I'm back!! Ok, here is the next chapter, but don't be disappointed. I'm not sure how you people will take this one. And don't hate me!! And if you guys hate it too much, I'll change it. It's all about the public...yeah...
Satine couldn't believe her eyes when she looked at her calendar. Tomorrow was Ryan's birthday. Her little boy would be nine. She sighed. Had it really been that long? she wondered. The last four months had passed by in a blur, now that Christian was in her life. She was happier, and she noticed that Ryan was happier too. Only Marie still seemed worried.
"If you keep seeing him, you are going to get him killed." she had warned once.
Satine had brushed her off, saying she was silly. And she had never thought that anything could happen to them. She laughed to herself. Her life was so perfect now. And she could plan something for her baby's birthday!
She sat down at her table for a moment. A supper! she thought. She and Marie could cook his favorite foods, then he could invite one of his friends over. She smiled. It wasn't much, but she knew that he would love it.
She took a quick trip to the market to pick up some things for Ryan's birthday meal. She would make baked chicken with potatoes, and then she would buy a cake from the bakery Christian had taken them to.
Pushing open the door to her flat, she was aware of Ryan's gaze immediatley. She smiled at him, then sat the basket down on a table. He got up from his chair and began to inspect the contents of the basket. He grinned. "What is all this for?"
Satine smiled back. "Your birthday. I'm making you a special meal for your birthday, and you can invite one of your friends over."
Ryan thought for a moment. "Is Christian coming?"
"No, I thought this would just be a family thing."
Ryan frowned. "Then I want to invite Christian to eat with us."
Satine was quiet for a moment. "You don't want to invite one of your friends?"
Ryan shook his head. "I want Christian to come. What? Don't you want him to come."
"Well, I do...but I thought you would want to bring a friend."
"I want Christian to come."
Satine nodded. "If that's what you want."
"It is."
The next day, Satine was busy checking on the food, with Ryan sitting at the table reading, when someone knocked on her door. Not even bothering to check who it was, she flung the door open.
"It's about time Chris..." she trailed off, shocked. It wasn't Christian. It was the Duke.
He grinned at her and stepped into her home. Ryan's mouth flew open, then he rushed to hide behind a doorjamb. Satine stood at the door, not knowing quite what to do.
The Duke looked around, then looked at her kitchen. "Preparing something special today?"
Satine opened her mouth to speak, but couldn't. The Duke had not come to bother her in five months, why had he decided to come today, of all days? He thoughts went to Christian, who was due to be here at any moment. If the Duke saw him, all hell would break loose.
"What is today?" the Duke asked, turning to her. "What are you making a special supper for?"
She worked her mouth for a moment. "It's...Ryan's birthday."
"Oh?" the Duke said with obviously forced interest. He turned to the child, who was peering past a door. "And how old are you today?"
"Nine." was the answer. Ryan shrunk more behind the door. He knew what a bad man the Duke could be.
There came a sudden knock at the door, and both Ryan and Satine's hearts sank. They knew who it was, and they knew what the Duke's reaction would be. But they could do nothing. Nothing but hope that the Duke would ignore it.
But he didn't, of course. He looked from the door to Ryan, who had crept up behind his mother. "Friend of yours?" he asked. Ryan shook his head no, hoping the Duke wouldn't open the door. "Well, let's see who it is, shall we?" Satine began to shake her head, but the Duke jerked the door open. His face went from that of mere curiosity to rage when he saw the man on the other side.
The other man's face also fell. The smile on Christian's recently shaven face feel to a look of pure fear. He tired to say something, but failed. All he could do was look at Satine and Ryan, who's faces were frozen in dread.
The Duke was shaking from anger now. "You!" he stuttered. "How....how dare you...come here!" He reached inside his coat, and before Christian could think, he was staring down the barrel of a revolver. Satine shrieked. But Ryan, in his fear, had run up to the Duke and tried to push the gun away from Christian. The Duke laughed and pushed the boy to the opposite wall. Satine tried to go to her son, but was stopped by a waver of the revolver in Christian's face.
The Duke turned to her. "Don't. I want to end this now and forever." He turned back to Christian. "Go by the boy," he commanded.
Christian nodded and held his hands up to show that he wouldn't try anything. He slowly edged his way over to Ryan, who had managed to stand up. Christian went to stand beside him, then turned to him. "Alright there, Ryan?" Ryan nodded, wondering why the man with a gun pointed at him was worried about *him*.
The Duke looked down at his gun, then opened the barrel. He looked down it for a moment, then turned to Satine. "One bullet, Satine. One."
"Duke..." she began.
"Silence!" he shrieked. He was quiet for a moment as he closed the barrel of the gun. "You told me, once, that you only had enough love in you heart for one man. And that it wasn't me." He waved a hand at Ryan and Christian. "I see two, there. Two 'men' that you claim to love. But you only have enough love for one, remember?" Satine swallowed a lump in her throat, and hoped the Duke wasn't taking this where she thought he was.
The Duke held the gun out to point at Christian, then moved it to point at Ryan. "Choose, my dear. Choose which one will die, and which one will live. Your son, or your lover." He looked at her, his eyes ice cold.
Satine gasped and covered her mouth with her hands. She looked at the Duke in shock, then looked over to the two people that were her whole life. She met her son's eyes for a moment, and they were full of fear and confusion. She then turned to Christian. His eyes were sad, but determined. Determined for what, she didn't know.
She must have been looking at them too long for the Duke, because he cocked the gun. "Can't choose?" he asked. He leveled the gun at Ryan. "Then let me choose for you."
