AN: I am SO sorry this has taken so long. It just took us this long to
get together and finish the chapter. From now on we'll probably be
alternating posting shorter chapters, since I (Duchess) am away at college.
Thanks for still reading and don't forget to review!
Stress: LOL, yep that's you ;-)
Raider: Yeah, it's a good one, that's actually the version from Moulin Rouge (gee I wonder why?) And yes, death to Britney Spears, but sadly the song fit perfectly, so I had to use it ;-)
Gemini: Yes I have a double obsession for those two beautiful movies, both conveniently set in 1899. This was of course planned to help struggling fan fic writers like myself . . .
Kim: glad to hear it!
Meggiebaby81: I feel bad now, but here's more finally!
Rae: thanks for the wonderful support as always!
Yanchi: do we really have to have this conversation again? lol, j/k
Autumn: Actually I used the version called Sparkling Diamonds from Moulin Rouge, but it's the same song :-)
Ally: sorry I guess you had to wait . . . I tried :-)
And now on with the chapter!
~*~*~*~*~*~
The next day Mush was still in a happy daze. While waiting in line to get his papes at the Distribution Office he went over every detail of the previous evening. Thinking of his first glimpse of her on stage, a silly grin came to his lips. He was still somewhat confused about his brief meeting with her. She had seemed quite aloof at first, but she had blown a kiss at him! He grinned dazedly as he leaned against the wall.
Racetrack had called his friend's name three times with no visible result. He tried again, waving his hand in front of Mush's face. "Mush!" Still nothing. Just then Jack walked by with his usual hundred papes and noticed what was going on. He grinned mischeviously. "Hey Mush! There goes Blush!" Mush's head snapped up immediately. "Where?" he demanded, attempting to hide behind the significantly shorter Racetrack. Jack and Race laughed. "Welcome back to earth," Jack teased him gently. Mush glanced down in embarrassment. Jack turned suddenly serious. "Hey, Mush. She's had kind of a hard time so, um, don't come on too strong." A meaningful look passed between Mush and Race. "Trust me," Mush said, "You've got nothing to worry about." Jack nodded, feeling he had done his duty. Just then the line moved forward and Mush and Race got their fifty papes each. "You selling at Sheepshead, Race?" Mush inqured. Race grinned. "Yeah, I got a hot tip." Mush rolled his eyes. Race had a "hot tip" at least twice a week and mostly he lost. He decided not to comment and said instead, "Well come on guys! Carry the banner!" and headed toward Central Park.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Blush wandered down the stage, glancing at the balcony, but her eyes kept wandering towards the table. She saw in her mind's eye herself leaning over towards Mush. She remembered winking at him and blowing him a kiss. Stop it! She thought frantically, Don't do this to yourself! Blush forced herself to the Bar where Max and Aunt Medda were sitting. She sat down, still thinking. She thought about the guys she had known in her life. There had been Harold, owner of the Moulin Rouge. He had tried, unsuccessfully, to convince her to do some less than respectable work on the side. Blush almost gagged at that thought. Edward MonCrith, or MonCreep as she had nicknamed him, appeared at the Moulin about nine months before she had left. The second son of the Earl of Cheltenham, he was introduced to her by Harold. Edward didn't have an inheritance, so he invested in clubs. This included the girls. Blush had been shocked that he chose her over Satine. He had been kind, courteous, giving her everything the Sparkling Diamond's lovers gave to her. Then the pressure started. Edward, enamored by her innocence, wanted to make her his mistress. He tried every trick of seduction. Flattery, kisses, begging, even threats, but she refused. He insisted he loved her, but Blush knew it wasn't true. She felt the tears sting her eyes. She glanced at her reflection in the big mirror behind the bar. As she looked back down, she recalled how stunned Mush had looked when she blew him that kiss last night. A dreamy smile hugged the corners of her lips. "Blush? Blush honey!" Blush snapped back to attention. Aunt Medda looked at her concerned. "Are you okay?" Blush nodded, smiling at her aunt. "Yes." Her voice came out slightly raspy. She cleared her throat. "Yes, I'm fine." Medda wasn't convinced. She scanned Blush's features. Suddenly understanding dawned on her face. "Did . . . did you meet someone special last night?" Blush felt her cheeks warm as she nodded slightly. Aunt Medda squealed, almost making Max toss his coffee into the air in surprise. Blush laughed out loud as her aunt gave her a hug. "So," Medda said delightedly, "Who is he? Anyone I know?" "Well it's," Blush trailed off, looking down shyly. "Who?" "Mush." Medda froze. "Mush?" Blush felt rising panic. "Yes, is something wrong?"
