Disclaimer - I, do not own the rights to the "Sparkling Diamond[s]" of
a movie, "Moulin Rouge" (If I did I would be a genius going by the
name of Baz Luhrmann). I am simply one of the "Children of the
Revolution" (Although one of "Elephant [Melody]" proportions) that
writes fanfiction "Because We Can". "Come What May", but please do not
sue me or I will be a "Sad Hindi Diamond". May this be "Your Song" and
may you say "Some Day I'll Fly Away"! (I do not own the songs used in
this story or in the titles of the chapters either.)
*A Bohemian Storm Is Brewing*
Truth * Beauty * Freedom * Love
~Casidy
§=Þ
*~*
"Quoi Qu'il Arrive"
1 ~ Part IX: Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas ~
By: Mariclaire
Satine, Christian and his family spent the next few weeks getting ready for Christmas. The doorways held sprigs of mistletoe and at night, glimmering candles could be seen in the windows. In the foyer stood a grand, ten-foot, firtree. Emily and Satine had hung the delicate baubles and ornaments while Christian struggled with the unmanageable tinsel. Emily and Satine were in fits of laughter when they had to untangle the sparkling, red strands that were covering Christian.
People were often locked in their rooms preparing their Christmas packages with brightly colored paper and large bows.
By Christmas Eve, the house was bursting with that magical feeling of Christmas. Satine, who was waiting for the rest of the family to come in from church, stood in the foyer, admiring the giant tree when Christian came from behind and wrapped his arms around her waist.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" he said.
Satine leaned back into Christian's embrace, "oh yes, it's lovely. All that hard work we did paid off."
Christian chuckled, "I think you mean the hard work you and Em did. All I managed to do was get lost in that blasted tinsel."
Satine laughed and turned around to give him a kiss on the tip of his nose, "Well, you know, it's very dangerous stuff."
Before Satine could get away, Christian had her in a gentle, tight grip and started tickling her. Satine struggled against him when she spotted Emily coming through the door, "Em, hurry, I'm being attacked!" she said through giggles.
Emily bounded through the foyer and jumped on Christian's back.
"Hey now, this isn't fair, two against one," Christian called out.
"That's the point," Emily squealed, trying to pry his hands off Satine.
Their fun was interrupted when Christian's father cleared his throat rather loudly. They immediately stopped and turned around to find him with Mrs. Wilesly on his arm. Emily curled up her face in disgust and was about to spit something at her while
Christian tried to come up with some sort of excuse, "well father, we just umm, well-"
"I don't even want to know," Christian's father said darkly. "Come along now, Sarah has super on the table."
He led Mrs. Wilesly into the dining room and she made a sort of "humph" sound as she walked by the three. Emily followed closely behind with puckered lips and her bottom stuck out, trying to imitate the dreadful woman. Satine had to bury her face against Christian to keep from laughing.
Once they were seated at the table, Father said grace and they began the feast Sarah had spent all day on. The long table was covered in fruit and vegetable dishes, casseroles, fine wine, fresh bread and in the center of the table was an enormous turkey.
As Satine took a bite of a vegetable casserole, she looked around and saw that there was something missing. She squeezed Christian's hand under the table and whispered over Mrs. Wilesly's banter about some "scantily clad" women at church, "Christian,
where is your brother and Maddy?"
Christian swallowed his bite of turkey and answered, "He had to work and didn't want Maddy having fun without him." Christian rolled his eyes, obviously frustrated.
Satine made a face, "Work? On Christmas Eve?"
Christian made sure their discussion was still unnoticed and continued, "My brother has some sort of odd obsession with work. Maddy can't stand it. At least he's going to take off New Year's eve for the big party."
Satine nodded, thankful she would finally meet this infamous brother of Christian's. "Is Maddy coming tomorrow morning, for gifts?"
Christian smiled, "yes, even my brother isn't heartless enough for her to miss that-"
He was abruptly cut off by Mrs. Wilesly, "Christian, how do you feel about these women, dressed so, so scandalously? And at church, no less."
Christian wasn't very good at coming up with answers to mundane questions off the top of his head. He was fumbling and becoming very nervous under Mrs. Wilesly's intense stare.
