Chapter Four
The dawn light filtered over the sky like a fabric so finely stitched it was almost translucent. Satine lightly groaned before sitting up, her hand resting on her chest where a pain burned in the core like after every attack. Christian's arms, which had been entwined around her, dropped back gently to the softness of the train seat. He blinked wearily, being dragged out of a dark, deep sleep, before remembering with surprise the events of the night before.
"Satine, are you alright?" He asked, looking at her as she breathed deeply, almost dizzily. Satine nodded and coughed gently, wincing as the fire in her chest reached a quick crescendo before dwindling back down. Christian took one of her hands, the skin feeling like chilled silk. "Satine, there's something wrong with you." He protested vehemently as she looked away, refusing to meet his eyes. She breathed out quietly, desperately not wanting to tell him, to ruin what they had, but knowing in her heart that she had to.
"Christian, I'm...I'm dying." She whispered, the weight of her words dropping through the air like a lead feather. His eyes met hers, the anxiety in them deepening.
"Dying?" he choked out, not wanting, unable, to believe it.
"I have consumption, Harold told me before opening night." she said, more like a statement, the finality in her voice like an iron door clanging shut. Christian looked at her disbelievingly, a thousand thoughts whirling through his mind.
"No, no, there must be something we can do...some medicine...something Satine, there must be something." He said desperately, the last words in the sentence fading into a exhalation of breath. Satine shook her head, tears now sliding down her face.
"I'm dying." She repeated, the words breaking up as her crying became heavier and less controlled. She tilted her head into Christian's vest, her hot tears creating tiny patches of warm wetness that burned his skin like brands.
"No Satine. You'll be all right. Don't worry." He said, more to convince himself than her. "We'll find a doctor. He'll find something for you." She swallowed down more tears, trying to get a hold of herself. "If there's any hope, any medicine at all for you, I'll find it. I promise." Satine sniffed, her tear streaked face turned up towards him.
"...Really?" nobody have ever done this for her, or loved her so much as Christian did. Not even Harold or Marie at the Moulin Rouge.
"Really darling." He brushed a stray tendril of her hair out of her face. She smiled and leaned up toward him, her lips warmly brushing his own. "Now you wait here, and I better find out where this train is going." He slid off of the seat as Satine dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief, looking beautiful even in obvious pain. He walked through hallway after hallway and through empty, red painted compartments, until finding the conductor. "Erm, excuse me," he said to the smaller man who had his backed turned to him. The man turned around and looked at Christian first with surprise and then suspicion.
"I didn't know anyone else was on this train." He said, cocking an eyebrow warningly. Christian cleared his throat uncomfortably.
"Well, you see there, er, wasn't, that is, until we got on." He said with a hopeful smile. The conductor didn't look amused, so he went on, "Yes, and, and, you see, we were running from this other man that wanted to kill us, and your train was there with the doors open so..." Christian's story seemed ridiculous even to himself, though it was the truth.
"Your ticket please?" said the conductor, obviously not buying a word of Christian's story.
"Well, you see, we don't exactly have a ticket, but, but, I'll be happy to pay..." Christian said, fishing around in his pockets. The conductor turned his gloved palm upwards, waiting for the money. Suddenly Christian realized that he didn't have anything on him. All of the cash he had was in his coat pocket he gave to Satine, which slipped off when they were running from the duke. He grinned hopelessly.
"No money?' asked the conductor expectantly.
****
"Come on Satine, we have to go." Said Christian, grabbing his suitcase along with hers. Putting on another one of his own jackets, he draped one of his around her gently sloping shoulders and offered a hand to Satine to pull her up. She hurriedly straightened her hat and pulled on her gloves that she had taken off in the train.
"Go where?" she asked with a puzzled frown. Christian sighed heavily.
"Well, you see...." He shifted uncomfortably, "I ran into the conductor, and when he found out we had no tickets..." Christian shrugged unhappily, "he said we had to get off the train at the next stop." He grinned apologetically. "I'm sorry darling." Satine shook her head.
