Poisonous Love

Writing this story is proving to be a phenomenal experience. I spent many days writing about 8 chapters, so updates won't take too long. Overall, I'm very pleased with the plot and am quite sure that you will love it.

Disclaimer: All characters from Moulin Rouge are owned by Baz Luhrmann and countless other production companies and individuals. Any separate characters you do not recognize are most likely ones I created. I did use quite a few direct quotes from the film, as well as my own. Absolutely no copyright infringement is intentional.

Summary:Poisonous Love is somewhat true to the movie. What I hoped to create was a shortened version of the film, by taking only what I felt to be the most crucial sections from the plot and tying them together to cover the story over a longer span of time. As a reader who has more likely than not viewed the movie, it will be easy for you to fill in the blanks between scenes. However, I wrote this story so that almost anyone could read it without confusion. In any case, the plot will touch base on the movie's summary, with a few of my own additions, and then continue on past the movie into uncharted territory.

Point of View: The prologue to this story is written by Christian, but the rest of the story will be in Satine's point of view. I found this method to be the best course, so that I could properly reveal Satine's many mysteries to the reader while still leaving Christian guessing, true to the movie.

I would love any comments and suggestions you would like to give me – reviews are great and I appreciate constructive criticism. The story may be re-posted and edited at a later time should any obvious errors occur in the original copy. Thank you for your support and enjoy!

Prologue

Have you ever seen something so beautiful, that with one look, you're electrified, body and soul? Your existence becomes so dependent upon the sight of such enrapturing perfection, breathing becomes secondary. Should your gaze ever stray, even for a moment, surely you will be lost forever without such a harboring grace to look upon. That which I speak of is seldomly blissful, or even kind. It is, in fact, one of the cruelest things a woman can ever bestow upon a man.

As she towered above countless eager recipients, her ravishing blue eyes met mine. I had been chosen. She had, unintentionally, cursed me with that which I had both feared and yet deeply yearned for.

Love.

When initially arriving in Paris, I had been greeted with cold glares and ignorance. Toulouse, however, was quite a different story. In a mere hour, I had become the leader of a group of bohemian revolutionaries, received my first employment as writer of a 'still to be summarized' play, and been thrust in the epitome of Parisian night life where the demons of fantasy and hidden pleasure revealed themselves to me for the first time – The Moulin Rouge.

And so here I sat, shyly sipping my white wine as coquettish dancehall girls

can-canned on the magnificent stage before me. Music was blaring, lights were flashing, colors were whipping about the room with dizzying speed, and then…

Silence.

A gaudy man whom I would later know as Harold Zidler approached the front of the stage and paused for a moment, twirling his red moustache. "Gentlemen." He began. "In mere minutes, the breathtaking enchantress of the Moulin Rouge will grace us with her presence…" Immediately cheers erupted. "As our Sparkling Diamond prepares for her appearance, I know of some lonely Moulin Rouge dancers looking for a partner!" But the crowds would not be appeased and began to chant.

"Sa-tine, Sa-tine, Sa-tine, Sa-tine…"

Harold Zidler retreated, obviously pleased with the reaction his announcement had received. And as the hundreds of dapper men waited anxiously for the Moulin Rouge goddess to appear, I remained seated, withdrawn at a lonely table, curious as to why the mere sound of a simple name sent my heart beating into a frenzy of excitement.

Chapter One

"Sa-tine, Sa-tine, Sa-tine…"

"Satine, you're late – hurry!" Marie pushed me toward a steep set of stairs as I struggled to pull on one last sequined heel. "Good luck, dearie!" she called.

Upon reaching my station, a golden swing was lowered and I nervously seated myself. "Are you ready, Mademoiselle Satine?" a stagehand yelled.

I took a deep breath and arranged my hair, pulling up my short skirt daringly higher. I timidly glanced below at my anxious onlookers. These men will do anything for you…they would bow at your feet if you asked them to…there is nothing to be anxious about…

"Mademoiselle Satine?" the man called again. After a pause, I confidently nodded and he began to pull a large rope, suspending me above the audience.

"The French are glad to die for love…"

With glitter in my eyes, I scanned the crowd – the same familiar faces, time after time…until my stare fell upon a shadowed corner. A young man sat, sipping his wine demurely. The sight of him brought my mind into a torrent of wild emotions I had never felt before – fear…surprise…pressure. He looked so innocently pure, thrown into a world of poisoned, vile millionaires. I raised my voice, feeling a desperate need to draw his attention to me, to impress him, and him alone. But the second his stunning gaze did fall upon me, I lost all sight of reality.

"…but I prefer, a man who lives…"

My throat constricted violently as I attempted to finish the verse. Desperately taking in shallow amounts of air, I tried to hold back the coughs building inside my chest. Panicked, I felt my hands slip from the rope swing and found myself clutching at thin air as I fell, plunging into terrifying darkness.

OIOIOIOIOIO

Marie tightened my corset sympathetically, wincing as I let out short gasps with each tug. "Are you quite sure you're alright?"

"Of…of course. Really, Marie, you're being perfectly impractical! I'm-" I began to struggle for air as yet another torrent of smoldering coughs wracked my body. "I'm…I'm just fine." I hoarsely finished, wiping the blood of my hands and leaning towards the mirror to reapply my lip rouge.

"Dearie," Marie put an arm around me. "Perhaps your client can wait…another night instead…"

"No. If I can seduce the duke, the Moulin Rouge will be turned into a theatre and I will become…a real actress." I sighed. "It is crucial that I…perform well tonight. Now here; how do I look?"

I turned to face Marie, a black lace train following my satin corset. Placing one heeled foot upon a nearby stool, I whipped my curls around and lifted the train. "Hello there. How kind of you to come for a little…visit…this evening, dear Duke." I practiced suggestively.

Marie's face was grim. "My god, dearie…what has Harold done to you? How can he put you through these tormented services – you're but a child!"

"Sparrow?" I heard Harold call.

"I must go…don't worry Marie. It is fine…I am fine," I said, attempting to reassure myself just as much as she.

OIOIOIOIOIO

"Now, my dear sparrow. I don't think I need to explain to you that the Duke is a very important client. He is very selective – 'bright and bubbly', or even 'shy and demure' won't reach his expectations. I would try for 'smoldering temptress' perhaps." We reached the door and he turned to face me. "Please sparrow…do well tonight," he pleaded.

"Oh come now, Harold," I entered the room. "You know I'm the best." And with that, I closed the door behind me and turned to face the Duke.

OIOIOIOIOIO

I have quite a few chapters that I am still waiting to post. Reviews would be greatly appreciated so that I can form my next chapters to fit your suggestions before posting a new one – thanks!