A/N: *sigh* I need to work on my other stories! But this one came to me while I was surfing the web and I needed to write it!! Please R/R.

Satine ran through the backstage of the theater as fast as her weak body would carry her. She knew her time was coming and this wasn't exactly how she wanted her last hours to be, running away from Christian and all. Quite the contrary, in fact! But, he was going to be killed and she didn't want to be the cause of that. Not that she wanted him to die another way, but by running away, she might prevent it.

And then, she saw Warner with his gun loaded and raised. Satine gasped and turned the other way, making Christian stop. She pushed against him to make him turn around. But, the stubborn fool, he kept begging to pay Satine.

'If only I could tell him!' Satine thought. All this wouldn't be happening!

"Go!" she begged. "Just go!"

"Tell me you don't love me!" he cried.

Then, suddenly, there was a bright light. They were onstage. And in an instant that seemed like forever, she heard a gun shot and saw Christian fall to his knees.

"NO!" Satine screamed, forgetting everything she thought before. "Christian, NO!"

Christian was slumped over on his side, clutching his wound.

"CHRISTIAN!" she screamed again, the tears now flowing freely. Satine wasn't paying attention to the chattering crowd, the gaping cast and crew, or the smirking Duke. She fell to Christian's side and removed the hand that was covering the wound. Blood was seeping through his clothes. Satine lifted his head to hers and kissed him. "Christian, I love you!"

A moan escaped his lips and then he said, "I love you too."

"Christian," she sobbed. "I'm so sorry I made you believe I didn't love you! I'm so sorry."

Christian looked up at Satine. "Toulouse was right all along then. You loved me through out all of that."

"Yes!" Satine said. "He was exactly right."

"Satine," he said. "Buy my typewriter back..."

Satine nodded not knowing what in the world he was taking about. "Christian, hold on. Everything will be alright."

But Christian shook his head, causing Satine to sob even more. "Come here," he whispered. Satine leaned in and put her head on his shoulder. "My Sparkling Diamond, my great actress, I love you so much. More than anyone has ever loved."

"I love you too, Christi –"

"Sh," Christian cut her off. "Become the next Sarah Bernhardt. Be the greatest actress there ever was."

"But, Christian!" Satine said. "I... I'm dying."

And with all the pain Christian was going through, those two words were the most painful over all. "How long have you known?"

"H-Harold told me last night," Satine said.

"You were my first love and my only love," Christian said with tears streaming down his face. "Remember that."

"I'll always remember you, Christian." Satine said.

"That way," Christian whispered. "I'll always be with you."

Satine pressed her lips against Christian's and kept them there until she felt his lips relax and his body go limp.

She pulled Christian closer to her and let out a painful, mournful cry that pierced and haunted every single heart in the theater.

And for several minutes, Satine sat there in the center of the stage with Christian in her arms. No one dared to move or speak.

Then, all of the sudden, Satine stood up and stumbled over to Warner who was standing in the shadows backstage still clutching his gun. Satine yanked the gun out of Warner's hand, catching him by surprise. She walked over to the Duke, who wore his trademark smirk.

"You!" Satine muttered insanely to the Duke. "You did all this. It all comes down to you. " She then pointed the gun to the Duke's heart, causing him to jump back in his seat, the smirk vanishing instantly. "And, if you ever thought that I loved you, you had never been so wrong in your life."

And with that, Satine shot the gun and fell backwards by the power of the shot. Several people in the theater screamed and ran out, but Satine didn't pay any attention. She scrambled back to Christian and flung her arms around him. And once again, it went on like this for several minutes.

Satine didn't care about the activities going on around her. That was the last thing on her mind. The cast and crew were still watching Satine intensely and with much sorrow.

And as they saw her draw in a shaky breath and close her eyes, they all knew that the courtesan had died alongside her penniless sitar player that fateful night.

A/N: EEK! I didn't mean to kill 3 PEOPLE! I was only going to kill Christian! *sob* Sorry, about the "That way, I'll always be with you." I know that's Satine's line. It just seemed the perfect line at the time. Please R/R. I've very proud of it (even if I did kill Christian, Satine and the Duke[but that's a good thing!]), so I'd appreciate no flames. Thanks for reading!