AN: Alright, here is one of my longer chapters. Hope you all enjoy and it doesn't leave you on that much of a cliffhanger. Please tell me what you guys think. The story is almost at its closure, and if there's anything you could possibly say, please feel free to do so. I love you all more than a television loves a board game. Enjoy your weekend. I'll try to submit the next chapter a.s.a.p. Also, I do not own the song Come What May. This is an extremely wonderful song, and I would love to take credit for it, but I cannot. Wouldn't just given credit at the end of the chapter, but I'm sure you all know the song well enough to know it is not my own. Enjoy.
Chapter 36. Come What May
A loud banging on my door made my thoughts stir from the past to present time. Looking up at my reflection for the first time, my tears now dry, I hollered for the person to enter.
"I'll never understand why people find you worth sending flowers to," my mirror reflected Giselle who closed the door and pulled a rose from one of the bouquets.
"I'm assuming you didn't get any flowers."
"My room is too small to hold flowers anyway," Giselle leaned against the wall next to my vanity. "You going to tell me why you thought I'd do your deed for you? Where do you come off influencing me when I'm drunk?"
"You weren't sober?" I covered my mouth in a semblance of shock. "You didn't seem any different, Giselle. I never would've guessed."
"You want someone to do your dirty deeds?"
"What dirty deeds could that be?"
"I am not in the mood to deal with you of all people, Cecille." Giselle turned and walked off. "I want no part in your dirty work."
"Wait…" I called out to Giselle's retreating figure. "Don't leave. I need you in this."
"What do you need me for?" Giselle sneered, crossing her arms. "If you want that wretch gone, kill her yourself."
"Please," I begged. "I can't do it."
"Not very strong now are you?" Giselle smirked. "You're truly sick, do you know that, Cecille? Who does something like this and doesn't even have the gall to pull through with it?"
"It's something that has to be done."
"You know the difference between you and me, Cecille? I am rude and condescending to everyone, but you lead them on before making it known that you're poisonous. At least I have the decency to show my venom. No deceptions here."
"If you do it… I'll cast you as the star from now on." I chose my words carefully to prevent myself from saying something wrong. "I'll… never perform again. The stage will be left to you. Everyone will admire you. You'll get flowers… probably this very room. It'll all be yours."
"Bribery?" Giselle cackled. "What else are you capable of?"
"Please."
"You have everything I've ever wanted," Giselle grabbed the box that she had set on my vanity. "Everything. I'll do it, but I'll never understand why you would throw it all away. It sure as hell better be a great life you'll be having after the complete hell you'll produce tonight."
If only...
"It's what must be done."
"Whatever makes you sleep at night."
"The day of the performance," I kissed Christian with each word. "Tonight we'll be together… forever."
"Sounds like a good time to me," Christian returned my kiss andpulled me down on his bed. "Mon amour."
"A whole night of professing our love to one another," I laughed at the thought. "Just imagine. People are actually paying to come see us show them just how much we truly love one another."
"Sounds like a good time to me."
"Is that all you have to say to everything at the moment?"
"No."
"Oh, really now?" I pushed him away and sat up. "What else do you have to say?"
"Never knew I could feel like this," Christian held my hands, pressing them to his lips.
"Like I've never seen the sky before." I closed my eyes when he kissed me softly.
"Want to vanish inside your kiss."
"Everyday I love you more and more," I set his hand over my heart. "Listen to my heart. Can you hear it sings?"
"Telling me to give you everything!"
"Seasons may change."
"Winter to spring."
"But I'll love you..."
"…Until the end of time." Christian went down upon his knees in confession. "Come what may. Come what may. I will love you until my dying day!"
Pulling him to his feet, I dragged him on top of me before turning over so that he was on the bottom. Grinning triumphantly, I kissed him deeply before letting my share be said.
"Suddenly the world seems such a perfect place. Suddenly it moves with such a perfect grace."
"Suddenly my life doesn't seem such a waste."
"It all revolves around you," I rested a hand against his cheek and smiled in contentment.
"And there's no mountain too high."
"No river too wide."
"Sing out this song and I'll be there by your side."
"Storm clouds may gather."
"And stars may collide." Christian mirrored my gesture and set his own hand against my cheek. "But I'll love you…"
"…Until the end of time," I removed my hand to set it atop his. "Come what may. Come what may. I will love you until my dying day."
Locking lips, we stood up and allowed our fingers to entwine. Christian turned me around so my back was against his chest and, with our hands still together, we continued our song together in unison.
"Oh, come what may
Come what may
I will love you
I will love you."
My eyes closed when Christian moved our hands to my stomach, and I felt my heart flutter at his light touch.
"Suddenly the world seems such a perfect place."
In my mind, I could hear our hearts beating the melody of the song that rested within us both. So natural they came and left us, so that our voices were almost raw with passion when we began again together.
"Come what may
Come what may
I will love you
Until my dying day."
Resting at Christian's table, a glass of water in front of us both, my finger skimmed the surface. Parched, the water could not satisfy the thirst I was experiencing.
"We were strangers
Starting out on a journey
Never dreaming what we'd have to go through
Now here we are
I'm suddenly standing at the beginning with you." (1)
Christian looked up when he finished his glass and grinned.
"No one told me I was going to find you
Unexpected what you did to my heart
When I lost hope you were there to remind me
This is the start."(1)
I laughed when Christian stood up to pour another glass of water only to look up at me, smile, and miss the glass completely.
I could spend my whole life like this…
"And life is a road and I wanna keep going,
Love is a river
I wanna keep flowing
Life is a road
Now and forever
Wonderful journey." (1)
Was it a journey I was now embarking on? Had the journey already began, sitting here at Christian's table, laughing over his sheepish behavior, awaiting this evening when we would finally be together?
