiny, wanting little things. But, she kept that to herself, as with most things concerning herself to Ryan.

She was strictly need to know. And frankly, Ryan didn't need to know.

[hedgiefrost]

Ryan loved Maggie, more than anything in the world. Instead of being embarassed like he would have felt had anyone else been there, he still felt at home. Wherever she was, he was home. That was the way it worked, and Ryan didn't mind that at all.

"Oh, Ryan. I hate seeing you like this. I hate hearing you spoken to like that... Especially when all you do is good..."

See, that was the way he wanted to be talked to. Gently, not yelled at. Even though he didn't always do good, no one did, Maggie was right.

Maggie was always right.

"You don't deserve it. I try to be sympathetic to her... really I do. It must be hard, being so very alone and ill. Poor thing. But to take it out on you. It hurts my heart. Let's talk about something else."

Ryan nodded, unable to speak as per usual. He did love his mother after everything, but there were days he wished he could leave her here and never come back. She had been the cause of practically everything negative in his lifetime, from keeping him away from society and causing him to lack social skills, to his father's suicide, to restricting his spending on Maggie. It also made him mad when she was so rude to Maggie. Well, that was a bit of an understatement. It made his blood boil. It made him the angriest he could possibly be.

As they snuggled on his bed, his mind only wandered off Maggie for a millisecond to think of how he needed to get a new matress one day. But as Maggie was here, that day was not today.

"Ryan... you're going to think I'm such a silly girl, or a creep, or something."

"I would never think that," he said, smiling and wondering what this was about.

"But... do you ever think about us... I mean. You know... in the future. Married. With... little Frost's running around?"

His heart stopped.

Well, figuratively.

Did she really just say that?

Now his heart was racing, his cheeks were likely a nice red color, and he only could say the truth. "All the time..." It came out breathless, but it would be obvious even to someone who wasn't as much of a mind-reader as Maggie that he was really, really excited and happy and wonderfully content that she would bring that up, seeing as he was too much of a coward to.

notes; He's been nudged. Oh yes.

[MAGGIE SINCLAIRE]

Like most things concerning Ryan, his answer was predictable. All the time. It was spoken in such a breathy, wheezy, romantic way that even Maggie had to take a moment to admire in it. Bask in it, even. In those three words, Maggie was positive in her prerogative. There was nothing he would not due for her, even one of the most heinous crimes of all. She was lifting him to the heights of Orestes, and taking him away from this quasi Oedipal relationship. A Mother's death in revenge for a Father's. It was justice, in it's most primal state.

But she had to play this precisely. Take it slow, take it smooth, don't over stimulate. "Really? Truly?" She breathed back, mimicking his wispy little voice of surprise, and nuzzled him gently. She sounded ecstatic that he had even considered her. Even if it was play acting, it did not sit well with her. "Oh, don't be pulling my leg Ryan. I'd be so embarrassed! I mean, I've gone so far as to-" Pausing for effect, she lowered her lids to appear sheepish. "-write Mrs Ryan Frost in the margins of my work papers. My clients must think they're getting service from a fourteen year old girl." She giggled, hiding her face in his chest. "I know it's silly, but it's the first time I felt this way about anyone. I love you, Ryan. So very much."

She leaned forward, kissing his neck gingerly. There was something to his taste that was enjoyable. Salty, but sweet, like a snickers bar, but not chocolaty. He didn't have a particular odor, save the pricey cologne she had purchased him as a token (though it was secretly that she deplored the cheap stuff he had been using before). He lips trailed nimbly from his Adam's apple and up his chin, until finally landing on his lips. "But I would make you such a good wife, Ryan. Really. We'd live beautifully, don't you think? No more sneaking me in through the window so you won't wake your Mother- but to live in the same home. To sleep in the same bed every night. To wake up together, and spend long Saturday mornings just cuddled til noon. Dinner parties with friends. Oh! And before that. The wedding. A day, just dedicated to us. Me, walking down the aisle all in white, trying not to cry so I don't mess up my make up. You reaching up my dress for the garter. Being presented as Mr. and Mrs. Ryan Frost." She let out a dreamy sigh, falling on to her back in the springy mattress.

The bait had been set, and it seemed all for free. Now the switch.

