Rated SB - for SAD BROE!!
For this chapter:
--- Chloe sings.
((( Zidler sings
*** Chloe & Zidler sing
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Chapter Nine: The Show Must Go On
Phillip sat on the edge of the bed in the gothic tower. He was seething with anger as one of his servants cleaned the scratch on his face from the blows delivered to him by Chocolat. It was becoming more and more clear to anyone with an ounce of sense that Phillip was a psychopath, driven mad by jealousy.
Zidler had been called over by Phillip soon after he regained consciousness, and now he stood nearby, as Phillip's manservant Warner stood in the doorway observing.
Phillip looked towards Zidler, his eyes a steely shade of blue, but the fire of his insanity burning behind them. "It's the boy. He... He has bewitched her with words. I want her back, Zidler. Find her. Tell her that the show *will* end my way. And, she will come to me when the curtain falls. Or -- or I'll have the boy *killed*."
Phillip looked toward Warner with a knowing glance. A glance that said to kill Brady if he was seen anywhere near Phillip or Chloe.
Zidler swallowed a lump in her throat, and stared at Phillip in surprise. "Killed?"
Zidler looked at Warner as Phillip repeated himself confidently. "Killed."
Warner nodded in understanding, accepting his mission with glee.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Chloe rushed around her room quickly packing everything that she needed, as Marie stood by and observed. She stood there quietly, not even asking why Chloe was so frantic. Chloe grabbed her robe and pulled it over her torn dress, and was surprised to see Zidler solemnly walking through her door.
"Forgive the intrusion, cherub."
Chloe stared at him, knowing that he must have been here to tell her what a mistake she had made with Phillip. "You're wasting your time, Harold."
"Poppet, you don't understand. The Duke is going to kill Brady."
Chloe paused and looked at her reflection in the mirror, staring in disbelief. "What? No..."
Zidler was insistent with his tone of voice, giving her a warning. "Phillip is insanely jealous. Unless you do his ending, and sleep with him tomorrow night... He will have Brady killed."
She felt tears welling up behind her eyes and tried to fight them back. Chloe quickly brushed a tear out from underneath one eye and turned to look at Zidler confidently. "He can't scare us."
"He's a powerful man. You know he can do it."
Chloe shook her head and threw her robe off, putting Brady's jacket back on like a security blanket. Zidler questioned her, not understanding why she wasn't listening to him. "What are you doing?"
She stared at him in anger, hot tears running down her face, her voice boiling up with all the years of misery she had felt by being a part of the Moulin Rouge's underworld. "I DON'T NEED YOU ANYMORE! All my life... you made me believe I was only worth what someone would pay for me! But, Brady loves me. He loves me, Harold. HE LOVES ME. And that is worth... everything. We're going away from you. Away from Phillip. Away from the Moulin Rouge! Goodbye, Harold..."
Chloe walked away from him towards the door, but he stopped her with three words, his tone quiet and sad. "You're dying, Chloe..."
She stopped her in her tracks with a loud gasp, but kept her gaze away from him as he repeated his words. "You're dying..."
Chloe coughed softly and shook her head. He must be trying to trick her, doing anything he could to keep her here, to keep his precious show from closing before it opened. "Another trick, Harold?"
"No, my love. The doctor told us."
Chloe turned around and looked towards Marie for confirmation, and the woman nodded sadly, indicating that Harold's words were not lies. She shut her eyes for just a moment, as her world seemed to move in slow motion around her. Chloe was beginning to understand it all. The coughing, the fainting spells, the weakness, the gasping for breath. It was true, her life was fading away from her as each second passed. She opened her eyes again and spoke softly to herself. "I'm dying..."
More tears fell down her cheeks, and she sang softly the thoughts that were in her head. For one moment she believed in love overcoming all obstacles, but now she knew the truth. No amount of love could save her life.
--- I was a fool to believe.
A fool to believe.
It all ends today.
Yes, it all ends today... ---
She walked back into the room and slowly sat down in her chair. Zidler looked at her and spoke. "Send Brady away. Only you can save him."
Chloe shook her head and looked up at him. "He'll fight for me."
"Yes. Unless he believes you don't love him."
"What?"
"You're a great actress, Chloe. Make him believe you don't love him."
A soft sob erupted from her throat and she shook her head vehemently. How could she even think of breaking such a beautiful heart? "No... No..."
