Disclaimer: I can only claim to those characters not in the movie.
Chapter 4: Old Faces in New Places
After returning home from her job at the tailor's shop, Satine locked herself in her bedroom and cried. She cried until she ran out of tears. Then she just slept.
She woke to the sound of her children arriving. She sat up and wiped the dry tears from her face. She frowned when she saw her reflection in the mirror. She quickly composed herself and head to the kitchen to start dinner.
Nicole and John were playing a game in the living room. The sound of their merriment and laughter helped return the smile to her face. They were the reason she lived anymore.
But her past has come back to tease her. If it was really he, Christian was alive. He had been alive this whole time. The twins still had a father. This can't be happening, she thought. I moved on, I accepted his death once. I mourned and moved on. I can't stand to have my hope and love dashed again.
"Mommy, why are you crying?" John asked.
She looked down to see her children watching her with worried looks on their faces. She wiped her eyes, smiled and said, "I was just thinking about that book. It is very sad."
Nicole frowned and asked, "Why wont you read it to us?"
Satine smiled and said, "You wouldn't understand. We can read it when you are older, okay? Now, no more questions. Supper is ready."
A sign in the window of Mr. Johansen's store caught Satine's attention on her way to work. She stopped an read it. It read in bold letters, "CHRISTIAN JAMES, AUTHOR OF COME WHAT MAY, APPEARING FOR A BOOK SIGNING. July 20-23."
He's coming next week, she thought. Her mind swirled with mixed emotions. She ached to see him again, if only for a few moments. But she rejected the idea as too painful. To hope for even a few seconds and be wrong would be devastating. In the end she decided that despite the chance of devastation, she would go to the book signing, and meet Mr. James.
She paused to collect her scattered nerves. Lifting her chin for confidence, she pushed opened the door. She walked in and not seeing anyone walked to a shelf in the back. She pulled a book off the self and sat in a chair, attempting to read it.
Presently, Mr. Johansen came out of the back room, calling to someone in the back. He turned and noticed her sitting in the corner. He greeted her warmly and said, "I'm glad you came by. I have someone I want to introduce you to. He's the author of Come What May." He turned and called into the back room.
Satine trembled as she held her breath expectantly. She let out a gasp as he entered the room. There he was. The love of her life stood in the doorway, smiling that heart-melting smile that she loved so much. His smile fell as he focused on her face. His face pale and his voice faltering, he asked, "Satine? Is that really you?"
Her heart wrenched as he said her name, as if it were a prayer. She smiled weakly and said, "Yes, Christian. It's me." Suddenly she could hear his heartbeat as he held and kissed her in a crushing embrace. They broke apart and kissed again. Their tears mingled on each other's smiling faces.
Mr. Johansen watched his two friends in confusion and with a bit of embarrassment. He cleared his throat, startling them. "I see you two have met before. I'll leave you two to get reacquainted," he mumbled, smiling knowingly. They watched him go and turned back to each other when he was out of sight.
For a few moments they just stood there taking in each other as if the other would disappear suddenly before their eyes. Christian leaned down and kissed her tenderly, before saying, "Let's take a walk. There is much we need to talk about."
They held hands as they strolled down the streets of London, oblivious to the world around them. Every so often, Christian would stroke Satine's back or run his fingers through her crimson hair as if to reassure himself that she was still there. Satine broke the silence, by asking, "Where have you been these past few years?"
He sighed and began the story of hell on earth. "After the Duke shot me.I didn't die, I just went into a coma. I woke about two weeks later. I was sick with a fever. I kept calling for you, but you never came to me." He halted as his voice choked. Satine wept at hearing about his agony. He continued, "Finally, Zidler came to me and told me that you. that you had. killed yourself. He said you had drowned yourself in grief over me. I recovered, but only from the fever. I went into a depression and left Montemarte. I spent the next two years in Spain. Until one day I snapped out of my depression. I saw an add in the newspaper for a publishing company wanting novel writers. I got the overwhelming urge to write down our story. I convinced myself it was a way to bring you back to me, even if only in my mind. It sold like crazy and I decided it was time to head back home to England. And here I am." He smiled and kissed her gently. Indeed, I am here and I am ever glad I am too, he thought. "So, that is my story. What happened to you?"
She looked at the ground and sighed. She noticed that they had found a courtyard and sat on the bench next to her. Christian sat and held her close. That sat in silence for a few minutes. Finally he repeated his question. She took a deep breath and in almost a whisper said, "Zidler was right. I tried to kill myself. I thought you were dead and didn't want to go on without you. I woke later to find myself not dead but in my room. I never found out who pulled me out. I would have hated that person. Anyway, Zidler came in and told me the doctor had been to see me. He had said that I need rest or I would only make myself sicker. I never told you but the reason I refused you before the show was. I am dying." Christian inhaled sharply and held her closer. Tears glistened in her eyes as she continued, "I have consumption. It's not so bad since I no longer sing. But I will eventually die. I wanted to save you from the heartache and grief of my dying. Anyway, after that Harold tried to convince me to come back to the Moulin Rouge after a rest in the country. I raged at him and vowed never to go back. I left a week later. That would be about three days before you woke up."
She turned to look at Christian's face and saw horror and a fiery anger written in his eyes. "That bastard! He is the one responsible for all our problems. I wish I could go and kill him," he growled angrily.
"No, Christian. He isn't worth getting angry over. Besides I had news from Marie. He's dead. He had a stroke last winter," she said. Christian stared at her in shock. She looked at him and said, "It's true. But I have something else I need to tell you." She paused, looking down at her hands in her lap. She looked up and saw Christian looking at her expectantly. She bit her lip then said, "Christian you're a father."
