LIFE MUST GO ON.
Summary: After Satine's death, Christian realises he can't stand living without her, but life gives him a second chance and a new hope.(Christian's POV)
A/N: Well, it's my first Moulin Rouge fanfic and I've challenged myself to write in English. So, you can suppose English is not my first language (I'm Spanish, by the way). Please be kind and just e-mail me if you don't understand something. Then, I'd like to say I REALLY LOVE Moulin Rouge and probably everything that Baz Luhrmann ever directs.
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters, they are Baz Luhrmann's or Fox or somebody I don't know... but I do own Claire, who you'll meet soon.
Nothing more to say then... just read, enjoy the story, and review.
1. A second birth.
It all had finished.
That is what I thought when I felt the knife cutting my wrist, when I saw the blood coming out of my veins, spilling on the floor. It was not as painful as I had imagined. And only a few minutes after I felt weak, tired, close to sleep. I closed my eyes and thought of her. Of my Satine. I could hear her like she was just in front of me, calling me with her sweet voice, saying that she loved me. I could see her slim body, her pale skin, her beatiful eyes. I smiled and let myself fall unconscious.
I don't know how much time passed until I opened my eyes again. But when I did, I thought it was not heaven, nor hell. It was my bedroom again. I was lying on my bed, sunk in a sweet warmth that made me feel still tired and weak. Then I turned my head and saw somebody sleeping by me.
A woman.
With brilliant red hair.
My heart started beating faster and faster. That could be heaven after all.
But soon I realised it was not. Because of two things: first, when I felt a warm liquid in my arm; and second, when the woman by me turned and I could see her face. She was not Satine. And I was not dead.
Tears came to my eyes, and I could do nothing to stop them. I didn't know how it had happened. Probably somebody had found me before it was too late, and had saved me. No, "to save" was not the correct word. I had not been saved. Being back to life was a punishment. It was so unfair, so cruel. Satine wanted to live, and she died. I wanted to die, and I lived. We could never meet, even without the Duke, without Zidler. Death was "darker than jealousy and stronger than love", so it will never let us reunite.
"Non, non, reste tranquil, tu es bien" said that woman to me.
I understood her French words. Stay calm, you are right. She was the one who had brought me back to life. The one that I had thougth who was Satine. They had a similar hair, both red, but this girl's one was darker. And she looked younger too, almost a girl. She should be seventeen years old, maybe eighteen. Her eyes were light brown and, someway, innocent, peaceful. I felt better for a second by looking at them.
I tried to get up, but I wasn't strong enough to do it. She smiled when she saw my useless attempt and caressed my face slowly and carefully, trying to be as delicate as possible.
"Toulouse!" she called "Il s'est réveillé"
Toulose? He was there. I made an effort to sit on the bed and then felt a sharp pain in my wrist and that hot liquid again, my own blood. Then Toulouse appeared in front of me.
"God, Christian, what were you thinking about?" he asked.
I didn't answer. He knew why I had no reasons to live.
"Christian, Satine loved you. She would have spent her whole life with you if she had been able to. She doesn't want you to suffer" continued Toulouse in a low voice.
"I know" I answered "I don't want to suffer either. That's why I..."
"Just don't say it" he stopped me.
"I tried to suicide" I finished the sentence.
Toulouse closed his eyes painfully. He didn't want to hear that.
"You're lucky to be alive" he said "If Claire hadn't found you last night, you would be dead now".
"I want to be dead!" I shouted.
But I couldn't go on speaking because the girl put her fingers over my mouth. It was not violent, it was soft, sweet and sad at a same time. I stared at her and found her eyes again. Was it pity what I could see in them? She was sorry for me.
I remained silent, so she removed her fingers from my lips. I hadn't seen her before. I didn't knew who she was. Toulouse called her "Claire". Perhaps she was one of his models, a young prostitute from Montmartre. Probably he sent her to me last night, to see if I was right, and the poor girl found me covered in blood, trying to kill myself. She had saved me.
"Tu as eu une seconde naissance" Claire said "A... second birth. It's like that in English, isn't it?"
Toulouse shooked his head affirmatively and she smiled, proud of herself.
"Don't worry. We'll take care of you" she told me.
I didn't answer, just lay on the bed again and close my eyes. And some words came to my mind.
Come what may...
It was so difficult not to cry when thinking of Satine...
TO BE CONTINUED.
Did you like it? Then review. If you didn't like it, review anyway and tell me how can I improve my story. But please be kind.