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!
AUTHOR NOTE: As of this chapter, Kalah Exclamation Mark has halted her writing on this project. She hopes things can be resolved and once they are, she can return to writing on this project with Viral Impact.
Chapter Seven: Behind the Painted Face
Adele lurched forward and she violently shoved Henry out of her way. He pulled her from behind into his body and she struggled. Her screams filled the Moulin Rouge and slowly people began to emerge from their rooms. Adele wailed, "You bastard! You bastard! Let go of me! He killed Chance!" Henry lifted her off her feet by her waist and Adele kicked frantically as she tried to push his arms away from stomach. "You're going to burn in Hell for this! Let go!" She finally bit into his arm and Henry withdrew in pain.
Adele ran to Chance and she slid into the mud as she fell onto her knees. She cradled him in her arms and shook with angry and confused tears. She kissed his lips and sobbed, "Chance?" She heard him gasp for air and blood dribbled from the corner of his mouth. Her fingers shook as she felt the wound and the warmth of the blood made her stomach sway in disgust. Henry didn't shoot to kill; he shot to make him suffer and then die. A moan of despair was released from the depths of Adele's throat and she held Chance closer to her body. "Someone call for help!"
"Are you crying?" Chance's voice was oddly calm and almost soothing to Adele. He reached up and stroked Adele.
"No, it's the rain." Adele took her sleeve and wiped the blood from his chin. She then took his hand and held it against her cheek. "We'll get you out of this mud soon."
Adele choked on the words as she heard Chance gurgle and groan in pain. She smoothed out his hair and she rocked gently. Some of the Diamond Dogs lingered in the entrance where Henry was trying to pry them away. Henry was shouting, "Don't you dare fetch any help! Nini, do you still want a job?" He finally exploded, "You can't do a damn thing! Now go back to bed!"
Someone replied to his screams, "I don't give a damn. Yeh bastard should've never touched that one out there. Com'n, I'm fetching 'elp." Adele felt a hand touch her shoulder briefly and she watched the woman known as Francis disappeared into the darkness.
Chance sighed heavily and Adele whispered in fright as his eyes glazed over, "Chance?"
"I'm so sorry…" Chance murmured as he closed his eyes. "He promised. Importantly, I promised…"
"You'll be fine. It'll work out." Adele's words were slurred and rushed. She wanted him to hear her words. She wanted to believe the words. She tried to flatten Chance's wild hair and when she noticed the blood on her hand, she withdrew and sobbed helplessly. Satine appeared on the street and Adele desperately looked up at her. Adele's eyes were filled with grief and they glistened with tears. She was shocked and lost. Satine touched Adele's face and knelt in the mud.
"The pain…" He remained calm. "It feels like someone is clawing at my insides."
Satine placed a heavy coat over Chance and they attempted to drag him out of the mud but he shuddered and yelped in pain. Adele stopped Satine and held Chance once again in her arms. She wrapped the coat tightly around his body. Blood quickly stained the coat. Adele remained in the mud as Satine stepped away and bowed her head in misery. The night was bleak; the roads were muddy. It would be impossible for the doctor to make it in time.
Chance gasped, "I love you." Adele held her breath. "I'm sorry for ever stealing a piece of your heart…you could have had a rich man and something so much better than this."
"You never stole my heart…" Adele fought back the tears as Chance reached up and his clammy palm caressed her cheek. "I freely gave it to you." She noticed tears escaping from Chance's eyes and soon she too broke down. She took his hand like she had done so long ago in his studio and placed it on her heart. Chance felt the gentle beating on his palm and he sighed in contentment as she spoke "You know how I said maybe I would give you my whole heart someday?" Chance weakly nodded. "Well, I have given you my whole heart. I love you."
Satine began to cry even harder as she turned away from the two. She glared at Henry and shook her head. The two declared their love for the first time to each other in the mud, in the rain, amidst death. It was Henry's fault.
Chance gripped Adele's hand and he squeezed tenderly. His voice was distant as he wheezed; "It's the first time you've said that."
"It's the first time you said you loved him?" Satine listened in awe.
