Disclaimer: I don't own Moulin Rouge or any of the characters in this
chapter.
A/N: This is the last chapter before I go on vacation for two weeks. Sorry, guys, that's just how it goes. If there are some reviews when I get back I might be moved to put up another chapter immediately. (*hint hint*) Thanks to all who reviewed and happy reading!
"Bang!" Windows slammed open, ironically to the beat of one of the songs from 'Spectacular, Spectacular!'. He had found a way in, a little small, a little out of the way, and a little unorthodox, but it was still a way in. The music of his play flooded Christian's senses, and the reason he was in the building returned to him. He had to know. That's why he had returned, why he had sold his typewriter, gone through the effort and why he would inevitably find her. He had to know. With that in mind, Christian straightened his collar and began weaving his way through the backstage of the Moulin Rouge
Warner, the Dukes manservant, seemed to have noticed his creative entrance and didn't seem to be as enthusiastic about the plan. Christian quickly flattened himself against a wall, behind pulleys and ropes and waited till the man's footsteps passed by.
"All brawn and no brain." He murmured quietly to himself. He looked around for a moment, just to be safe, and continued on his way. Even with the remodeling and drastic change the Moulin had gone through, Christian could still find Satine's dressing room. And after quickly checking to make sure the money was still in his pocket, he did.
Something stopped Christian dead in his tracks. He heard the chanting onstage intensify, broken only by her lovely angelic voice. He could hear her beautiful voice resonate throughout the theatre. It could have carried his mind to better times, when he was still under her spell, but her song was stopped by the sickness taking hold of her. The audience hardly noticed. Regardless of the way Christian now felt about Satine, he stood watching from back stage, transfixed by her song and her beauty. But nothing lasts forever. Hearing the song end and seeing the curtain close, Christian went on his way.
Christian lurked in the shadows of the hallways, hiding when necessary, making his way towards the last hurdle. The final assurance that he needed, to quell the doubt rising up in his mind and wounded heart. He just needed to hear the words from her mouth. His mind wandered off, as he thought of what she would say.
"Christian, I don't love you. I never have and never will. It was all just a game." She would look at him confidently and hold out her hand. "And if you don't mind, I would appreciate payment for the services I have provided."
He would pull the money out of his pocket, hand it to her, she would smile and say, "Pleasure doing business with you." He would walk away hurt, but satisfied that there was no chance; he couldn't get hurt anymore and love really didn't exist. All these things he knew would happen. He hoped would happen, anyway.
Christian was still winding his way through the halls and had to, in his opinion, hide too much. He knew how unwelcome his face was, for whatever reason, and knew he couldn't keep up what he was doing for much longer without being caught. He had to find some way to disguise himself. Christian looked around, but could find nothing suitable to his purposes.
Just then, luck smiled down on him. The Argentinean, dressed in his sitar player costume, happened to fall right at Christian's feet. He looked around, more than a little confused, but shrugged it off, and took advantage of the situation. He hurriedly took the jacket off of the Argentinean and shrugged it on.
With that partial assurance of his safety, Christian walked into the doorway of Satine's dressing room. She had been coughing, he had heard her and he could see the blood on her hand. He noticed how pale and frail she looked. For one second, Christian started to reach out, to help her, hug her, ask her what was wrong, and comfort her. Strong as that urge was, he quickly stifled it. Satine definitely looked surprised to see him.
He put on his best arrogant and face, and made his voice flat and business like.
"I've come to pay my bill." She just looked at him, held her chin up and walked away.
"You shouldn't be here, Christian. Just leave." Christian turned around and was right on her heels. Satine stopped at a wall to catch her breath, but noticing her stalker was on her way again, spurred her. They quickly walked through the halls of the Moulin Rouge, drawing some attention. Christian didn't care. He pulled her roughly towards him and spoke venom towards her.