Medda looked at the floor, then back at Blush. "Mush is, well," she trailed off, searching for the right words. Finally she sighed and continued, "He gets a new girl almost every week." Blush stared at her aunt in disbelief. "Every week? But Mush is too sweet to be a ladies man!" Her aunt held up a hand. "I didn't say he does the breaking up, honey. It's just that he comes on a little . . ." She cleared her throat suggestively. "Oh you mean a little," Blush mimicked the sound, with a little more emphasis, rolling her eyes to the side in a meaningful glance. "No, no, no, no!" Medda was quick to reassure her niece, "Not like that. I think," She tried to halt the fading of Blush's happy glow, but she was torn. Should she tell her niece how Mush would declare his love to every girl he strung along? Blush had already gone through enough! She argued inwardly. But Medda wanted to protect her niece from pain. She had already failed with her own daughter. She couldn't fail again with her niece. Finally, she spoke. "Just . . . just be careful."
~*~*~*~*~*~
Mush wasn't selling very well. His mind kept drifting back to the previous night. "That's a nice nickname," he mimicked his *brilliant* line from the night before. Geez! How stupid did that sound? He was about to let his mind drift over the more positive aspects of the evening when his common sense pulled his mind to a screeching halt. What are you doing? He silently berated himself, Didn't you learn anything from Collette, and Maggie, and Carrie . . . He stopped himself before he spiraled into a painful recollection of every girl he'd every loved and been left by, but continued to chastise himself. How, on the same day that Colette had dropped him, could he jump right back into his old pattern? If he didn't stop it right now, he'd be declaring his love for Blush before the week was out and she'd run just like the rest of them. Okay, so you like Blush. That's all right, just take it easy! And don't forget your promise. Satisfied with this plan, Mush managed to sell the rest of his papes with relative ease.
~*~*~*~*~*~
AN: Now push the button! Review I say! You never know, it might actually persuade us to hurry up with the updates ;-) . . . okay prolly not, but here's hopin'!
Stress: LOL, yep that's you ;-)
Raider: Yeah, it's a good one, that's actually the version from Moulin Rouge (gee I wonder why?) And yes, death to Britney Spears, but sadly the song fit perfectly, so I had to use it ;-)
Gemini: Yes I have a double obsession for those two beautiful movies, both conveniently set in 1899. This was of course planned to help struggling fan fic writers like myself . . .
Kim: glad to hear it!
Meggiebaby81: I feel bad now, but here's more finally!
Rae: thanks for the wonderful support as always!
Yanchi: do we really have to have this conversation again? lol, j/k
Autumn: Actually I used the version called Sparkling Diamonds from Moulin Rouge, but it's the same song :-)
Ally: sorry I guess you had to wait . . . I tried :-)
And now on with the chapter!
~*~*~*~*~*~
The next day Mush was still in a happy daze. While waiting in line to get his papes at the Distribution Office he went over every detail of the previous evening. Thinking of his first glimpse of her on stage, a silly grin came to his lips. He was still somewhat confused about his brief meeting with her. She had seemed quite aloof at first, but she had blown a kiss at him! He grinned dazedly as he leaned against the wall.
