Disclaimer: All MR characters, situations, etc. belong to the all powerful BAZ!
ALL HAIL BAZ!! LONG LIVE BAZ!! *cough cough* Ok…Somewhere in Time belongs to…wait…who made that movie?? Oh well, we all know it wasn't me! I am just borrowing someone else's ideas…no creativity here! No sir!
((Chapter 5))
Christian awoke to the sound of a loud siren. It was dark as he opened his eyes, yet he squinted from the pain he felt darting behind them. Groggily he sat up, still on the bed in his flat. As his vision started to clear, Christian saw that it was not the same room anymore. No more sheets and blankets, no more red chair, no more typewriter, no more 1899. He slowly stood, his head still swimming with the events of the last 24 hours. He stumbled over to the window and upon looking out, a sob escaped his raw throat. The bird cage was hanging from the same rusted hook he had placed it on. He was back in 2003. He sank to the floor, crying loudly, wrapping his arms around his knees as he curled himself into a tight ball.
"Why…what did I do…why is this happening to me?" He thought of Satine, her soft kiss and velvet voice. He thought of his day in the past, it's perfection, how he had felt so right. "It wasn't a dream…no, no, no…" He sobbed, rocking himself. Suddenly a surge of anger coursed through him. He stood and marched back to the bed, shoving the book roughly off the bed, sending it into a dusty corner. He laid down, the bed groaning under his sudden pounce. He closed his eyes tightly and clenched his fists.
"1899...your in 1899...believe it…your in 1899." He kept chanting it over and over again, but after 15 minutes passed, Christian opened his eyes to find his surroundings unchanged. "NNNOOOOO!!!!" He screamed, hot fresh tears streaming down his cheeks. He laid on the bed, angry and devastated. He cried for hours, until his lungs felt on fire and his eyes stung, swollen and tight from his tears. Slowly rising, he walked out of the door, not looking back over his shoulder at the window, knowing what he would see. Out on the street, he took alleys and back streets out of Montmartre, not wanting to see the Moulin Rouge. Arriving back at his dorm room there was a note on his door.
"Hope you aren't to busy skipping your classes to join us for pizza tonight. Harry" Christian crumpled up the paper and walked into his room, throwing it into the waste basket. Reaching into his pocket he laid the pocket watch on the metal box. He removed the clothes he had been wearing and tossed them into the cardboard box. After slipping on some pajama bottoms he gathered all the items from the metal box, including Satine's picture, and buried it down into the pile of old clothes. He closed the box, stuffing it far back in his closet, then slammed the door shut. Moving to his bed and climbing in, Christian cried himself to sleep.
The next few days Christian stayed in bed, not wanting anything to do with his life. His friends all thought he was truly sick. They would stop by and try to get him to eat, drink, anything. Christian seemed to be suffering from a fever, at times sweating heavily and shouting out a name that no one knew. Harry finally suggested calling for a doctor and everyone else agreed. After the evaluation, the doctor entered the hall where Christian's four friends waited.
"He's fine, nothing wrong with him physically, besides a bit of malnourishment and dehydration." The doctor's English was difficult to interpret because of his accent. "If you cannot get him to at least drink something over the next 24hours call me, we might need to admit him for a psycho-analysis." Nina thanked the doctor for coming as Tal entered Christians room. He shut the door quietly behind him and approached his friends bedside.
Christian was sleeping, yet appeared to be having a bad dream. Tal placed his hand on Christian's forehead, whispering quietly.
"Please, Christian, it's only a dream. Wake up and come back to us." Tal closed his eyes and stood quiet for a moment. Christian seemed to settle down, his movements ceasing. Tal sighed and turned, walking over to a nearby chair.
"Was it all a dream?" Christians voice was weak and soft. Tal spun around, his eyes wide. Christian was looking at him, a sad look on his face. Tal nodded, walking back over to the bed.
"Of course, but your back now. Everything will be fine." Tal smiled down at Christian, noticing the tears forming in his eyes.
"It was all a dream." Christian whispered.
"Chris?" Harry, Rick and Nina had entered the room. Christian looked from face to face, seeing the concern that was etched there. He managed a weak smile.
"So I missed pizza night huh?" Harry began to chuckle at Christians words and soon all of them were laughing, happy that Christian was with them again.
The weekend passed and on Monday morning, Christian returned to his classes. He tried hard not to think of his 'dream' and he never told anyone of his foolish trips to the building across from the Moulin Rouge. Over the next few weeks, things became easier. He spent most of his time with Rick and Nina. Tal and Harry were off with their girls, but occasionally all 7 of them would go out for a night on the town. Christian abandoned the play he was working on and focused on school, deciding to go into journalism, perhaps join a newspaper part time back home.