Zidler walked closer to her, urging her on. She had to send him away from the Moulin Rouge, if Phillip even saw him nearby he would surely kill him. And, breaking his heart was the only way to make him give up his fight for her. "Use your talent to save him. Hurt him. Hurt him to save him. There is no other way. The show must go on, Chloe. We're creatures of the underworld. We can't afford to love."
Chloe looked at her bird in its cage and tried to slow down the tears that were falling. She felt so tired and so weak, hardly able to fight for what she wanted. The bird was a reminder of how she almost had a chance to fly away, and now she had lost it. She had to do what Harold said, she had to break his heart to save his life. Phillip was a psychopath, and she knew he would stop at nothing to destroy Brady.
She nodded in understanding, grateful to have experienced such a thing of beauty before her life ended. She looked back at Zidler, finally accepting her fate that was to come.
--- Today's a day... ---
*** When dreaming ends. ***
Zidler left her side, so she could change her clothes and walked through the theatre, his own sadness and disappointment weighing heavy on his shoulders. His sparrow was dying, and losing her chance at love, and despite all of that they would have to find a way to continue with the show.
((( Another hero.
Another mindless crime.
Behind the curtain, in the pantomime.
On and on...
Does anybody know what we are living for?
What ever happened?
We leave it all to chance.
Another heartache.
Another failed romance.
On and on...
Does anybody know what we are living for? )))
Zidler stood on the stage, looking around the theatre as his crew prepared for tonight's performance. He looked towards the door, the sun was beginning to rise outside bringing a new day with it.
((( The show must go on!
The show must go on!
Outside the dawn is breaking...
On the stage that holds our final destiny...
The show must go on!
The show must go on! )))
Chloe stood in front of the mirror in her room, looking at her reflection. She had changed into a dark gray, very conservative dress, and wore a black hat with a mesh veil that hung over her face. She looked like she was heading into a funeral, and in a way she was. Chloe was heading off to end the relationship she had with her soulmate.
--- Inside my heart is breaking.
My makeup may be flaking
But my smile still stays on... ---
((( The show must go on!
The show must go on! )))
Chloe walked to the stage and stood at the edge.
--- I'll top the bill!
I'll earn the kill!
I have to find the will to carry on... ---
*** ...with the
On... with the
On... with the show! ***
Chloe walked towards the door, but did not glance at Harold as she passed him to walk outside. She could hardly bear to look at anyone as she the short walk to Brady's apartment became the longest walk of her life.
((( On with the show!
On with the show! )))
*** The show... must... go on! ***
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Brady was patiently waiting for her arrival, but couldn't help but be surprised at her appearance when she opened his door. Her clothing was much different than usual, and her expression seemed as if she had bad news to share with him. She entered the room and he walked towards her with concern.
"What's wrong?
Chloe smiled weakly, preparing herself to give the best acting performance of her entire life. She pretended as if she meant every word that came out of her mouth, even though her heart was being ripped to shreds inside.
"I'm staying with Phillip. After I left you, he came to see me and he offered me everything. Everything that I've ever dreamed of. He has one condition -- that I must never see you again. I'm sorry..."
Brady stared at her in confusion. "What are you talking about?"
Zidler's words echoed in her head. Make him believe you don't love him. She knew she could do it. She had been paid for a long time to make men believe she did love them, she could certainly do the opposite. "You knew who I was."
"What are you saying? What about last night? What we said..."
"I didn't expect you to understand. The difference between you and I is that you can leave anytime you choose. But this is my home. The Moulin Rouge is my home."
Chloe turned away from him, gasping for air, trying her best to hide her illness from him. He couldn't know that she was dying, or else he would stay by her side and be killed for certain.
Brady walked towards her and put his hands on her arm, trying to keep her from walking out. His tone was desperate and scared. How could she profess her love and devotion one moment and then break his heart the next? "No... There must be something else -- this can't be real! There's something the matter, tell me what it is... Tell me what's wrong! Tell me the truth! Tell me the truth!"
They could both hear the thunder rolling outside the open window. The storm brewing in the sky over Montmartre reflecting the storm brewing between them. Chloe turned to face him, her lies spilling out with ease as the thunder clashed all around them.
"The truth? The truth is... I *am* the Hindi courtesan. And I choose... the Maharajah. That's how the story really ends."
