A/N:  THIS IS NOT EDITED. BETA READER NEEDED. The movie Moulin Rouge, along with the characters used in this fanfiction, is copyrighted (©) to its respected owners (Twentieth Century Fox, Fox Productions, Baz Luhrmann, etc.). I do not take any credit for the characters from the movie Moulin Rouge that I have used in this fanfiction. All of the characters not from the Moulin Rouge movie are my own creations (Josilan, Henry, and others). Please DO NOT USE THEM without my permission.  This is collaboration between Viral Impact and Kalah Exclamation Mark so please contact one of us for any information. Thank you.

! BETA READER STILL NEEDED!

Side note: Someone told me that my time periods are screwed up and I need to immediately delete this fanfiction. Well, to all, it is just a story. I'm sorry that I didn't meticulously research all information. Viral and I are just writing for enjoyment. If this is such a problem, just stop reading. We love and appreciate the criticism but we are just writing a story to our own time period due to the fact we're two lazy bums who love the plot too much to change it. Heehee.

Chapter Four: The Plot Thickens?

Henry drummed his fingers on his desk. "Another day babysitting Satine," he thought sourly. She sat drinking her tea and staring out of the window with a forlorn spread across her face. Henry fingered the article Toulouse had sent him days ago and suddenly burst into laughter, "Who would have known that your beloved fell in love with our baby sister?"

"Josilan was never my sister, only a pain to raise and a pain to watch. I say good riddance! You and I both agree we never loved her. The day she came up missing, you cheered." Satine snarled. "So don't say she is our sister."

"Satine, are you really that cold towards your own kin?"

"You seem to only care because she brings misery to me. Cut the game Henry, what are you getting at?" Satine glared at Henry while she pursued her soft lips together and scowled.

Henry's voice dropped into a low hiss as he replied, "I like to keep my cards close to my chest. Finish your tea and leave."

Josilan tossed and turned in her sleep and Christian had enough of her nightmares that gave him bruises and black eyes. There were too many instances where she kicked him unpleasantly and punched him. He kissed her gently on the forehead and disappeared down the stairs to sleep in his father's den. He lit a pipe and leaned back in the chair while he puffed away in silence. The local street fair where the merchants showed their best, had begun and the twinkling lights in the distance made him reminisce. He could almost smell the great red windmill and see the fiery young woman who plagued his dreams. The pipe died away and was put aside while he closed his eyes and began to snore. He was dreaming of Satine. He could hear Satine's wonderful voice as it echoed in his ears. Their bodies collided as they danced through the wild masses and he could almost feel her wild tresses running through his fingers as he danced with the sultry devil. For a moment, he almost believed Satine was there with him, but the thought vanished when he heard a loud knock of the door. He scrambled to the front door and opened it to see his short friend waiting for him patiently.

Toulouse's accent made Christian's feel at home again as he said, "Christian, I came just in time to tell you."

"What?" Christian asked as he led his friend into the den.

"You've married the Josilan of the blood of the Zidler." Christian could smell the magical absinthe hanging from Toulouse's breath and for a brief moment, he felt this mouth watering.

"I've married the Josilan of the blood of the Zidler?" Christian asked in his puzzlement. He ran his fingers through his hair and watched as Toulouse nodded fiercely.

"Yes, you've married Satine's sister."

Christian had dropped into the chair but the shock of the statement made him jump to his feet, "I've married Satine's sister?"

"Yes, you've married Satine's sister." Toulouse repeated and wiped the sweat from his brow.

"…Satine's sister…" Christian echoed once again.

"Yes! Satine's sister." Toulouse had enough of Christian for the partying outside beckoned him to hurry. He shoved a letter on the table and murmured, "This is to Josilan. I hate to meddle and then leave, but my train leaves in a few minutes. Can you believe that Satie and I are traveling the world? I will make sure to write Christian."

The two embraced and Toulouse left amicably while Christian sat and puffed away on his pipe. Toulouse's visit had been strange nonetheless, but a visit with meaning. He had fallen in love with Satine Zidler and married Josilan Zidler. Christian paused as he whispered in awe; "I married Harold's daughter and fell in love with both his daughters? Next thing I will know, he has a son."

"He does." A tiny voice echoed and Christian looked up to see Josilan leaning in the doorframe with a tear-streaked face. She approached the desk and tore open the letter. "I heard what Toulouse said." Christian remained silent as Josilan read the letter and crumpled it in her hand. Abruptly, she cried, "Christian, you are still in love with her?"

