I do not own "Moulin Rouge!" or any of the characters in this story,

Nor do I own any of the songs used in this story.

"I Will Love You Until My Dying Day"

He looked up at the large red building, the red windmill slowly turning, making a loud creaking noise with each turn. But the noise was hardly noticeable, thanks to the lively music that was coming from inside. People were piling through the doors, mostly men, but he didn't expect anything else. He was shaking because of the nerves, but it the unsteadiness of his body was also an attribute. His cane wobbled with every unsteady step he took towards the red double doors. He had come all the way from England just to see her again. He was quite old, as she would surely notice, thanks to the white beard, mustache, need for glasses. But it was well worth it, as long as he could see her again. There was a time when he thought he could never love anyone more than his wife. But one look at her changed everything. She was someone he knew he would love forever.

When he entered the Red Mill, he was greeted by the girls. Many of them weren't wearing very much, but this was to be expected, as they were professionals when it came to the infamous can-can, which Harold Zidler had popularized.

He ignored the other Diamond Dogs and hobbled his way over to a small table. The dance floor was alive with music and dancing. All of the women were exceptionally beautiful, but none of them would be like her. He wondered if she would recognize him. It had been so many years. The last time he was with her, he promised that he would one day return, and take her away from all of this as soon as he was stable in his finances. He promised her everything she would ever want or need, and he truly meant it. Alas, that day never came and would never come. But his health was getting worse, and his last wish was to see her just one more time.

I violent cough jerked him forward, and it felt like he was being pulled away from his thoughts. When the coughing stopped, he reached for his pocket and took out a small bottle of his medication. This wasn't really making him better, but it was keeping him alive. If he did not take once a day, he would surely die. His death was inevitable, but he had to see her just once more.

"My goodness! Fancy seeing you here tonight!" a familiar voice said.

He was startled by the voice, and jerked his head up with a gasp. The red hair and mustache had not changed one bit since his last visit. "Harold Zidler," he said with a smile.

Harold took a seat next to him. "It is good to see you again, my friend."

"As it is to see you… I see that you've keep the place up and running."

"But of course, my friend!" Harold replied happily. "And as you can see, my girls keep my investors coming."

"Ah, yes… But what about her?"

Harold smiled. "I can assure that she is my sparkling diamond--the star of our show. In fact, she will be coming out very soon… Care to watch?"

Before he could answer, the music abruptly stopped, and the lights faded to black. From above, a woman was lowered down on a small swing, a light shining on her, making her look like a sparkling angel. He was in awe as he looked up at her. There she was. The one he had loved since day one.

"The French are glad to die for love. They delight in fighting duels. But I prefer a man who lives, and gives expensive… jewels."

He was entranced by her beautiful voice. He almost failed to notice the lights come back on, and her swing began swirling around the room in a downward spiral. She was greeted by dozens of men in the middle of the dance floor. Compared to them, what in the world could he offer her, he thought? He watched and listened as the performance went on.

"A kiss on the hand may be quite continental, but diamonds are a girl's best friend. A kiss may be grand, but it won't pay the rental on your humble flat, or help you feed your pussycat. Men grow cold as girls grow old, and we all loose our charms in the end. But square cut or pear shape, these rocks won't loose their shape. Diamonds are a girl's best friend."

Harold looked over at him. "She's beautiful, isn't she?"

"Of course," he said in an astounded whisper, not taking his eyes off of her as he said, "Harold, I must see her."

He smiled. "Just how badly do you wish to see her?"

He looked at Harold in shock. "Harold Zidler!" he exclaimed.

"I'm sorry, my friend, but I am trying to run a business. Anyone who wishes to see her must pay."

He pressed his lips together angrily as he reached into his pocket and took out his wallet. Instead of opening it, he handed it to Harold. "Just take it," he said, diverting his attention back to her. "It's worth it."

Harold happily took the wallet. "You love her that much?"

"I would die for her."

Harold turned to watch the performance. "I'm supposed to go out there in a few seconds, but I'll arrange a private meeting--just you and her… tomorrow."

"That will be fine."

Harold stood up. "I must go," he said as he rushed to the dance floor.

Satine continued her song when Harold Zidler came up nest to her. The other Diamond Dogs were singing and dancing around below them.

"There may come a time when a lass needs a lawyer…"

"But diamonds are a girl's best friend," Harold sang with her.

"There may come a time when a hard boiled employer thinks you're…"

"Awful nice!"

