Disclaimer: I wish I could but I can't claim any rights to the characters
in this fanfic. Oh, well. New characters come later.
But that isn't how it really ended. This is the true story.
The Duke grabbed the gun from the floor and ran towards the stage, pointing the barrel straight at Christian's chest. Zidler ran to intercept and punched the Duke in the face. The gun fired. The stage fell quiet. Christian stood gasping for breath. A spot of red was spreading across his left shoulder.
The audience stood and ran screaming out of the building. Chocolat and Zidler caught Christian as he started to collapse. The carried him backstage. Zidler sent someone for the doctor.
People parted the way for Satine to enter the room. She approached the bed cautiously, her fearful sadness showing on her face. She inhaled sharply at what she saw. There lay Christian pale and limp on the bed. The patch of blood growing darker and bigger by the minute, but less quickly now.
Christian turned his head to look at her, his usually bright eyes dimmed. He attempted to smile through a grimace of pain. "Satine," he gasped harshly. "I love you. I will always love you. Come what may, I will love you." He fell silent as his eyes slowly closed.
"I love you, until the end of time," whispered Satine. She kissed him once more and ran out of the room, her skirts and sobs trailing behind her.
Satine ran. She ran through the gardens until she couldn't breath. Her gasps turned in to harsh coughs. Her knees gave way beneath her. She sat there fighting to breathe, until her spasms eased.
When she could breath again, she started to notice where she was. She was sitting in the rose garden next to the pond behind her elephant. She stared at her reflection in the calm water. She was unrecognizable to herself. Her makeup was smeared and her hair wild, but it was her eyes that changed it all. The sorrow and heartache in those blue eyes was overwhelming compared to any of the old feigned emotions they usually showed.
As she stared she focused more on the pond. That pool of calm inviting water. It was deep and dark. All she could think about was how she wished she could be like the water. She wished to fall into that darkness where no one could look at her.
Unconsciously as she stared at it she moved closer and was leaning towards it. She never felt it as the water covered her body and filled her mouth and nose. She just let herself fall.
She slowly woke. It was as if a black veil were being lifted from her mind. She sat up and looked around confused. She couldn't remember last night. Then it all came back to her in a rush of emotions. Christian's dead, she thought. A fresh onslaught of tears overcame her. All she could do was cry.
Zidler knocked as he slowly opened the door. "Poppet," he said soothingly. "We need to talk." He paused, with a troubled look upon his face, then said, "I'm sorry, poppet. Christian is dead. The doctor came and confirmed it."
Satine's crying renewed its intensity. Her slim body racked with sobs. Harold started to worry when the crying erupted in to bone-shattering coughs. He yelled into the hall for someone to fetch the doctor again.
Zidler crossed the room to her and helped her to sit up. She let out labored breathes between coughs and sobs. Her breathing abruptly eased as she fainted.
"She is getting worse. She needs a lot of rest," said the doctor, rubbing his eyes tiredly.
Harold nodded. " I'll see that she gets it." Then he added, "Thank you, doctor, for all your help."
Stopping Harold with a hand on the shoulder, the doctor said, "There is one other thing." Harold turned and looked at him with waiting expression. "While I was examining her I discovered that she was.er..is.pregnant."
"What?" exclaimed Harold as he sank into a chair, a mask of disbelief crossing his face.
"I hope she can live long enough to give birth. It would be a shame if the baby died," said the doctor. "I will check on her in a couple of days."
"Thank you again Doctor."
Harold peaked into Satine's room and entered when he saw her awake. She was sitting in front of the window looking towards Christian's apartment. Her body trembled with silent weeping, tears streaming down her unpainted cheeks.
"Good morning, my little chickpea," said Harold with feigned joviality.
"What could possibly good about this morning Harold," cried Satine. "He is gone. I tried to get him to leave. I told him to go. He wouldn't go; he wouldn't.go." she exclaimed as she broke down into renewed weeping.
Harold sat and held her until her sobs quieted. He struggled to find a way to break the news to her without upsetting her more. Finally he just said, "Satine, I talked to the doctor."
"Oh?" she asked. "What else can he say other than I'm dying," she said bitterly, her tears turning to resentment.
"Satine," he sighed. "You're pregnant."
"What?" she gasped, a look of amazement and shock on her face. "I'm pregnant?"
"Yes, the doctor told us. He also said you need rest," Harold told her. "I'm arranging for you to have a place in the country until you have the baby. You leave in a week. You will be quite comfortable there. You will get all the care you need. Afterwards you can come back and start anew here, as an actress."
With those words, Satine snapped out of her state of shock. She stood up, surprising Harold into silence. Turning on him in rage she shouted, "I will never come back! What do I have here come back to?! Ridicule? Painful memories?!" Her eyes blazed in angry passion. "I never want to come here again. I'll leave but I will not be returning." With that she turned in a swirl of skirts and slammed the door on her way out.