"Who?" Dumbfounded, he replied with a question.

"Satine! You said you love her. You lied when you said I was the only one, didn't you?"

"I didn't lie. I did fall in love with her and then out of love and fell in love with you." Christian paused and held his head, "Doesn't it make sense?"

"You lied."

Josilan turned and ran away as Christian hollered, "Josilan, wait!" The front door flew open and she fled. Christian stood on the stoop of his home and watched as she and her luminous white nightgown disappeared into the night. He retreated back inside and wrapped his coat around his body. He flicked off the lights and sighed heavily. He had to chase her. He loved Josilan. Slamming the front door behind him, Christian followed Josilan into the moonless night.

          The door slammed open and to Henry's surprise, Josilan stood before him in her nightgown pointing a finger at him and screaming, "Where is Satine? Where is she? Where is the little whore? Where is she hiding?"

"Josilan, didn't I tell you?" Henry lied, "Satine is taking a little break from performing and in the meantime, she isn't allowed to talk to anyone."

Josilan slammed a crumpled piece of paper onto the floor, "We may share the same father, but that doesn't mean you have to drag my mother into your hellish life. Stay away from Alexandra."

Henry pouted, "But Josilan, she's the only mother I've ever known."

"Just because your mother is dead, doesn't give you the right to mine."

"Of course it does," Henry chuckled evilly, "because your mother thinks her little Henry is such an innocent and lost boy like her husband. I had to come crying to someone…and it just happened to be her."

"For her money?"

"No, for her secrets."

"Secrets?" Josilan repeated. "What secrets?"

"About you…your fears, your loves, your past while little Henry was living on the streets of England." He held up a tiny raggedy doll, "Does little Isabelle ring a bell?"

Josilan stared, "You never changed a bit Henry. What in the world are you doing with Isabelle? I haven't seen that doll in ages."

"I know another thing you haven't seen in about five years." Henry's face broke into a crooked smile. "How about…" He kicked open the closet and there stood a tiny and almost translucent girl, curled up in the corner and quietly moaning for help, "…this Isabelle." Josilan paused and her heart shattered; it was the same child that plagued her in her sleep.  Henry slammed the closet door shut, locked it, and continued, "I could mention her to Christian or mention to him about Victor or we could make a deal."

"Anything Henry…anything. Just don't hurt Isa, please."

"All right then," Henry returned to his seat and drummed his fingers on the desk. "I want you to come back and care for Alexandra. When she dies, which she will in good time, you will give me the money you inherit."

"The Moulin Rouge is doing that badly?" Josilan questioned as she backed away as Henry walked to stand in front of his desk.

"Due to Satine's moping around and moaning and groaning and…" Henry slammed his fist onto the desk and screamed, "You must have her pull it together; for me, for the money, for the Moulin Rouge. Josilan, you're a woman, do your magic and help Satine for the sake of God!"

Josilan smiled for a moment as she witnessed Henry's mind fluttering to different things. He was still the highly volatile boy from her childhood and he still had many anger management problems. Josilan stood her ground; she was willing to make a deal, if she received an agreeable share of the deal. "And of Isabelle?" She was willing to push him and herself to the most dangerous boundaries.

"She will be returned in good time and Victor's name will never be whispered into Christian's ear." She watched as Henry impatiently twisted his hands together and licked his lips as his right foot tapped. After many years of studying, Josilan was able to notice the details of his demeanor that unlocked the mind of Henry.

Slowly, she leaned in to push the buttons until Henry would break. Josilan's voice was barely audible as she forced the words to come, "What if Christian follows me here? What happens then?" It would take little time to make him break as he wiped the sweat from his brow and shifted his weight onto his right leg.

"Tell him that your mother is dying and you must stay." Josilan turned and shook her head slowly. It was all Henry could take! Why was she turning her back on him? He had planned things out carefully…He lunged and grabbed Josilan's arm; she knew she had his attention. "It is simple." Henry breathlessly cried.

"After I've completed your silly tasks, you will let me leave the Moulin Rouge?" Henry nodded rapidly and murmured in agreement. "It's a deal then." Josilan shook hands with the devil and as their hands parted, Josilan turned to leave but a question filtered into her mind. With her back turned, Josilan questioned, "What is Mother dying of?"