"No, it's not the first. We've said it every time we've kissed, hugged, talked, looked at each other…we knew." Chance lurched forward and fell into a coughing fit that made his whole body shake. Blood dribbled from his chin and it smeared on his hand. Adele felt Chance's hold on her hand tighten and she watched in fear. He fell back and his voice was barely audible and so soft as he spoke, "…I love you and I'm honored that you gave me your whole heart Adele. I'm glad I let you into my world too. But, please, be happy. Be happy."
He, mustering all his strength, grabbed the back of Adele's head with his free hand and lifted himself up to kiss her. She fell into the kiss and she felt Chance move her hand onto his heart. His hand remained onto of hers and he pressed her hand against his heart. He had given her his heart too, not just a piece of it but all of it. Their moment was broke when Chance cried out in pain, fell backwards, and broke the kiss. He lay still as his hand remained on top of Adele's hand, which remained over his heart. She could feel hot tears running down her pale cheeks as his heartbeat quickened and steadily fell. They were silent until, what seemed like forever, Chance gasped in awe and his eyes widened, "I see all of them Adele."
"See what?"
"…Colors…" He paused and Adele watched as his eyes trailed up to the Moulin Rouge. "It's red. Like how I remember it…" He returned to look into her eyes. "Your beautiful brown eyes and that magnificent black hair…" He smiled and his eyes lit up in excitement. "You are truly the most beautiful woman I've ever met… I do not regret falling in love with such a lovely person…inside and out…" He sighed heavily and closed his eyes. Adele felt as his body slowly relaxed and she cried out in sorrow. She hunched over him and held him in her arms as she slowly rocked.
"Wake up! Please!" She moaned as her body convulsed. Satine knelt beside Adele and rubbed her back slowly as she broke down. "We were supposed to have a pretty home in the country…with cows and pigs…and a piano to play when it rained…and children, beautiful children. We just wanted a family and a home, no matter the size, just a home." As Adele held Chance, Satine held Adele in her arms and stroked her hair as Adele cried into Satine's shoulder. "I wanted so little and had even littler and now I have nothing. My whole life is dead."
As Adele's feral wails of mourning lifted into the dark and wet night, Satine glanced down at Chance's face.
He had died with a simple grin on his face. He was no longer in pain. Adele's sobs softened as she fell over and pressed an ear against his chest. His heart was still very faintly beating.
Satine watched Christian rise from her bed and stretch before dressing. She stared in the mirror and wiped her face with a cold rag. Christian placed a hand on her shoulder and impulsively, Satine pulled away. There had been awkwardness between them ever since Christian admitted he didn't intend to marry again after Josilan. He kissed Satine's bare shoulder before pulling her satin robe over it and he said, "I cannot wait until we see each other again. You really understand…my desire for your…er, you." He left and Satine began to powder her face.
Satine abruptly heard a loud confrontation in the stairwell and then she heard heavy footsteps clattering up to her room. She stared in the mirror and the reflection of Henry appeared. She whimpered, "I would've told you about Christian…"
"I'm ashamed." He closed the door and approached Satine slowly with his gloves in his hands. "I told you, Leroy and only Leroy. I hate to do this Satine but if you won't listen and learn…I told you Leroy was to be the only man in your bed and not to help Adele with that damn bastard, Chance. Satine…you must learn."
As she pushed away from her chair in an attempt to escape Henry, she tripped over her robe and shrilled as she guarded her face, "No!"
Leroy rose from Amèlie's bed and he watched in silence as she pranced around her room. She picked up his clothing and folded it with such care that it shocked Leroy when he could almost imagine her as his wife. He cleared his throat and Amèlie dropped the clothes. "Good morning." She smiled as she crawled into the bed and purred in his ear. "What's the plan for today?"
"Money from The Duke for you to buy Satine a necklace, bracelet, perhaps bodice to impress her. I want deep beautiful diamonds of blue, yes?"
Amèlie licked his ear and replied, "Yes Master."
Leroy chuckled and pulled away to gaze into her eyes. "Then I finally make Satine think I love her…"
"And why would you want to do this?"
"…So, she'll make us a pretty penny to make Chez Amèlie a wondrous and better place compared to Moulin Rouge."
Amèlie shrieked with laughter and she nipped at Leroy's nose. "You're too perfect."