"Nonsense Christian. I'll simply go see this conductor and we'll straighten this whole thing out." Christian opened his mouth to say something and then abruptly closed it when she glared at him. Satine glided through the hallways with Christian in tow and stopped when she saw the conductor. She pulled herself up to her full height and cleared her throat.
"Pardon me," the conductor turned around. He was a full five inches shorter than Satine and he had to tilt his head up considerably to meet her eyes. "Yes, I heard that you were giving my..." she hesitated briefly before plunging recklessly ahead, "fiancé some trouble about our tickets." Christian's eyes widened as the word fiancé slid out of her mouth, but Satine seemed unfazed. "Now, I know that you are aware that we have no money, but I give you my word that we will pay you as soon as we arrive at our destination." The conductor stared at her shrewdly.
"I will require some insurance." He said. Satine raised her eyebrow, thinking that in some respects, this man was rather like the duke.
"Very well then." She said, unclasping her necklace. "There was a time when a lady's word could be trusted but..." she let the sentence hang in the air as she handed the conductor a shining pink pearl and sapphire necklace. All of the pearls were a snowy white with a rosy tinge, and were perfectly shaped and all the same size, while the blue stones glittered with a bright, fiery light. The conductor took it, staring at the pearls and jewels hungrily.
"I suppose this will be satisfactory." The conductor said, before bowing greasily and walking away. Satine looked at Christian proudly.
"Fiancé?!" he managed to gasp out.
"Worked nicely, don't you think?" she said happily, mistaking his surprise for admiration. "I am a good actress." She added with a smug smile. Finally Christian said,
"But darling, what if he runs away with your necklace before we get the money? I'm afraid you were a bit too trusting." Satine giggled.
"There was a reason I was the "Sparkling Diamond" of the Moulin Rouge. I'm not naïve, Christian." She covered her mouth with her hand to stifle her laughter. "The whole necklace was completely fake." Christian laughed too, and pulled her toward him for a light kiss.
**Author's Note** what will happen to our star-crossed couple? And where is their train going? Find out soon! ^_^
The dawn light filtered over the sky like a fabric so finely stitched it was almost translucent. Satine lightly groaned before sitting up, her hand resting on her chest where a pain burned in the core like after every attack. Christian's arms, which had been entwined around her, dropped back gently to the softness of the train seat. He blinked wearily, being dragged out of a dark, deep sleep, before remembering with surprise the events of the night before.
"Satine, are you alright?" He asked, looking at her as she breathed deeply, almost dizzily. Satine nodded and coughed gently, wincing as the fire in her chest reached a quick crescendo before dwindling back down. Christian took one of her hands, the skin feeling like chilled silk. "Satine, there's something wrong with you." He protested vehemently as she looked away, refusing to meet his eyes. She breathed out quietly, desperately not wanting to tell him, to ruin what they had, but knowing in her heart that she had to.
"Christian, I'm...I'm dying." She whispered, the weight of her words dropping through the air like a lead feather. His eyes met hers, the anxiety in them deepening.
"Dying?" he choked out, not wanting, unable, to believe it.
"I have consumption, Harold told me before opening night." she said, more like a statement, the finality in her voice like an iron door clanging shut. Christian looked at her disbelievingly, a thousand thoughts whirling through his mind.
"No, no, there must be something we can do...some medicine...something Satine, there must be something." He said desperately, the last words in the sentence fading into a exhalation of breath. Satine shook her head, tears now sliding down her face.
"I'm dying." She repeated, the words breaking up as her crying became heavier and less controlled. She tilted her head into Christian's vest, her hot tears creating tiny patches of warm wetness that burned his skin like brands.
"No Satine. You'll be all right. Don't worry." He said, more to convince himself than her. "We'll find a doctor. He'll find something for you." She swallowed down more tears, trying to get a hold of herself. "If there's any hope, any medicine at all for you, I'll find it. I promise." Satine sniffed, her tear streaked face turned up towards him.
"...Really?" nobody have ever done this for her, or loved her so much as Christian did. Not even Harold or Marie at the Moulin Rouge.