"Poisoning," Henry replied with a smirk as he pulled a vial from his coat pocket.

Josilan turned to see him waving the vial in the air. She hadn't expected this and she cried out, "You bastard!"

"Just because Father and Mother didn't marry does make me a bastard, but you never needed to rudely point it out!" Henry turned and pretended to sob. "I never thought my sister would be so cruel."

Josilan felt her involuntarily rolling her eyes as she heard more laughter than sobbing. She left the room and left Henry to his plotting. His hand collapsed around the tiny vial and he stalked Josilan. She was made for the stage, she was made for him, and she was made to be a star. She was made to be a star he could control. Henry chuckled pleasantly and watched as the Diamond Dogs surrounded Josilan and smothered her with warm embraces and welcomes.

Like a carousel, his mind spun and spun and spun, faster and faster and faster, until he was dizzy and felt this stomach lurch. Christian bent over and was face-to-face with the contents of his breakfast, a whole bottle of cheap alcohol he bought from a street vendor. Christian stood up and wiped the corner of his mouth with his sleeve as he gazed up at The Elephant. It didn't appear as fantastic as it did at night. It appeared rather decrepit in daylight but he remembered how it basked in all its worldly glory when the sun fell and the moon rose. He laughed drunkenly and caught a whiff of his own breath. "Damn," he thought, "I wonder where the hell my wife has gone…Satine! Satine! Oh, Jos! Jos!" His eyes rolled back as the bottle of cheap alcohol slipped from his hand and alike, he feet slipped out from under him. Christian had transformed into a smelly pile of nothing with flies dancing around his head and dirty women dancing in his head.

Satine taunted him as she danced around his body and yelped with joy as Christian, in a passionate frenzy, grabbed her by the waist and pulled her into him. The two tangoed as the music and atmosphere changed. The magical heat rose in his body as he felt Satine close to him and she whispered in his ear. He did not understand a word she spoke but the feeling of her hot breath on his face made him shudder.

When Christian awoke, the sweet dream had left a foul taste in his mouth. He could still feel Satine as they tangoed in his dreams but slowly the sensation subsided. He climbed out of the comfortable bed and almost immediately a lovely platinum blond with angelic piercing blue eyes make him shiver. She seemed outwardly lovely but inside he could almost sense the roughness. She straightened the covers of the bed and Christian studied the sparse room. There were only a few items, a small nightstand where a lamp stood, a small kitchen, a table in front of the window with writing materials, a small wooden table with matching wooden chairs. A fireplace stood facing the bed and the kitchen and the mantle was bare. The whole room was dead, dull, and plain. Christian licked his dry lips and uttered, "Where am I?"

"Josilan sent you here." She turned and wiped her hands on her woolen gray dress and she adjusted her white blouse. She pulled a duffle coat from the coat hanger and offered it to the shivering Christian. He declined and she shrugged. Silently, she placed an overcoat with stylish huge black buttons on her body and buttoned the last button. She vaguely reminded Christian of his old governess but he shook his head as she held out her hand. She was too young to be his governess and too beautiful with his long black hair and enticing brown and caramel eyes. "I am Adele Murick."

"Adele is a lovely name." He shook her soft hand and breathed heavily. "Hungry."

She turned and opened the pantry and Christian gazed at the bare shelves. The only edible food was a box of crackers. "Make yourself at home, at least I'm figuring since Josilan won't come for you until after the show." She tossed him the crackers and Christian sat down at the table.

"The show?"

"You haven't heard?" Adele's soft voice suddenly grew with tension and Christian stopped munching on the hard and stale crackers. She cleared her throat and continued, "Josilan's mother is dying and Josilan had to find a job…quick. Moulin Rouge was the only quick source of a good sum of money and Henry promised to release her as soon as…"

Christian nodded solemnly and in a poor attempt to change the subject, he gasped, "Is there a place to shower? Clean up?"

Adele nodded and beckoned Christian to a door beside the fireplace. She opened it carefully and to Christian's surprise, he was led to a fairly large bathroom with a closet, bathtub, sink, mirror, and toilet. She pointed to a rack where towels hung and said politely, "There's towels."

          The heavens opened and poured tears down upon the people, who scrambled for cover, of Montmartre. Josilan dashed across the streets while she dodged the many people and finally she reached the tiny apartment building where Satine awaited. She emerged from the shadows and Josilan brushed past her without exchanging a word. The two opened the door and clambered up the three flights of stairs before reaching Room 37. Josilan knocked on the door and it swung open. Satine held her beating heart and Josilan ran into his arms. "Christian! Christian!" She sobbed and he cried in her arms.

