What would have happened if Satine was never dying; if she and Christian ran off together as they had planned; if they left the Moulin Rouge and never returned? How would the Duke feel and what would be his revenge?
Christian peered over his shoulder at the suddenly bewildered Satine.
"Leave?" she asked, still shocked, "I can't leave Christian, the Moulin Rouge is my home. Christian, my love, you can leave, you have a place to live. I don't, Christian. This is my home!" As much as Satine loved Christian she was forced to let him go. She looked Christian in his eyes, his beautiful brown eyes. "Christian, I can see that you don't belong here; the music, the hysteria, the parties, the drink. They're not for you and I can see that. But they are for me. One day, Christian, and hopefully one day soon, my chance will come and I can become a real actress, not just a show girl, not just a prostitute!"
Christian walked over to Satine, he sat on the edge of his bed and put his large hands on either of her shoulders. He felt the daintiness of her body beneath them and he thought that such a small, dainty person should never be a prostitute, she deserved much better. He could see right this minute that by letting him go she was sparing his feelings, but he could see that if she didn't act now she would be doomed for a life of music, drink and prostitution. He shook her gently by the shoulders, hoping with all his might, that it make shake some sense into her.
"Satine, where you are I'm happy, I'm content. Where you aren't I'm lost. Satine, as long as you're at the Mouline Rouge, I'm at the Moulin Rouge. I'm trying to save you, I want you to live, to see the world. Satine, the Moulin Rouge may bring you acting opportunities but leaving will give you every opportunity you can dream of. Satine, out there, away from the Moulin Rouge, there's a real world. A world that you can't just pretend doesn't exist because it does, it does! Just look." he said and pointed out of the window.
Satine obediently looked out through the broken window of Christians flat and saw it. She saw the world. Instantly she knew what she was missing, what she wanted. She wanted Christian, she wanted a life with Christian, she wanted to live. She saw the moon, she saw the stars, she saw freedom.
"What do you see?" asked Christian.
"I see the stars, I see freedom."
Christian and Satine immediately knew what they had to do, they had to leave the Moulin Rouge, leave it forever. There they could live a long and happy life together. But how?
Three days later
"The Duke wants to have dinner with me, Christian. Tomorrow! I have to go for a meal in the Gothic Tower with him and then take him back to the Elephant, seduce him and have sex with him. That way Zidler will get his money, and the Duke gets what he wants. I don't want to make love to him, Christian, I don't want to! What do I do?" Satine sobbed into Christians arms. They were sat, once again, in Christians flat. Christian had his arms around her and Satines head rested by his collar bone.
"You listen to me, Satine, it'll all be fine. We'll leave the Moulin Rouge like we planned. We'll leave now!" Christian added in a sudden wave of spontaneity. He leaped up, leaving Satine looking perplexed, and grinned at her. "Why wait?" he said enthusiastically, "Satine, all I want is for you to be happy and to live a long and wonderful life with you and I can see that by staying here you aren't happy. I can see that, Satine, we need to leave."
Satine stared up at him, bewildered. "You're right" she said, she was suddenly just as confident as he was and she stood up to stand next to him, "Come with me Christian, and I'll pack. We'll leave tonight!"
"That's the spirit" he grinned at her.
