To answer some questions, yes, according to the time this story takes place, Christian has already written the book. In fact, this chapter reveals that. Thank you again for the reviews and I really hope you like this chapter!

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Chapter 10

"Christian, I'm here." I approached him cautiously. I had been waiting in the shadows for what seemed like forever, too frightened to let him know that I had seen him crying. He had seemed to stop crying for awhile, so I decided to make my move.

"Oh, alright. Let's go into my room," he said, leading me to his room on the second floor. It was quite a dirty hotel, with empty bottles lying on the floor. I even saw a mouse scurry away in the corner of my eye. We entered his room and I looked around. It was a small room with a bed in one corner and a tiny bathroom off to one side. A small desk and chair and some other plain furniture didn't change the drabness of the room.

"We can sit here." He sat down in a chair and gestured toward the chair across from him. I sat down gingerly.

"So," he began, "uh...how are you?"

"Oh, I'm fine. You know, same as always. Just doing what Father tells me to and basically staying out of his way."

Christian nodded. "That's good."

That sounded awfully strange coming from Christian. Where was the brother who always urged me to ignore Father and pursue my dreams? Where was the dreamy-eyed boy who believed that anything was possible? Where was the Christian that I knew and loved so much?

I looked behind him around the room and noticed that his beloved typewriter was nowhere to be found. "Whatever happened to your writing career?" I asked. I had to find the answers sooner or later.

"I...just decided that writing is not for me," he replied. "I wasn't very good at it anyway."

"How can you say that? You're wonderful!" I exclaimed. "You write so beautifully! All those wonderful works about love..."

"Stop!" he commanded, covering his ears. "Just...don't talk about that!"

I was puzzled. "But...why not? You always said..."

"Forget everything I ever said about love!" he shouted, spitting out the words nastily. "Love is just a game, a stupid game that ruins lives forever. And even if you do happen to find love, it's just taken away from you before you can do anything to stop it. I was a fool to believe that love can conquer anything. There are many things that are more powerful, whether it be money, or fame...or de-" He stopped abruptly, sighing deeply. He started again, calmer this time. "I'm sorry. Please, just forget about love. You don't need it. It's more trouble than it's worth."

I couldn't believe what he was saying. Never in a million years could I ever even dream of him saying anything like that. We sat in a few moments of silence before he spoke up. "Thanks for coming here. I really appreciate it," he said finally.

I nodded.. "You're welcome." I hesitated, still affected by the after shock of Christian's outburst. "So...what do you want to talk about?" I asked.

"Uh...how's Father doing? And the business?" he asked impulsively.

"Fine. The business is...the same as when you left, I guess," I replied. I got the feeling that he was holding something back; like he wanted to tell me something important, but couldn't bring himself to do so. There had to be a reason that he requested my presence there that night.

"Whatever happened to Sarah? Was she upset when I left?" he asked.

"I'm not sure, I haven't seen her since you left. Her father still talks to our father quite a bit, though. Oh yes, and I read in the newspaper a few months ago that she married a Duke!"

Christian suddenly stiffened. "R-really? A...a Duke?

"Oh, yes," I replied. "I heard that they had a wonderful wedding in his mansion. I think he was the Duke of...oh, yes, the Duke of Monroth."

Christian gasped and covered his mouth with his hands. "Oh my God," he muttered.

"What? What's wrong?" He looked like he was about to faint. "Christian?"

He ran his hands through his hair and tried to calm himself down. "Nothing," he mumbled.

I grabbed his arm gently. "Christian, something is wrong. Please tell me! What happened in Paris?"

He shook his head furiously. "No..."

"Why can't you tell me? I can help you!"

"No one can help me!" he shouted and broke down into sobs. I wrapped my arms around him and held him for awhile.

"Whatever happened, you've got to get past it. You've got to go on, Christian."

He pulled away from me and looked at me strangely.

"What?" I asked, uncomfortable from the way he was staring at me.

"You...you just sounded exactly like... her."

"Who? What are you talking about?"

He didn't reply. He just sighed, closed his eyes and began to softly mumble. I couldn't hear anything he was saying. Oh no, I thought. He's gone mad.

All of a sudden, he spoke up. "I lied," he said.

"About what?" I asked.

"I wasn't planning to show this to anyone," he said. "But...I think it's what she would have wanted." He opened a drawer near the side of his bed and took out a book with a plain red cover. "You should go," he whispered. "Take this with you. Don't show it to anyone else." He handed me the book and led me out of the room, closing the door softly behind me. I stood outside his door and stared at the book in my hands for a few moments. Come What May by C. James. So, he did write a book, I thought. Terribly curious, I ran home as fast as I could.

"Father, I'm home," I said when I came through the door.

Father looked up from his desk. "Where were you?" he asked sternly.

"Oh...I was at the library," I replied nervously.

He grunted in response. "What's that?" he asked, gesturing toward Christian's book in my hands.

"Oh! It's...a book," I answered, clutching the book tightly.

"Yes, I know that!" he said irritably. "What sort of book?"

"Just a book. I...I think it's about...philosophy," I responded.

"Hmph," he grunted. "Well, off with you. I've got work to do."

I grinned and scampered up the stairs to my bedroom, thankful that Father had accepted my story. I plopped down on my bed and immediately opened Christian's book to the dedication page.

"For Satine."

Wanting to find out who this Satine was, of course, I flipped to the first page.

"The Moulin Rouge: a nightclub, a dance hall, and a bordello. Ruled over by Harold Zidler. A kingdom of nighttime pleasures. Where the rich and powerful came to play with the young and beautiful creatures of the underworld. And the most beautiful of all these was the woman I loved, Satine, a courtesan. She sold her love to men. They called her the "Sparkling Diamond", and she was the star of the Moulin Rouge. The woman I loved is dead".

After reading the very first lines, I wondered if this was a true story. Was this what happened in Paris? I continued to read the book that would change my life forever.

"I first came to Paris one year ago."

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So...anyone who was wondering about Sarah got their answer! I wrote this chapter quite awhile ago, and I've been dying to post it! I hope you enjoyed it, please review and tell me what you thought about it.