Thankfully, Emily came to the rescue. "Mrs. Wilesly, Christian is very faithful to Satine and doesn't pay attention to these," Emily bit her lip and continued, "scantily clad women." Mrs. Wilesly was struck dumbfounded at Emily's bluntness. "And if you wouldn't mind, Mrs. Wilesly, it is Christmas Eve, I think that another topic would be much more appropriate," Emily finished with perfect poise and suddenly became intensely interested in her soup.
Christian couldn't bare awkward silences so he chimed in with the first thing that came to mind, "what a delightful dinner. Who is ready for dessert?"
*~*
Satine sat at her vanity, carefully inspecting the gold watch she was giving to Christian. She must have polished and fussed over it a million times, but she wanted it to be perfect. When satisfied, she delicately placed the watch in the velvet box and tied a red ribbon around it.
Satine took off her robe and sat impatiently waiting for Christian on her bed. Right at the stroke of eleven, Christian crept into her room. Once the door was closed, he ran to Satine and plopped down on the bed beside her.
"Right on time," she whispered.
"Never a second late for you, darling." He smiled and drew her into a passionate kiss.
Once their lips parted, Satine held out her small box and Christian presented her with a tiny parcel. They laughed at their synchronicity and Christian finally said, "who goes first?"
Satine bounced up and down excitedly. "You go, I can't wait a second longer," she said, placing the box in Christian's hands.
Christian smiled and untied the ribbon and slowly opened the box, Satine's eyes fixed on him, awaiting his reaction. When he pulled the gold watch out, his eyes grew wide and said, "my God, Satine. It's wonderful, just the one I wanted."
Satine grinned proudly and whispered, "but you haven't seen the best part." She took his hand and led it to the bedside lamp and turned the shinning watch over so the inscription was facing him.
"Quoi Qu'il Arrive," he whispered.
"Come what may," she said into his ear.
"Satine, it's perfect. I love it," he said and kissed her cheek. Christian smiled and continued, "well dear, I guess it's your turn." He handed Satine the small gift, wrapped in bright, red paper.
Satine took the gift unwrapping it slowly. She threw the paper to the side of the bed and saw the book in her hands. Tears welled up in her eyes when she flipped through the first few pages and realized what it was. "A book of your poetry," she sighed. "Christian, I don't know what to say."
"You could say you like it," he whispered into her neck.
She smiled, "I love it. Christian, how were you able to get this together?"
"A friend of mine pulled some strings at a printing press." He kissed her forehead, "You can read it whenever I'm not with you. Just pretend it's me reading to you."
Satine brushed away a tear from her cheek. "How did I find such a romantic?" she asked.
"The same way I found the woman of my dreams," he answered. Christian pulled Satine to him and tucked them under the soft, warm sheets. They were completely content just lying in the other's arms. Satine noticed the small clock in the soft glow given off by her lamp and realized it was nearly midnight.
"It's almost Christmas," she whispered to Christian.
"I've always loved Christmas Eve. The excitement leading up to the big day is the best feeling."
"Mmm, hmm," Satine agreed and snuggled down against Christian's chest.
There was silence for a few moments before Christian heard Satine's beautiful voice;
Snow is falling gently the ground,
'Tis the night before.
And in my heart there is no doubt,
That this is gonna be the brightest holiday.
Cause here you are with me,
Baby, baby, I can't wait!
To spend this special time of year with someone who,
Makes me feel the special way that you do.
Oh, yeah.
Walking with you in a winter snow,
Kissing underneath the mistletoe.
People smiling everywhere we go,
It's Christmas Eve,
And they can see we're in love.
Oh, you make my season bright,
With the lights reflecting in your eyes.
All my dreams are coming true tonight,
It's Christmas Eve.
And I can see we're in love.
We'll stay up late tonight,
Decorate the tree.
Just look into my eyes,
And I will tell you truth from me.
I don't need no Santa Claus,
To hear my Christmas wish.
I've got you in my arms,
What could be a better gift?
Then to spend my very favorite time of year,
With the one I really love so dear.
Oh, yeah.