The summer was passing quickly, soon it would be time to go home. With two weeks to go, Christian began to pack up some small items that he would no longer need. Opening his closet he pulled pants and shirts up off the floor. Picking up a small box, it spilled onto the floor, papers falling everywhere. He sighed and sunk to his knees. He began to pile the papers back into the box, not caring if they were in any kind of order. Spotting some that had slid into his closet he crawled after them. Mumbling to himself about being a klutz, he saw one last sheet of white, peeking at him from beside a large cardboard box. He stopped, looking at the box, knowing what laid inside. He hadn't thought about it's contents for over a month. He sat down in his closet, crossing his legs and reached out, sliding the box towards him. Should he open it, he thought? Should he bring it home with him? Shaking the thought from his head, Christian stood, knowing what to do with the box.
Christian stepped into the room holding the cardboard box in his arms. He had almost asked Tal or Rick to come with, scared of what might happen to him. But then he would have to explain everything, open up the memories, and he wasn't sure he was strong enough to do that yet. He looked around the apartment. Things hadn't really changed since he had been gone. A bit more dust here, some scattered leaves on the floor. He walked to the bed, setting the box on top of it. Smiling sadly, he knew that this is where these things belonged now. Feeling a soft breeze from the window, Christian walked over to it. He must have left it open after last time…Christian paused in his thought. He didn't want to revisit the past. He had been so silly. Looking up at the birdcage that swung lightly outside the window, he reached out, touching it's rusted metal. A tear rolled down his cheek as he gathered his strength to leave. Turning, something white caught his eye in the corner of the room. He walked over and knelt, only to find his book on time travel, covered in dust on the floor. He chuckled as he picked it up, moving to the bed and wiping off the soot. He had delusion himself so far as to think I was possible. Sitting down he opened the book to the chapter he had left off on. There was a warning at the bottom of the page.
"Those that believe in the possibility of time travel also believe that disturbing past events can cause great stress in the future." Christian settled back reading further, smiling. He had the rest of the afternoon off, might as well finish the book and then leave it with the box. "In order for time travel to be successful, not only does the mind need to be convinced of it's surroundings, but there should be nothing to remind it of the future or else the time travel will be interrupted." Christian paused, something tugging at his memory. He knew he shouldn't indulge himself but he felt it was important to figure out what had happened that night, months ago. "If any physical object, large or small, is brought with the time traveler from the future, it could cause an interruption in the belief process, causing immediate travel back to the present." Christian held his breath, knowing he was close to something, ready to remember it, ready…
"The book…" Christian gasped, looking at the cover. "I had it with me when I fell asleep, it was the under the covers when I…" He stood, dropping the book onto the bed, "when I…blacked out. That's it! I only returned here because of the book!!" Christian's voice rose in excitement. He rushed over to the box and dug through the clothes to find the metal box, opening it, expecting to find Satine's picture there. But in it's place was marriage photo, Satine and the Duke, side by side. In anger, Christian flung the back of the frame off and looked at the writing on the back of the picture. His poem was no longer there.
"Why did he not return?" was written in dark ink. Dropping the picture, he rummaged through the box for a piece of newspaper, Satine's obituary. It read different also. She had married the Duke and lived a solitary life. They never had children, never traveled, never opened their home to lost children and young women. She died much earlier too, a mere 48 years compared to before. Christian saw the tears wet the newspaper before he realized he was crying. He had to do something, he had to fix what he had done. He gathered up everything and returned to his dorm room, readying himself for one last trip.
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Christian stood looking at himself in the mirror, admiring how he looked in the tux he had chosen to wear. He packed the black satchel carefully, making sure there was nothing from the present hidden at the bottom. The remainder of the clothing fit inside along with the shoes and hat. He placed the watch in his pocket along with the remainder of the old French money. He debated on whether or not to bring the picture of Satine, but decided against it. Even though it was from the past to him, it would still be something of the future to them. He took only enough money to pay for a cab, thinking he would just give away the extra as a tip. Looking over his room, he smiled as his eyes fell on his book about time travel. He had read the same chapters over and over, so he would know what to do.
The cab ride to Monmartre seemed long, but Christian's mind was racing. Would he stay in the past? Was he supposed to only fix what he had messed up? Will his friends remember him? Will he cease to exist? What about his parents? As the cab pulled away, Christian made his way to the side of the building and climbed up the fire escape. He moved through the darkness, the halls and rooms now familiar to him. Entering his flat, he placed his satchel on the floor and walked to the bed. This is it, he thought.
