Therapy

Chapter Seven: Nowhere Near Over

A.N. Thanks for all the good reviews-they keep me so motivated!

Disclaimer: I don't own Moulin Rouge

About a week had passed since Christian had sent the letter to Harold. Satine and Christian had been walking on eggshells the entire time. So you can imagine their relief when they received a reply from him in the mail. At least, they felt relieved before they opened it. The letter read

Dear Christian:

First of all, congratulations to Satine on beating her consumption. However, I am so sorry to hear about Satine's recent nightmares. I guess I should have told you about her past before you left. I thought her nightmares had subsided, but I guess I was wrong. She had them quite often when she first came to the Moulin.

With regards to the Duke, it doesn't surprise me at all that he was Satine's attacker. I completely agree that he should be arrested as soon as possible. However, he has since left Paris. We are not sure where he has gone, but I have informed the authorities here and they have contacted surrounding areas. If he is found within fifty miles of here, he will be arrested. He was a pretty well known duke, so it shouldn't take long to find him.

Christian and Satine let me assure both of you that you are perfectly safe. We all miss you here.

Harold.

Satine had been holding the letter. She dropped it on the floor and started shaking. Her face became even paler than usual, and she dropped to her knees. "Christian, he's out there somewhere!" she said. "He could find us, Christian."

Christian gently pulled Satine back to her feet. "It's ok. He's not going to find us. Harold said that they had people looking for him for miles around. He will be caught, Satine." He had a hard time believing himself. The news had scared him as well. He had been hoping to hear that the Duke had been found and arrested in Paris. But he knew he had to be strong for Satine.

Over the next few days, Christian and Satine tried hard to live their lives as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. However, it was obvious to anyone who saw them that they were both nervous wrecks. The one thing that kept them both from losing it was the support they got from the town.

It was to Christian's surprise when he went out to buy groceries and received good wishes from the other shoppers, some of whom he had never met before. Word had spread through the town about the Duke. With him being a British duke, he had been pretty well known, although not necessarily well liked. Most people were not surprised to hear what he had done. The search for the Duke was now not only for the fifty miles surrounding the Moulin Rouge, but had also spread to several surrounding French provinces. Also, a warning had been posted in London and in surrounding suburbs, including Derby.

The more warnings that went up, the more hope Satine and Christian had that the Duke would be captured. In fact, things were almost getting back to normal, with the exception of Satine's nightmares. However, she no longer had such severe reactions as when they first started, and Christian thought she was on her way to getting better.

Then one day, all that changed. It was an average day. Christian and Satine had just finished having lunch. For once, they had made it through a meal without discussing the Duke, or her nightmares. After they had finished eating, Satine went into the living room. Christian stayed behind in the dining room, thinking about how nice it was to finally have a normal life. Suddenly, he was pulled out of his thoughts by a loud cry. He cursed himself for staying behind. He should have known that life was not normal yet. Christian ran into the living room to see Satine collapsed on the floor, sobbing and screaming. It was very similar to what he had seen the first night she had her nightmare. However, this time her screams were not of "Stop" or "No". This time, she was screaming for her mother.

"Mommy, please! Wake up! You can't leave me! Please, you can't leave me with him!" Christian realized that Satine was having a flashback to the night her mother was killed.

Dr. Landon had warned Christian about flashbacks after their first session. He had described them as sort of daytime nightmares. Apparently, they could happen suddenly, without any sort of warning, and that the best thing to do was to react in the same way as when she had a nightmare. With Satine still screaming on the floor, Christian knelt down next to her. By now, she was in a kneeling position. Christian put his hand on her shoulder.

"Satine, it's ok" he said, gently pulling her back into reality. She turned her head and looked at him, and then threw herself into him while continuing to sob. "I want her back, Christian. I want my mommy" she choked out, the last line sounding like it had come from a small child being left at school for the first time. Christian didn't know what to do. He knew Satine wanted something that he couldn't possibly give her. "And I promised to give her everythingÉ" he thought to himself. He lifted Satine off the floor and sat on the couch with her on his lap. Gently, he rubbed her back as he sang softly in her ear.

When you feel all alone

And the world has turned its back on you

Give me a moment please to tame your wild wild heart

I know you feel like the walls are closing in on you

It's hard to find relief and people can be so cold

When darkness is upon your door

And you feel like you can't take anymore

Let me be the one you call

If you jump I'll break your fall

Lift you up and fly away with you into the night

If you need to fall apart

I can mend a broken heart

If you need to crash then crash and burn

You're not alone

When you feel all alone

And a loyal friend is hard to find

You're caught in a one way street

With the monsters in your head

When hopes and dreams are far away and

You feel like you can't face the day

Let me be the one you call

If you jump I'll break your fall

Lift you up and fly away with you into the night

If you need to fall apart

I can mend a broken heart

If you need to crash then crash and burn

You're not alone

Because there has always been heartache and pain

And when it's over you'll breathe again

You'll breathe again

When you feel all alone

And the world has turned its back on you

Give me a moment please

To tame your wild wild heart

Let me be the one you call

If you jump I'll break your fall

Lift you up and fly away with you into the night

If you need to fall apart

I can mend a broken heart

If you need to crash then crash and burn

You're not alone

Christian had hoped that Satine would fall asleep, but instead his song had only managed to turn her loud sobbing into quiet whimpers. She lifted her head and looked at him, tears still streaming down her face. "I'm so tired, Christian" she said. No sooner had she gotten the words out than Christian picked her up and carried her upstairs to their bedroom. He tucked her into bed and kissed her forehead before getting into bed himself. "I love you, angel" he said as he turned off the light. Softly, Satine replied "I love you too.

Satine wasn't sure what made her get out of bed that night. It wasn't a nightmare. She could have sworn that she heard something. Maybe it was the loud party going on a few houses down the street. Anyway, Satine decided as long as she was up, she might as well go downstairs for a while. She slowly walked down the stairs and into the living room.

It was pitch black in the living room, so she didn't see him standing there. She didn't notice him until she felt the cold hand grab her across the mouth, stifling her scream. She felt a sharp pain in her legs, and they gave out, leaving her in the perfect position to be dragged out of the house by her now three-time attacker. As her mouth was now unobstructed, she began to scream at the top of her lungs. She screamed louder and louder as she was dragged deeper and deeper into the woods behind her house. "Not again! Dear God, not again!" she thought to herself as she continued to scream.

Back at the house, Christian heard the scream. He looked at the bed to see Satine was gone. He knew that she was in trouble. He leapt out of bed and ran downstairs, following the screams. He had to find his diamond.