Walking with you in a winter snow,
Kissing underneath the mistletoe.
People smiling everywhere we go,
It's Christmas Eve.
And they can see we're in love.
Oh, you make my season bright,
With the lights reflecting in your eyes.
All my dreams are coming true tonight.
It's Christmas Eve,
And I can see we're in love.
And bells are ringing when I hear you say,
Oh, baby.
We'll do it all again on Christmas Day,
Oh, I can't wait.
Walking with you in a winter snow,
Kissing underneath the mistletoe.
People smiling everywhere we go.
It's Christmas Eve,
And they can see we're in love.
Oh, you make my season bright,
With the lights reflecting in your eyes.
All my dreams are coming true tonight.
It's Christmas Eve,
And I can see we're in love.
Just then, the clock struck midnight and Satine smiled to see her voice had lulled Christian to sleep. She gently kissed his cheek and whispered, "Merry Christmas, darling."
*~*
"Maddy!" cried Emily as she threw open the door and ran into her sister-in-law's arms.
Madeline reclaimed her balance and said, "Good, to see you to, Em". She kissed the top of Emily's curls, "Merry Christmas!"
As Emily was closing the door, a tall man walked in behind Madeline, carrying several presents. "Who's this guy?" she asked out of the corner of her mouth.
Madeline sighed, "My escort. Phillip wouldn't let me out of the house without him."
Emily rolled her eyes, she wasn't going to let some stuffed shirt escort ruin Madeline's Christmas. She took Madeline's hand and guided her to the living room. "Come take a seat, Maddy. We're about to open presents. We're just waiting for Satine and Christian."
Upstairs, Christian was in the bathroom getting dressed and combing out his hair. He had sunk out of Satine's room at about dawn being with her was the greatest Christmas gift he could have asked for. He headed down the hall to get Satine and knocked on her door. "Darling, are you almost ready?" he called through the door.
Satine was fluffing her hair in the mirror and answered, "I'm still getting ready. You go down, I'll be there in a couple minutes."
Christian smiled and headed down the stairs to chat with Madeline and Emily.
As Satine was running some rouge over her cheeks, she felt a sudden tightening in her chest. The make up fell from her hands and she covered her mouth to suppress the violent sound of her coughs. She stumbled into the bathroom and shuddered at the sight of her pale face and watering eyes. She felt as if she might pass out on to the floor, when finally, the coughing subsided. Satine sighed, trying to catch her breath. She cupped her hands under the running faucet and brought some of the cool water to her lips. She felt as if she was swallowing nails from her throat being so sore.
She took a nearby towel and wiped off her lips and the drops of perspiration that had formed across her forehead and cheeks. She went back to her vanity and redid her hair and applied some light make up. Satine knew that the family was downstairs waiting for her, so she took a deep breath and headed out her bedroom door.
When she reached the living room, she gave Madeline a quick hug and took her seat beside Christian in one of the sofas. He looked at her, worried and whispered, "darling is something wrong? You look drained." He stroked her cheek with his fingertips.
"No, I'm fine," she lied. Satine quickly changed the subject and pointed to his vest pocket. "I see you're wearing your watch."
Christian smiled, "Of course." He drew Satine closer and held her against his chest as they watched Emily busily passing out the Christmas gifts from under the tree. They smiled to see Emily's eyes light up whenever she found one with her name on it. After several minutes of sorting, the whole family was happily sitting in the living room. Even Christian's father. The Christmas spirit had even reached him. Satine noticed Emily's bubbling excitement and said,
"Em, why don't you open that square box. That's from me."
Emily grinned and said, "all right" and reached for the package. She undid the ribbon, carefully peeled back the paper and opened the box. After shuffling through the tissue paper, she pulled out the glass, snow globe. Emily inspected it and saw a tiny Eiffel Tower and a very famous red windmill. "Oh Satine, it's Paris!" she cried. "Oh it's beautiful, just like being there! Thank you so much!" Emily then turned towards Madeline. "Maddy, open up the one from me," she said and pointed to a small gift.