"I'm coming back to you Satine" he whispered. He lay down, smiling softly. He had decided to return the evening of the third day when he had gone, to surprise her as she finished her rehearsals. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. He thought of the clothes he was wearing, how they fitted him perfectly, but why wouldn't they? He had bought them just for him before he moved to Paris. He thought of his friends that lived above him, he could almost hear their arguments and singing. He chuckled as he imagined his day, the café, the sounds and smells. Then she came into view. Christians heart almost leapt out of his chest, her beauty surrounding him light a white light. She saw him and smiled, waving, laughing. She ran to him, kissing him softly.
"Satine…Satine…" He mumbled, over and over. She laughed at him, touching his cheek. He took her hand in his and kissed it. "Satine…"
"Ahhh…Christian?" Satine's voice had dropped, a confused look on her face as he reached for her. Suddenly she slapped him across the face. Christian sat up, stunned by the stinging he felt. Toulouse was sitting on his bed, a strange look on his face. One of his friends was laughing at the two of them.
"I am sorry friend, but you were dreaming that I was…well I wasn't going to let it continue." Toulouse was rubbing his hand, apparently the one that had put Christian in his place. Christian realized that he had been successful in returning and began to chuckle, still rubbing his sore cheek.
"No worries Toulouse, I guess I deserved it." Christian laughed harder now, overjoyed that he had returned. He stood and moved to the window, looking down on the streets of Monmartre, 1899. All the worries he had were gone, all the questions didn't matter. He only knew of one thing he wanted.
"Where have you been these past few days? We have been looking for you." Toulouse had moved to Christian's typewriter and was looking at the blank paper. "You have no writing?" Christian turned, a huge smile on his face.
"I had to leave, to get some things, but I'm back for good now, and I must go!" Christian grabbed his top hat and headed for the door.
"Where are you going dressed up like that?" Toulouse watched him walk down the hall.
"To find a diamond!" Christian hollered over his shoulder, disappearing from sight.
He crossed the street and entered the crowded Moulin Rouge. Everyone was buying tickets for the opening night performance of the play Satine was going to be in. He smiled at the thought of her. For two days she would be his, they would go about Paris, not being watched by that Duke. He slid past the crowd and into the courtyard, wondering where to look for her first. As if on cue, Satine walked out of the main hall, dressed in a midnight blue, sequined gown, and a huge, multi-diamond necklace around her neck. It must be for the play, he thought to himself.
"Satine!" he shouted to her, waving and walking quickly to where she was. When she saw who had called her name, she froze. The polite smile she had had on for rehearsals left her face.
"Satine," Christian stopped a few feet from her, smiling from ear to ear, "I have missed you so much. Are you done with rehearsals until opening night?" Satine lowered her eyes, her voice cold as she answered.
"Yes, but I am very tired. Will you excuse me?" She moved away from him, towards the elephant. Christian stood, shocked from her stance. What had happened? What was wrong? He turned, determined to find out. He followed her as she disappeared up the stairs into the elephant. Her door was closed but he entered anyway, fear and anger mixing with adrenaline. She gasped as he entered suddenly. She was holding the bird cage in her hands, looking in at the canary that sang back to her. Satine's eyes showed sadness, but no fear as she moved to hang the cage in it's place.
"You have to go Christian…" She began to move towards him, her arms outstretched, shooing him away.
"What's wrong? What's the matter?" He began his questions, hurt at her gestures.
"I don't expect you to understand, but you must leave." She refused to look into his eyes, she only continued to move towards the door. Christian grabbed her wrist, holding it loosely. She didn't try to pull away. "Please Christian…"
"What about the other night? Did I miss your message? Did you tell me not to come tonight?" Christian struggled with his emotions. "I know we only met awhile ago but…I know you, somehow…and I know you feel this too…please…" Satine turned and looked at him, tears in her eyes, anger hidden behind them.
"Who are you? Who do you think you are? You come into my life, suddenly, demanding my time, playing with my emotions. And I fall for it!" She pulled her wrist away her voice shaking. "I've worked hard to get where I am, I don't want to even mention half of the things that lie in my past! And I am here Christian! I have arrived!" Satine now grabbed Christian's wrist, pulling him to the window at the head of the elephant. "See all those people? They are lined up to buy tickets to see me! And you want to take me away from this? Distract me long enough to fall in love and run away?" She released him and moved away, not facing him. Christian stood, stunned at her words, he would never try to make her do something she didn't want to. Satine wrapped her arms around her body, her crying soft, causing her shoulders to tremble. "He told me you'd come some day. That you'd be the one." Satine spoke calmly, soft words flowing out of her swollen lips.
