To Be Rewritten
Chapter Two
Cry, you're happy and scared.
Extra long for extra nice reviewers. Satine/Christian fluff and of course stuff not from the movie or else I couldn't write this.
Two weeks later we found ourselves a day to the premiere, it was rehearsals, not quite dress, only partially, and Satine and the Narcoleptic Argentinean (whom I learned was named Antonio) were singing our song, Come What May, I failed to notice, while watching in glee, that Nini was telling the Duke what she thought of our hard earned ending . . .
"This ending's silly." Nini said with an eyeroll, bending to lean near the Duke. "Why would the Courtesan go for the penniless writer? Whoops," she covered her mouth and faked wide eyes before returning to her usual smug expression. "I mean Sitar Player!"
The Duke watched her move away, eyed Christian, then Satine as the song ended. The moment the music ceased, he calmly informed them. "I don't like this ending."
Zidler thought he would choke on his own lungs, everyone faltered and lost their poses, angrily muttering to themselves. "Don't . . . like the ending? My dear Duke?"
"Why would the courtesan choose the penniless Sitar Player over the maharajah?" He demonstrated the difference with his hand. "Who is offering her a lifetime of security? That's real love."
I felt like standing up and shredding him to pieces as I saw Satine fight back her own disgust to the idea, but had to be strong for her, the show must go on.
"Once the Sitar Player has satisfied his lust he will leave the Courtesan with nothing. I suggest that in the end she choose the maharajah instead."
"But, but sowwy!" Toulouse made his way down the stairs from the doorway, cane in hand. "Sowwy, but that ending does not meet the bohemianideaws of fweedom, beauty, twuth and wuv!"
"I don't care about your ridiculous dogma!" The Duke's curtness made Toulouse's smile fade, and his bodyrecoil. "Why shouldn't the courtesan choose the maharajah!"
If only I'd kept my big mouth shut, everything would have turned out fine. . . .
"Because she doesn't love you!" Instantly, Christian realized his mistake, and he could tell that everyone else in the room realized it too, especially the Duke. "H-him." He stuttered, looking from his beloved to the flaming Duke. "She- she doesn't love him."
"I see," the Duke regained his composure from the shock of the boy's outburst, he turned to Zidler. "Monsieur Zidler, this ending will be rewritten with the courtesan choosing the maharajah, and without the lover's secret song. It will be rehearsed in the morning ready for the opening tomorrow night."
Zidler looked like a ghost, ready to pass out, and he knew the blow would be devastating not only to the Bohemians, but Christian was losing his ending. "But- but my dear Duke, that will be quite impossible!"
Leave it to my Satine to save the day. Oh, how she tried to save us all with her talent, but it was the one time out of any, I would have preferred her not too. As upset as I was, I could have lived without that ending.
"Harold! Oh!The poor Duke is being treated appallingly!" She eased down the stairs with a sexy grace that made the Duke calm down instantly. She faked a smile. "These silly writers, they let their imaginations go away with them." She descended the last flight. "Now why don't you and I," she began, her stone in a pool of slow flowing water blue eyes fixated on him, making him ache all the more for her. "Have a little supper, and then afterwards we can let Monsieur Zidler know how we prefer the story to end, hmm?"
The Duke nodded, drinking her in for the last appreciative time.
I waited a few minutes for Satine to leave the rehearsal hall, I had to confront her.
She eased from the room with a thank you to someone, then slowly went into the hall, where he stopped her, the most pitiful sight she had seen. "I don't want you to sleep with him." He begged, eyes imploring and hands loving, she found it hard to say no to him. She gasped for breath and returned. "He could destroy everything." They waited for a laughing couple of dancers that were passing to do so, then she looked at him. "It's for us." He shook his head, on the verge of tears, all the time seeing that damned Duke's hands all over her body, where only he should be able to caress her. "Yes." She assured.
"No." he shook his head.
She sighed and slid her smooth, flawless cheek against his so her lips were by his ear, he shivered, his love for her merciless against the pain. "Come, what, may." She whispered, her voice breaking.
He looked into her eyes when she pulled away and murmured. "Come what may."
She nodded. "Christian I won't have him take away your ending, our ending, your writing is your soul, acting and singing is mine, and our hearts," she kissed his jaw and nipped his lip affectionately. "Our hearts are each other, I am yours and you are mine, oh, Christian," her voice went low and she whispered in his ear again. "Don't you ever doubt my love for you, not after what you've done to help me fly."
"Oh, Satine, I love you so much . . ." he burst into sobs and so she looked around, pushed him into a nearby janitorial closet and closed the door behind them. "Oh my poor Christian," she kissed his quivering lips and swallowed one of his wracking sobs. "I love you just as much and then some, you've done so much for me, I'm getting our ending for you." She moved away slightly when he'd calmed. "He's waiting for me . . ."
"No!" Christian was quick to bring her into his arms again. "No!" He begged, sobbing more, and even harder. "Satine, I love you, and I don't love you for your body or your charm, I love you for your spirit and your heart, I love you so and he doesn't, I know, Satine, he doesn't . . ." He gasped and she shook her head gently.