"But get that ice or else no dice!"

As they continued the performance, Harold whispered, "You've got a client, Satine."

She giggled, slightly surprised. "Another one, Harold?"

"Of course, lipshan! After all, you are the most desirable woman here!"

"Where is he?"

"He's the one sitting on the far right, at the little table. He's the one with the cane and the glasses."

"Got it," was her last reply.

Finally, it was time to wrap up the song. As always, she was going to carry the song until it ended just before the very last word. She would gradually turn her attention to the client and get a look at him, while incorporating it into the performance. "'Cause that's when those louses go back to their spouses. Diamonds… are a… girl's… best…" She danced around the floor of the room, and with one twirl, she turned to see her client. Their eyes met… and she gasped. She stared at him with wide eyes.

"No… It couldn't be…"

But it was indeed him. There was no mistaking that face. Her heart began to race. Memories came flooding back from many years before, when she loved him more than anything in the world. After he just up and left, taking with him his false promises of making her happy, she thought that the pain would be gone, but it all came rushing back.

Harold thought that she must have forgotten the words, so he decided to improvise. "SHE IS MINE!" he hollered.

At that moment, the loud noise of the new song began, with Toulouse singing over and over, "I only speak the truth!"

Nini began dancing around the stage and singing in another language.

Despite the loud music, Satine could not take her eyes off of him. This was the first she had seen him in years, and she didn't know what to think, until the music abruptly stopped again. For a split second, she began singing inside her mind.

"Inside my heart is breaking, my make-up may be flaking, but my smile stays on… I'll top the bill, I'll earn the kill. I've got to find the will to carry on."

She began singing in a beautiful, high pitched voice. Then, she carried on with the song.

"Kiss… hand… diamond's… best friend… kiss… grand… diamond's… best friend… Men… cold… girls… old… And we all lose our charms in the end."

As the Diamond Dogs danced around her until the blue light, they joined her in the final part of the song. Finally, the music calmed down, and she sang, "Diamonds are a… girl's… best… friend."

Harold came walking up behind her, wrapped her arms around her from behind and said, "She is mine."

But he had to disagree. "She is mine."

oOo

"I really don't understand what the problem is, Satine. I thought you'd be happy," Harold said.

"Harold, you didn't tell me that the new client was HIM!" she exclaimed. "This changes everything! He's not just another client to me!"

"But he paid good money to see you!"

"Please don't make me go through with this! You have no idea just how much he hurt me!"

"Satine, I'm sorry. But I made a deal with him. "You are to see him tomorrow at noon. Now, goodnight!" Harold closed the door behind him as he left.

Satine marched over to her vanity mirror and buried her face in her hands. How could she go and see him when just looking at him made her want to fall to her knees and sob? He promised her so many things, she really believed that he loved her. But then, he just left, taking with him all of her hopes for a normal life. She recalled all of the nights she was alone without him, those first few months after he was gone, and her emotions came out in song.

"There were nights when the wind was so cold, that my body froze in bed if I just listened to it right outside the window. There were days when the sun was so cruel, that all the tears turned to dust and I just knew my eyes were drying up forever."

She stood up from the vanity mirror and walked over to her window. He was staying in the garret, right across from her elephant room. He wasn't looking at her, but she could see him sitting at his table, looking down.

"I finished crying in the instant that you left. And I can't remember where or when or how. And I banished every memory you and I had ever made!… Though you were history with the slamming of the door, and I made myself so strong again somehow. And I banished every memory you and I had ever made!"

But then, all of the good memories came back. Memories of when he would hold her, kiss her forehead, show her so much love.

"There were moments of gold and there were flashes of light. There were things I'd care to forget, even though it was once right. There was a time when I really loved you--love you more than I can ever say!"

Then, she remembered when she saw him again earlier in the evening, everything that she felt in that moment, when their eyes met.

"When I see you like this, and you saw me like that, it was gone with the wind, but it's all coming back to me. Do I want you like this? Do you need me like that? It was dead long ago but it's all coming back to me. It's so hard to resist, and it's all coming back to me. I can barely recall, but it's all coming back to me now!"

Then, she remembered the happy, loving, warm times they had together. Each time he told her he loved her, every time he held her close… He was really a kind man. His only fault was leaving so abruptly. And maybe he had really come back to make amends. Maybe he came back because he really loved her. And it did feel good to see him again. Maybe seeing him tomorrow would be a good idea after all.