"Who?" Christian stepped towards her, wanting to scoop her into his arms, hold her until she stopped crying. "Who told you?" Satine turned, looking into his sad eyes with her own.
"The Duke. He told me that one day a man would come and try to make me leave him and everything I had worked for. I knew it was you, the moment I saw you step into the sun that day. Your eyes, your smile, I have seen them in so many dreams." Christian moved closer, reaching up to wipe away her tears. She never took her eyes away from his. "But as much as I swore to him that it would never happen, as much as I believed that I was strong enough to go without love, without someone, I knew when I saw you that it was all lies." Satine tears began to subside as Christian ran his fingers down her cheek.
"That's why you asked me if I was the one?" Christians voice was soft, sadness for her overcoming his heart. What else had the Duke forced her to believe? Satine nodded yes. "My love, there is part of the story that the Duke had confused." Christian smiled and gazed into Satine's eyes. "The man that would come for you would love you so intensely that he would never think of making you do anything you didn't want to do. That he…" Christian paused, cupping Satine's face gently in his hands. "…that I will love you no matter what, come what may." Satine's tears began again, but this time a smile covered her face. She leaned forward, embracing him.
"Never knew I could feel like this…" Satine whispered into Christians ear. He smiled, moving to kiss her softly, her lips warm against his. She tightened her arms around him, deepening the kiss. They stood, letting their kiss last, letting it wash away the anger and sadness, letting it bond them together. As it ended, Satine looked away from Christian's face, blushing softly. Christian chuckled.
"I know my kisses can't be that good, I have so little experience…" Satine smiled, continuing to look away.
"They are spectacular Christian, they make me feel…like it's the first kiss I've ever had. There have been no kisses until yours," She finally looked at him, "I want to vanish inside them." Christian was now the one to blush, smiling at her, holding her close. Satine pulled away, holding his hand and moving him into the room, away from the window. Christian followed, entranced by the love he had found, finally at peace in his own skin, with his soul.
But there was someone watching from below, someone unhappy with what he had just seen. The roses in his hand had long since been thrown to the ground. The Duke glared up at the now empty window, his jealousy raging. He stayed beneath the window, waiting for the boy to leave so he could reinforce their last meeting. After many hours had passed, the Duke saw the lights begin to turn off. One by one the room became darker, as did the Duke's thoughts. When only one light remained on, the Duke turned and left, knowing he would return for his Satine, he would have it no other way.
"Will you stay? I…" Satine stood from where they had been sitting, talking about their dreams, their lives. "I don't mean to…um…I just don't want to…" Christian stood taking her hand in his, smiling as he understood.
" I don't want to be without you either, yes, I'll stay. He began to look around the room, walking to an overstuffed chair and removing the pillows piled on top. He sat down and bounced up and down in the chair, smiling up at Satine.
"Nice and comfy." he stated, chuckling. Satine giggled and moved to get a blanket, draping it over him. He grabbed her hand and kissed it lightly. She smiled and sat down in his lap, kissing him softly.
"What are you doing over the next two days?" She asked him, her voice low, relaxed.
"Well, I thought I'd spend it with this girl I know, I want to know everything about her, absolutely everything, and I thought she might want to tell me everything over the next two days soooo…" He began to tickle her sides as she squealed and stood, pushing his hands away.
"If you treat her like that she may keep some secrets form you!" She laughed and moved behind her dressing screen. Resisting the temptation to watch her silhouette, Christian turned his head, looking out of the front window at the dark sky. She cleared her throat as she stood next to her bed, dressed in a long plain white sleeping gown. She smiled slyly then giggled as she crawled into bed. Turning off the light on her nightstand she smiled to herself, content for the first time in her life.
"Christian?" Satine called for him after a few silent minutes had passed.
"Yes?" He answered back quietly.
"Would you…would you mind sleeping next to me? Just to be able to wake up next to you?" Her voice was soft, no hidden tones, only honesty. Christian smiled and stood, without saying a word he walked to the bed, carrying his blanket. He sat down and removed his shoes, then his coat. Laying down on top of her sheets, he covered himself with his blanket.
"Goodnight Christian" Satine sighed softly.
