After Moulin Rouge
By Red
E-mail: Red_921@yahoo.com
Rated: G
Feedback: PLEASE!!
Summary: The story is finished and a long lost friend comes to call on Christian. Will it end well?
:warning: I am borrowing parts of the plot, characters, and lines from the movie Moulin Rouge. I make no money no matter how hard I try. Please don't sue a poor sitar player.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I found him sitting at his typewriter. Drunk and in tears. Paper lined the walls. 'Satine' was the only word on the page in the machine. I watched him, his face in his hands, sobs wracking his body. I felt a tear fall for him. What had become of the brilliant, joyous poet I had seen only a month ago. Finally the feeling in my legs came back and I moved to his side. I hugged him tightly to me.
"Oh Christian......."I sighed sadly.
"Come what may," slowly crawled from his lips, "I will love her till my... dying....day." at the last word he jumped from his seat and out of my arms. He shot to the open window.
"No Christian!" I cried as he leapt onto the ledge outside the window. I went to the window. He just stood there looking down at the ruined Moulin Rouge. Slowly, he turned to face me. His gray eyes were clouded and tormented, his face unshaven. I knew my face hid no pain or sorrow from him. I held out my arms to him and took a step towards him. He ran to me like a scared child. In his crushing embrace, I listened to him sob.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Slowly, I lead him to his bed and we sat. I tried to slip from his arms but he held me tighter. I waited. Cautiously he loosened his grip, almost as if he were afraid I would disappear once he let go.
"Christian, what happened?" I whispered as I smoothed his rumpled hair.
"Satine, the sparkling diamond of the Moulin Rouge died in my arms. I wrote our story." He waved his hand at the papers on the walls and floor. "That's it, the entire last year. On paper. Now she's :really: gone."
"I'm so sorry. I didn't know. I was....away." I hesitated to tell him where I had been.
"Where?" he asked. When I turned away from him, I felt soft but strong fingers on my check turning me back to face him. "Where?" he asked in a voice I had long since learned to answer.
"I went to see.....your father." I turned away, breaking eye contact with him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"You what??" he exclaimed. He held out a hand to keep me silent as he thought. "I see now. You're here to spy for him. That way if I ever go back he'll be able to gloat about how he was right and I should have stayed where it was safe and secure and never experience anything!" He was pacing the length of the small apartment while yelling at me.
I dropped to my knees before him as he came to the bed. "Christian, please. He only wanted to make sure you were alright and on your feet. I told him I would check on you." I gripped his pant leg and looked up into his now hard face. I quickly looked down again, unable to meet his accusing gaze.
"Did you tell him about Satine?" he asked coolly.
"No, I told him you had found a wonderful woman who cared for you."
"What did he say to that?" Only Christian would know his father would not stay silent after a comment like that.
"He said you were lucky," I turned away and said softly, "to have two people who care so deeply for you."
"He's right, I am." he said kneeling next to me and taking my hand in his. "I love you both."
"You love her." I said, still not looking at him.
"I've loved you since I first met you" he said firmly.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"You keep saying that..."I said examing my gloved hands.
"And you know I mean it." he insisted.
"You love me like you would love a sister. You love her the way a man should love a woman." I said as if admitting defeat.
"But I..."
"NO." I had to be firm now. My resolve was formed. "Save you words for those who pay, dear writer. I will not be moved by them this time." I stood and walked back to the door and my forgotten bag. I picked it up and straightened my dress. I didn't turn back to him but spoke so he could hear me.
"Christian, you are a wonderful person and I give you my condolences but I can't stay here, least my heart be broken again by your words." I stopped and composed myself. "I am not the wide eyed girl I once was! I love you Christian! But you will only see me as the little sister you always wanted." I finished softly and a hand came to rest, gently on my shoulder.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I never knew." he said softly.
"It's not as if it matters. Your heart belongs to her, your sparkling diamond." The last part came out harsher than I would have ever spoken to him but I was hurt. I hurt for him and for myself.
The hand dropped from my shoulder and I instantly regretted my harshness. I turned to him, only to see his face was a hard mask. I reached up to touch his cheek but he moved away from my touch.
"Christian, please. I didn't mean it like that. I just...." I stopped and gave up knowing I could never talk my way out of this. "Looks like some things will never change. You will always be the one who could handle words perfectly and I'll just be the little girl who pines away for you."
He looked at me in such a way that I could only hope he would forgive me. "I'm sorry I missed what could have been but that is the past and this is now. Please don't be angry at Satine because I missed what I had right in front of me."
Quickly, before I knew what I was doing I held his face in my hands. I kisses him with all the feelings I had held for so many years. As quickly as I had started it, I ended it. Tears ran down my cheeks when I saw the stunned expression on his face. I turned, grabbed my bag and ran out the door, hoping that in time he could forgive me or learn to love me.