Gradually, her face lost it's dreamy, romantic, light. It dimmed, her bow lips forming a little pout, her eyes sinking into a sadness. When tears started to form, she sat up, as if ashamed, and turned away from him. "I'm sorry! I don't want to say this! You'll think I'm so selfish and awful!" She cried, the tears dripping down her pale little cheeks, her golden green eyes looking more emerald in comparison to the reddening around them. "B-but I can't! We can't! You're Mother... you're Mother would never approve. A-and I can't take you away from her. She needs so much of your time..." This part was at least half sincere. Maggie Sinclaire played second chair to no one. With an expert flare of subtle drama, Maggie wept into her hands. "So long as she needs you, I don't think- I think that dream will have to wait." She looked at him, wanting him to see how much this hurt her. "I will wait, Ryan. For you I'd wait forever. I just... hope it's not so far away that all of our dreams together can't come true." A faint reminder of her biological clock, that children were producible only in a short window of the spectrum of their life. His need for family would be terrified of this prospect, she was sure.

Sniffling, she wondered how much more prodding would be required before he was ready to crack. Couldn't be much longer.

[hedgiefrost]

Ryan listened to Maggie, which he always did, but this time it was so much different. While Maggie always filled with ears with things he loved hearing (though, he didn't realize she was purposely only saying what he wanted to hear), this was something he had been dreaming about but never had the courage to talk about with anybody. No, he could never be kidding or simply lie about something like this. Well, he couldn't lie about anything to Maggie. Not ever.

He smiled when she talked about drawing in the margins of her work papers. That was quite possibly the loveliest thing he had ever heard. Though as soon as she spoke again, something else lovely came up, as per usual. It was a perpetual cycle, as soon as she said something else, it replaced the last thing as the most wonderful words Ryan had ever heard.

His face must have been bright red when she started kissing him and talking about being a wife. His heart beat so fast he thought it would fly out of his chest like a hummingbird. It was like she had read his mind, which kind of embarrassed him, but no. She thought the same things. He wasn't alone. Oh God, he wasn't alone! Not that they mattered at all ever, but the girls he had dated before never seemed to really think the same way he did. Like he was just a pawn or something. But he didn't feel that way with Maggie, not at all. Maggie was the only one who returned his love, and that's why he gave up so much more.

But when she looked sad, all that feeling of flying went away. What was wrong? Had he done something? He shook his head a little. No, he'd never think she was selfish and awful. Ever. Not in a million years.

And then she metioned something he didn't think of when all the possibilities of problems surged through his mind. His mother. The reason he had slammed the door earlier. The reason he had to sneak Maggie in every day. And the reason Maggie was being hesitant.

The movie What's Eating Gilbert Grape? crossed his mind for a moment. He was in sort of the same situation, except for the fact that he was an only child and didn't have an autistic younger brother to look after. He always identified with Gilbert, though.... wait, how did that movie end again? It had been forever since he had watched his favorite movie, and a lot had happened since then...

As Maggie finished, he realized she was just as disappointed in this situation as he was. She was so superior to him in every way with her beauty and grace and basically everything, but she still felt the same. Then, he realized he needed to make this better, because if she was upset, so was he.

"Maggie..." For once, he seemed to gain strength and a bit of power, and gently pulled her closer to him. "I'll do anything, anything, for you and our dream. Please.... just tell me what." He stared straight into her eyes, making sure she knew he was serious. There wasn't any extent he could think of (though in no way did he think of that way, nor could he see it).

notes; FINALLY.

[MAGGIE SINCLAIRE]

For the first time in Maggie and Ryan's short romance- which had a passion instilled in Ryan that could last many a decade- Maggie found herself quite attracted to Ryan. Yes, he was attractive on the eyes. She wasn't about to deny that. But he was so neutered most of the time, Maggie found herself somewhat exasperated. The constant need to console and assure irritated her greatly. But right now, he was serious. Nothing was going to get in the way of what he wanted, and what he wanted happened to be Maggie. She felt a high of power. She felt sexy and needed and demanded. It was a rush.

She had to word this right. Couldn't simply be all: 'Yo, go kill your moms.' That wouldn't go over well at all. And their bodies shifted, as he went from being held to being the holder, and Maggie bought herself some time. This was such a delicate process. There was a small part of her that feared that he would be completely repulsed by the idea. That he would throw her out of his house, tell the presses that she was a mad woman. And Maggie was many things. But mad was not one of them. No, she was the sanest mother fucker (mother killer, in this instance) out there. She was the purests, she understood social Darwinism. That fat lump down there could not defend herself. She was just sitting down there, like Jaba the Frost, waiting to have her next meal shoveled into her throat. Ryan would be happier without her. In fact, he'd be at his happiest, Maggie was sure, because he would have her.