Madeline opened the package to reveal a journal with a tiny key along with a brightly decorated fountain pen. "Em, you're so sweet," she hugged her little sister-in-law. "It's lovely." Emily smiled proudly and Satine, who had helped her pick it out, gave her a wink.
After several more presents had been opened and Emily was staring in awe at her beautiful new painting by Toulouse Lautrec from Christian, Satine stood up and cleared her throat to get Emily's attention.
Emily pulled her attention away from the painting and finally processed Satine's message and cried, "oh yes!" She carefully placed her present down and stood in front of her big brother. "Christian, I helped Satine prepare a special gift for you!"
Christian was caught completely by surprise as Emily hurried over to the corner and pulled her flute out of its case and Satine began to sing some scales to warm up her voice. After a few moments of preparation, Emily began a light melody on her flute as Satine began to sing;
I wish that our lives could be simple.
No, I don't want the world, only you
I look up to everything you are,
In my eyes you do no wrong.
If I never knew you
If I never felt this love
I would have no inkling of,
how precious life can be.
I've told myself, so many times,
Not to turn into the type.
But I've found, it's too late,
I'll stand beside you through the years!
If I say 'I love you, dear'
Will I cry? Will I smile?
I said I love you and I swear I still do,
I'll love you with every beat of my heart,
I've loved you for so long.
Never knew, I could feel like this,
Like I've never seen the sky before,
Want to vanish, inside your kiss.
Everyday I love you more and more!
There ain't no mountain high enough,
Ain't no valley low enough,
Ain't no river wide enough,
To keep me from you.
In your heart, in your mind,
I'll stay with you for all of time.
If I could then I would go wherever you will go,
Way up high or down low.
This is how you remind me,
Of what I really am.
And although I'll make mistakes,
I'll never break your heart.
And I believe in you,
Although you never asked me to.
I'll love you with every beat of my heart,
I'll be there for better or worse 'til death do us part.
As the final note of Emily's flute drifted away, Christian applauded wildly and ran up to Satine and Emily and pulled both of them into his arms. "It was perfect!" he whispered into their ears.
Several tears fell down his cheeks and before Christian could brush them away, Satine and Emily, who were on either sides of him did and gave him a big kisses on the cheek. All three laughed as they took their seats.
"Well, I guess that's everything," Emily sighed.
Then Christian's father, who had remained relatively quiet, piped up, "Oh, I think there may be one more."
He nodded to Christian walked towards his father as he went to a cabinet along the wall and pulled out a small box. He looked at the box lovingly and gave it to Christian. Then he did something that took Christian completely off guard, he wrapped his arms around his son and whispered, "I'm glad I can pass this along to you, son. I know I don't always show it, but I am very proud of you."
Christian took the box and looked up at his father, astonished. "Thank you, Father," was all he managed to get out.
Emily, Madeline, Satine and even Sarah, who had been off to the side, observing, were stealing strange glances at each other, trying to figure out what was going on.
Just then Christian walked up to Satine and took her hand in his free one and said, "Satine, you know how I promised I would get you an engagement ring as soon as I had the money?" He flipped open the box to reveal the stunning emerald ring. Satine gasped as Christian continued, "well, this was my mother's engagement ring," he paused at the thought of his mother and had to take a deep breath before going on. "When my father found out I was engaged, he gave me the honor of letting you, my life, my soul, have this ring to celebrate our love. Just as it celebrated the love of my parents." He slipped the ring onto Satine's finger and kissed her quivering hands and then looked into her eyes that were brimming with tears. "Will you do me the honor of wearing this ring?"
"Of course," she whispered. By now, everyone in the room was crying from this extremely moving moment. Satine gave Christian a kiss and walked over to Emily who had tears streaming down her face. Satine wiped them away and asked, "Em, are you all right with me wearing your mother's ring?"
Emily stabled herself before finally answering, "There is no one I would want wearing it other than you."
*~*
*"Christmas Eve" performed by Celine Dion
* "Radames' Letter" is from the musical "Aida"
* "You're Still You" is performed by Josh Groban
* "If I Never Knew You" is from Disney's "Pocahontas" and performed by Jon Secada & Shanice
* "I Swear" is performed by All 4 One
* "It's All Been Done Before" is performed by The Barenaked Ladies
* "Come What May" is from "Moulin Rouge" and performed by Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor
* "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" is performed by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell
* "How You Remind Me" is performed by Nickelback
* "Wherever You Will Go" is performed by The Calling
* This melody was arranged by Casidy, please don't sue!
