Disclaimer: I do not own Moulin Rouge

A/N: Thanks are in order to my dear reviewers. I'm really getting some good feedback and I appreciate it tremendously. Here now we begin to see the changes that occur in the original timeline, which will ultimately lead to bigger changes throughout. Hope you enjoy it, as a certain someone makes their first appearance.

Chapter 4: Dancing and Diamonds

Energy hummed in his bones from the force of the music. The band sat gloriously at the head of the room, the brass shining in the light and the velvet curtains pulled to the side, framing the stage. The tables were filled to the limit, with shadows moving across the crimson pillars and images reflected in every pane of glass. Everyone was dressed to the nines in a sea of black suits and top hats.

And of course, the Diamond Dogs were on the dance floor. They moved in a swirl of color, their dresses jarringly bright against the blandness of the polished wood. Christian sat impassive to most of this, remembering vaguely his first trip to the Moulin Rouge and knowing that this, again, was his first trip. If his intentions met their goals, then it would also be his last.

"Christian?"

He turned to Toulouse, who was staring at him with a slightly apprehensive expression. No doubt he had noticed that Christian had not excepted any dance proposals, nor ordered a drink or even left his seat. The hall was fit to burst with laughter and excitement and motion, yet he sat with only a mild gleam of interest in his eye. Christian gave a false smile and was relieved to see his friend relax somewhat.

"Sorry, Toulouse. I'm just not much of a party person, I guess," he offered lamely, shrugging his shoulders. Toulouse nodded and gave him an understanding pat on the arm.

"That's alright," he said, smiling in return. "Paris is basically one ongoing party in itself, and it doesn't suit everyone. It just depends on where you're tastes lie."

He suddenly leaned forward, his smile turning into a mischievous grin. "But wait until you see Satine. The Sparkling Diamond."

Christian's stomach lurched horribly. He smiled weakly before turning away. "I'm sure she's wonderful."

The music swelled to a crescendo, the dancers spinning in rhythm with their partners towards the climax of the song. He could see the flash of lust and desire in so many eyes, a type of possession that had only controlled him once before. The heat and vigor of the night was infectious, floating on the air and seeping into the minds of the vulnerable and ignorant. Colors and shapes were massed together as he saw everything there and nothing at all. It was through this mass that he spied the Duke.

He sat a few tables down, watching the activity with a mild expression quite similar to his own. Harold was sitting next to him, a smug light shining in his eyes. As Christian watched, he leaned across the table and whispered in the Duke's ear, most likely arranging the meeting with Satine. Anger flared up inside him at the sight, startling in its intensity.

The sensation was fleeting, however, as the lights were suddenly extinguished. For a moment there were only disembodied voices floating in the darkness, the band having eerily stopped mid beat. Then, like the sunlight splitting clouds, a beam came down from the ceiling with sparkling confetti caught in its light. He felt his pulse quicken, a strange and nameless fear tearing at his heart, constricting his breathing. The swing lowered from above and there she sat over the crowd.

Satine.

She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. Her hair was pulled up under the hat, revealing her striking features and allowing the eye to follow her smooth skin to the shoulder. She glimmered like the north star, her heavenly blue eyes the brightest point in the room. He barely registered the fact that he had left his chair and was now standing at the edge of the dance floor. Her first notes pierced his heart, and he was not surprised in the least at how painful it was.

As the swing carried her in a circle over the heads of the awe struck crowd, Christian realized that she would soon be descending among the guests - and that she could once again mistake him for the Duke. Without a word to Toulouse, he crossed to the other side of the hall and found an empty table at the very back. From that vantage point he watched her for the rest of the night, the envious pang of jealously ringing in his heart when she danced with the Duke. The dance they should have shared.

At the end she was once again suspended on the swing, radiant in the dim light. It was the moment he had come for; the moment that would reveal if he had truly righted the deepest wrong he had ever known. He clenched his fists, concentrating so hard that he was oblivious to the man watching him from the corner. As she sang out her last line he found he was holding his breath.

"Diamonds are a girl's best..." He was on his feet, waiting. Watching and waiting in the longest moment of his life. "...friend!"

The cheers were extravagant as the swing was pulled up into the ceiling, taking Satine with it. The lights came on and the music resumed, all as bright and optimistic as ever they had been. It was only then that he raised a hand to his cheek and felt the tears there, the burning knot in his throat extending to his eyes. He began walking towards the double doors at the front, staring at the ground and unsuccessfully trying to hold back a sob. As he neared the exit, a hand reached out and grabbed his arm.

"Christian, what ...?" Toulouse was staring up at him with concern and confusion, unable to finish his question at the sight of the tears.

"Not now. I have to go," he said shortly, pulling his arm away roughly.

He briefly glanced in the direction of the Duke, a surge of hatred pounding in his head, and Toulouse turned to follow his gaze. Before he could turn back Christian had left, walking swiftly through the doors to take cold solace in the night air. The shadow that unfurled itself from the corner and drifted upstairs went unnoticed.

A/N: So Satine is no longer sick. It appears that someone was checking up on Christian during the performance. Review and tell me what you thought!