End.
By Red
E-mail: Red_921@yahoo.com
Rated: G
Feedback: PLEASE!!
Summary: The story is finished and a long lost friend comes to call on Christian. Will it end well?
:warning: I am borrowing parts of the plot, characters, and lines from the movie Moulin Rouge. I make no money no matter how hard I try. Please don't sue a poor sitar player.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I found him sitting at his typewriter. Drunk and in tears. Paper lined the walls. 'Satine' was the only word on the page in the machine. I watched him, his face in his hands, sobs wracking his body. I felt a tear fall for him. What had become of the brilliant, joyous poet I had seen only a month ago. Finally the feeling in my legs came back and I moved to his side. I hugged him tightly to me.
"Oh Christian......."I sighed sadly.
"Come what may," slowly crawled from his lips, "I will love her till my... dying....day." at the last word he jumped from his seat and out of my arms. He shot to the open window.
"No Christian!" I cried as he leapt onto the ledge outside the window. I went to the window. He just stood there looking down at the ruined Moulin Rouge. Slowly, he turned to face me. His gray eyes were clouded and tormented, his face unshaven. I knew my face hid no pain or sorrow from him. I held out my arms to him and took a step towards him. He ran to me like a scared child. In his crushing embrace, I listened to him sob.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Slowly, I lead him to his bed and we sat. I tried to slip from his arms but he held me tighter. I waited. Cautiously he loosened his grip, almost as if he were afraid I would disappear once he let go.
"Christian, what happened?" I whispered as I smoothed his rumpled hair.
"Satine, the sparkling diamond of the Moulin Rouge died in my arms. I wrote our story." He waved his hand at the papers on the walls and floor. "That's it, the entire last year. On paper. Now she's :really: gone."
"I'm so sorry. I didn't know. I was....away." I hesitated to tell him where I had been.
"Where?" he asked. When I turned away from him, I felt soft but strong fingers on my check turning me back to face him. "Where?" he asked in a voice I had long since learned to answer.
"I went to see.....your father." I turned away, breaking eye contact with him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"You what??" he exclaimed. He held out a hand to keep me silent as he thought. "I see now. You're here to spy for him. That way if I ever go back he'll be able to gloat about how he was right and I should have stayed where it was safe and secure and never experience anything!" He was pacing the length of the small apartment while yelling at me.
I dropped to my knees before him as he came to the bed. "Christian, please. He only wanted to make sure you were alright and on your feet. I told him I would check on you." I gripped his pant leg and looked up into his now hard face. I quickly looked down again, unable to meet his accusing gaze.
"Did you tell him about Satine?" he asked coolly.
"No, I told him you had found a wonderful woman who cared for you."
"What did he say to that?" Only Christian would know his father would not stay silent after a comment like that.
"He said you were lucky," I turned away and said softly, "to have two people who care so deeply for you."
"He's right, I am." he said kneeling next to me and taking my hand in his. "I love you both."
"You love her." I said, still not looking at him.
"I've loved you since I first met you" he said firmly.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"You keep saying that..."I said examing my gloved hands.
"And you know I mean it." he insisted.
"You love me like you would love a sister. You love her the way a man should love a woman." I said as if admitting defeat.
"But I..."
"NO." I had to be firm now. My resolve was formed. "Save you words for those who pay, dear writer. I will not be moved by them this time." I stood and walked back to the door and my forgotten bag. I picked it up and straightened my dress. I didn't turn back to him but spoke so he could hear me.
"Christian, you are a wonderful person and I give you my condolences but I can't stay here, least my heart be broken again by your words." I stopped and composed myself. "I am not the wide eyed girl I once was! I love you Christian! But you will only see me as the little sister you always wanted." I finished softly and a hand came to rest, gently on my shoulder.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I never knew." he said softly.
"It's not as if it matters. Your heart belongs to her, your sparkling diamond." The last part came out harsher than I would have ever spoken to him but I was hurt. I hurt for him and for myself.
The hand dropped from my shoulder and I instantly regretted my harshness. I turned to him, only to see his face was a hard mask. I reached up to touch his cheek but he moved away from my touch.
"Christian, please. I didn't mean it like that. I just...." I stopped and gave up knowing I could never talk my way out of this. "Looks like some things will never change. You will always be the one who could handle words perfectly and I'll just be the little girl who pines away for you."
He looked at me in such a way that I could only hope he would forgive me. "I'm sorry I missed what could have been but that is the past and this is now. Please don't be angry at Satine because I missed what I had right in front of me."
Quickly, before I knew what I was doing I held his face in my hands. I kisses him with all the feelings I had held for so many years. As quickly as I had started it, I ended it. Tears ran down my cheeks when I saw the stunned expression on his face. I turned, grabbed my bag and ran out the door, hoping that in time he could forgive me or learn to love me.
End.