*A Bohemian Storm Is Brewing*
Truth * Beauty * Freedom * Love
~Casidy
§=Þ
*~*
"Quoi Qu'il Arrive"
1 ~ Part IX: Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas ~
By: Mariclaire
Satine, Christian and his family spent the next few weeks getting ready for Christmas. The doorways held sprigs of mistletoe and at night, glimmering candles could be seen in the windows. In the foyer stood a grand, ten-foot, firtree. Emily and Satine had hung the delicate baubles and ornaments while Christian struggled with the unmanageable tinsel. Emily and Satine were in fits of laughter when they had to untangle the sparkling, red strands that were covering Christian.
People were often locked in their rooms preparing their Christmas packages with brightly colored paper and large bows.
By Christmas Eve, the house was bursting with that magical feeling of Christmas. Satine, who was waiting for the rest of the family to come in from church, stood in the foyer, admiring the giant tree when Christian came from behind and wrapped his arms around her waist.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" he said.
Satine leaned back into Christian's embrace, "oh yes, it's lovely. All that hard work we did paid off."
Christian chuckled, "I think you mean the hard work you and Em did. All I managed to do was get lost in that blasted tinsel."
Satine laughed and turned around to give him a kiss on the tip of his nose, "Well, you know, it's very dangerous stuff."
Before Satine could get away, Christian had her in a gentle, tight grip and started tickling her. Satine struggled against him when she spotted Emily coming through the door, "Em, hurry, I'm being attacked!" she said through giggles.
Emily bounded through the foyer and jumped on Christian's back.
"Hey now, this isn't fair, two against one," Christian called out.
"That's the point," Emily squealed, trying to pry his hands off Satine.
Their fun was interrupted when Christian's father cleared his throat rather loudly. They immediately stopped and turned around to find him with Mrs. Wilesly on his arm. Emily curled up her face in disgust and was about to spit something at her while
Christian tried to come up with some sort of excuse, "well father, we just umm, well-"
"I don't even want to know," Christian's father said darkly. "Come along now, Sarah has super on the table."
He led Mrs. Wilesly into the dining room and she made a sort of "humph" sound as she walked by the three. Emily followed closely behind with puckered lips and her bottom stuck out, trying to imitate the dreadful woman. Satine had to bury her face against Christian to keep from laughing.
Once they were seated at the table, Father said grace and they began the feast Sarah had spent all day on. The long table was covered in fruit and vegetable dishes, casseroles, fine wine, fresh bread and in the center of the table was an enormous turkey.
As Satine took a bite of a vegetable casserole, she looked around and saw that there was something missing. She squeezed Christian's hand under the table and whispered over Mrs. Wilesly's banter about some "scantily clad" women at church, "Christian,
where is your brother and Maddy?"
Christian swallowed his bite of turkey and answered, "He had to work and didn't want Maddy having fun without him." Christian rolled his eyes, obviously frustrated.
Satine made a face, "Work? On Christmas Eve?"
Christian made sure their discussion was still unnoticed and continued, "My brother has some sort of odd obsession with work. Maddy can't stand it. At least he's going to take off New Year's eve for the big party."
Satine nodded, thankful she would finally meet this infamous brother of Christian's. "Is Maddy coming tomorrow morning, for gifts?"
Christian smiled, "yes, even my brother isn't heartless enough for her to miss that-"
He was abruptly cut off by Mrs. Wilesly, "Christian, how do you feel about these women, dressed so, so scandalously? And at church, no less."
Christian wasn't very good at coming up with answers to mundane questions off the top of his head. He was fumbling and becoming very nervous under Mrs. Wilesly's intense stare.
Thankfully, Emily came to the rescue. "Mrs. Wilesly, Christian is very faithful to Satine and doesn't pay attention to these," Emily bit her lip and continued, "scantily clad women." Mrs. Wilesly was struck dumbfounded at Emily's bluntness. "And if you wouldn't mind, Mrs. Wilesly, it is Christmas Eve, I think that another topic would be much more appropriate," Emily finished with perfect poise and suddenly became intensely interested in her soup.
