AN: Thank you to all reviewers. You are what keeps me going at the moment in the continuation of this story. You guys made my day. : D Lunatik27, xWolfyx, MidnightRequiem,ModestySparrow9, andKow it all... you guys are beyond awesome.

Chapter 29. The Cast

Cecille's behavior last night was certainly out of the ordinary, but it had not ended in chaos, which was a great relief.

The sadness in her eyes… the unknown tears… it was all so foreign to see from Cecille that I was caught off guard. How she panicked when I reached for her hair!

What was happening?

"Good morning, ladies." Ziddler welcomed when we entered the stage.

"Ziddler," Cecille nodded, not looking in his direction, but continuing her walk down the stage.

The usual cast resided onstage, except that the female star now sat in the first row of the audience, her legs crossed, her head back, and her eyes staring at me to make a move. So much pressure was upon me to act that I thought I would be squashed onto the floor.

"Hello, everyone." I tried appearing as Cecille did: friendly, affable, and completely confident within any awkward position. "I am Isabel, and I shall be playing the role of Bella in this production. I hope that you find my acting satisfactory and that we all get along."

"So you are what all the talk is about?" a woman crossed her arms. "What makes you so special, Isabel?"

"You can soon call her Duchess, Giselle." Cecille hollered. "Sheis tobe a very powerful woman... married to a very powerful man.She already is quite powerful, which I am sure you will all get to know."

"No one tops you, Cecille!" Giselle retorted, stepping forward. "So bossy and assertive. And look where it got you!"

"Sitting in the audience, able to avoid contact with you for a month, at the most." Cecille leaned further back with a grin. "Sounds quite nice to me, if I might add."

"Who is the male lead?" I questioned to break the silence that had settled once Cecille had tired of exchanging insults with Giselle. "It seems there is a new male lead for every production in the Moulin Rouge."

"That's because there is a new male lead for every production in the Moulin Rouge," Giselle laughed. "No one to top the first lead. He was genius. Pure genius, mademoiselle Duchess. Quite a handsome fellow, if I may say so. No one knows what became of the fellow though. Just came up and vanished. I only imagine what might have happened if he stayed. The productions at the Moulin Rouge would be even more of a hit. He would be the idol of Paris. The god all women yearn for…"

"Giselle is in love with this stranger she only knows of by stories she hears," Cecille informed. "Do not mind her prattle."

"Cecille is only bitter because she never had the chance to sing with him," Giselle sneered at Cecille. "She sang- and slept- with every man in Paris, but never with this mysterious songbird. But, do not worry, mademoiselle Duchess, you need not think of making a fool in front of him. He shall never show his face again in the Moulin Rouge."

"Why not?"

"Because Giselle resides here, of course!" Cecille told me.

"His love died on this very stage," Giselle ignored Cecille's snide comment. "Broken soul now, I'm sure. But when he does decide to come back… I shall be the female lead."

"You?" Cecille laughed boisterously. "Never in my life!"

"Come now, Ziddler grows tired of you." Cecille moved her hands behind her head, and looked at me. "I am sure Christian was able to find love again, Giselle. And I am certain that love is not you."

"I am telling you now, so you get no false impression upon me." Giselle grew red in the face and looked straight in my eyes, her resentment evoked as clear as glass. "I wish you no luck. In fact, I hope you fail, for it brings me that much closer to getting my rightful position as lead female in this production."

"And it is a pleasure to meet you too," I smiled, nodding my head, and turning my back, tired of her talk and nonsense. "I hope not all of you hold such asinine ambitions and exasperation towards your fellow cast. It gets us nowhere and only makes the preparation for this production that much morechallenging. So how about we all just make this as easy as humanly possible and act civil towards one another?"

"Oui," the cast agreed, except for Giselle.

"I see my niece is doing a fine job of handling the situation," Ziddler set a hand on my shoulder boastingly showing me off to the cast. "A natural leader. I hope you all obey her every whim, for she will soon be the one paying your bills."

"Never in my life," I could not help but notice Cecille's smile when I repeated her words.

"The male lead will be arriving soon," Ziddler averted his eyes, and I followed them, to find Edmund entering the theatre, his usual smirk upon his face. "Monsieur Edmund."

"The male lead, Ziddler." Edmund opened the door as the man stepped in.

I did not need to see the tattered jacket and deep eyes to notice who Edmund introduced. Hearing Giselle gasp as she fainted gave away the man's identity well before he approached us, his image coming into view for us to identify who the new male lead would be.

It was all going according to plan.

There was no denying the chemistry between this man and Isabel. Just seeing her eyes go wide at his arrival was enough.

And, even if what he saw was nothing at all, then a few weeks spent with this man, who had won the heart of every women in the audience during his only performance, was more than enough time for something to arise between Isabel and him.

Yes… it would all occur according to plan.

I did not need Ziddler's reassurance, for once, to realize it either.

"Can't we just talk?" I moaned when he continued to recite his lines. "This is ridiculous. You should be able to talk to me, Christian."

"You were the one who chose this," Christian reminded curtly. "Our relationship is strictly business right now."

"I don't see why Ziddler would have us both partake in the production together."

"Perhaps even he can see what is there."

"What is…"

"Back to rehearsing," he interrupted abruptly. "Bella sneaks off into the night after her newly wed husband falls into slumber. She meets up with Christopher, who spends his days roaming the streets. Bella…"

"I follow the night

Look for my light

Our love now begins

Loving again…" (1)

"How wonderful life is while you're in the world," Christian sang in response, resting his hand against my cheek.

"One day I'll fly away

Leave all this to yesterday

Look at what your love does to me

Please never be through with me

We'll live life from dream to dream

Knowing our love will never end." (1)

Christian moved his hands to my hips, his eyes burning into my own. As hard as it was to compose myself while under his eyes, I managed to gaze at him as well.

"I hope you don't mind

I hope you don't mind

That I put down in words

How wonderful life is while you're in the world." (2)

"One day I'll fly away

Leave all this to yesterday

Look at what your love does to me

Please never be through with me

We'll live life from dream to dream

Knowing our love will never end

One day we'll fly away

Fly, fly away." (1)

Finished exchanging lines of that seen, he kissed me and I felt all of the passions of before fill the air. It mattered not that we were not on speaking terms. Or that I left him for another man. Or that the only reason we were together was because we both ended up with the lead roles in the play.

All that mattered was this moment…

Lost in a kiss…

More content than ever locking lips in his arms.

"That was wonderful," I remarked when we drew apart. I reached for him to kiss again, but he pulled away.

"That… is acting." He responded before picking up his script and walking away.

Did she not see all she does to me?

Hearing her sing again, having her declare her love in song had taken over my senses and good judgement.

Isabel was engaged. No play. No kiss. No rehearsal together was going to change that. It was true Isabel still felt something for me- there was no denying it after that kiss- but whatever it was, it obviously was not enough to make her break her engagement with the Duke for me.

But what a relief it was to know that she did feel something towards me. I only hoped that my actions in the near future would not put myself perceptible to become completely vulnerable once more.

That voice… her smile… her eyes…

The pain… the anguish… the hurt of being left alone again…

Yet I still loved her…

If she asked it of me, I would not be able to deny her.

How much more vulnerable could I get?

1. Nicole Kidman "One Day I'll Fly Away (rearranged by myself. : D)"

2. Elton John "Your Song"