All Satine heard afterwards was a gunshot, her own scream, then a thud as something heavy hit the floor.
Satine couldn't believe her eyes when she looked at her calendar. Tomorrow was Ryan's birthday. Her little boy would be nine. She sighed. Had it really been that long? she wondered. The last four months had passed by in a blur, now that Christian was in her life. She was happier, and she noticed that Ryan was happier too. Only Marie still seemed worried.
"If you keep seeing him, you are going to get him killed." she had warned once.
Satine had brushed her off, saying she was silly. And she had never thought that anything could happen to them. She laughed to herself. Her life was so perfect now. And she could plan something for her baby's birthday!
She sat down at her table for a moment. A supper! she thought. She and Marie could cook his favorite foods, then he could invite one of his friends over. She smiled. It wasn't much, but she knew that he would love it.
She took a quick trip to the market to pick up some things for Ryan's birthday meal. She would make baked chicken with potatoes, and then she would buy a cake from the bakery Christian had taken them to.
Pushing open the door to her flat, she was aware of Ryan's gaze immediatley. She smiled at him, then sat the basket down on a table. He got up from his chair and began to inspect the contents of the basket. He grinned. "What is all this for?"
Satine smiled back. "Your birthday. I'm making you a special meal for your birthday, and you can invite one of your friends over."
Ryan thought for a moment. "Is Christian coming?"
"No, I thought this would just be a family thing."
Ryan frowned. "Then I want to invite Christian to eat with us."
Satine was quiet for a moment. "You don't want to invite one of your friends?"
Ryan shook his head. "I want Christian to come. What? Don't you want him to come."
"Well, I do...but I thought you would want to bring a friend."
"I want Christian to come."
Satine nodded. "If that's what you want."
"It is."
The next day, Satine was busy checking on the food, with Ryan sitting at the table reading, when someone knocked on her door. Not even bothering to check who it was, she flung the door open.
"It's about time Chris..." she trailed off, shocked. It wasn't Christian. It was the Duke.
He grinned at her and stepped into her home. Ryan's mouth flew open, then he rushed to hide behind a doorjamb. Satine stood at the door, not knowing quite what to do.
The Duke looked around, then looked at her kitchen. "Preparing something special today?"
Satine opened her mouth to speak, but couldn't. The Duke had not come to bother her in five months, why had he decided to come today, of all days? He thoughts went to Christian, who was due to be here at any moment. If the Duke saw him, all hell would break loose.
"What is today?" the Duke asked, turning to her. "What are you making a special supper for?"
She worked her mouth for a moment. "It's...Ryan's birthday."
"Oh?" the Duke said with obviously forced interest. He turned to the child, who was peering past a door. "And how old are you today?"
"Nine." was the answer. Ryan shrunk more behind the door. He knew what a bad man the Duke could be.
There came a sudden knock at the door, and both Ryan and Satine's hearts sank. They knew who it was, and they knew what the Duke's reaction would be. But they could do nothing. Nothing but hope that the Duke would ignore it.
But he didn't, of course. He looked from the door to Ryan, who had crept up behind his mother. "Friend of yours?" he asked. Ryan shook his head no, hoping the Duke wouldn't open the door. "Well, let's see who it is, shall we?" Satine began to shake her head, but the Duke jerked the door open. His face went from that of mere curiosity to rage when he saw the man on the other side.
The other man's face also fell. The smile on Christian's recently shaven face feel to a look of pure fear. He tired to say something, but failed. All he could do was look at Satine and Ryan, who's faces were frozen in dread.
The Duke was shaking from anger now. "You!" he stuttered. "How....how dare you...come here!" He reached inside his coat, and before Christian could think, he was staring down the barrel of a revolver. Satine shrieked. But Ryan, in his fear, had run up to the Duke and tried to push the gun away from Christian. The Duke laughed and pushed the boy to the opposite wall. Satine tried to go to her son, but was stopped by a waver of the revolver in Christian's face.
The Duke turned to her. "Don't. I want to end this now and forever." He turned back to Christian. "Go by the boy," he commanded.
Christian nodded and held his hands up to show that he wouldn't try anything. He slowly edged his way over to Ryan, who had managed to stand up. Christian went to stand beside him, then turned to him. "Alright there, Ryan?" Ryan nodded, wondering why the man with a gun pointed at him was worried about *him*.
The Duke looked down at his gun, then opened the barrel. He looked down it for a moment, then turned to Satine. "One bullet, Satine. One."
"Duke..." she began.
"Silence!" he shrieked. He was quiet for a moment as he closed the barrel of the gun. "You told me, once, that you only had enough love in you heart for one man. And that it wasn't me." He waved a hand at Ryan and Christian. "I see two, there. Two 'men' that you claim to love. But you only have enough love for one, remember?" Satine swallowed a lump in her throat, and hoped the Duke wasn't taking this where she thought he was.
The Duke held the gun out to point at Christian, then moved it to point at Ryan. "Choose, my dear. Choose which one will die, and which one will live. Your son, or your lover." He looked at her, his eyes ice cold.
Satine gasped and covered her mouth with her hands. She looked at the Duke in shock, then looked over to the two people that were her whole life. She met her son's eyes for a moment, and they were full of fear and confusion. She then turned to Christian. His eyes were sad, but determined. Determined for what, she didn't know.
She must have been looking at them too long for the Duke, because he cocked the gun. "Can't choose?" he asked. He leveled the gun at Ryan. "Then let me choose for you."
All Satine heard afterwards was a gunshot, her own scream, then a thud as something heavy hit the floor.