Christian couldn't bare awkward silences so he chimed in with the first thing that came to mind, "what a delightful dinner. Who is ready for dessert?"
*~*
Satine sat at her vanity, carefully inspecting the gold watch she was giving to Christian. She must have polished and fussed over it a million times, but she wanted it to be perfect. When satisfied, she delicately placed the watch in the velvet box and tied a red ribbon around it.
Satine took off her robe and sat impatiently waiting for Christian on her bed. Right at the stroke of eleven, Christian crept into her room. Once the door was closed, he ran to Satine and plopped down on the bed beside her.
"Right on time," she whispered.
"Never a second late for you, darling." He smiled and drew her into a passionate kiss.
Once their lips parted, Satine held out her small box and Christian presented her with a tiny parcel. They laughed at their synchronicity and Christian finally said, "who goes first?"
Satine bounced up and down excitedly. "You go, I can't wait a second longer," she said, placing the box in Christian's hands.
Christian smiled and untied the ribbon and slowly opened the box, Satine's eyes fixed on him, awaiting his reaction. When he pulled the gold watch out, his eyes grew wide and said, "my God, Satine. It's wonderful, just the one I wanted."
Satine grinned proudly and whispered, "but you haven't seen the best part." She took his hand and led it to the bedside lamp and turned the shinning watch over so the inscription was facing him.
"Quoi Qu'il Arrive," he whispered.
"Come what may," she said into his ear.
"Satine, it's perfect. I love it," he said and kissed her cheek. Christian smiled and continued, "well dear, I guess it's your turn." He handed Satine the small gift, wrapped in bright, red paper.
Satine took the gift unwrapping it slowly. She threw the paper to the side of the bed and saw the book in her hands. Tears welled up in her eyes when she flipped through the first few pages and realized what it was. "A book of your poetry," she sighed. "Christian, I don't know what to say."
"You could say you like it," he whispered into her neck.
She smiled, "I love it. Christian, how were you able to get this together?"
"A friend of mine pulled some strings at a printing press." He kissed her forehead, "You can read it whenever I'm not with you. Just pretend it's me reading to you."
Satine brushed away a tear from her cheek. "How did I find such a romantic?" she asked.
"The same way I found the woman of my dreams," he answered. Christian pulled Satine to him and tucked them under the soft, warm sheets. They were completely content just lying in the other's arms. Satine noticed the small clock in the soft glow given off by her lamp and realized it was nearly midnight.
"It's almost Christmas," she whispered to Christian.
"I've always loved Christmas Eve. The excitement leading up to the big day is the best feeling."
"Mmm, hmm," Satine agreed and snuggled down against Christian's chest.
There was silence for a few moments before Christian heard Satine's beautiful voice;
Snow is falling gently the ground,
'Tis the night before.
And in my heart there is no doubt,
That this is gonna be the brightest holiday.
Cause here you are with me,
Baby, baby, I can't wait!
To spend this special time of year with someone who,
Makes me feel the special way that you do.
Oh, yeah.
Walking with you in a winter snow,
Kissing underneath the mistletoe.
People smiling everywhere we go,
It's Christmas Eve,
And they can see we're in love.
Oh, you make my season bright,
With the lights reflecting in your eyes.
All my dreams are coming true tonight,
It's Christmas Eve.
And I can see we're in love.
We'll stay up late tonight,
Decorate the tree.
Just look into my eyes,
And I will tell you truth from me.
I don't need no Santa Claus,
To hear my Christmas wish.
I've got you in my arms,
What could be a better gift?
Then to spend my very favorite time of year,
With the one I really love so dear.
Oh, yeah.
Walking with you in a winter snow,
Kissing underneath the mistletoe.
People smiling everywhere we go,
It's Christmas Eve.
And they can see we're in love.
Oh, you make my season bright,
With the lights reflecting in your eyes.
All my dreams are coming true tonight.
It's Christmas Eve,
And I can see we're in love.
