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"
~ Part XX: You and Me Song ~
By Mariclaire
Satine stirred in bed, arching her back and rubbing her eyes. She smiled when she saw Christian beside her. He sneaked into her room last night to continue to make up for their fight. "Mmm, I'll have to think of more reasons for us to make up, if he's always like that," Satine thought with a devilish grin. She slipped her fingers under his nightshirt and just barely grazed her fingers over his smooth stomach. Christian peeked one eye open to see Satine gazing lovingly at him. When she saw that he was awake, she buried her face in his neck and planted tender kisses along his throat. "Thank you for last night," Satine whispered.
Christian laughed, "oh, but the pleasure was all mine, darling." He took one of her flaming orange curls and twirled it around his finger. "But if you don't mind me asking, why are we up so early?"
Satine sighed and propped herself up on her elbows, "because I wanted a little more time just for us. We won't get too much of that this next week. Things will be so crazy around here, what with a house full of 'bohos'," Satine laughed. "And besides, I love these mornings we have together, alone."
Christian nuzzled her cheek and whispered, "mmm, me too. And just think, once we get married, every morning will be like this."
Satine's mouth curled into a smile just thinking about the prospect of she and Christian living under their own roof and living life as they wanted to. Satine laid her head on top of Christian's chest and he wrapped the sheets around them, tighter. They fell into a trance as Christian gently combed his fingers through Satine's hair and she lost herself in the rhythm of Christian's steady breathing.
All of a sudden, Satine's bird let out small chirp that caught Satine's attention. She pulled herself out of bed and let her bare feet adjust to the cool, wooden floor. Christian watched in amusement as Satine got the bird out of it's cage. "What is it cherub? Does Mummy need to get you some more food?" Satine cooed at the bright golden bird. It sat proudly on her finger as Satine walked over to the bottom drawer of her vanity, where she kept a tiny bag of birdseed. Satine took a handful of the seed and poured it into her bird's dish at the side of the cage. "There you go," she said as her bird began to happily hop around and eat it's food.
"She certainly has kept quiet, I almost forgot that you were keeping her in here," Christian said.
"That's because my angel is a good little girl," Satine replied, wiggling her finger at the little ball of fluffy yellow feathers.
Satine turned around when she heard Christian laughing, "what?" Satine asked defensively, but couldn't help but have a delighted sparkle in her eyes.
"You," Christian whispered and pulled Satine back into bed with him.
*~*
"Sarah, do you need any help with the dusting?" asked Satine.
Sarah stared at Satine in complete awe, it was the first time any "lady of the house" had offered to help with the cleaning.
"No Miss Satine, that's quite all right. I think I've got it," she replied.
"Thank you Sarah, the house is going to look beautiful," Satine said with a smile.
Sarah nodded a thank you and Satine left the room to go see Christian, who had been writing all afternoon. She picked up her skirts and made her way up the staircase and arrived to find Christian staring at his typewriter, waiting for the perfect piece of poetry to come to him.
"Christian?" Satine asked, breaking his train of thought.
"Yes darling?" he answered, getting up to give her a kiss.
Satine shooed him away, "Christian, not now, I'm a mess," she said, speaking of her disheveled state from running around choosing flowers, approving menus and generally making sure that everything was taken care of.
Christian captured her lips in a passionate kiss and intertwined her clammy hand in his. "You're a gorgeous mess," he teased.
Satine laughed and leaned into Christian's embrace as his lips grazed across her face. But she soon grew tense when she realized a problem in accommodations fore their wedding. She pulled away from him a bit and said, "Christian, we have a bit of a problem…"
Christian looked at her, concerned, "what is it, sweetheart?"
"As of now, you have four guest bedrooms left unused in your house. But we have eight people coming in from Paris, tomorrow." Satine sighed, all this stress of the wedding was being thrown in her face. Satine had decided that being a bride was hard work.
She began to count on her fingers, "Harold and Marie won't mind sleeping in one room, Chocolat can take the room beside yours, The Doctor and Satie can have the room with the two twin beds and then the Argentinean better have the guestroom downstairs in case he goes into one of his Narcoleptic fits in the middle of the night." Satine let out an exasperated breath, "Oh God Christian, that still leaves Babydoll and Toulouse. Now where on earth are they going to sleep?" She was quickly bringing herself into a state of panic.