The moments of Chance's death still haunted Satine. Her hands shook as she brushed her hair slowly and took time to make sure her lips were the deepest red. She was applying make-up when Leroy entered and laid a single rose on the top of her dressing table. Satine rose from her seat and hugged him tightly. He chuckled as he caressed her face and he was readying to kiss her when Satine pulled away in pain. She held her cheek and sat down in the seat with her eyes beginning to water.
Leroy questioned, "What's wrong?"
Satine squeaked, "Nothing."
"Let me see!" He pulled her hands away from her face but Satine pulled away from him and strode to a corner of the room. Leroy followed. "Satine," he held her hands gently, "I'd never want to hurt you."
"I know…"
"So let me see?" He whispered and he pulled his handkerchief from his pocket. "What's exactly behind your painted face?" He wiped off her mask and revealed her bruised and swollen face. "Satine! What in the world?"
She sobbed, "Henry… Henry…" She stared into his eyes and pleaded, "Don't tell him you know! He'll kill me if he knew. Please?"
"Yes…" He kissed Satine's forehead and he felt her shudder under his touch. He lifted her into his arms and carried her to her bed. "I'll tell Henry we're occupied." Leroy disappeared and Satine cried into her pillow.
With every sob, she felt the anger and the pain subsided. She awoke to Leroy turning off the light and walking out the door. "Leroy?" She called out into the darkness. She whimpered, "I don't want to be left alone…"
She heard the rustling of his suit as he approached her bed. His handsome face peered down at her. "Yes?"
"Lay with me?" She asked. He smiled and crawled beside her. She immediately hugged him against her and she whispered, "I think I love you." The sheets rustled as she kissed him. Leroy melted in her arms and his mind was foggy. She held him lovingly and he hugged her closer into his body.
Henry tiptoed down the hallway and passed by the rooms of the Diamond Dogs. Some of the rooms were filled; some of the rooms were empty. It was deep in the night and the doors were tightly shut except for one room. The door was barely cracked open and the light from inside spilled into the hallway. Henry paused in the sliver of light and his eyes flashed. The floors groaned under his weight as he peered into the room to see Adele sleeping on the floor with nothing but a blanket covering her. He studied her surroundings carefully. Handkerchiefs scattered around the room, her bed was unmade, her dresses were left carelessly in a heap, and a picture of Chance was held in her hand. Bottle of wine lay at her feet and broken glasses were in the corner. Stains from the red wine were left on the whitewashed wall above the broken glass and Henry knew she must have thrown them in fury. His palms began to sweat and he wiped them on his pant leg. A deep urge to push open the door overcame him. His fingers fondled the knob and he slowly leaned forward.
"Chance?" Adele had awoken.
Henry snapped backwards and he fell back into the shadows. She had draped the blanket around her body and she was slowly swaying to the door. She pushed it open lightly and Henry held his breath. She peeked outside and her long hair fell from her bare shoulder. He urged to reach out and touch her milky skin, her soft, perfect and beautiful skin. She tucked her hair behind her ear and she shook her head. Henry swallowed as he saw a single tear fall from her eye and roll down her rosy cheeks. Henry exhaled and he broke the silence. Adele's head snapped up and she stared into the shadows. Henry closed his eyes and prayed that she wouldn't see him.
The door clicked shut and Henry opened his eyes. The light that emitted from the cracks of the door faded and he was alone in the dark.
Placidly, Nini sat in her small room in front of her dressing table. She pulled her only valued possession, a hairbrush, from a drawer. She ran her fingers through her hair and then proceeded to brush it. Even though it happened long ago, the words of Satine still echoed in her head. "Love is worthless! It isn't real! No one cares what you think!" Nini set the hairbrush back into the drawer and she slammed it shut.
She suddenly heard quiet footsteps down the hallway and she quickly turned off her light. She opened the door and watched as Henry stood in front of Adele's door. Nini smirked as she watched the scene play.
After Adele closed the door and Henry was heading back down the hallway, Nini slid out and leaned against the wall with her hands pushing against the wall above her head. She moaned, "Henry?" She moved her hands to her side and Henry jumped in shock. "Come with me inside?" She winked and Henry smiled.