And bells are ringing when I hear you say,
Oh, baby.
We'll do it all again on Christmas Day,
Oh, I can't wait.
Walking with you in a winter snow,
Kissing underneath the mistletoe.
People smiling everywhere we go.
It's Christmas Eve,
And they can see we're in love.
Oh, you make my season bright,
With the lights reflecting in your eyes.
All my dreams are coming true tonight.
It's Christmas Eve,
And I can see we're in love.
Just then, the clock struck midnight and Satine smiled to see her voice had lulled Christian to sleep. She gently kissed his cheek and whispered, "Merry Christmas, darling."
*~*
"Maddy!" cried Emily as she threw open the door and ran into her sister-in-law's arms.
Madeline reclaimed her balance and said, "Good, to see you to, Em". She kissed the top of Emily's curls, "Merry Christmas!"
As Emily was closing the door, a tall man walked in behind Madeline, carrying several presents. "Who's this guy?" she asked out of the corner of her mouth.
Madeline sighed, "My escort. Phillip wouldn't let me out of the house without him."
Emily rolled her eyes, she wasn't going to let some stuffed shirt escort ruin Madeline's Christmas. She took Madeline's hand and guided her to the living room. "Come take a seat, Maddy. We're about to open presents. We're just waiting for Satine and Christian."
Upstairs, Christian was in the bathroom getting dressed and combing out his hair. He had sunk out of Satine's room at about dawn being with her was the greatest Christmas gift he could have asked for. He headed down the hall to get Satine and knocked on her door. "Darling, are you almost ready?" he called through the door.
Satine was fluffing her hair in the mirror and answered, "I'm still getting ready. You go down, I'll be there in a couple minutes."
Christian smiled and headed down the stairs to chat with Madeline and Emily.
As Satine was running some rouge over her cheeks, she felt a sudden tightening in her chest. The make up fell from her hands and she covered her mouth to suppress the violent sound of her coughs. She stumbled into the bathroom and shuddered at the sight of her pale face and watering eyes. She felt as if she might pass out on to the floor, when finally, the coughing subsided. Satine sighed, trying to catch her breath. She cupped her hands under the running faucet and brought some of the cool water to her lips. She felt as if she was swallowing nails from her throat being so sore.
She took a nearby towel and wiped off her lips and the drops of perspiration that had formed across her forehead and cheeks. She went back to her vanity and redid her hair and applied some light make up. Satine knew that the family was downstairs waiting for her, so she took a deep breath and headed out her bedroom door.
When she reached the living room, she gave Madeline a quick hug and took her seat beside Christian in one of the sofas. He looked at her, worried and whispered, "darling is something wrong? You look drained." He stroked her cheek with his fingertips.
"No, I'm fine," she lied. Satine quickly changed the subject and pointed to his vest pocket. "I see you're wearing your watch."
Christian smiled, "Of course." He drew Satine closer and held her against his chest as they watched Emily busily passing out the Christmas gifts from under the tree. They smiled to see Emily's eyes light up whenever she found one with her name on it. After several minutes of sorting, the whole family was happily sitting in the living room. Even Christian's father. The Christmas spirit had even reached him. Satine noticed Emily's bubbling excitement and said,
"Em, why don't you open that square box. That's from me."
Emily grinned and said, "all right" and reached for the package. She undid the ribbon, carefully peeled back the paper and opened the box. After shuffling through the tissue paper, she pulled out the glass, snow globe. Emily inspected it and saw a tiny Eiffel Tower and a very famous red windmill. "Oh Satine, it's Paris!" she cried. "Oh it's beautiful, just like being there! Thank you so much!" Emily then turned towards Madeline. "Maddy, open up the one from me," she said and pointed to a small gift.
Madeline opened the package to reveal a journal with a tiny key along with a brightly decorated fountain pen. "Em, you're so sweet," she hugged her little sister-in-law. "It's lovely." Emily smiled proudly and Satine, who had helped her pick it out, gave her a wink.
After several more presents had been opened and Emily was staring in awe at her beautiful new painting by Toulouse Lautrec from Christian, Satine stood up and cleared her throat to get Emily's attention.