Author's note: If it sound weird or you hate me for it, just keep reading. It all makes sense later.
But that isn't how it really ended. This is the true story.
The Duke grabbed the gun from the floor and ran towards the stage, pointing the barrel straight at Christian's chest. Zidler ran to intercept and punched the Duke in the face. The gun fired. The stage fell quiet. Christian stood gasping for breath. A spot of red was spreading across his left shoulder.
The audience stood and ran screaming out of the building. Chocolat and Zidler caught Christian as he started to collapse. The carried him backstage. Zidler sent someone for the doctor.
People parted the way for Satine to enter the room. She approached the bed cautiously, her fearful sadness showing on her face. She inhaled sharply at what she saw. There lay Christian pale and limp on the bed. The patch of blood growing darker and bigger by the minute, but less quickly now.
Christian turned his head to look at her, his usually bright eyes dimmed. He attempted to smile through a grimace of pain. "Satine," he gasped harshly. "I love you. I will always love you. Come what may, I will love you." He fell silent as his eyes slowly closed.
"I love you, until the end of time," whispered Satine. She kissed him once more and ran out of the room, her skirts and sobs trailing behind her.
Satine ran. She ran through the gardens until she couldn't breath. Her gasps turned in to harsh coughs. Her knees gave way beneath her. She sat there fighting to breathe, until her spasms eased.
When she could breath again, she started to notice where she was. She was sitting in the rose garden next to the pond behind her elephant. She stared at her reflection in the calm water. She was unrecognizable to herself. Her makeup was smeared and her hair wild, but it was her eyes that changed it all. The sorrow and heartache in those blue eyes was overwhelming compared to any of the old feigned emotions they usually showed.
As she stared she focused more on the pond. That pool of calm inviting water. It was deep and dark. All she could think about was how she wished she could be like the water. She wished to fall into that darkness where no one could look at her.
Unconsciously as she stared at it she moved closer and was leaning towards it. She never felt it as the water covered her body and filled her mouth and nose. She just let herself fall.
She slowly woke. It was as if a black veil were being lifted from her mind. She sat up and looked around confused. She couldn't remember last night. Then it all came back to her in a rush of emotions. Christian's dead, she thought. A fresh onslaught of tears overcame her. All she could do was cry.
Zidler knocked as he slowly opened the door. "Poppet," he said soothingly. "We need to talk." He paused, with a troubled look upon his face, then said, "I'm sorry, poppet. Christian is dead. The doctor came and confirmed it."
Satine's crying renewed its intensity. Her slim body racked with sobs. Harold started to worry when the crying erupted in to bone-shattering coughs. He yelled into the hall for someone to fetch the doctor again.
Zidler crossed the room to her and helped her to sit up. She let out labored breathes between coughs and sobs. Her breathing abruptly eased as she fainted.
"She is getting worse. She needs a lot of rest," said the doctor, rubbing his eyes tiredly.
Harold nodded. " I'll see that she gets it." Then he added, "Thank you, doctor, for all your help."
Stopping Harold with a hand on the shoulder, the doctor said, "There is one other thing." Harold turned and looked at him with waiting expression. "While I was examining her I discovered that she was.er..is.pregnant."
"What?" exclaimed Harold as he sank into a chair, a mask of disbelief crossing his face.
"I hope she can live long enough to give birth. It would be a shame if the baby died," said the doctor. "I will check on her in a couple of days."
"Thank you again Doctor."
Harold peaked into Satine's room and entered when he saw her awake. She was sitting in front of the window looking towards Christian's apartment. Her body trembled with silent weeping, tears streaming down her unpainted cheeks.
"Good morning, my little chickpea," said Harold with feigned joviality.
"What could possibly good about this morning Harold," cried Satine. "He is gone. I tried to get him to leave. I told him to go. He wouldn't go; he wouldn't.go." she exclaimed as she broke down into renewed weeping.
Harold sat and held her until her sobs quieted. He struggled to find a way to break the news to her without upsetting her more. Finally he just said, "Satine, I talked to the doctor."
"Oh?" she asked. "What else can he say other than I'm dying," she said bitterly, her tears turning to resentment.
"Satine," he sighed. "You're pregnant."
"What?" she gasped, a look of amazement and shock on her face. "I'm pregnant?"
"Yes, the doctor told us. He also said you need rest," Harold told her. "I'm arranging for you to have a place in the country until you have the baby. You leave in a week. You will be quite comfortable there. You will get all the care you need. Afterwards you can come back and start anew here, as an actress."
With those words, Satine snapped out of her state of shock. She stood up, surprising Harold into silence. Turning on him in rage she shouted, "I will never come back! What do I have here come back to?! Ridicule? Painful memories?!" Her eyes blazed in angry passion. "I never want to come here again. I'll leave but I will not be returning." With that she turned in a swirl of skirts and slammed the door on her way out.
Author's note: If it sound weird or you hate me for it, just keep reading. It all makes sense later.