"If you forgive me all this, if I forgive you all that, we forgive and forget and it's all coming back to me now…"

oOo

At eleven fifty-nine in the morning the next day, Satine stood frozen in front of the door to his room. Every breath she took sped up the beating of her heart. Once again, she was having second thoughts about this… But Harold was paid good money for this.

What in the world could he want from her?

When the loud clock gonged at noon, that was it. She grabbed the door knob and threw the door open.

He jumped up from his seat at the table when she came in. She looked just as beautiful--if not more--than his wife once did.

"Is…" She gulped. "Is that really you?" she asked, just above a whisper.

He nodded slowly. "It's me, Satine."

She stepped into the room. "What are you doing here?"

"I couldn't help it. I had to see you."

She placed her hands on her hips. "What for, exactly?"

He looked down. "To apologize… I made so many promises to you that I couldn't keep. And I also broke a promise to myself."

Now, she was confused. "What promise was that?"

He smiled as he placed his hands on her shoulders. "I promised that I would never love anyone else more than Elizabeth."

"Elizabeth…" Satine repeated. She knew very well who he was talking about.

His smile faded. "You do remember Elizabeth, don't you?"

"Of course I do. I could never forget her. But what do you mean by this? You love someone else more?"

He smiled again. "Yes… A long time ago, I didn't think it was possible to love anyone more than I loved her." He pulled her in for a hug. "But when you came into my world, and I looked into your blue eyes, I knew that I was wrong. I loved you, Satine. I came all this way to tell you that."

Satine felt tears forming in her eyes and she hugged him tightly. "Oh… I knew you did. I wanted to believe it. I'm so sorry for being angry at you all these years."

"I had to let Harold take you Satine. I could barely take care of myself, even after Elizabeth died. There was no way I could take of you."

She looked up at him and smiled. "But I can take care of the both of us. I've got some money saved up, so you won't have to worry about a thing. Oh, it'll be wonderful! We can fly away from here, and never come back!"

He opened his mouth to say something, but instead, he began to cough… violently.

"What is it? What's wrong?"

He was coughing so hard that he couldn't speak, and so he gestured to the table.

Satine ran over and grabbed the bottle. Her eyes widened when she read the label. This medication was for people who were prolonging their death. She jerked herself back around to see that he had fallen on the bed, clutching his chest. She ran over to him and sat at his side. "No… no, please! Please don't go!"

He looked up at her, beads of sweat forming on his forehead, and it was getting hard to breath. "Satine…" he whispered. "I'm sorry, my darling. I'm… I'm dying."

"No!" she exclaimed. She wouldn't believe it.

He smiled. "My dear, sing me a… song."

She sniffed as she stared at him for only a moment. Time was short, so she had to sing something--anything.

"Never knew… I could feel like this. It's like I've never seen the sky before…" It was getting harder and harder to sing anything. "… Listen to my heart. Can you hear it sing? Don't leave me. I forgive everything. Seasons may change winter to spring… but I love you, until the end… of… time…"

He looked up at her, smiling the widest smile he could. "Come what may…" He knew that this would use up the last of his breath. "I will love you… until my dying… day." And then, he stared up at her with lifeless eyes, his smile falling from his face, and leaving behind only the empty shell of the man he once was.

Satine leaned down and kissed his forehead, her tears dripping from her face to his. She laid her head on his chest, just like she used to do when she was a little girl. Only this time, he wasn't hugging her back as he always did. She closed her eyes for a moment, and images of when she was a child came back, before she was a courtesan, before he brought her to the Moulin Rouge after Elizabeth died, when they were still a family.

"I love you Daddy," she whispered. "Goodbye."

THE END

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I know that people love Christian/Satine pairings--I love them too! But this is not a Christina/Satine fanfic. It's more of an ALTERNATE UNIVERSE thing.

In this fanfic, Satine's father loved her so much when she was a little girl that he wanted to give her the world and promised her such. After her mother named Elizabeth died, he could not take care of her very well. So, he took her to the Moulin Rouge and left her there under the care of Harold Zidler, his friend, and never came back. But when he was an old man and knew that he was going to die, his last wish was to see his daughter one more time. Of course, she was mad at him for leaving her, but she got over it pretty quick when she realized that she still loved him. After all, he was her father.

I hope I created enough mystery in this one. I tried my best to save the ending for a surprise. Please leave a review! Thank you!