She walked away quickly, leaving him with his anger and confusion. Chloe could no longer stand to be there, staring at the sadness in his deep blue eyes.
The sky outside tore open and began raining down around his building. The rain was like tears from the heavens above, crying over another love lost and two hearts broken. Brady walked outside and searched the streets for her, but did not see her. He walked to the front door of the Moulin Rouge screaming her name at the top of his lungs.
Two guards found him outside and dragged him away, but Brady fought back until one of them punched him square in the face, throwing him to the ground. Toulouse and the others found him there, face down in the rain-covered streets and carried him back to his apartment. The others left to head back to the theatre for the show, but Toulouse stayed behind as Brady told him what happened with Chloe.
Toulouse stood at his bedside, not understanding why Chloe would do such a thing to him. He had witnessed their love with his own eyes, and Toulouse knew that there was something else going on, something more than what Brady may have thought. "Things aren't always as they seem..."
Brady refused to look in Toulouse's direction, shaking his head slightly. Somehow the young writer had lost his optimistic outlook, and more devastatingly than that, his belief in love. "Things are exactly the way they seem..."
"Christian, you may see me only as a drunken, vice-ridden gnome whose friends are just pimps and girls from the brothels. But I know about art and love -- if only because I long for it with every fiber of my being. She loves you. I know it -- I know she loves you."
"Go away, Toulouse. Leave me alone."
Toulouse did not move, he stared at him with concern, wondering how the wide-eyed boy who was in love with the idea of love had fallen into this downward spiral.
Brady spoke again, getting angrier with his friend as he spoke each word. "Go. Away. GO AWAY!!!"
Toulouse nodded and grabbed his coat, giving Brady one last glance of worry before leaving to head over to the Moulin Rouge for tonight's performance.
Brady sat in silence for quite a while, doing everything he could to shut out what Toulouse had said to him. But, he was filled with doubt inside. He knew that Chloe loved him, and he had never doubted that until this morning. There was only one way to find out what was really going on, so Brady got up and took his typewriter with him to a shop around the corner. He traded it in for a large sum of money and headed back to the Moulin Rouge, for one last time.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Thanks for reading and reviewing!
-Hope-
For this chapter:
--- Chloe sings.
((( Zidler sings
*** Chloe & Zidler sing
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Chapter Nine: The Show Must Go On
Phillip sat on the edge of the bed in the gothic tower. He was seething with anger as one of his servants cleaned the scratch on his face from the blows delivered to him by Chocolat. It was becoming more and more clear to anyone with an ounce of sense that Phillip was a psychopath, driven mad by jealousy.
Zidler had been called over by Phillip soon after he regained consciousness, and now he stood nearby, as Phillip's manservant Warner stood in the doorway observing.
Phillip looked towards Zidler, his eyes a steely shade of blue, but the fire of his insanity burning behind them. "It's the boy. He... He has bewitched her with words. I want her back, Zidler. Find her. Tell her that the show *will* end my way. And, she will come to me when the curtain falls. Or -- or I'll have the boy *killed*."
Phillip looked toward Warner with a knowing glance. A glance that said to kill Brady if he was seen anywhere near Phillip or Chloe.
Zidler swallowed a lump in her throat, and stared at Phillip in surprise. "Killed?"
Zidler looked at Warner as Phillip repeated himself confidently. "Killed."
Warner nodded in understanding, accepting his mission with glee.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Chloe rushed around her room quickly packing everything that she needed, as Marie stood by and observed. She stood there quietly, not even asking why Chloe was so frantic. Chloe grabbed her robe and pulled it over her torn dress, and was surprised to see Zidler solemnly walking through her door.
"Forgive the intrusion, cherub."
Chloe stared at him, knowing that he must have been here to tell her what a mistake she had made with Phillip. "You're wasting your time, Harold."
"Poppet, you don't understand. The Duke is going to kill Brady."
Chloe paused and looked at her reflection in the mirror, staring in disbelief. "What? No..."
Zidler was insistent with his tone of voice, giving her a warning. "Phillip is insanely jealous. Unless you do his ending, and sleep with him tomorrow night... He will have Brady killed."
She felt tears welling up behind her eyes and tried to fight them back. Chloe quickly brushed a tear out from underneath one eye and turned to look at Zidler confidently. "He can't scare us."