"Darling, I know. Yes, I know Christian, oh, my love don't cry, it's going to be all right. We are going to be all right. I love you, I really do and I have to do this for us."
Too pained to stop her he hurried from the closet, made to go home and then he decided to join the others, wiping away the signs of his fallen tears. She slowly slid from the closet with a heavy heart. "I love you, Christian." She murmured one last time, and went to change.
She'd gone to the tower to save us all, and for our part, all we could do was wait. . .
Christian had downed shots of several drinks, including an offered glass of Absinthe from Toulouse, and now the stars were spinning, he was in a true drunken rage and was not about to play nicely. It was at that moment that Nini decided to plop onto his lap and tease him.
"Awww, don't worry Shakespeare! You'll get your ending! Once the Duke get's his . . . end . . . in . . ."
She never would have anticipated that he would shove her away and go after her. She stumbled away and backed off as he stepped after her, screaming incoherent things at him.
"Nini, no, Nini, Nini . . ." Antonio did his best to calm her. "You keep you 'ands off me!" He whispered things Christian could not hear as Christian began walking in the opposite direction, but he stopped and looked to Antonio who came over to him.
"Never fall in love with a woman that sells herself, it always ends BAD!"
Christian jumped at the final shouted word and watched as Antonio descended the stairs.
"We have a dance, in the brothels of Buenos Aires. Tells the story, or a prostitue," he gestured to Nini, and the spotlight went onto her. "And a man, who falls in love with her."
Nini came down the stairs laughing and met up with Antonio, the orchestra began to play a Tango and Christian watched as the two melted sensually into the music. "First, there is desire," a few moves, then a violent colliding of hands. "Then, passion." Some more dancing. "Then suspicion! Jealousy, anger betrayel! When love is for the highest bidder there can be no trust. Without trust, there is no love! Jealousy, yes jealousy! Will drive you . . . . MAD (Mad, mad, mad)."
Christian watched as Nini and Antonio parted, and she went to dance with all the other dancers.
"Roxanne
You don't have to put on that red light.
Walk the streets for money
You don't care if it's wrong or if it is right
Roxanne
You don't have to wear that dress tonight
Roxanne
You don't have to seel your body to the night!"
A song of Christian's own came to mind, and so thinking of Satine in the tower with the Duke, he began to sing.
"His eyes, upon your face.
His hand, upon your hand
His lips caress your skin
It's more than I can stand."
His and Antonio's songs blended into one heartfelt message of pain.
"Roxanne
(Why does my heart cry?)
You don't have to put on that red light
(Feelings I can't fight)
Roxanne
You don't have to wear that dress tonight
(You're free to leave me but just don't deceive me and please)
Roxanne!
(Believe me when I say I love you!"
Christian was stunned to find himself in the Moulin Rouge garden, and he glanced at the balcony on the gothic tower, and could just barely make out Satine watching him, the Duke behind her, kissing her newly garnished throat. Her song, however, came to him clearly.
"Come what may. I will love you, 'til my dying day."
On that balcony, things would go horribly wrong, for everyone.
"No," Satine gasped, feeling the Duke stiffen.
"No?" He gazed down and saw the drunken writer in the garden, watching in anger. "Oh I see. It's our very own Sitar Player." She gasped and hurried inside, stiffly, he followed.
"My dear Duke,"
"SILENCE!" He tossed her down and ignored her cry of alarm. "You . . . made me believe . . . that you loved me?!"
"No." She assured, shaking her head, tears of fear and hate forming in her sapphire eyes . . . He slid a hand under the jeweled neck-piece and thought about what eh was doing, then, with the last of the anger on the surface he ripped it from her, and the anger from within bubbled up. He chased her around, slowly removing her clothing until he got hold of her, undid the ties at the back of her bodice and ripped the beautiful blue dress from her body, revealing the tight corset and her stockings and garter belt. He tossed her bare form to the bed and was about to follow when stars exploded before him and he went out cold.
Satine opened her eyes to find Chocolat, staring at the unconscious Duke in shock, blood dripped from the Duke's mouth and Chocolat's hand was still tight in a fist.
"Oh, Chocolat!" She stood from the bed and hugged him. "Thank you. Thank you so much . . ."
"Shh, now, Mlle Satine, here, put my coat around you, I'm taking you ro Monsieur Christian."
"Yes, yes thank you, to Christian, oh thank you. Is . . . Is he all right?"
"He hurts badly for you, Mlle. But I am sure he will be fine when he sees you were not harmed."
I waited in my cold, dark garret, watched that tower, my heart convulsing in my chest, threatening to explode with my jealousy and hate, and my love for that woman, who would stop at nothing to save my ending. I felt that it was somehow my fault, and through my guilt I found that I hated myself immensely for making her feel so obligated, and then my door opened . . .