And what more could he possibly want?

She sniffled into his chest for a moment, before sitting up and staring deeply into his blue eyes. Frosty blue eyes. Damn, he was aptly named. "Ryan, as long as she's alive, you'll never be free." There was a morose pitch that haunted her voice, and even if what Maggie was asking him to do was evil and wrong, she was right. He was a slave to a Mother he couldn't stand. He loved her, surely. But only in the biological sense. She was the birth giver, she had created some amount of structure in his rearing and development. Not much, but some. He was trapped.

Nestled in his chest, head settling into his shoulder, she laid with her back against his chest, and stared at the ceiling. "From what I've seen Ry-Ry, she doesn't want you to find happiness. Maybe she's jealous, because she lost hers all those years ago, and yours won't go no matter what she does. We can't put her in a home, because she'd purposefully get kicked out to return to you." He voice firmed, becoming more steadfast. "She's a cancer, Ryan. You can't reason with cancer, you can't fight fair with cancer. You have to be willing to LOSE everything, because it will TAKE everything. Ryan-" She turned, her hazel eyes penetrating. "The only way she or you will ever find peace, is if she dies. It hurts my heart to say it, but it's true." Taking his face in her hands, Maggie kissed her Ryan gently, almost temptingly. She didn't want him to fall beneath her will, but to melt.

"It's cruel to leave her like this, Ryan. Unhappy, riddled with bed sores and pumped on medication. In front of her is a slow, lonely, painful death. But you, you my love, can give her the greatest gift of all, don't you see? You can give her a death that is quick, and painless, with dignity. And then you can finally have your own life." Maggie's eyes finally resumed their demure glaze, soft, gentle, just for him. "Your life with me, Ryan."

[hedgiefrost]

Ryan waited for her response, wondering what it could possibly be. The suspense was going to kill him, if cardiac arrest wouldn't get there first. He was tempted to ask again, but then she just stared back into his eyes and spoke.

"Ryan, as long as she's alive, you'll never be free."

He was confused. At first, it didn't connect with him. What was she asking, again? No, it wasn't a question, it was a statement, and that tone of voice made the words seem jumbled and wrong to him. Ryan didn't catch the underlying meaning, at first. He was confused because he already knew that, and what he had expected was a request, for her to tell him to do something. At first, what she could have possibly meant by that did not make sense to him.

Then she spoke again, and it confused him further. It wasn't until she was finished speaking that everything clicked for him. And even though he understood exactly what she was asking, he was stil utterly confused. How could sweet Maggie be asking him to do something like this? A microscopic part of his mind wondered about her, and whether or not she was the person he thought she was. But a much bigger part of his mind realized one painstakingly important detail.

She was right.

Another part of him, during every fight he had with his mom, wondered if his mother's heart would give out, which is why he had tried to not start anything with her, for fear it could end badly. But he could tell that it hurt her to move most of the time, let alone sit in as much an intimidating position and scream and sometimes throw things at him. He couldn't remember the last time she had what Ryan thought qualified as a 'good day', where she was considerably less controlling and rude and more like a mother. As much as he didn't want to, he had been thinking that it could be any day now. Her heart could just give out, and Ryan wouldn't have to be a slave anymore, as much as he loved his mother.

It was then that he remembered the ending to What's Eating Gilbert Grape?. The mother had a heart attack and died, and Gilbert burned down the house so the whole family could move on. Ryan really needed to move on from this life and go on to bigger things, with Maggie.

No one would suspect if she just randomly had a heart attack.

That thought that popped into Ryan's head nearly made him cringe. Oh god, he was a monster. No, no he wasn't. It was mercy. Maggie, listen to Maggie, she was right. That was the only way he could be happy. As much as he loved his mother and would miss her, she didn't need to suffer anymore.

"Y-you're right," he said carefully, hoping she wasn't just kidding. No, Maggie wouldn't kid about this stuff. No one would. "But how?" Those four words were the turning point for him. He couldn't go back now. Pretend it never happened, that he didn't just choose Maggie over his own mother. But that wasn't quite right, he had chosen them both. To allow his mother an end to her suffering, even if she didn't realize it, and to live out he and Maggie's dream.