"He's a powerful man. You know he can do it."
Chloe shook her head and threw her robe off, putting Brady's jacket back on like a security blanket. Zidler questioned her, not understanding why she wasn't listening to him. "What are you doing?"
She stared at him in anger, hot tears running down her face, her voice boiling up with all the years of misery she had felt by being a part of the Moulin Rouge's underworld. "I DON'T NEED YOU ANYMORE! All my life... you made me believe I was only worth what someone would pay for me! But, Brady loves me. He loves me, Harold. HE LOVES ME. And that is worth... everything. We're going away from you. Away from Phillip. Away from the Moulin Rouge! Goodbye, Harold..."
Chloe walked away from him towards the door, but he stopped her with three words, his tone quiet and sad. "You're dying, Chloe..."
She stopped her in her tracks with a loud gasp, but kept her gaze away from him as he repeated his words. "You're dying..."
Chloe coughed softly and shook her head. He must be trying to trick her, doing anything he could to keep her here, to keep his precious show from closing before it opened. "Another trick, Harold?"
"No, my love. The doctor told us."
Chloe turned around and looked towards Marie for confirmation, and the woman nodded sadly, indicating that Harold's words were not lies. She shut her eyes for just a moment, as her world seemed to move in slow motion around her. Chloe was beginning to understand it all. The coughing, the fainting spells, the weakness, the gasping for breath. It was true, her life was fading away from her as each second passed. She opened her eyes again and spoke softly to herself. "I'm dying..."
More tears fell down her cheeks, and she sang softly the thoughts that were in her head. For one moment she believed in love overcoming all obstacles, but now she knew the truth. No amount of love could save her life.
--- I was a fool to believe.
A fool to believe.
It all ends today.
Yes, it all ends today... ---
She walked back into the room and slowly sat down in her chair. Zidler looked at her and spoke. "Send Brady away. Only you can save him."
Chloe shook her head and looked up at him. "He'll fight for me."
"Yes. Unless he believes you don't love him."
"What?"
"You're a great actress, Chloe. Make him believe you don't love him."
A soft sob erupted from her throat and she shook her head vehemently. How could she even think of breaking such a beautiful heart? "No... No..."
Zidler walked closer to her, urging her on. She had to send him away from the Moulin Rouge, if Phillip even saw him nearby he would surely kill him. And, breaking his heart was the only way to make him give up his fight for her. "Use your talent to save him. Hurt him. Hurt him to save him. There is no other way. The show must go on, Chloe. We're creatures of the underworld. We can't afford to love."
Chloe looked at her bird in its cage and tried to slow down the tears that were falling. She felt so tired and so weak, hardly able to fight for what she wanted. The bird was a reminder of how she almost had a chance to fly away, and now she had lost it. She had to do what Harold said, she had to break his heart to save his life. Phillip was a psychopath, and she knew he would stop at nothing to destroy Brady.
She nodded in understanding, grateful to have experienced such a thing of beauty before her life ended. She looked back at Zidler, finally accepting her fate that was to come.
--- Today's a day... ---
*** When dreaming ends. ***
Zidler left her side, so she could change her clothes and walked through the theatre, his own sadness and disappointment weighing heavy on his shoulders. His sparrow was dying, and losing her chance at love, and despite all of that they would have to find a way to continue with the show.
((( Another hero.
Another mindless crime.
Behind the curtain, in the pantomime.
On and on...
Does anybody know what we are living for?
What ever happened?
We leave it all to chance.
Another heartache.
Another failed romance.
On and on...
Does anybody know what we are living for? )))
Zidler stood on the stage, looking around the theatre as his crew prepared for tonight's performance. He looked towards the door, the sun was beginning to rise outside bringing a new day with it.
((( The show must go on!
The show must go on!
Outside the dawn is breaking...
On the stage that holds our final destiny...
The show must go on!
The show must go on! )))
Chloe stood in front of the mirror in her room, looking at her reflection. She had changed into a dark gray, very conservative dress, and wore a black hat with a mesh veil that hung over her face. She looked like she was heading into a funeral, and in a way she was. Chloe was heading off to end the relationship she had with her soulmate.
--- Inside my heart is breaking.
My makeup may be flaking
But my smile still stays on... ---
((( The show must go on!
The show must go on! )))
Chloe walked to the stage and stood at the edge.
