*A/N* It might not seem like a Moulin Rouge fic at first, but bear with me! It's full of songs and it's a story about truth, freedom and beauty, but above all things this story is about love, a love that lasts forever! R/R please, I will love you all forever! You know the drills, I don't own anything from the movie, etc. I do own Roxanne's pants, woohoo. Here's a hint, don't be confused by the names or the era, as all will be clear in time!
2013 update: Finally fixed those rotten formatting issues. Yikes. I don't know how anyone could actually read this entire story over the past 9 years without things like quotation marks. There's nothing new to see here. Originally written in 2003.
Until Our Souls Get it Right
By Musashihazmat84
Part One: Karma
The white pickup truck vibrated gently as it sat idle in the long line of cars and vans stopped along the long driveway. Roxanne sighed and sat back, trying to relax even though her heart felt like it was trying to be digested in the pit of her stomach. Had she eaten that morning, she probably would have thrown up by now. She pulled her hairclip off the sun visor and quickly pinned her wavy, auburn hair up and out of the way.
The little BMW in front of them seemed to hold little more than a few of the standard plastic crates and some pillows and blankets; whereas Roxanne's entire life lay packed tight as sardines just behind her. People on the sidewalk just ahead wore shorts and tank tops, and now she knew for sure that she would stand out from the others, with her bright satin pajama pants with orange flames snaking up the sides. As her stomach churned, she wasn't so sure that flamboyantly standing out was such a good thing.
The pendulous grey sky above showed no signs of being merciful, and Roxanne could only hope that the rain held off until they were able to get the computer safetly inside. The truck inched forward toward the building that looked more like a church than a dorm building, and cheerful people with bright yellow shirts bounced toward the truck with attitudes contrasting not only with the sky's foreboding appearance, but also with Roxanne's very frightened- and very sad- state of mind.
As she stepped from the truck, she knew all eyes were on her; she who brought too much luggage; she who wore the flaming pants; she who didn't belong.
She immediately retrieved her room key from the people with the yellow shirts, who were the Resident Assistants of the dorm. One rushed out to her with a shopping cart from the local Shaws Supermarket and started carting her belongings and her life off to her yet unseen cubicle.
Reluctantly, she followed.
In a simple grey t-shirt that matched the sky, he rubbed his arms, trying to warm up as the downpour assaulted his SUV. With hopeful blue eyes reminiscent of sparkling blue sapphires, Christian looked toward his future home, Julie Dormitory Hall.
"It almost looks like a church," said his mother from in front of him, "especially with that huge stained glass window."
Christian smiled. "I believe it used to be a convent some years ago. I'm sure it will be a great place to study."
"Yeah," his father chuckled, "just make sure you leave it once in a while. Knowing you, you'd lock yourself in a room all day with your books."
"Oh, that doesn't bother me," Christian said, "you know I appreciate the peace and quiet, which is why I requested a single room. Besides, I've heard that no one ever comes to Julie Hall because of the long walk."
"That's what I'm worried about," his father said, glancing back at him through the rearview mirror.
Christian laughed. "Don't worry Dad, I'll be fine."
The Resident Assistants in yellow shirts flocked to the SUV like a team of drowned sunflowers, and Christian eagerly jumped out, ready to see his new home.
Rain pounded down on the roof of the former chapel as the new freshmen residents poured into the room. It had been a long day; unpacking, impromptu get-togethers, various orientation meetings, and by 10:00 that night- while Roxanne's spirits were heightened from seeing all the prospects for future friends, she was exhausted and not in any mood for a mandatory hall meeting. Therefore, to show her dislike for late-night meetings such as this, she didn't bother putting on sneakers to go upstairs to the lounge; opting instead to wear her bright rainbow slippers. If she was going to be different, she might as well go all out.
She and her roommate arrived early, but not early enough as all the seats in the so-called lounge were already taken. Roxanne simply stood against the wall as the floor was much too uncomfortable.
Apparently, from what she'd heard, this building used to be a convent, and she was currently standing in the former chapel. The pews had been replaced with tables, lamps and chairs; the altar with a pool table, but there was no doubt that this place was ever a chapel as evidenced by the huge, round stained-glass window and the balcony above.
She scanned the room searching for others who stood out; possible social freaks and pariahs as she was sure she'd already been lumped into one of the latter two categories.
Sighing, she wasn't that surprised when she had found none, but smiled to herself thinking of the irony of the situation; here she was, now living in a former convent (but at any rate -still- a convent), having done things that would make Satan blush. She wasn't even Christian yet she was attending a Jesuit university- and it looked as if she would become the Queen of the Damned.
Slightly chuckling to herself, she looked up when she felt someone's gaze on her, and looked up to see a rather excited looking boy staring at her. She mentally pinched herself; she had to stop calling men boys as they were all technically adults now, but as she looked at him again, Roxanne couldn't help by notice his boyish good looks. He looked rather young, maybe one of the few who were still 17, and his eager and nervous glances toward the newcomers entering though the doorway near her gave away his clear excitement.
Well, at least someone was excited. She leaned back against the wall and observed the other men in the room; while all of them were dark, brooding, and mysteriously handsome, all they seemed to care about was beer, blondes, and banging. Most of the men in the room looked the same and stuck together, except for that one; that excited, innocent looking one with the crystalline blue eyes.
Christian had been one of the first people in the lounge for the meeting at 10, mainly to get it out of the way so he could get back to his room and go to bed.
Since he had spent most of the day unpacking and settling into his new room, he hadn't had the time to get out and meet anyone besides the RA, who lived next door, and the various other guys in the hall- most of whom resented living so far from the other dorms such as those in the "Quad". The Quad, which consisted of five dorms and presented the opportunity for constant partying, was an eight-minute walk. Everyone in Julie Hall only wanted to live elsewhere; everyone except Christian.
He looked around the former chapel and knew instantly that this would be where he would spend the majority of his time. He could get a lot of writing done here, as well as his other studies.
More people began to come into the room and filled the remaining chairs. Surely there were more Julie residents than this! He shrugged-whether there were more residents or not, it already seemed as if the place would be constantly deserted. Quite simply, there was nothing to DO in Julie Hall for the typical college student.
Elevator doors just beyond the entrance to the lounge opened, and about fifteen people flooded into the room, which was already becoming crowded. Almost everyone chose to sit on the floor except for a few people who stood by the back of the room, and when Christian looked at one of them, he had to do a double take. Her bright auburn hair shone in the soft yellow lights by the entrance, and the only things brighter than her hair were her flaming pants and her rainbow slippers. And despite how bright and happy her clothes were, Christian could have sworn that a little storm cloud followed her in and hung over her head.
She stood against the wall with her arms crossed, examining the room and then her feet. There was something so familiar about her…
Their eyes connected with a static shock, and he froze; but he quickly chose something else- the trim along the wall- to try to cover himself.
Somewhere he knew it didn't work.