Imagine the worst hangovers and double it.

That was what Matt felt when he finally managed to force his eyes open.

Rose sobbing was not a sound he wished to hear even in his nightmares. Her laughs were rare and therefore her tears heartrending.

The sight which greeted him boiled his blood over. Ryan was on his knees, at his eye-level with Rose, his lips half-parted, tracing the cloth which was gagging her mouth and enjoying everytime Rose shuddered. She tried to turn her face away but he'd force her back to look into her eyes.

Ryan noticed Matt's wakefulness even before he could utter a word.

"Oh goody, you're awake!! Our homeboy Pete has been out like the dead."

Rose whimpered at that.

"Oh don't worry, babe!! He's alive though not kicking yet!!" holding her face in his hands.

"You know Matt, this propriety that our society practices, ugh, has kept me away from my babe for so long. Why are you so kind-hearted, Rosey?!"

"She went under severe depression when that old, wrinkly janitor burned to a crisp."

Rose went deathly silent at that.

"No sweetie, it wasn't your fault. He was already dead from a heart attack by the time the flames reached his body. The charges for destroying school property shouldn't have been put against you either but you understand Daddy couldn't let his son get implicated in any of those, right?"

Matt growled over the cloth gagging his mouth.

"Aww, I get it. My buddy here has no idea what we're talking about. Let me start from the start."

Standing up, he stomped over the brooch laying on the ground that Rose was wearing.

"Really sweetheart?! You think I've survived being a Mayor with pure luck?!" Grabbing and massaging her neck he further boasted, "I know you're smart and resourceful. One of the reasons you get my boat everytime I look at you." He planted a kiss over the cloth covering her lips which caused Matt to struggle further.

"Ok, ok, storytime!! I wish we had hot chocolate and cookies. Nevermind!!"

"It all began twelve years and seven months ago when I caught Pete here sneaking in a pink rose into my babe's locker at school."

Rose's eyes widened at that.

"You see he was the heart bleeding for Roseyy from afar. On bashing him and asking around further I came to know it had been going on for weeks. Can you imagine the guts of this trash? Chasing and trying to take away my toy that I'd been bantering with for years."

Caressing Rose's left arm till her hand and clasping it in his, kissing every knuckle, "Her fire is only mine." Rose's eyes were shut tight and she was deathly silent as if imagining all of this as unreal.

"But you see Daddy was still overseeing my antics so I couldn't go further than giving Pete a beating. Asked Roseyy out for a date, was a true gentleman, didn't even kiss or make-out with her like I'd been dreaming of since ever. But what does she do?! Lies to me and walks home with this street urchin."

"I wanted to burn him alive then and there but couldn't. So I waited for Rose to come to me. I was ecstatic when she called me enquiring of my illness which I'd obviously faked. And then I get to know this bastard is back trying to woo her with his roses again. The gall!! So I had to do what I had to do!!"

Rose had literally stopped breathing at this point with the shock of the revelations.

"Breathe sweetie!!" Ryan cooed caressing Rose's cheek with his nose, "or I'll stop storytime!!"

Rose shuddered and the tears returned.

"You know Matty, I own the beauty of this woman. Before you even set eyes on her. Her beauty from moments that no one sees, even she herself hasn't seen those moments."

Rose's tears wouldn't stop and Matt continued struggling, growling for Ryan to stop.

"No honey, you need to hear this." Wiping Rose's tears, Ryan continued.

"So for the annual prank I plastered the walls of Modern High with her lifesize pics from my personal collection."

Matt went silent at that.

"You see I wanted her away from everyone in a shell, only I could access, away from her friends and all these people in her life. She is only mine. You get that, right Matt?"

"She did start doubting everyone and listening only to me. I sent her on this chase to find the culprit- Pete tried stopping her- acting the hero- in the tussle, fire which was burning her posters spread to the janitor's house and school property and she was caught fleeing the school on school camera."

"Oh my baby is so gullible, hmm?!"

"Since the incident involved her posters and the janitor was already dead, her dad had the matter closed by paying for the school restoration."

Ryan was getting bolder with every passing moment, kissing, licking and sucking Rose's hands. Rose whimpered and struggled, tears flowing free.

Matt struggled and almost screamed overturning the chair holding him and he fell with a thud.

"Shh-shh-shh, babe!!" Ryan said putting his fingers on Rose's mouth.

"Don't you want to know why we're here?"

