KougaSesshomaruAnime (In response to your review) Yes, and coincidentally, they talk about it in this chapter.
Satine smiled as she sat in the armchair next to Christian's table and looked at him. Sleeping like a baby. She was so glad that he looked happy and not heartbroken anymore. She took a sip of the tea she had made earlier. She knew she was going to see doctor today. She knew she'd have to see a different one then the doctor that had revealed she was dying. He'd think he'd gone nuts if he saw her alive. She got up and walked into the kitchen. She would make breakfast for when Christian woke up. He deserved so much more then breakfast, but Satine didn't have anything else to give him but her love. It touched her that he'd kept his promise. He'd written every detail of their story, and he'd even planned to bury her in a more personal place so he would feel content with her death. She gave a painful sigh, but the only reason it was painful was because love was poking her all over the place, making her feel like she'd only just entered heaven.
She put on the stove and got a small frying pan and took some eggs and bacon out of the fridge. She didn't know how to cook big things like roast chicken, since she had been served dinner all her life. Marie had taught her a few small things though. Things that would go unforgotten. She smiled to herself as she started thinking of Christian again and continued her cooking.
Christian's eyes started to open slowly, and then he sat up quickly and looked around the room and to his horror, saw that Satine wasn't there. Was it all a dream? "Satine?" he called out. "Satine! Satine! Oh god.. Satine.."
He heard footsteps rushing into the main room where he was sitting on the bed. Satine looked at him.
"What? What's wrong? Are you alright?"
Christian looked at her and rubbed his eyes to make sure she was real. She was still there. "No.. I just.. I-- I thought it was all a dream."
She laughed softly and looked down. "I see. I can assure you it wasn't. I'm still here. I'll never leave you. Never again."
Christian got up from his bed and walked to Satine and wrapped her in his arms. "I'm so glad I have you back in my life. So glad."
Satine hugged him tight. "I have a question, Christian.. Um.. besides burying me somewhere else.. why did you dig me up? I mean.. I just.. it doesn't sound like.. you.." she said hesitantly.
Christian squeezed her tighter. "You were, and are, the highlight of my life Satine. I couldn't cope with your death. I couldn't imagine the terrible things.. your body rotting.. you not here with me.. I just thought that maybe if I buried you somewhere a little more personal, then I would be alright. I'm sorry if I scared you."
Satine smiled and hid away her teary eyes. "It's alright, I love you no matter what."
They both stood their, embracing each other in silence. They both jumped as the sound of a teapot whistling filled the garret.
Satine clapped her hand to her mouth. "Oh! I forgot, I'm cooking, don't want it to burn. Afraid I'm going to have to go tend to it."
Christian nodded and smiled at her. She was cooking. She was alive. She was walking and smiling and feeling and thinking.. and she was alive. It was a dream come true. He walked with her into the kitchen and sat down at a small table with two chairs. He suddenly noticed all the absinthe bottles around the house. He hoped Satine hadn't noticed. He didn't want to look like a drunk.
Satine finished cooking the eggs and bacon and set them on two plates. She put sugar in the tea and she brought it all over to the table where Christian sat. She sat down across from him and looked at him.
"What?" Christian said between mouthful's of food.
Satine laughed. "Nothing. It's just-- Well. You have a beard now."
Christian smiled at her cutely. "I'll shave it off later."
Satine smiled. "You don't have have to."
"I want to. I want to look the same to you as I did before you-- when you were here, before now."
Satine nodded and began eating her own food. "Christian, do you have enough money to get a doctor?"
Christian laughed. "Well, yes, considering I just sold my typewriter. I have some left over from your dress."
Satine sighed. "We can take the dress back. We need the money."
Christian shook his head. "You need the dress. It's the only other one you have. And the one you were.. buried in.. well, it's just too.. black and sad."
"Yes.. but I can go to the Moulin Rouge. The red room. My room. I should have clothes in there still, unless Harold took them with him for only god knows what reason."
Christian took a bite of his bacon. "Alright. Before we get a doctor, I'll take you there and we'll get some of your things"Cobwebs were in every corner of the room. Satine was looking through her closet and Christian sat on the bed that she had once tried to seduce him on, thinking he was the Duke.
He stood there, looking dumbstruck as she came into the room wearing black penior and walking seductively. "This is a wonderful place for a poetry reading, don't you think, Hmm?" she said. "'Poetic' enough for you?"
He looked her up and down. "Yes," he whispered.
He watched as she walked over to the small table and turned her back to him, reaching for a bottle of champagne. "A little, uh, supper? Maybe some champagne?"
He was nervous, so he wanted to hurry. "I'd rather just, um, get it over and done with." He jumped as she slammed the champagne bottle back into the bucket of ice.
"Oh," she said. She turned around, raised her eyebrow, smiled and said, "Very well. Then why don't you.." she layed on the bed. "Come down here. Let's get it over and done with."
He wasn't sure why she wanted him to lay down to tell her his poetry. "I-I prefer to do it standing."
She looked at him in surprise. "Oh," she started to get off the bed.
Christian didn't want her to have to obey his every move. "You don't have to stand. I mean, it's quite long and I'd like you to be comfortable. It's quite modern what I do, and it may feel a little strange at first, but I think if you're open, then you might enjoy it"
Christian laughed out loud without realizing it. Satine stopped going through her closet and looked up at him. "What?"
Christian shook his head. "Nothing. Just memories of us two in this room. When we first met."
Satine started laughing. "Oh. I see. I still can't believe you let me behave like that. You must've thought of me as a lunatic."