"Goodnight Satine" Christian fell asleep quickly, a smile still on his face.
ALL HAIL BAZ!! LONG LIVE BAZ!! *cough cough* Ok…Somewhere in Time belongs to…wait…who made that movie?? Oh well, we all know it wasn't me! I am just borrowing someone else's ideas…no creativity here! No sir!
((Chapter 5))
Christian awoke to the sound of a loud siren. It was dark as he opened his eyes, yet he squinted from the pain he felt darting behind them. Groggily he sat up, still on the bed in his flat. As his vision started to clear, Christian saw that it was not the same room anymore. No more sheets and blankets, no more red chair, no more typewriter, no more 1899. He slowly stood, his head still swimming with the events of the last 24 hours. He stumbled over to the window and upon looking out, a sob escaped his raw throat. The bird cage was hanging from the same rusted hook he had placed it on. He was back in 2003. He sank to the floor, crying loudly, wrapping his arms around his knees as he curled himself into a tight ball.
"Why…what did I do…why is this happening to me?" He thought of Satine, her soft kiss and velvet voice. He thought of his day in the past, it's perfection, how he had felt so right. "It wasn't a dream…no, no, no…" He sobbed, rocking himself. Suddenly a surge of anger coursed through him. He stood and marched back to the bed, shoving the book roughly off the bed, sending it into a dusty corner. He laid down, the bed groaning under his sudden pounce. He closed his eyes tightly and clenched his fists.
"1899...your in 1899...believe it…your in 1899." He kept chanting it over and over again, but after 15 minutes passed, Christian opened his eyes to find his surroundings unchanged. "NNNOOOOO!!!!" He screamed, hot fresh tears streaming down his cheeks. He laid on the bed, angry and devastated. He cried for hours, until his lungs felt on fire and his eyes stung, swollen and tight from his tears. Slowly rising, he walked out of the door, not looking back over his shoulder at the window, knowing what he would see. Out on the street, he took alleys and back streets out of Montmartre, not wanting to see the Moulin Rouge. Arriving back at his dorm room there was a note on his door.
"Hope you aren't to busy skipping your classes to join us for pizza tonight. Harry" Christian crumpled up the paper and walked into his room, throwing it into the waste basket. Reaching into his pocket he laid the pocket watch on the metal box. He removed the clothes he had been wearing and tossed them into the cardboard box. After slipping on some pajama bottoms he gathered all the items from the metal box, including Satine's picture, and buried it down into the pile of old clothes. He closed the box, stuffing it far back in his closet, then slammed the door shut. Moving to his bed and climbing in, Christian cried himself to sleep.
The next few days Christian stayed in bed, not wanting anything to do with his life. His friends all thought he was truly sick. They would stop by and try to get him to eat, drink, anything. Christian seemed to be suffering from a fever, at times sweating heavily and shouting out a name that no one knew. Harry finally suggested calling for a doctor and everyone else agreed. After the evaluation, the doctor entered the hall where Christian's four friends waited.
"He's fine, nothing wrong with him physically, besides a bit of malnourishment and dehydration." The doctor's English was difficult to interpret because of his accent. "If you cannot get him to at least drink something over the next 24hours call me, we might need to admit him for a psycho-analysis." Nina thanked the doctor for coming as Tal entered Christians room. He shut the door quietly behind him and approached his friends bedside.
Christian was sleeping, yet appeared to be having a bad dream. Tal placed his hand on Christian's forehead, whispering quietly.
"Please, Christian, it's only a dream. Wake up and come back to us." Tal closed his eyes and stood quiet for a moment. Christian seemed to settle down, his movements ceasing. Tal sighed and turned, walking over to a nearby chair.
"Was it all a dream?" Christians voice was weak and soft. Tal spun around, his eyes wide. Christian was looking at him, a sad look on his face. Tal nodded, walking back over to the bed.
"Of course, but your back now. Everything will be fine." Tal smiled down at Christian, noticing the tears forming in his eyes.
"It was all a dream." Christian whispered.
"Chris?" Harry, Rick and Nina had entered the room. Christian looked from face to face, seeing the concern that was etched there. He managed a weak smile.
"So I missed pizza night huh?" Harry began to chuckle at Christians words and soon all of them were laughing, happy that Christian was with them again.
The weekend passed and on Monday morning, Christian returned to his classes. He tried hard not to think of his 'dream' and he never told anyone of his foolish trips to the building across from the Moulin Rouge. Over the next few weeks, things became easier. He spent most of his time with Rick and Nina. Tal and Harry were off with their girls, but occasionally all 7 of them would go out for a night on the town. Christian abandoned the play he was working on and focused on school, deciding to go into journalism, perhaps join a newspaper part time back home.