"You made me believe that you loved me." He looked her up and down. "Why shouldn't I pay you?" He spit out the word 'pay' like it had just stung him in the mouth.
Satine just breathed heavily and her eyes pleaded with him. "Please go, Christian." Marie yelled at them both, saying Satine needed to be on the stage, but the words flew past Christian's ears. Satine kept running towards her entrance and away from Christian. She, however, ran into a slight block when a medal staircase got in the way, allowing Christian to trap her. Satine felt his warm breath on the back of her neck as he spoke to her.
"You did your job so very, very, well." She found her way up the steps and kept going, not really caring where. Just anywhere away from him. But he was relentless.
"Why can't I pay you like everyone else does?!" He yelled at her. Christian wasn't getting the answer he had wanted, and he kept pressing on. Satine was on the verge of tears, and her body was winded from the chase.
"No Christian, there's no point." She panted. "Just leave." By now, a sizable group of backstage crew had noticed the incident and began to follow the pair, but neither noticed. Christian grabbed at Satine, every time her barely managing to get away. A crewmember grabbed Christian in an attempt to slow him down, but the man was quickly shaken off. Satine was whimpering, crying, and trying to escape him.
For Satine saw what no one else did. She saw Warner pointing a gun towards them, and knew what would happen if Christian fail to leave. She turned around and tried to push him back.
"Go, Go, Go......."She murmured to him. Christian just kept shoving the money at her, not listening to a word she said. 'Why won't he let me save him?' Satine thought. Christian was screaming at her, but she kept her back to Warner who was rushing towards them with the gun.
Christian was desperate now. He had to know, and she wouldn't tell him, she wouldn't answer, she wouldn't even take the money!
"Tell me it wasn't real! Tell me you don't love me! Tell me! Tell me you don't love me!" He screamed repeatedly at her. Satine knew he would die soon if something didn't happen. Warner rushed towards them and pointed the gun at Christian's head. "Tell me you don't love me!"
A blazing white light blinded them both, as they realized they had found Satine's entrance. Warner hid behind the set, so he wouldn't be exposed like both of them. 'So close', he silently cursed.
Silence consumed the theatre as the two were exposed to the audience's view. It was certainly a sight to see. The cast was wide-eyed and shocked, Christian had been yelling, Satine was crying and an extremely confused audience tried to figure out what was going on. Everyone looked around hoping a solution would present itself. Zidler took the initiative.
"Ha Ha Ha!" the audience couldn't figure out what was so funny, so he continued. "I am not fooled! Though he has shaved off his beard and adopted a disguise, mine eyes do not lie. For it is he, the same penniless sitar player." The audience appeared to have gotten it, they laughed, and the cast breathed a sigh of relief. "Driven mad by jealousy." He continued. Their reaction changed to pity.
Christian eyed the Duke, and remembered is purpose. He was going to make sure that Satine got the message. Christian drug her down the stairs and let go of her hand, flinging her onto the ground.
"This woman is yours now." The audience may have thought that the sitar player was just projecting to them, but everyone else knew exactly who he was talking to. Christian flung the money at her and continued. "I've paid my whore."
Christian could hardly keep himself from crying, as he looked down at Satine and spoke to her and her alone.
"I owe you nothing." He paused, "And you are nothing to me." The tears forced their way into his vision and his voice. He knew this was the last thing he had to do.
"Thank you for curing me of my ridiculous obsession with love." His emotions were so strong now, that he barely made it through the sentence. Christian couldn't bear to see her. To see her damaged and hurt, regardless of what she had done to him. He started walking. Across the landing, down the steps, onto the main floor.... he was stopped momentarily as he reached the audience. There was a rodent that needed to be taken care of.
Christian glared at the Duke. The one source of all his problems, Satan himself! He would have ripped his heart out, then and there, but decided to leave him be. Satine was pain enough.
So he kept walking. The reality of the situation and what he was turning his back on, never reaching him. 'And he leaves the kingdom forever.' He thought, 'That's how the story really ends.'