Emily pulled her attention away from the painting and finally processed Satine's message and cried, "oh yes!" She carefully placed her present down and stood in front of her big brother. "Christian, I helped Satine prepare a special gift for you!"
Christian was caught completely by surprise as Emily hurried over to the corner and pulled her flute out of its case and Satine began to sing some scales to warm up her voice. After a few moments of preparation, Emily began a light melody on her flute as Satine began to sing;
I wish that our lives could be simple.
No, I don't want the world, only you
I look up to everything you are,
In my eyes you do no wrong.
If I never knew you
If I never felt this love
I would have no inkling of,
how precious life can be.
I've told myself, so many times,
Not to turn into the type.
But I've found, it's too late,
I'll stand beside you through the years!
If I say 'I love you, dear'
Will I cry? Will I smile?
I said I love you and I swear I still do,
I'll love you with every beat of my heart,
I've loved you for so long.
Never knew, I could feel like this,
Like I've never seen the sky before,
Want to vanish, inside your kiss.
Everyday I love you more and more!
There ain't no mountain high enough,
Ain't no valley low enough,
Ain't no river wide enough,
To keep me from you.
In your heart, in your mind,
I'll stay with you for all of time.
If I could then I would go wherever you will go,
Way up high or down low.
This is how you remind me,
Of what I really am.
And although I'll make mistakes,
I'll never break your heart.
And I believe in you,
Although you never asked me to.
I'll love you with every beat of my heart,
I'll be there for better or worse 'til death do us part.
As the final note of Emily's flute drifted away, Christian applauded wildly and ran up to Satine and Emily and pulled both of them into his arms. "It was perfect!" he whispered into their ears.
Several tears fell down his cheeks and before Christian could brush them away, Satine and Emily, who were on either sides of him did and gave him a big kisses on the cheek. All three laughed as they took their seats.
"Well, I guess that's everything," Emily sighed.
Then Christian's father, who had remained relatively quiet, piped up, "Oh, I think there may be one more."
He nodded to Christian walked towards his father as he went to a cabinet along the wall and pulled out a small box. He looked at the box lovingly and gave it to Christian. Then he did something that took Christian completely off guard, he wrapped his arms around his son and whispered, "I'm glad I can pass this along to you, son. I know I don't always show it, but I am very proud of you."
Christian took the box and looked up at his father, astonished. "Thank you, Father," was all he managed to get out.
Emily, Madeline, Satine and even Sarah, who had been off to the side, observing, were stealing strange glances at each other, trying to figure out what was going on.
Just then Christian walked up to Satine and took her hand in his free one and said, "Satine, you know how I promised I would get you an engagement ring as soon as I had the money?" He flipped open the box to reveal the stunning emerald ring. Satine gasped as Christian continued, "well, this was my mother's engagement ring," he paused at the thought of his mother and had to take a deep breath before going on. "When my father found out I was engaged, he gave me the honor of letting you, my life, my soul, have this ring to celebrate our love. Just as it celebrated the love of my parents." He slipped the ring onto Satine's finger and kissed her quivering hands and then looked into her eyes that were brimming with tears. "Will you do me the honor of wearing this ring?"
"Of course," she whispered. By now, everyone in the room was crying from this extremely moving moment. Satine gave Christian a kiss and walked over to Emily who had tears streaming down her face. Satine wiped them away and asked, "Em, are you all right with me wearing your mother's ring?"
Emily stabled herself before finally answering, "There is no one I would want wearing it other than you."
*~*
*"Christmas Eve" performed by Celine Dion
* "Radames' Letter" is from the musical "Aida"
* "You're Still You" is performed by Josh Groban
* "If I Never Knew You" is from Disney's "Pocahontas" and performed by Jon Secada & Shanice
* "I Swear" is performed by All 4 One
* "It's All Been Done Before" is performed by The Barenaked Ladies
* "Come What May" is from "Moulin Rouge" and performed by Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor
* "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" is performed by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell
* "How You Remind Me" is performed by Nickelback
* "Wherever You Will Go" is performed by The Calling
* This melody was arranged by Casidy, please don't sue!