The summer was passing quickly, soon it would be time to go home. With two weeks to go, Christian began to pack up some small items that he would no longer need. Opening his closet he pulled pants and shirts up off the floor. Picking up a small box, it spilled onto the floor, papers falling everywhere. He sighed and sunk to his knees. He began to pile the papers back into the box, not caring if they were in any kind of order. Spotting some that had slid into his closet he crawled after them. Mumbling to himself about being a klutz, he saw one last sheet of white, peeking at him from beside a large cardboard box. He stopped, looking at the box, knowing what laid inside. He hadn't thought about it's contents for over a month. He sat down in his closet, crossing his legs and reached out, sliding the box towards him. Should he open it, he thought? Should he bring it home with him? Shaking the thought from his head, Christian stood, knowing what to do with the box.
Christian stepped into the room holding the cardboard box in his arms. He had almost asked Tal or Rick to come with, scared of what might happen to him. But then he would have to explain everything, open up the memories, and he wasn't sure he was strong enough to do that yet. He looked around the apartment. Things hadn't really changed since he had been gone. A bit more dust here, some scattered leaves on the floor. He walked to the bed, setting the box on top of it. Smiling sadly, he knew that this is where these things belonged now. Feeling a soft breeze from the window, Christian walked over to it. He must have left it open after last time…Christian paused in his thought. He didn't want to revisit the past. He had been so silly. Looking up at the birdcage that swung lightly outside the window, he reached out, touching it's rusted metal. A tear rolled down his cheek as he gathered his strength to leave. Turning, something white caught his eye in the corner of the room. He walked over and knelt, only to find his book on time travel, covered in dust on the floor. He chuckled as he picked it up, moving to the bed and wiping off the soot. He had delusion himself so far as to think I was possible. Sitting down he opened the book to the chapter he had left off on. There was a warning at the bottom of the page.
"Those that believe in the possibility of time travel also believe that disturbing past events can cause great stress in the future." Christian settled back reading further, smiling. He had the rest of the afternoon off, might as well finish the book and then leave it with the box. "In order for time travel to be successful, not only does the mind need to be convinced of it's surroundings, but there should be nothing to remind it of the future or else the time travel will be interrupted." Christian paused, something tugging at his memory. He knew he shouldn't indulge himself but he felt it was important to figure out what had happened that night, months ago. "If any physical object, large or small, is brought with the time traveler from the future, it could cause an interruption in the belief process, causing immediate travel back to the present." Christian held his breath, knowing he was close to something, ready to remember it, ready…
"The book…" Christian gasped, looking at the cover. "I had it with me when I fell asleep, it was the under the covers when I…" He stood, dropping the book onto the bed, "when I…blacked out. That's it! I only returned here because of the book!!" Christian's voice rose in excitement. He rushed over to the box and dug through the clothes to find the metal box, opening it, expecting to find Satine's picture there. But in it's place was marriage photo, Satine and the Duke, side by side. In anger, Christian flung the back of the frame off and looked at the writing on the back of the picture. His poem was no longer there.
"Why did he not return?" was written in dark ink. Dropping the picture, he rummaged through the box for a piece of newspaper, Satine's obituary. It read different also. She had married the Duke and lived a solitary life. They never had children, never traveled, never opened their home to lost children and young women. She died much earlier too, a mere 48 years compared to before. Christian saw the tears wet the newspaper before he realized he was crying. He had to do something, he had to fix what he had done. He gathered up everything and returned to his dorm room, readying himself for one last trip.
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Christian stood looking at himself in the mirror, admiring how he looked in the tux he had chosen to wear. He packed the black satchel carefully, making sure there was nothing from the present hidden at the bottom. The remainder of the clothing fit inside along with the shoes and hat. He placed the watch in his pocket along with the remainder of the old French money. He debated on whether or not to bring the picture of Satine, but decided against it. Even though it was from the past to him, it would still be something of the future to them. He took only enough money to pay for a cab, thinking he would just give away the extra as a tip. Looking over his room, he smiled as his eyes fell on his book about time travel. He had read the same chapters over and over, so he would know what to do.
The cab ride to Monmartre seemed long, but Christian's mind was racing. Would he stay in the past? Was he supposed to only fix what he had messed up? Will his friends remember him? Will he cease to exist? What about his parents? As the cab pulled away, Christian made his way to the side of the building and climbed up the fire escape. He moved through the darkness, the halls and rooms now familiar to him. Entering his flat, he placed his satchel on the floor and walked to the bed. This is it, he thought.
