ADDITIONAL INFO: In these next few chapters you will see why I rated this "R."
Toulouse woke earlier than usual the next morning. He was curious about Christian's 'appointment' with the Midnight Amethyst. He peered down the hole and he saw his bed empty, the doors shut; it appeared that he never came home. Toulouse knew Christian's habits well enough to know that he wasn't usually even up at this time, so he was a bit worried.
He tried to think of someone who would know where he would be. First person to come to mind, the Midnight Amethyst. So Toulouse went quickly over to the darkened Moulin Rouge to find her.
Diana awoke early that morning, just after sunrise, feeling less than perfect since she spent the night on the couch. No longer was she the Midnight Amethyst but the well-bred Victorian woman, Diana Barrister. She gazed over to the sleeping Christian on her bed and thought, "So sweet but so sad." She pulled the blanket up on him a bit more when she saw him shivering. While Christian slept, Diana busied herself with her writing, trying to find inspiration.
Around ten in the morning, Toulouse came banging on her door.
"Who the hell is that? They're going to wake him up."
Diana opened the door to find a frantic Toulouse staring up at her.
"Chwistian didn't come back last night! Do you know where he is?" Toulouse screamed excitedly.
"Calm down. Yes I know where he is." She said opening the door wide enough for Toulouse to see. He saw Christian sound asleep.
"Ahh…now I see..."
"It's far from what you're thinking. But I will let him tell you…later. But I'm not waking him up now. Good bye Toulouse." Toulouse started to walk away with all the wrong ideas buzzing around in his twisted little head.
Half an hour later, Christian awoke to strange surroundings. It took him a little while to remember where he was, Diana's dressing room in the Moulin Rouge.
"Good morning." Diana greeted him from her desk.
"Good morning Diana."
"Sleep well?"
"Surprisingly better than lately."
"How far did you get in the letters?"
"Part way through 1899."
"Did you read her last one?"
"Not yet…when was it written?" Christian saw a change in her demeanor. He read the pain behind her eyes.
"The day before she died."
The pain felt between the two of them was more apparent then when their common bond was brought up, Satine.
"I have an idea. We need a release from all the pain that we've been through. So my proposal is that you and I have some fun tonight. Dancing, wine, no distractions, just blending into the crowd." Diana suggested.
"But don't you have to perform tonight?"
"The Moulin Rouge can live one night without the Midnight Amethyst."
Christian thought about this. He wondered why he shouldn't. "I see no problem with it but I have a better idea. You'll have to trust me though." Christian said with a glimmer of life returning to his eyes.
"Trust you? Of course I trust you. But why the secrecy?"
"It's a surprise." With that, Christian kissed Diana's hand and left to return to his apartment.
~~~MORE TO COME~~~