"Really darling." He brushed a stray tendril of her hair out of her face. She smiled and leaned up toward him, her lips warmly brushing his own. "Now you wait here, and I better find out where this train is going." He slid off of the seat as Satine dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief, looking beautiful even in obvious pain. He walked through hallway after hallway and through empty, red painted compartments, until finding the conductor. "Erm, excuse me," he said to the smaller man who had his backed turned to him. The man turned around and looked at Christian first with surprise and then suspicion.
"I didn't know anyone else was on this train." He said, cocking an eyebrow warningly. Christian cleared his throat uncomfortably.
"Well, you see there, er, wasn't, that is, until we got on." He said with a hopeful smile. The conductor didn't look amused, so he went on, "Yes, and, and, you see, we were running from this other man that wanted to kill us, and your train was there with the doors open so..." Christian's story seemed ridiculous even to himself, though it was the truth.
"Your ticket please?" said the conductor, obviously not buying a word of Christian's story.
"Well, you see, we don't exactly have a ticket, but, but, I'll be happy to pay..." Christian said, fishing around in his pockets. The conductor turned his gloved palm upwards, waiting for the money. Suddenly Christian realized that he didn't have anything on him. All of the cash he had was in his coat pocket he gave to Satine, which slipped off when they were running from the duke. He grinned hopelessly.
"No money?' asked the conductor expectantly.
****
"Come on Satine, we have to go." Said Christian, grabbing his suitcase along with hers. Putting on another one of his own jackets, he draped one of his around her gently sloping shoulders and offered a hand to Satine to pull her up. She hurriedly straightened her hat and pulled on her gloves that she had taken off in the train.
"Go where?" she asked with a puzzled frown. Christian sighed heavily.
"Well, you see...." He shifted uncomfortably, "I ran into the conductor, and when he found out we had no tickets..." Christian shrugged unhappily, "he said we had to get off the train at the next stop." He grinned apologetically. "I'm sorry darling." Satine shook her head.
"Nonsense Christian. I'll simply go see this conductor and we'll straighten this whole thing out." Christian opened his mouth to say something and then abruptly closed it when she glared at him. Satine glided through the hallways with Christian in tow and stopped when she saw the conductor. She pulled herself up to her full height and cleared her throat.
"Pardon me," the conductor turned around. He was a full five inches shorter than Satine and he had to tilt his head up considerably to meet her eyes. "Yes, I heard that you were giving my..." she hesitated briefly before plunging recklessly ahead, "fiancé some trouble about our tickets." Christian's eyes widened as the word fiancé slid out of her mouth, but Satine seemed unfazed. "Now, I know that you are aware that we have no money, but I give you my word that we will pay you as soon as we arrive at our destination." The conductor stared at her shrewdly.
"I will require some insurance." He said. Satine raised her eyebrow, thinking that in some respects, this man was rather like the duke.
"Very well then." She said, unclasping her necklace. "There was a time when a lady's word could be trusted but..." she let the sentence hang in the air as she handed the conductor a shining pink pearl and sapphire necklace. All of the pearls were a snowy white with a rosy tinge, and were perfectly shaped and all the same size, while the blue stones glittered with a bright, fiery light. The conductor took it, staring at the pearls and jewels hungrily.
"I suppose this will be satisfactory." The conductor said, before bowing greasily and walking away. Satine looked at Christian proudly.
"Fiancé?!" he managed to gasp out.
"Worked nicely, don't you think?" she said happily, mistaking his surprise for admiration. "I am a good actress." She added with a smug smile. Finally Christian said,
"But darling, what if he runs away with your necklace before we get the money? I'm afraid you were a bit too trusting." Satine giggled.
"There was a reason I was the "Sparkling Diamond" of the Moulin Rouge. I'm not naïve, Christian." She covered her mouth with her hand to stifle her laughter. "The whole necklace was completely fake." Christian laughed too, and pulled her toward him for a light kiss.
**Author's Note** what will happen to our star-crossed couple? And where is their train going? Find out soon! ^_^