"I'm coming back to you Satine" he whispered. He lay down, smiling softly. He had decided to return the evening of the third day when he had gone, to surprise her as she finished her rehearsals. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. He thought of the clothes he was wearing, how they fitted him perfectly, but why wouldn't they? He had bought them just for him before he moved to Paris. He thought of his friends that lived above him, he could almost hear their arguments and singing. He chuckled as he imagined his day, the café, the sounds and smells. Then she came into view. Christians heart almost leapt out of his chest, her beauty surrounding him light a white light. She saw him and smiled, waving, laughing. She ran to him, kissing him softly.
"Satine…Satine…" He mumbled, over and over. She laughed at him, touching his cheek. He took her hand in his and kissed it. "Satine…"
"Ahhh…Christian?" Satine's voice had dropped, a confused look on her face as he reached for her. Suddenly she slapped him across the face. Christian sat up, stunned by the stinging he felt. Toulouse was sitting on his bed, a strange look on his face. One of his friends was laughing at the two of them.
"I am sorry friend, but you were dreaming that I was…well I wasn't going to let it continue." Toulouse was rubbing his hand, apparently the one that had put Christian in his place. Christian realized that he had been successful in returning and began to chuckle, still rubbing his sore cheek.
"No worries Toulouse, I guess I deserved it." Christian laughed harder now, overjoyed that he had returned. He stood and moved to the window, looking down on the streets of Monmartre, 1899. All the worries he had were gone, all the questions didn't matter. He only knew of one thing he wanted.
"Where have you been these past few days? We have been looking for you." Toulouse had moved to Christian's typewriter and was looking at the blank paper. "You have no writing?" Christian turned, a huge smile on his face.
"I had to leave, to get some things, but I'm back for good now, and I must go!" Christian grabbed his top hat and headed for the door.
"Where are you going dressed up like that?" Toulouse watched him walk down the hall.
"To find a diamond!" Christian hollered over his shoulder, disappearing from sight.
He crossed the street and entered the crowded Moulin Rouge. Everyone was buying tickets for the opening night performance of the play Satine was going to be in. He smiled at the thought of her. For two days she would be his, they would go about Paris, not being watched by that Duke. He slid past the crowd and into the courtyard, wondering where to look for her first. As if on cue, Satine walked out of the main hall, dressed in a midnight blue, sequined gown, and a huge, multi-diamond necklace around her neck. It must be for the play, he thought to himself.
"Satine!" he shouted to her, waving and walking quickly to where she was. When she saw who had called her name, she froze. The polite smile she had had on for rehearsals left her face.
"Satine," Christian stopped a few feet from her, smiling from ear to ear, "I have missed you so much. Are you done with rehearsals until opening night?" Satine lowered her eyes, her voice cold as she answered.
"Yes, but I am very tired. Will you excuse me?" She moved away from him, towards the elephant. Christian stood, shocked from her stance. What had happened? What was wrong? He turned, determined to find out. He followed her as she disappeared up the stairs into the elephant. Her door was closed but he entered anyway, fear and anger mixing with adrenaline. She gasped as he entered suddenly. She was holding the bird cage in her hands, looking in at the canary that sang back to her. Satine's eyes showed sadness, but no fear as she moved to hang the cage in it's place.
"You have to go Christian…" She began to move towards him, her arms outstretched, shooing him away.
"What's wrong? What's the matter?" He began his questions, hurt at her gestures.
"I don't expect you to understand, but you must leave." She refused to look into his eyes, she only continued to move towards the door. Christian grabbed her wrist, holding it loosely. She didn't try to pull away. "Please Christian…"
"What about the other night? Did I miss your message? Did you tell me not to come tonight?" Christian struggled with his emotions. "I know we only met awhile ago but…I know you, somehow…and I know you feel this too…please…" Satine turned and looked at him, tears in her eyes, anger hidden behind them.
"Who are you? Who do you think you are? You come into my life, suddenly, demanding my time, playing with my emotions. And I fall for it!" She pulled her wrist away her voice shaking. "I've worked hard to get where I am, I don't want to even mention half of the things that lie in my past! And I am here Christian! I have arrived!" Satine now grabbed Christian's wrist, pulling him to the window at the head of the elephant. "See all those people? They are lined up to buy tickets to see me! And you want to take me away from this? Distract me long enough to fall in love and run away?" She released him and moved away, not facing him. Christian stood, stunned at her words, he would never try to make her do something she didn't want to. Satine wrapped her arms around her body, her crying soft, causing her shoulders to tremble. "He told me you'd come some day. That you'd be the one." Satine spoke calmly, soft words flowing out of her swollen lips.