"Hello Nini." He quickly fell into her and he hugged her tightly. "What made you so lonely?"
"It's raining outside…and I'm always lonely when it rains." Nini pushed open the door to her room and the two disappeared inside.
Henry's last words before leaving the warmth of Nini's bed were, "I hope it rains more, darling." He dressed swiftly and left without speaking another word and Nini was dazed. Henry was a kind man to her and most importantly, he was gentle and almost caring. To her, Henry was a gentleman and compared to all her other lovers, he seemed like the King of England. Henry had been gone for a long time when she propped open her window and was sitting in the windowsill as smoke billowed from her mouth. She took a long drag from her cigarette and shuddered.
"Is this love?" She questioned inside her head. "No." She saw Henry downstairs with a bouquet of flowers and her heart leapt. She called out, "Those for me Monsieur Zidler?"
Henry stopped dead in his tracks. Knowing he couldn't say no, he yelled, "I've got something special for you for tonight. Just you wait." He would keep some of the roses and give them to Nini. He had to have a little bit of a heart.
Nini smiled in pure rapture and watched as Henry disappeared below. She thought, "Maybe I could have me a husband. We'd have awful pretty babes." She pretended to cradle a baby in her arms with the cigarette still clenched tightly between her fingers. She proudly whispered, "I'd be a mother with one babe and one getting bigger and one comin' and I'd cook and clean and they'd shriek, 'Ma! Ma!' An' Henry would come from work and he'd say, 'You're the loveliest wife.'" She puffed on the cigarette for a moment and held the heavenly thoughts until she heard a call for practice and she climbed back into her room and locked the window shut.
Suddenly the thought of Satine's words came back to her head. "Love is false!"
Nini sighed and bitterly thought, "But if she has no hope, then it must be true. Love isn't real. It's just the bed they want but…Henry could be different…with another woman…" She glanced at herself in the mirror and spat, "You're just a whore."
Satine inhaled sharply and her eyes fluttered open to see Leroy's neck. She didn't want to move in fear of waking him. She watched his throat move as he inhaled and exhaled. It was peaceful, rhythmic and she felt her eyelids begin to drop. She inhaled his scent and sigh happily. Suddenly, his body tensed and she smiled as he opened his sleepy eyes. He murmured with a half-smile, "Good morning love."
"I like this." Satine sighed as inched closer to him.
Leroy rubbed the sleep from his eyes and he asked, "Like what?"
"This." She replied with a warm smile. "I like waking up with you next to me."
"Satine?" He drowsily uttered as he wrapped his arms around her body and they hugged close together.
"Hmmm…?"
"I'm glad you've given me a chance to see behind the painted face…"
"Why?"
"Because it made me fall in love with you. I was able to see the beauty behind all the foolish makeup…the foolish mask you hide behind. You're a beautiful creature capable of loving me in return." Satine held her breath and he finally added, "I want to wake up beside you every morning of every day for the rest of my life."
Satine cried tears of joy and she rolled over onto Leroy. She kissed his face and cupped his face with her hot hands while he grinned. She leaned down and kissed him on his face and she said merrily, "I love you. I love you so much."
She cuddled against him and he whispered, "Every morning…of every day…"
Christian kicked open the door and he paused before entering. The house had been shut up for ages after his father and mother's deaths. He slowly walked into the house and the door slammed shut behind him. He could almost hear his mother's dying words, "Don't let our home die Christian. Stop the drinking and find yourself a wife. Live again, for me, for Josilan…Don't fail me son, don't fail me. I love you, Christian, and it hurts so much to see you this way. Please."
Christian whispered in the darkness, "Josilan! Josilan. Josilan? Josilan…"
He could almost smell her and feel her presence around him but it was too brief to tell. Had her ghost visited him? He dumped the last of his alcohol into the sink and he stared out into the night. He would return to the Moulin Rouge and fetch the only thing he had left in the world, Satine. He threw the bottle out of the window above the sink and he held his head in his hands. He sobbed for a moment and finally pulled together. He wanted to fulfill his mother's wishes. The time for playing was over. He put his coat and hat back on and left for Montmartre.
Author's Note: I'm stuck as where to go. Suggestions are always awesome. Keep R/Ring. J