"Shh, darling, it's going to be all right," Christian said, trying to reassure her. "Listen, Toulouse can sleep on my windowsill, it would fit him just right and you know that he's always been unconventional. And Babydoll can stay with Em in her room. Em will love to have her, it will be just like when she has her friends over for those pajama parties they like to have." He kissed her forehead, "see, problem fixed."
Just as Satine was starting to calm down, Sarah's quaint voice could be heard from downstairs. "Miss Satine, Master Christian, your father wished me to inform you to be in appropriate attire for supper within the hour."
Christian peeked his head out of his bedroom door. "Thank you, Sarah. But what's the occasion?" he asked.
"Oh yes, Mrs. Wilesly is coming for supper," Sarah answered.
Satine had been listening to this and when she heard the news that she would be spending the evening with that wretched woman after everything she had been through today, she released her anger in a frustrated scream.
Sarah looked up the staircase quizzically and Christian turned around to see Satine, startled of what she had done, quickly smooth out her skirts, put on a plastic smile and said through gritted teeth, "why, thank you for informing us, Sarah. Now, I must go make myself presentable. I mustn't have Mrs. Wilesly see me in such an unkempt manner." She nodded a farewell to Sarah and started her way down the hall, towards her room.
"Darling, are you all right?" Christian asked, still a bit overwhelmed by Satine's outburst.
"What? Me? Oh yes, perfect," she said. "Everything is just perfect."
*~*
"Honestly Emily, you must improve your posture," Mrs. Wilesly lectured at the dinner table.
Emily mumbled something into her salad and stabbed a piece of cucumber, pretending that it was the old hag's head.
"So Satine," Mrs. Wilesly began. "You're wedding is coming up and since you haven't a father to speak of, who will be giving you away at your wedding?"
"Well, my friend Chocolat, from Paris, he always took such good care of me and we had a very close relationship-"
"What kind of a name is Chocolat?" Mrs. Wilesly interrupted. "Sounds like the name of some urchin at the Moulin Rouge."
Satine ignored the witch's comment and went on about her friend, "I met him when I was a young girl and we've always been wonderful friends. We nicknamed him Chocolat for the beautiful tone of his skin. Dark, just like cocoa…" She smiled at the thought of her friend.
"Excuse me? You expect to have a colored person at your wedding? And to give you away, no less. Despicable," Mrs. Wilesly snorted.
Satine sat, fighting back tears at the dinner table. Christian saw how upset she was and glared at the old woman, "Mrs. Wilesly, if I remember correctly, this isn't your wedding. Satine should have whoever she wants in the wedding party."
"Not if she's going to have some, some dark skinned heathen in attendance!" She snapped.
"That's enough!" roared The Father who slammed his fork and knife to the table. "I have had it up to here with your bickering!"
Mrs. Wilesly sent an "I told you so" glance towards Emily, Christian and Satine.
"Get out of this house Mrs. Wilesly!" he yelled.
"Ex-excuse me?" she stammered.
"I will not have narrow minded, bigoted people in my house! Leave, I don't want you around myself or my family any longer," The Father demanded.
Mrs. Wilesly stood up, trying to keep any dignity she had left. She snatched her mink from Sarah and stormed out of the house.
Everyone jerked as the front door slammed behind her. After a few moments of awkward silence, The Father calmly picked up his silverware and continued with his meal. "So Satine, tell me more of these friends of yours coming in from Paris."
*~*
The next day, Satine stood nervously tapping her foot in the center of the train station. "Christian, do you think something's gone wrong?" Satine asked, grabbing Christian's watch. "What if something happened? What if they got on the wrong train?" She paused for a moment, "Christian! What if they forgot?"
Christian smiled, "Satine, we've only been here for fifteen minutes. The train is probably just running a little late." He waited to continue as the loud sound of a passing train's whistle wailed. "Now darling, you're going to have to calm down, everything will be all right."
"But Christian, I just want the wedding to be perfect," she sighed.
"Satine, everything will be perfect, because you'll be there and we'll be getting married. You're doing a wonderful job, I'm sure things will be simply 'spectacular, spectacular'."
Satine giggled and wove Christian's fingers with hers. "I'm so excited about this," she whispered.
Before Christian could respond, a train came rolling into the station and it's wheels screeched to a stop. In a matter of minutes, weary travelers came piling out of the train with their luggage. Christian and Satine craned their necks to find their group of bohemians.
Just then, the familiar sound of hobbling with a cane came from behind them. Christian's lips curled into a smile as he heard a small voice call out, "Cwistian!!!"