"I'll be there when the world stops turning,
I'll be there when the storm is through,
In the end I wanna be standing
At the beginning with you." (1)
Sitting up after pouring himself another glass of water, Christian got up and retrieved some pastries from a cupboard. When he tripped over his coat after turning to look at me with a grin, I got up and helped him up.
It was quite funny and ridiculous how we made each other.
Especially when I tripped as well as soon as I helped him up with a hard yank.
Christian, laughing to the point of echoing throughout the streets, stopped only to let his own joy be heard through song.
"We were strangers on a crazy adventure
Never dreaming how all our dreams will come true
Now here we stand unafraid of the future
At the beginning with you." (1)
"Not afraid at all," I agreed when I sat and began to devour a pastry.
"And life is a road and I wanna keep going
Love is a river
I wanna keep flowing
Love is a road
Now and forever
Wonderful journey.
I'll be there when the world stops turning,
I'll be there when the storm is through
In the end I wanna be standing
At the beginning with you." (1)
"Knew there was somebody somewhere like me alone in the dark," (1) I fed him a pastry and giggled when he nipped at my fingers.
"Now I know my dream will live on. I've been waiting so long." (1) Christian followed my example as I followed his.
We did not need to tell each other what we would both sing next.
How wonderful it was to feel the same.
"Nothing's gonna tear us apart." (1)
"Nothing," Christian confirmed.
"Nothing," I agreed with a nod.
"And life is a road and I wanna keep going
Love is a river
And I wanna keep flowing
Life is a road
Now and forever
Wonderful journey.
I'll be there when the world stops turning
I'll be there when the storm is through
In the end I wanna be standing
At the beginning with you." (1)
"You're beautiful," Christian told me. "Purely amazing."
"You're wonderful."
"And life is a road and I wanna keep going
Love is a river
And I wanna keep flowing
Life is a road
Now and forever
Starting out on a journey!
Life is a road and I wanna keep going
Love is a river
And I want to keep flowing
In the end I wanna to be standing
At the beginning…
…With you." (1)
"The night of the performance," I stared into my vanity again, making sure my face was flawless for the evening. "It'll all be over tonight. You just have to last through today. Then it'll be done with."
Giselle had agreed to do it. She had agreed to do the job that I would never be able to do myself. She was stronger than I am.
I was able to throw aside my pride and admit that much.
If only life were so simple and this didn't have to occur. If only jealousy and hatred were not so strong in people's lives.
I would be the one to believe love would conquer all.
Tonight, I would not be so sure.
"Why am I doing this?" I questioned to my reflection. "Because I love Gregory."
Because I fear for him.
Because I want the best for him.
Because Isabel will destroy him.
Because Edmund wishes this to occur.
But what did I want?
"I want…" I closed my eyes.
There was only one thing I wanted. One thing I asked for with my life.
"I want Gregory to be happy."
Standing up, I looked down at the necklace that shimmered against my skin. He expected me to brighten up his day for him, which I would do after what happened tonight.
Except, this time, I will be comforting him for something that I did.
"Gregory loves Isabel," tears cascaded down my cheeks. "He… he… he's going to be beyond my help after this."
What was worse… leaving him to discover his love didn't love him like he wishes or killing off his love before he realized the truth?
"I've seen Gregory hurt more than once over a girl," I realized. "But he's never experienced the loss of someone he loves."
My breath became ragged when I realized what I had done. I had agreed to send Gregory down a road of despair that I knew not how he would handle. I was willingly setting him up for a kind of pain that only he would be able to demolish on his own.
He would lose someone that he loved… denied the love that he thought existed.
…just as Christian.
Satine might have loved Christian in a way Isabel couldn't, but Gregory would never know. He would live a lie, deny himself of something that he would probably be denied of anyway if Isabel lived through the evening.
I couldn't do that to him.
I could not condemn him to a life of hurt and dreams of what might have been.
"Cecille," Edmund rested his chin upon my shoulder, and I shuddered at his touch. "What has you with such fear in your eyes? You have never looked like this at the sight of me before. At least not to this degree."
"Do you realize what you are doing to Gregory… to your cousin?" I did not care to hide my tears as I stared at my reflection and the site of Edmund over my shoulder, chuckling at himself and all he has done. "You are going to ruin him."
"Not in the way that whore will ruin him," Edmund snarled, replacing his chin witha hand that dug into my flesh. "Surely you can see that much, Cecille. She will ruin his place in society."
Gregory never cared what society thought upon him. He thrived upon being unique and not following the set of standards society had established.
Why did I not realize this before?
"I understand now…"
"No, I believe you don't."
The blow was predictable. I lay sprawled out on the floor, his handprint red upon my face. When he pulled me up and slammed me against the wall. When he knocked over my vanity mirror, throwing the contents of my vanity upon the floor as he destroyed all else in my room, I never took my eyes off of my reflection that stared at me through the broken shards of glass spread out throughout my floor.
Hatred never looked so clear.
"You're a monster," I stood up when he headed to the door. "Bastard."
My senses dulled with hatred so that I did not flinch when Edmund through a knife past me that landed less than an inch from my head. Looking to the side, where the knife pierced the wall, hanging, I was completely pokerfaced.
"Next time, I will not miss, Cecille." Edmund closed the door behind him. "Even from your room, I am sure you will enjoy the performance. Just not as much as I."
Pounding against the door, I screamed, but to no avail. The doors were soundproof, as solid as wood doors got. I pounded out my hatred until my hands were raw.
Even then I didn't stop.
It was amazing how pure hatred could power you to do such things.
Perhaps I could understand Edmund on that much.
1. Anastasia "At The Beginning"