"This abandoned shit-hole you're obsessed in transforming has been my lair. Everyone had been trying to snoop around but I had it close and away from everyone. You need a place to sort, pack and move all the drugs and guns that good people like me demand right?! And what better place than the one which already had tunnels leading away from the city."

"But you had to hamper my work, chasing the city to make this place magical and open for public. I ask, why?! Do you know how much I lost in the past year?"

Clipping open Rose's blazer buttons, Ryan continued, "But it's ok. Daddy managed and I get you so it's all win-win!!"

Rose was screaming and struggling by now but Ryan pulled out a gun from his back-pocket pointing it at Pete and then Matt, "Who do you wanna lose? Hmm?! I'm getting you!! I've been patient enough!!"

"I'll kill Matt right now and take Pete with us to blame everything on him. Bruised and bloody I'll be the Mayor who survived a psycho's attack and you'll be the damsel Pete took away. No one would want to visit this gory place again."

"All tied up in a neat-little bow, right?!" Ryan grinned.

"You'll obey to my every word if you don't want anything to happen to your schoolboy. Is it clear?"

Rose nodded yes in a daze.

"I'll open your gag and you'll tell me how badly you want me or else you know what'll happen, right?" Pointing his gun at Matt,  Ryan continued.

As soon as the gag was removed, Rose coughed when all the air rushed in, saliva and tears dripping off her lips and cheek she spluttered,

"I've always......

(coughs)

...... always wanted to...."

"Go on babe. Give me the music I've been waiting for."

Ryan moved his ear close to her mouth with his eyes shut.

"Always wanted to punch your face in!!" Rose finished with dark resolve.

"Tsk..tsk!! Don't you care for Matty here?!"

By the time Ryan turned towards the place Matt was lying it was empty. With furrowed brows he turned towards where Pete was tied but the chair was empty with the ropes hanging cut loose.

When Ryan turned, he could see the fist Arthur had ready for him smashing into his face, snuffing the lights out for him.

"Gawd!! I wanted to do that the minute I laid my eyes on him!!" Arthur said shaking his fist off Ryan's drool.

By the time Ryan came back his hands were cuffed behind him, Arthur was slapping him to wake him up. Pete was standing away, Matt was pacing around eroding the ground thin and Rose was on the same chair sitting free facing away from them all into nothing deep in thought. The place was swarming with cops and officials in black suits who looked like the FBI, carrying out heavy cartons from inside Regalia.

"Morning Sunshine!! We've been waiting for you to come around and experience all of this" Arthur beamed.

No sooner had Arthur spoken when Matt stopped pacing and was about to lunge at Ryan when Pete caught him.

"Let me go, am gonna skin this bastard alive!!" Matt screamed.

"Don't worry Matt, Mr.Mayor here has worse fate awaiting him. Daddy dearest won't be able to save him." Arthur continued grinning.

Ryan looked at Arthur all dazed.

"You see Ryan, daddy absconded as soon as you were done with your confession speech. I'm guessing he was still keeping tabs on you and you just had to confess everything." Arthur explained.

"No, you're lying." Ryan sputtered.

"But you see I'm not."

"You seriously thought the brooch was the only wire on me?!" Rose spoke without turning to look at Ryan.

Pete and Matt showed off their jacket and shirt buttons respectively.

"I was struggling all that time to ensure it got your face," Matt sniggered.

"And I was faking it cause I had the perfect view," Pete added.

"I was crying and whimpering so you had the illusion of being in control," Rose finished.

"How? You never knew!!" Ryan still in a daze tried crawling towards Rose.

Arthur grabbed his hair and pulled him back.

"I was depressed at Mr.Williams death and the guilt that I doubted Pete. I couldn't face him. The project my brother and Pete made was snagged by the Government, so they had to stay away from Boston. Pete decided to stay the nerdy creep to everyone who might recall him and my brother decided to remain faceless."

"I knew the writing on my room's wall and break-in at Matt's house was someone else framing Pete. Arthur came to know someone had fake evidence planted at Pete's house after he'd absconded from Matt's office. We weren't sure it was you behind everything till the last minute or if someone else was in it too."

Rose was facing away the whole time and at her last sentence Matt turned to look at her with visible hurt.

Rose stood and moved towards Sophia who was standing away from the scene waiting for Rose.

"You're mine Rosey. You'll always be mine. Wait till I come back for you. There won't be any speeches this time." Matt struggled free of Pete and grabbed Ryan's throat who laughed maniacally singing, "Mine!! Mine!! All mine!!"

Rose ran to her car shutting her ears with her palms and Sophia drove her away.