A/N: This is the last chapter before I go on vacation for two weeks. Sorry, guys, that's just how it goes. If there are some reviews when I get back I might be moved to put up another chapter immediately. (*hint hint*) Thanks to all who reviewed and happy reading!
"Bang!" Windows slammed open, ironically to the beat of one of the songs from 'Spectacular, Spectacular!'. He had found a way in, a little small, a little out of the way, and a little unorthodox, but it was still a way in. The music of his play flooded Christian's senses, and the reason he was in the building returned to him. He had to know. That's why he had returned, why he had sold his typewriter, gone through the effort and why he would inevitably find her. He had to know. With that in mind, Christian straightened his collar and began weaving his way through the backstage of the Moulin Rouge
Warner, the Dukes manservant, seemed to have noticed his creative entrance and didn't seem to be as enthusiastic about the plan. Christian quickly flattened himself against a wall, behind pulleys and ropes and waited till the man's footsteps passed by.
"All brawn and no brain." He murmured quietly to himself. He looked around for a moment, just to be safe, and continued on his way. Even with the remodeling and drastic change the Moulin had gone through, Christian could still find Satine's dressing room. And after quickly checking to make sure the money was still in his pocket, he did.
Something stopped Christian dead in his tracks. He heard the chanting onstage intensify, broken only by her lovely angelic voice. He could hear her beautiful voice resonate throughout the theatre. It could have carried his mind to better times, when he was still under her spell, but her song was stopped by the sickness taking hold of her. The audience hardly noticed. Regardless of the way Christian now felt about Satine, he stood watching from back stage, transfixed by her song and her beauty. But nothing lasts forever. Hearing the song end and seeing the curtain close, Christian went on his way.
Christian lurked in the shadows of the hallways, hiding when necessary, making his way towards the last hurdle. The final assurance that he needed, to quell the doubt rising up in his mind and wounded heart. He just needed to hear the words from her mouth. His mind wandered off, as he thought of what she would say.
"Christian, I don't love you. I never have and never will. It was all just a game." She would look at him confidently and hold out her hand. "And if you don't mind, I would appreciate payment for the services I have provided."
He would pull the money out of his pocket, hand it to her, she would smile and say, "Pleasure doing business with you." He would walk away hurt, but satisfied that there was no chance; he couldn't get hurt anymore and love really didn't exist. All these things he knew would happen. He hoped would happen, anyway.
Christian was still winding his way through the halls and had to, in his opinion, hide too much. He knew how unwelcome his face was, for whatever reason, and knew he couldn't keep up what he was doing for much longer without being caught. He had to find some way to disguise himself. Christian looked around, but could find nothing suitable to his purposes.
Just then, luck smiled down on him. The Argentinean, dressed in his sitar player costume, happened to fall right at Christian's feet. He looked around, more than a little confused, but shrugged it off, and took advantage of the situation. He hurriedly took the jacket off of the Argentinean and shrugged it on.
With that partial assurance of his safety, Christian walked into the doorway of Satine's dressing room. She had been coughing, he had heard her and he could see the blood on her hand. He noticed how pale and frail she looked. For one second, Christian started to reach out, to help her, hug her, ask her what was wrong, and comfort her. Strong as that urge was, he quickly stifled it. Satine definitely looked surprised to see him.
He put on his best arrogant and face, and made his voice flat and business like.
"I've come to pay my bill." She just looked at him, held her chin up and walked away.
"You shouldn't be here, Christian. Just leave." Christian turned around and was right on her heels. Satine stopped at a wall to catch her breath, but noticing her stalker was on her way again, spurred her. They quickly walked through the halls of the Moulin Rouge, drawing some attention. Christian didn't care. He pulled her roughly towards him and spoke venom towards her.
"You made me believe that you loved me." He looked her up and down. "Why shouldn't I pay you?" He spit out the word 'pay' like it had just stung him in the mouth.