Christian looked at her seriously. "Yes, I did. But you must've thought I was a loon, too," he changed his expression to imitate himself. "'I prefer to do it standing; It's quite modern what I do, and it may feel a little strange at first, but I think if you're open, then you might enjoy it.'"
Satine giggled. "Yes, that's true. I thought you were very, very outgoing to be able to just blurt out how you liked it."
Christian shook his head as he smiled at her. Satine went back to looking through her closet and pulled out a red dress. "Oh look! It's the red dress from that same night when you sang to me. We had our first kiss, remember?"
Christian nodded. "How could I forget? I had to write our story."
"Oh, right...Sorry. I forgot. Oh! And look! It's my black penior. Should I take it?"
Christian nodded. "Of course," he said, smiling innocently at her.
She giggled and put it under her arm, along with the red dress. "I think we should have brought a suitcase, don't you?"
Christian shook his head. "No, because you have me to help you carry everything."
Satine smiled at him. He was so sweet and caring. "I'm lucky to have bumped into you, hmm?"
Christian nodded again. "And I, you."
Satine had an armful of clothes now. She sat them on the bed beside Christian, who got up and started folding them. She walked over to her small cabinet and opened it. Her eyes widened. "Oh, Christian! Look! I have so many jewels and necklaces and things. We could sell them for money. That's enough to last us a long time, don't you think?"
Christian turned around and looked. He raised an eyebrow. "You don't want to keep them?"
"No, they're meaningless to me. They're just old paychecks from.. other men."
Christian nodded. "Alright, then. We can sell them," he said, turning around to finish folding her clothes.
She took out her jewelery and set it on the bed as well. She walked over to her make-up cabinet and took all of her make-up out of it, she would definitely be needing that. She loved make-up.
"All right, I think that's everything I need," said Satine.
Christian looked around. "I'm gonna have a heavy load, aren't I?" he chuckled.
"Of course not, you're only carrying the clothes. I'll carry everything else. Okay?"
Christian nodded. "Okay."
They each took their part of Satine's things and walked down the stairs of the elephant and to the garret. When they got there, they put everything on Christian's bed and Satine brushed her hands together to get off any dust. "It's a shame that the Moulin Rouge got shut down.. it really was a beautiful place if you think of it without the Duke intruding."
Christian nodded. "Yeah, it was. But you're more beautiful."
Satine smiled and flushed pink. "And you're worth more then any complimenting word in the world."
They walked over to each other and kissed. They let go and Satine started folding her clothes and putting them in a dresser that leaned against a wall beside the bed. Christian went to the door, opened it, and turned back and said, "I'm going to go get a doctor. You can change into the dress that I bought until we can wash your clothes later on."
Satine nodded and smiled. "All right, I'll do that. Don't be long."
"I'll be back as soon as I can," he said.
"No sign of any sickness. You said this woman has a history of consumption? Well it seems to be completely gone. No signs whatsoever. She's healthy enough to live to be 100 if she so chooses."
Christian and Satine couldn't help but grin widely at each other. "Thank you, Sir,' said Christian. "Much appreciated."
The doctor smiled at the two. "It's what I do. I'm glad to give you good results"
And with that, the good doctor left.
"I guess you really are alive. And did you hear that, Satine? He said you could live to be 100. That's just fantastic," said Christian, leaning in to kiss her.
"Mm, yes it is. I hope you can live that long, too."
"I'll do my best."
And so the two layed on the bed and went to sleep, holding each other, and each of them was secretly thinking of how wonderful life was, now that they had reunited.
The next day, Christian sat Satine down to have a talk with her."So have you decided?"
Satine looked at him confused. "Decided what?"
"If you're going to tell anybody that you're alive," said Christian.
Satine looked down. "Oh," she said. "I don't know.. I want to, but it's just.. they would ask questions.. and I wouldn't have any answers. I think it would be hard for them to take in."
Christian knelt down and held her hands, laying his chin on them. "But do you want to? Don't think about what everyone else would think. What do -you- want?"
Satine stayed silent for a moment. "I want to tell them. But Christian, how will we find them? The Moulin Rouge is shut down, where do they live now?"
"Well I know that Toulouse and the rest of the bohemians spend time at the small bar a few blocks down. And I think Zidler is staying here at the hotel. I'm not quite sure, I could've sworn I saw him though. We could check tonight, if you'd like."
Satine nodded. "I think I would like that. I mean, I can't -not- tell them, if I did that, I would be living a lie. I'd have to pretend to be dead still. I don't think I can do that. Acting is one thing, but existing and making people believe that you don't is another."
Christian smiled up at her. "It's alright. You don't have to pretend. Besides, the Duke went back to his.. home. He isn't here anymore. It's safe now."
"I know," she whispered to him.
"Yes, I believe there is a Mr. and Mrs. Zidler in room 123. Would you like to visit them?"
Satine flinched from surprise when the hotel manager had said Mr. and -Mrs.- Zidler. Harold had gotten married? To whom? She smiled. "Yes, please. I would. But tell them that Christian is coming, don't mention me. It's a surprise," she winked at the manager. He nodded and winked back.
Christian sat in an uncomfortable chair in the lobby, waiting for Satine to return. When he saw her enter the doorway, he stood up. "So?"
"Room 123. And guess what? Harold either got married, or he lied. There is also a Mrs. Zidler with him."
Christian raised his eyebrows. "That's interesting. Are you ready?"
She nodded. "Yeah. I only said that you were coming. I told them not to mention me. So it'll be a very big surprise. And, um, I think you should go in first and explain to him that I'm alive, before I go in there, I mean."
"Yes, I think that's a good idea. Hope he doesn't get nauseous easily."
Satine giggled and took his hand in hers as they made their way to room 123, where they would meet Zidler for the first time in one year.