--- I'll top the bill!
I'll earn the kill!
I have to find the will to carry on... ---
*** ...with the
On... with the
On... with the show! ***
Chloe walked towards the door, but did not glance at Harold as she passed him to walk outside. She could hardly bear to look at anyone as she the short walk to Brady's apartment became the longest walk of her life.
((( On with the show!
On with the show! )))
*** The show... must... go on! ***
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Brady was patiently waiting for her arrival, but couldn't help but be surprised at her appearance when she opened his door. Her clothing was much different than usual, and her expression seemed as if she had bad news to share with him. She entered the room and he walked towards her with concern.
"What's wrong?
Chloe smiled weakly, preparing herself to give the best acting performance of her entire life. She pretended as if she meant every word that came out of her mouth, even though her heart was being ripped to shreds inside.
"I'm staying with Phillip. After I left you, he came to see me and he offered me everything. Everything that I've ever dreamed of. He has one condition -- that I must never see you again. I'm sorry..."
Brady stared at her in confusion. "What are you talking about?"
Zidler's words echoed in her head. Make him believe you don't love him. She knew she could do it. She had been paid for a long time to make men believe she did love them, she could certainly do the opposite. "You knew who I was."
"What are you saying? What about last night? What we said..."
"I didn't expect you to understand. The difference between you and I is that you can leave anytime you choose. But this is my home. The Moulin Rouge is my home."
Chloe turned away from him, gasping for air, trying her best to hide her illness from him. He couldn't know that she was dying, or else he would stay by her side and be killed for certain.
Brady walked towards her and put his hands on her arm, trying to keep her from walking out. His tone was desperate and scared. How could she profess her love and devotion one moment and then break his heart the next? "No... There must be something else -- this can't be real! There's something the matter, tell me what it is... Tell me what's wrong! Tell me the truth! Tell me the truth!"
They could both hear the thunder rolling outside the open window. The storm brewing in the sky over Montmartre reflecting the storm brewing between them. Chloe turned to face him, her lies spilling out with ease as the thunder clashed all around them.
"The truth? The truth is... I *am* the Hindi courtesan. And I choose... the Maharajah. That's how the story really ends."
She walked away quickly, leaving him with his anger and confusion. Chloe could no longer stand to be there, staring at the sadness in his deep blue eyes.
The sky outside tore open and began raining down around his building. The rain was like tears from the heavens above, crying over another love lost and two hearts broken. Brady walked outside and searched the streets for her, but did not see her. He walked to the front door of the Moulin Rouge screaming her name at the top of his lungs.
Two guards found him outside and dragged him away, but Brady fought back until one of them punched him square in the face, throwing him to the ground. Toulouse and the others found him there, face down in the rain-covered streets and carried him back to his apartment. The others left to head back to the theatre for the show, but Toulouse stayed behind as Brady told him what happened with Chloe.
Toulouse stood at his bedside, not understanding why Chloe would do such a thing to him. He had witnessed their love with his own eyes, and Toulouse knew that there was something else going on, something more than what Brady may have thought. "Things aren't always as they seem..."
Brady refused to look in Toulouse's direction, shaking his head slightly. Somehow the young writer had lost his optimistic outlook, and more devastatingly than that, his belief in love. "Things are exactly the way they seem..."
"Christian, you may see me only as a drunken, vice-ridden gnome whose friends are just pimps and girls from the brothels. But I know about art and love -- if only because I long for it with every fiber of my being. She loves you. I know it -- I know she loves you."
"Go away, Toulouse. Leave me alone."
Toulouse did not move, he stared at him with concern, wondering how the wide-eyed boy who was in love with the idea of love had fallen into this downward spiral.
Brady spoke again, getting angrier with his friend as he spoke each word. "Go. Away. GO AWAY!!!"
Toulouse nodded and grabbed his coat, giving Brady one last glance of worry before leaving to head over to the Moulin Rouge for tonight's performance.
Brady sat in silence for quite a while, doing everything he could to shut out what Toulouse had said to him. But, he was filled with doubt inside. He knew that Chloe loved him, and he had never doubted that until this morning. There was only one way to find out what was really going on, so Brady got up and took his typewriter with him to a shop around the corner. He traded it in for a large sum of money and headed back to the Moulin Rouge, for one last time.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Thanks for reading and reviewing!
-Hope-