Racetrack had called his friend's name three times with no visible result. He tried again, waving his hand in front of Mush's face. "Mush!" Still nothing. Just then Jack walked by with his usual hundred papes and noticed what was going on. He grinned mischeviously. "Hey Mush! There goes Blush!" Mush's head snapped up immediately. "Where?" he demanded, attempting to hide behind the significantly shorter Racetrack. Jack and Race laughed. "Welcome back to earth," Jack teased him gently. Mush glanced down in embarrassment. Jack turned suddenly serious. "Hey, Mush. She's had kind of a hard time so, um, don't come on too strong." A meaningful look passed between Mush and Race. "Trust me," Mush said, "You've got nothing to worry about." Jack nodded, feeling he had done his duty. Just then the line moved forward and Mush and Race got their fifty papes each. "You selling at Sheepshead, Race?" Mush inqured. Race grinned. "Yeah, I got a hot tip." Mush rolled his eyes. Race had a "hot tip" at least twice a week and mostly he lost. He decided not to comment and said instead, "Well come on guys! Carry the banner!" and headed toward Central Park.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Blush wandered down the stage, glancing at the balcony, but her eyes kept wandering towards the table. She saw in her mind's eye herself leaning over towards Mush. She remembered winking at him and blowing him a kiss. Stop it! She thought frantically, Don't do this to yourself! Blush forced herself to the Bar where Max and Aunt Medda were sitting. She sat down, still thinking. She thought about the guys she had known in her life. There had been Harold, owner of the Moulin Rouge. He had tried, unsuccessfully, to convince her to do some less than respectable work on the side. Blush almost gagged at that thought. Edward MonCrith, or MonCreep as she had nicknamed him, appeared at the Moulin about nine months before she had left. The second son of the Earl of Cheltenham, he was introduced to her by Harold. Edward didn't have an inheritance, so he invested in clubs. This included the girls. Blush had been shocked that he chose her over Satine. He had been kind, courteous, giving her everything the Sparkling Diamond's lovers gave to her. Then the pressure started. Edward, enamored by her innocence, wanted to make her his mistress. He tried every trick of seduction. Flattery, kisses, begging, even threats, but she refused. He insisted he loved her, but Blush knew it wasn't true. She felt the tears sting her eyes. She glanced at her reflection in the big mirror behind the bar. As she looked back down, she recalled how stunned Mush had looked when she blew him that kiss last night. A dreamy smile hugged the corners of her lips. "Blush? Blush honey!" Blush snapped back to attention. Aunt Medda looked at her concerned. "Are you okay?" Blush nodded, smiling at her aunt. "Yes." Her voice came out slightly raspy. She cleared her throat. "Yes, I'm fine." Medda wasn't convinced. She scanned Blush's features. Suddenly understanding dawned on her face. "Did . . . did you meet someone special last night?" Blush felt her cheeks warm as she nodded slightly. Aunt Medda squealed, almost making Max toss his coffee into the air in surprise. Blush laughed out loud as her aunt gave her a hug. "So," Medda said delightedly, "Who is he? Anyone I know?" "Well it's," Blush trailed off, looking down shyly. "Who?" "Mush." Medda froze. "Mush?" Blush felt rising panic. "Yes, is something wrong?"
Medda looked at the floor, then back at Blush. "Mush is, well," she trailed off, searching for the right words. Finally she sighed and continued, "He gets a new girl almost every week." Blush stared at her aunt in disbelief. "Every week? But Mush is too sweet to be a ladies man!" Her aunt held up a hand. "I didn't say he does the breaking up, honey. It's just that he comes on a little . . ." She cleared her throat suggestively. "Oh you mean a little," Blush mimicked the sound, with a little more emphasis, rolling her eyes to the side in a meaningful glance. "No, no, no, no!" Medda was quick to reassure her niece, "Not like that. I think," She tried to halt the fading of Blush's happy glow, but she was torn. Should she tell her niece how Mush would declare his love to every girl he strung along? Blush had already gone through enough! She argued inwardly. But Medda wanted to protect her niece from pain. She had already failed with her own daughter. She couldn't fail again with her niece. Finally, she spoke. "Just . . . just be careful."
~*~*~*~*~*~
Mush wasn't selling very well. His mind kept drifting back to the previous night. "That's a nice nickname," he mimicked his *brilliant* line from the night before. Geez! How stupid did that sound? He was about to let his mind drift over the more positive aspects of the evening when his common sense pulled his mind to a screeching halt. What are you doing? He silently berated himself, Didn't you learn anything from Collette, and Maggie, and Carrie . . . He stopped himself before he spiraled into a painful recollection of every girl he'd every loved and been left by, but continued to chastise himself. How, on the same day that Colette had dropped him, could he jump right back into his old pattern? If he didn't stop it right now, he'd be declaring his love for Blush before the week was out and she'd run just like the rest of them. Okay, so you like Blush. That's all right, just take it easy! And don't forget your promise. Satisfied with this plan, Mush managed to sell the rest of his papes with relative ease.
~*~*~*~*~*~
AN: Now push the button! Review I say! You never know, it might actually persuade us to hurry up with the updates ;-) . . . okay prolly not, but here's hopin'!