"I couldn't!" Christian took her close, suprised indeed by her presence. He didn't notice she was half naked, nor that Chocolat's coat had fallen off when she entered. The large man grabbed it from the floor and waited patiently in the doorway, Christian was too busy listening to her tale. "I saw you standing there and I felt differently and I couldn't pretend and I didn't want to lie. And the Duke he saw . . . He saw and he . . ." She sobbed and wrapped her arms around him. "Christian, I love you. I didn't want to pretend anymore, I don't want to lie . . ."
"Oh, it's all right, it's ok you don't have to pretend anymore, we'll leave. We'll leave tonight." He stroked her shoulders as she pulled back to gaze at him.
"Leave?" she considered the idea to herself. "But . . . the show . . .wha . .."
"Oh, I don't care, I don't care about the show. Don't you remember Satine? What we said?"
She smiled and nodded. "As long as we have each other." She wiped her tears away and kissed him. "Oh, yes and we do! We do have each other, Christian, I'm only yours ever forever. We'll leave, yes I'll leave with you!"
"Oh, good. We'll go to London, we can stay with my family until we find somewhere and I'll tell them you're a great actress that need's a job, my brother, Charles, he owns a theater there and I'll write the shows and you will be the star! And Satine, Satine," he kissed her hands and fell to his knees, still holding the cold, pale parts of her. "Before we make our careers will you marry me there?"
Tears slipped from her eyes again and she looked questioningly to Chocolat, he was smiling, and nodded eagerly for her to say yes. She smiled, gasped and looked at him. "Yes! Yes, Christian, of course!"
He frowned slightly. "I- I'm sorry I don't have a ring for you, but . . ."
"Oh! I don't care about that!" She brought him up to kiss him. "I don't need a ring, I love you, Christian! That's all that matters."
He smiled and looked to Chocolat. "Chocolat, take miss Satine to her dressing room to get the things she needs, no one must see you, do you understand?"
He nodded. "I understand."
"Good," Christian kissed his fiancée once again. "Darling, you go and pack. I'll be here waiting."
Regardless of our plans, Satine and I would not leave that night. Harold Zidler had just spoken with the Duke. . .
Satine hurriedly packed away all of her precious jewelry and left all of the fake, she had already gotten some clothes together, and jumped when she noticed Harold through the mirror, watching her.
"Forgive the intrusion, cherub."
She rolled her eyes and went to fetch her robe to cover herself. "You're wasting your time, Harold."
"Stop it, you don't understand. The Duke is going to kill Christian. Unless you do his ending and sleep with him tomorrow night the Duke is going to have Christian killed."
Tears had begun to flow from her eyes and so she looked up at the chubby entrepreneur. "He can't scare us."
Harold frowned. "He's a powerful man, you know he can do it."
Angered and keeping Christian's words close to her heart, she tossed the robe away and grabbed her coat.
"What are you doing!?" Harold sneered.
"I don't need you anymore!" She shouted, tearfully pulling the coat over herself. "All my life you've made me believe I was only worth what someone would pay for me! But Christian loves me! He loves me Harold! He loves me! And that is worth everything!We're going away from you, away from the Duke, away from the Moulin Rouge, and do you know what else, Harold? Christian asked me to marry him and I agreed! Because I love him too! Goodbye Harold." She made to leave.
"We need you, Satine." She froze and he continued. "Just for tomorrow night, one night of glory is all I ask. I know you and Christian love each other and I'm happy for you, I want you two to get married. I know I told you to stay away but only for the sake of the show. If you do the show tomorrow I will help you and Christian get off to wherever you want to go before the Duke can get to you, I swear, Satine. I'll hide Christian so he can watch the show and the Duke and his oompa-loompa won't notice him and kill him, I lie, it's true but dearest Satine, have I ever lied to you?"
Tears fell down her cheeks, she turned and gazed at him, her voice tightened as she whispered. "No."
"Have Christian get his things and come stay with you in the Elephant, I'll have someone like Chocolat stand gaurd so the Duke cannot get in at all tomorrow, Christian will stay there and after the show, you two will go and hopefully, I will be invited to walk you down the aisle myself."
"Oh, Harold!" She dropped her things and hugged him. "Of course, thank you."
It was a brilliant plan on Harold's part, and I was eager to help in it. eager to do something so tricky under the Duke's very nose, eager tobe able to wisk my bride to be away under such circumstances.
"Is it, all right with you?" Satine's red from crying eyes seemed worried, but Christian's first instinct got the best of him, and he went to hug Harold, who was stiff at first, then patted his shoulder gently. "There, there, it was no trouble for me, you make my little Sparrow happy."
"Yes, but you're the kindest person I've ver known and . . ." he parted from him. "I want you all to come and work for my brother's theater, you can manage it and star and the girls all can and the Bohemians, it's no trouble at all he's been looking for a talented cast! Oh, please say you will, not tomorrow of course but in a week or so, I'll pay your fair!"
Harold betrayed his shock, and delight, his eyes were wide and mouth half open. "I . . . Would be delighted to."
Satine and Christian wooted in triumph, now, all they had to do, was wait.
Thank you for the reviews! I hope I did as well with this chapter, keep those words of happiness or dismay coming!
Shamaho