Chapter 4: Old Faces in New Places
After returning home from her job at the tailor's shop, Satine locked herself in her bedroom and cried. She cried until she ran out of tears. Then she just slept.
She woke to the sound of her children arriving. She sat up and wiped the dry tears from her face. She frowned when she saw her reflection in the mirror. She quickly composed herself and head to the kitchen to start dinner.
Nicole and John were playing a game in the living room. The sound of their merriment and laughter helped return the smile to her face. They were the reason she lived anymore.
But her past has come back to tease her. If it was really he, Christian was alive. He had been alive this whole time. The twins still had a father. This can't be happening, she thought. I moved on, I accepted his death once. I mourned and moved on. I can't stand to have my hope and love dashed again.
"Mommy, why are you crying?" John asked.
She looked down to see her children watching her with worried looks on their faces. She wiped her eyes, smiled and said, "I was just thinking about that book. It is very sad."
Nicole frowned and asked, "Why wont you read it to us?"
Satine smiled and said, "You wouldn't understand. We can read it when you are older, okay? Now, no more questions. Supper is ready."
A sign in the window of Mr. Johansen's store caught Satine's attention on her way to work. She stopped an read it. It read in bold letters, "CHRISTIAN JAMES, AUTHOR OF COME WHAT MAY, APPEARING FOR A BOOK SIGNING. July 20-23."
He's coming next week, she thought. Her mind swirled with mixed emotions. She ached to see him again, if only for a few moments. But she rejected the idea as too painful. To hope for even a few seconds and be wrong would be devastating. In the end she decided that despite the chance of devastation, she would go to the book signing, and meet Mr. James.
She paused to collect her scattered nerves. Lifting her chin for confidence, she pushed opened the door. She walked in and not seeing anyone walked to a shelf in the back. She pulled a book off the self and sat in a chair, attempting to read it.
Presently, Mr. Johansen came out of the back room, calling to someone in the back. He turned and noticed her sitting in the corner. He greeted her warmly and said, "I'm glad you came by. I have someone I want to introduce you to. He's the author of Come What May." He turned and called into the back room.
Satine trembled as she held her breath expectantly. She let out a gasp as he entered the room. There he was. The love of her life stood in the doorway, smiling that heart-melting smile that she loved so much. His smile fell as he focused on her face. His face pale and his voice faltering, he asked, "Satine? Is that really you?"
Her heart wrenched as he said her name, as if it were a prayer. She smiled weakly and said, "Yes, Christian. It's me." Suddenly she could hear his heartbeat as he held and kissed her in a crushing embrace. They broke apart and kissed again. Their tears mingled on each other's smiling faces.
Mr. Johansen watched his two friends in confusion and with a bit of embarrassment. He cleared his throat, startling them. "I see you two have met before. I'll leave you two to get reacquainted," he mumbled, smiling knowingly. They watched him go and turned back to each other when he was out of sight.
For a few moments they just stood there taking in each other as if the other would disappear suddenly before their eyes. Christian leaned down and kissed her tenderly, before saying, "Let's take a walk. There is much we need to talk about."
They held hands as they strolled down the streets of London, oblivious to the world around them. Every so often, Christian would stroke Satine's back or run his fingers through her crimson hair as if to reassure himself that she was still there. Satine broke the silence, by asking, "Where have you been these past few years?"
He sighed and began the story of hell on earth. "After the Duke shot me.I didn't die, I just went into a coma. I woke about two weeks later. I was sick with a fever. I kept calling for you, but you never came to me." He halted as his voice choked. Satine wept at hearing about his agony. He continued, "Finally, Zidler came to me and told me that you. that you had. killed yourself. He said you had drowned yourself in grief over me. I recovered, but only from the fever. I went into a depression and left Montemarte. I spent the next two years in Spain. Until one day I snapped out of my depression. I saw an add in the newspaper for a publishing company wanting novel writers. I got the overwhelming urge to write down our story. I convinced myself it was a way to bring you back to me, even if only in my mind. It sold like crazy and I decided it was time to head back home to England. And here I am." He smiled and kissed her gently. Indeed, I am here and I am ever glad I am too, he thought. "So, that is my story. What happened to you?"
She looked at the ground and sighed. She noticed that they had found a courtyard and sat on the bench next to her. Christian sat and held her close. That sat in silence for a few minutes. Finally he repeated his question. She took a deep breath and in almost a whisper said, "Zidler was right. I tried to kill myself. I thought you were dead and didn't want to go on without you. I woke later to find myself not dead but in my room. I never found out who pulled me out. I would have hated that person. Anyway, Zidler came in and told me the doctor had been to see me. He had said that I need rest or I would only make myself sicker. I never told you but the reason I refused you before the show was. I am dying." Christian inhaled sharply and held her closer. Tears glistened in her eyes as she continued, "I have consumption. It's not so bad since I no longer sing. But I will eventually die. I wanted to save you from the heartache and grief of my dying. Anyway, after that Harold tried to convince me to come back to the Moulin Rouge after a rest in the country. I raged at him and vowed never to go back. I left a week later. That would be about three days before you woke up."
She turned to look at Christian's face and saw horror and a fiery anger written in his eyes. "That bastard! He is the one responsible for all our problems. I wish I could go and kill him," he growled angrily.
"No, Christian. He isn't worth getting angry over. Besides I had news from Marie. He's dead. He had a stroke last winter," she said. Christian stared at her in shock. She looked at him and said, "It's true. But I have something else I need to tell you." She paused, looking down at her hands in her lap. She looked up and saw Christian looking at her expectantly. She bit her lip then said, "Christian you're a father."