"Who?" Christian stepped towards her, wanting to scoop her into his arms, hold her until she stopped crying. "Who told you?" Satine turned, looking into his sad eyes with her own.
"The Duke. He told me that one day a man would come and try to make me leave him and everything I had worked for. I knew it was you, the moment I saw you step into the sun that day. Your eyes, your smile, I have seen them in so many dreams." Christian moved closer, reaching up to wipe away her tears. She never took her eyes away from his. "But as much as I swore to him that it would never happen, as much as I believed that I was strong enough to go without love, without someone, I knew when I saw you that it was all lies." Satine tears began to subside as Christian ran his fingers down her cheek.
"That's why you asked me if I was the one?" Christians voice was soft, sadness for her overcoming his heart. What else had the Duke forced her to believe? Satine nodded yes. "My love, there is part of the story that the Duke had confused." Christian smiled and gazed into Satine's eyes. "The man that would come for you would love you so intensely that he would never think of making you do anything you didn't want to do. That he…" Christian paused, cupping Satine's face gently in his hands. "…that I will love you no matter what, come what may." Satine's tears began again, but this time a smile covered her face. She leaned forward, embracing him.
"Never knew I could feel like this…" Satine whispered into Christians ear. He smiled, moving to kiss her softly, her lips warm against his. She tightened her arms around him, deepening the kiss. They stood, letting their kiss last, letting it wash away the anger and sadness, letting it bond them together. As it ended, Satine looked away from Christian's face, blushing softly. Christian chuckled.
"I know my kisses can't be that good, I have so little experience…" Satine smiled, continuing to look away.
"They are spectacular Christian, they make me feel…like it's the first kiss I've ever had. There have been no kisses until yours," She finally looked at him, "I want to vanish inside them." Christian was now the one to blush, smiling at her, holding her close. Satine pulled away, holding his hand and moving him into the room, away from the window. Christian followed, entranced by the love he had found, finally at peace in his own skin, with his soul.
But there was someone watching from below, someone unhappy with what he had just seen. The roses in his hand had long since been thrown to the ground. The Duke glared up at the now empty window, his jealousy raging. He stayed beneath the window, waiting for the boy to leave so he could reinforce their last meeting. After many hours had passed, the Duke saw the lights begin to turn off. One by one the room became darker, as did the Duke's thoughts. When only one light remained on, the Duke turned and left, knowing he would return for his Satine, he would have it no other way.
"Will you stay? I…" Satine stood from where they had been sitting, talking about their dreams, their lives. "I don't mean to…um…I just don't want to…" Christian stood taking her hand in his, smiling as he understood.
" I don't want to be without you either, yes, I'll stay. He began to look around the room, walking to an overstuffed chair and removing the pillows piled on top. He sat down and bounced up and down in the chair, smiling up at Satine.
"Nice and comfy." he stated, chuckling. Satine giggled and moved to get a blanket, draping it over him. He grabbed her hand and kissed it lightly. She smiled and sat down in his lap, kissing him softly.
"What are you doing over the next two days?" She asked him, her voice low, relaxed.
"Well, I thought I'd spend it with this girl I know, I want to know everything about her, absolutely everything, and I thought she might want to tell me everything over the next two days soooo…" He began to tickle her sides as she squealed and stood, pushing his hands away.
"If you treat her like that she may keep some secrets form you!" She laughed and moved behind her dressing screen. Resisting the temptation to watch her silhouette, Christian turned his head, looking out of the front window at the dark sky. She cleared her throat as she stood next to her bed, dressed in a long plain white sleeping gown. She smiled slyly then giggled as she crawled into bed. Turning off the light on her nightstand she smiled to herself, content for the first time in her life.
"Christian?" Satine called for him after a few silent minutes had passed.
"Yes?" He answered back quietly.
"Would you…would you mind sleeping next to me? Just to be able to wake up next to you?" Her voice was soft, no hidden tones, only honesty. Christian smiled and stood, without saying a word he walked to the bed, carrying his blanket. He sat down and removed his shoes, then his coat. Laying down on top of her sheets, he covered himself with his blanket.
"Goodnight Christian" Satine sighed softly.
"Goodnight Satine" Christian fell asleep quickly, a smile still on his face.