Satine just breathed heavily and her eyes pleaded with him. "Please go, Christian." Marie yelled at them both, saying Satine needed to be on the stage, but the words flew past Christian's ears. Satine kept running towards her entrance and away from Christian. She, however, ran into a slight block when a medal staircase got in the way, allowing Christian to trap her. Satine felt his warm breath on the back of her neck as he spoke to her.
"You did your job so very, very, well." She found her way up the steps and kept going, not really caring where. Just anywhere away from him. But he was relentless.
"Why can't I pay you like everyone else does?!" He yelled at her. Christian wasn't getting the answer he had wanted, and he kept pressing on. Satine was on the verge of tears, and her body was winded from the chase.
"No Christian, there's no point." She panted. "Just leave." By now, a sizable group of backstage crew had noticed the incident and began to follow the pair, but neither noticed. Christian grabbed at Satine, every time her barely managing to get away. A crewmember grabbed Christian in an attempt to slow him down, but the man was quickly shaken off. Satine was whimpering, crying, and trying to escape him.
For Satine saw what no one else did. She saw Warner pointing a gun towards them, and knew what would happen if Christian fail to leave. She turned around and tried to push him back.
"Go, Go, Go......."She murmured to him. Christian just kept shoving the money at her, not listening to a word she said. 'Why won't he let me save him?' Satine thought. Christian was screaming at her, but she kept her back to Warner who was rushing towards them with the gun.
Christian was desperate now. He had to know, and she wouldn't tell him, she wouldn't answer, she wouldn't even take the money!
"Tell me it wasn't real! Tell me you don't love me! Tell me! Tell me you don't love me!" He screamed repeatedly at her. Satine knew he would die soon if something didn't happen. Warner rushed towards them and pointed the gun at Christian's head. "Tell me you don't love me!"
A blazing white light blinded them both, as they realized they had found Satine's entrance. Warner hid behind the set, so he wouldn't be exposed like both of them. 'So close', he silently cursed.
Silence consumed the theatre as the two were exposed to the audience's view. It was certainly a sight to see. The cast was wide-eyed and shocked, Christian had been yelling, Satine was crying and an extremely confused audience tried to figure out what was going on. Everyone looked around hoping a solution would present itself. Zidler took the initiative.
"Ha Ha Ha!" the audience couldn't figure out what was so funny, so he continued. "I am not fooled! Though he has shaved off his beard and adopted a disguise, mine eyes do not lie. For it is he, the same penniless sitar player." The audience appeared to have gotten it, they laughed, and the cast breathed a sigh of relief. "Driven mad by jealousy." He continued. Their reaction changed to pity.
Christian eyed the Duke, and remembered is purpose. He was going to make sure that Satine got the message. Christian drug her down the stairs and let go of her hand, flinging her onto the ground.
"This woman is yours now." The audience may have thought that the sitar player was just projecting to them, but everyone else knew exactly who he was talking to. Christian flung the money at her and continued. "I've paid my whore."
Christian could hardly keep himself from crying, as he looked down at Satine and spoke to her and her alone.
"I owe you nothing." He paused, "And you are nothing to me." The tears forced their way into his vision and his voice. He knew this was the last thing he had to do.
"Thank you for curing me of my ridiculous obsession with love." His emotions were so strong now, that he barely made it through the sentence. Christian couldn't bear to see her. To see her damaged and hurt, regardless of what she had done to him. He started walking. Across the landing, down the steps, onto the main floor.... he was stopped momentarily as he reached the audience. There was a rodent that needed to be taken care of.
Christian glared at the Duke. The one source of all his problems, Satan himself! He would have ripped his heart out, then and there, but decided to leave him be. Satine was pain enough.
So he kept walking. The reality of the situation and what he was turning his back on, never reaching him. 'And he leaves the kingdom forever.' He thought, 'That's how the story really ends.'
