Disclaimer: I don't own Moulin Rouge or any of the characters from it. I'm just using them for my own evil purposes. Muaaaaahahahah!

A/N: Wow! This chapter took me a while to write. Well, a while compared to the other ones anyway. Yes, I know I'm the evil Queen of Cliffhangers (something like that) but I was relatively prompt in bringing you this chapter because I'm sure that it is uncomfortable on the edge of your seat. Read and enjoy!

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That voice was so familiar. I wanted to find it's owner and........I quickly shook that thought out of my head. I was hearing voices. I was going crazy and that is all that there was to it. Sad really, what grief can do to people and what it had done to me. I wished that I could have had a glass of Absinthe in my hand, to write my delusions off as simply being drunk instead of insane. C'est la vie. I took two more steps, taking me once again out into the hall.

"Christian?"

The voice came again, making me practically jump out of my skin. It seemed more insistent this time, and I couldn't keep myself from stopping in my tracks. My eyes welled up with tears at the torment that my brain was putting me through. I took a deep breath and rubbed the tears out of my eyes. Crazy or not I had to know; so I turned around.

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The world focused around me as I opened my eyes and saw him walking away. His name flew out of my mouth before my mind could even think about it.

"Christian?" He stopped dead in his tracks and his body stiffened. He looked as if he would turn towards me but at the last second he shook his head as if clearing it and stepped forward. Why hadn't he listened to me?

"Christian?" I said, more urgently this time. If I could help it, he wouldn't leave me here alone. Once again, he stopped and took a deep breath. But this time, he turned around. My breath caught when I saw his appearance. His eyes were red and puffy from crying, and had fresh tears in them, his clothes were wrinkled and his overall appearance disheveled. Christian just stood and looked at me blankly as tears began to stream down his cheeks. He stumbled over towards the bed and fell to his knees when he reached the side of it. His voice was barely louder than a whisper when he spoke, and it seemed as if it hurt him to speak the words.

"Satine?" he whispered, "Satine, is that really you, are you really there?" Christian started choking on his tears, and I just wanted to hold him and make his pain go away. "Is it really you? Because I can't take any more of this pain." He lay his head on the sheets, and I reached out a hand to stroke his hair.

"Yes, Christian" I said, still very weak myself, "I'm here. You don't have to hurt anymore. I promise." He looked up at me and gave a weak smile. The next thing I knew, his lips found mine and we were locked in a passionate kiss. When we finally separated, out of breath, he looked me in the eye and grasped me hand.

"I thought you were dead." He whispered and kissed me on the cheek. I returned his kiss and then some. "So did I."

We lay like that in each other's arms, listening to our own hearts beating for what seemed like hours. Christian kissed my hair, and squeezed my hand.

"Satine?" he asked. I turned around to face him and breathed in the scent of his shirt. "Hmmm..."

"Satine" he asked again, "What happened to you?" I gave him a look of confusion. "What do you mean, Christian?" He sat up in the bed and I leaned into his chest.

"When you were...when we...when I thought you were dead. What happened to you? You obviously didn't take those pills that you mentioned or you wouldn't...you wouldn't be here." Christian looked down at me, and I knew that there was no way of avoiding the question. I closed my eyes and breathed in deeply, stifling back a coughing spell.

"Well..." I began, "You are right about one thing. I didn't take both of the pills" I paused and let out the breath that I had been silently holding. "I took one of them." Christian gave me a look of surprise and I had to turn my head and look away. "I took one, and I guess that it knocked me out. The last thing I remember is after the curtain fell. I...I'm sorry Christian." I turned my head into his shirt and started crying. I couldn't bear to look up at his face; I was so ashamed of my actions. But Christian seemed to not care at all. He pulled me away from his chest and gave me a very worried look.

"Well, are you okay now!" He asked quickly. I smiled and nodded my head softly, but Christian didn't seem to be too persuaded. "Mabie I should get a doctor. You know, just in case." He suggested. "Christian" I began, "I really don't think that's necessary..." But Christian didn't let me finish my sentence. He quickly got up and made himself look more presentable, tucking me under the sheets. I protested and tried to get up and follow him, but Christian insisted that I stay and he would bring the doctor back. He tucked the sheets in around me, kissed me on the forehead, and smoothed back a strand of my hair.

"Be back soon" he whispered, putting on his hat and leaving the room with a huge grin on his face.

I leaned into the pillows and breathed in the scent that was uniquely his. Soon I was off to sleep.

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I awoke from my pleasant sleep coughing painfully. My whole body ached and racked with the coughing. I knew what was coming next and could feel the blood climbing up my throat. Seeing as there was no handkerchief around me, I put the sheets to my mouth to catch the blood. I frantically looked around the room for Christian but he was nowhere in sight. Slowly, the darkness crept in around me and I fell into an unconscious slumber.

~~~~~*~~~~~ ~~~~~*~~~~~ ~~~~~*~~~~~ Christian pulled the doctor quickly towards his garret, ignoring the man's complaints. He just wanted to see her again. Christian had felt bad already about leaving her alone and he couldn't wait to kiss her lips and touch her hair again. He ran up the flights of stairs, directly to his door, with the doctor far behind him. Christian slammed open the door, and stopped where he stood. Satine lay on the bed, with a puddle of blood next to her body. Christian ran towards her, leaving the door open, and cradled her in his arms.

"Help!" he screamed, "Help! Somebody help!"

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The doctor looked over Satine as I sat crumpled in a pile outside of my door. He had been there for almost an hour, and still I hadn't heard a thing. I was beginning to think that the wallpaper pattern I had been staring at was moving. Finally the door opened, and he let me in. Satine was still asleep and laying quietly on the bed when I walked in. The words came out of my mouth before I could consider them.

"Is she going to be okay?" The doctor looked at me solemnly and motioned for me to sit down. I refused and told him whatever he had to tell me, he could tell me standing up. The doctor took a deep breath and began.

"M. James," he began "The good news is that Mlle. Satine has not had any outstanding side effects from the cyanide that she took." Christian let out a breath that he didn't know he had been holding. "Oh thank God." He whispered.

"The bad news is," the doctor continued, "I'm afraid that she is suffering from tuberculosis. That explains her unconsciousness and the blood when I arrived. I'm sorry." Christian decided that he did actually need the chair and he slumped down in it, fighting back tears.

The doctor walked closer to him and pulled out a small bottle. "However, there is something that we can try. This is an experimental drug, which has seemed to suppress the coughing and spitting up of blood in other patients. It should help her and give her more time. I will leave this with you. It's three drops in a glass of water twice a day, if she decides to take it." He handed me the small glass bottle; I grasped it in my hand and paid the doctor. After he left I sat down on the end of the bed and waited.

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"Christian, I want to take it if you want me to. I'll do whatever you say. If the doctor thinks that it will work than it's the best thing for me." I had to smile at her. Satine was willing to do whatever I wanted her to do, and all I wanted was the best for her.

"Satine, I think you should do it if it..." I didn't want to say it, but knew that there was just no way around it, "if it gives us more time together." She just looked at me and started crying.

"Oh, Chris..." I reached down and hugged her, lying down beside Satine. She laid her head on my chest, listening to my heart beating. When she finally fell asleep, I pulled the covers up around us and let myself slip off with her. To a happier time, a happier place, and a happy future. But mainly, I dreamt of a happier us.