[MAGGIE SINCLAIRE]

Well, that was that. He was on board. The point of no return.

Maggie did not feel an ounce of guilt. She could see in his eyes, in those sweet blue orbs that followed her around devoutly, that he wanted this. His appeal to mercy certainly was in play. He was a constant witness to his Mother's suffering. It had to weigh heavily on him. But, another part of him, another part of her sweet sweet Ryan Frost wanted vengeance. Another part blamed the woman for his Father's death, and loathed her existence because of it. Another part of him thought it should have been her, and wanted this chance to correct this mistake.

Maggie was not the monster, she was merely the catalyst.

He asked her how. Yes, how? There were so many options. Maggie, who was not a good person by any means, had never crossed this line before. Instead of viewing it with fear, she grew excited. As a child, her pets had had a habit of dying. A hamster found itself in the garbage disposal by accident, a cat accidentally ate antifreeze. Once, when she was five, she had even buried her song bird in a pot of dirt, trying to make more. It didn't work. But never had she killed a person. This had to be clean, calculated, and refined. It had to be carried out with a certain amount of elegance.

"Ryan, you have to listen to me very carefully, alright?" She spoke gently, holding his hand for a moment. She had to be a comfort right now. Stroking his cheek, she gave him the loving gaze in which he was always so hungry for. "I'm going to protect you, I swear it. But you have to do exactly what I say." Collecting her thoughts, Maggie started on the path to Hell.

"It's almost time for her shot of Benzo. When you give it to her, double the dose. The police are going to ask you about that, okay? And I need you to not be frightened. Calmly explain to them that she had become use to her current dosage, and you couldn't stand to see her in pain. Do you understand? You tell them that she asked for more, and you couldn't deny her in that state." She spoke with a heavy somberness appropriate for the situation. There was no glee in her tone, nor excitement in her eyes. But she was excited. She wanted to watch. "The benzo will put her out completely. She won't feel anything. When she's no longer responsive, take the pink pillow she keeps-" Garish thing. Maggie couldn't wait to burn it. "-next to her, and press it against her mouth and nose. Be careful not to crush her face, Ryan. Just a light amount of pressure. When she... moves on-" Dies. Croaks. Takes the big sleep. Goes to eternal peace. Becomes worm food. "-roll her on to her stomach, with the pillow underneath her face. We'll go out for dinner, and then when we get back, we'll call the police."

Reassuringly, Maggie kissed his brow. "Ryan, this is the right thing to do. I'll be with you the whole time." Rising fro the bed, she went to the top drawer of his dresser, retrieving the benzo and a syringe. Holding it out to him, Maggie put on her the most angelic face she could."You trust me, don't you?"

[hedgiefrost]

All of the emotion Ryan was capable of was at the forefront of his mind at that moment, and washing his judgement over in huge waves. So, to listen to Maggie, he forced himself to calm down. Emotions got in the way most of the time, anyways. And where that thought came from, he didn't know. It certainly wasn't something he himself would think.

But it was helpful, because it allowed him to absorb the plan without breaking down in guilt and refusal or questioning how his sweet Maggie could come up with such a plan. That would come later. Much later.

When she finished, Ryan found he didn't have the ability to hesitate as he got up like a zombie (or in this case, a robot controlled by one Maggie Sinclaire) and opened the door he had slammed earlier, only more gently this time. He descended down the stairs until he reached the first floor. He grabbed the benzo off the counter and measured out the dose. Twice as much as usual.

When he went in the beast's dwelling, his mother didn't talk. He didn't either. Maybe it was better that way. She took her shot without resistance, and Ryan watched as she fell asleep. There was no trace of emotion at all as he suffocated his mother with her favorite pink pillow. Something was blocking the way of feeling, and Ryan didn't know what yet.

Even when the life left his mother's body, he showed no emotion.

It took some work, but eventually he managed to roll her over and place the pillow under her exactly as Maggie had said.

He had done everything exactly as his Queen had said. And it wasn't just a cute pet name anymore.

Because when he was done with the deed, the man that stood there wasn't Ryan anymore. Ryan was still in there, of course, but he would never be the same. No, this man stood tall, almost proud, though not of what he did, simply proud of who he was at all times.

Because who he was was a king. And not just any king, the king that matched the redhead his host held so dearly. They were a pair, she and him.

A royal pair of Hearts.