"Josilan, I thought you left me. Don't leave me…please, don't leave me." Christian cried and Josilan stroked his hair as he fell onto his knees. "I love you and I never want you to leave. I love you."

Satine was leaning on the railing and she felt her stomach churn and a familiar weakness came to her knees. Adele stepped out of the room and Satine's lower jaw quivered, "Adele? You're still here?"

Adele paused while she searched for the right words. "You've always known I was here." 

Satine wandered into the room and took her time to investigate the cupboards, the empty mantle of the fireplace, the neatly made bed, and finally the bathroom. Satine immediately fell onto her knees and sat in front of the drawer. She ripped open the bottom drawer and dug to the very bottom.

Adele did not dare to follow Satine so instead she greeted Josilan. "Greetings. Christian is an awfully kind soul. I am very lucky to have met you both."

Josilan agreed, "Likewise. Adele, you are kind for helping me drag him back up. When I found him lying there all in a drunken pile, I'm glad I bumped into you. Funny how we both know Satine too!"

Adele chuckled and replied demurely, "Almost everyone knows Satine in some way or another."

"She was telling me how you both went to the same dance class." Josilan grinned. "She told me you were a lovely dancer."

"Yes, my mother taught the class at the Moulin Rouge when it was just opened by Harold Zidler…"

"Your mother's name was?" Christian questioned.

"Caprice Eyre was the name she gave herself and that's the only name I knew." She paused and chewed on her bottom lip. Suddenly, Satine emerged from the bathroom and she frantically gazed at Adele.

Satine ran to the door after she quickly shrilled, "We'll speak later."

Henry had let Satine fetch Adele but only for his own reasons. He remembered the lovely Adele Murick when she married the dashing actor who whisked her away from Henry's life. He remembered hanging around the Moulin Rouge to watch the lovely Adele dance across the floor with her mother counting out the beats to the music…the night Adele said goodbye to Henry…He was so naïve and blind to reality then. He had been so rough, so cruel…

"Henry?" Adele spoke silently as he pulled her into his tiny room.

"Shhh…Harry won't know." Henry breathed as he kissed her fiercely and he felt Adele melt into his arms for a brief moment.

Suddenly she tensed as if the reality of the situation hit her. "Henry!" Adele shrieked as she pushed him away from her and ran to the door. She fumbled with the lock and Henry pulled her away from the door.

"No Adele. Harold won't hear or see. There's no way you're leaving because you love me and I love you."

"But I don't… Don't be like Harold! Henry!" Her piercing voice stabbed at his heart, "You're just like Zidler!" She fought against his heavy iron-like hands and he clamped a hand across her mouth. There was no way to escape and no need to fight.

Henry screamed angrily, "Don't fight me! Don't fight me! No one will hear or know, or see, because you love me and I love you! Say you love me! Say it!"

She whimpered, "I don't."

Henry thrust his mouth upon hers and when he pulled away, he slapped her, "You love me, and I know it." Henry wouldn't relent to her pleads as he buried his face into her face and groaned. "It will be beautiful because we're in love."

"It will hurt," she whimpered under his touch.

"Pain is beauty."

Henry's hands clutched into fists and he sighed heavily. He hissed, "I regret nothing."

          Satine had found the tattered and wrinkled picture at the bottom of the drawer where they always kept it hidden from Caprice. The picture still was inlaid in the wooden picture frame where Adele and Satine had written in their childish handwriting, "The Petite Stars. Adele and Satine". On the back of the picture frame were the careful and almost perfect handwritten words, the words of Adele, "Satine, you'll be the one diamond everyone will want to love. - Adele"

Satine had written below it many years after she had become The Sparkling Diamond, "Adele, you were and always will be the one diamond they need and want to love. - Satine"

Satine turned the picture frame back around and lightly touched the picture in fear that if she touched too hard it might tear even more. The two had posed for many hours on the streets of Montmartre and waited impatiently for the street vendor to finish the picture. Satine's tears dripped onto the picture and before she hid the picture frame once again, she wrote on the back on the frame below the rest of the notes:

"Adele, you are the new Sparkling Diamond. Bask in all its glory and you'll save the Moulin Rouge…Love Satine"