The house was...magnificent. It's Gothic arches swept up in front of them and almost pulled them to the sky. Nicole ran up to the door to see it being opened for her by one of many footmen. "Thank you Jibbs," Christian smiled as the young girl stared up at the uniform. "Nicole, this is Jibbs, he will show you to your room. While I see about Lunch."

Jibbs turned to Christian in amazement, "What do you mean?" he whispered.

"Take her to Lucy's room, it is her's now."

"When the master's courier came with the note that you had taken this house I couldn't believe it. But when he told me that you would be bringing a lady with you, and a Child no less, I wouldn't believe it."

Christian smiled at the old man. "Believe it, because it is not going away. None of it is."

Satine looked at him in astonishment. "But, this looks expensive...you are penniless."

Christian smiled, "I am only penniless because my father cut me off, now that we seem...in his favour. He has given back what is mine."

"What would that be?"

Christina smiled. "I am a Lord, in my own right. Not quite a Duke, but a Lord nonetheless." Satine backed away slightly, after all, her exposure to the noble's or 'Lords' of any kind was slightly biased. Christian seemed to see her discomfort as he rushed to assure her that Lords were very different from Dukes. Lord's didn't steal people or anything like that, they simply sat in big houses and didn't do much all day. "But there is one thing that I have to do, not as a Lord, but as Christian."

Satine asked him what that thing was, but he wouldn't tell her as he showed her around the house.

At dinner time the three of them changed and sat at the table almost ready to eat. The Dining room was ENORMOUS as Satine and Nicole sat a few meters down from Christian. But before Jibbs and the other servants could bring out the first of many courses, Christian stopped them and rose from his seat. He took Satine's hand and had Nicole resting on his hip and took them into the kitchen where they sat at the table and ate with the servants.

At first the servants were skeptical, not knowing what to make of this. The Christian they remembered wasn't like this. He would be shut up in his room with his typewriter and wouldn't come out, wouldn't eat for days on end and yet here he was, sitting With Them and laughing?

Nicole curled up in Christian's arms and promptly feel asleep. He apologized and walked up from the basement kitchen to his sister Lucy's old room and laid the young girl on her bed. Satine followed him to their room and was curious to say the least.

"What is that you have to do? As Christian?"
Christian smiled at her as he took off his dinner jacket, "you'll find out soon enough," he told her smiling as they fell asleep in each others arms.

The next morning Satine awoke to a maid opening the curtains as she smiled contently. This was what she'd always wanted…but…to be a real actress… that would never leave her she thought.

Christian sensed her discomfort at breakfast and so – leaving Nicole with Mary one of the maids – took her outside for a walk through the grounds.

"I grew up here," he told her softly as they reached a giant tree. "My sister fell from that tree and we all thought she had died, then they brought some chocolate in the room for myself and my brother, she woke up five minutes later, hasn't stopped liking chocolate either."

Satine laughed and looked at him. "You love it here don't you."

He nodded, "but, if you want to leave and go around the world a thousand times acting, then I will follow you as will Nicole and any others that … arrive." She laughed and nodded her understanding. "Satine, there is one thing that I would do as Christian before I become Lord etc." he smiled up at her, "I told you that we could run away together and live happily ever after? Would you? With…with me?" Before she could answer he placed a hand over her mouth softly. "I'm not finished yet!" he laughed, "there's a theatre nearby who are looking for actresses. They pay alright, and they want to give you an audition tomorrow for a play their doing soon. But that's not what I'm talking about at all…actually both those things were completely off topic." He sighed slowly and fished something wrapped in leather out of his bag. "I promise you something…or … the girl who died something."

"To write our story, I know. I asked her to tell you that."

Christian nodded and pressed the leather into her hands. It was a package almost…she couldn't believe it as she opened the leather to reveal the pages.

The Moulin Rouge. To Satine Come What May

She opened the first page to read

The Moulin Rouge, a nightclub, a dancehall and a bordello ruled over by Harold Zidler. A kingdom of night-time pleasures where the rich and powerful came to play with the young and beautiful creatures of the underworld The most beautiful of all these was the woman I loved. Satine. A courtesan, she sold her love to men. They called her "the sparkling diamond", and she was the star of the Moulin Rouge. The woman I loved is dead.

"I'm dead am I?" she laughed softly.

"If you lived, the Duke might find you and … I … I couldn't bear that."

She smiled and hugged him tightly whispering a soft "yes" into his ear. He pulled back startled.

"Yes to what?" he asked carefully.

"Yes I'll live a thousand happily-ever-afters with you. Come what May!"

He kissed her feverishly before letting her go. "Do you mean that?" she didn't answer him but the kiss served as answer enough.

"Oh, and Christian?" she smiled as she leant into his shoulder. "What would you say if Nicole had a brother or sister?"

"What?"

"You remember … one….of those nights I spent in your garret?"

"How could I forget?"

"I'm going to have your child Christian. Your! Child!"
He laughed which was not quite the answer she'd expected, but she loved it all the same.

Epilogue

Satine did get the part in the play in the nearby theatre and Christian and Nicole were there on opening night as she received rave reviews from all quarters on her portrayal of Shakespeare's Viola.

Christian's book became famous as it was almost certain that every house in England owned a copy. He sold the rights to a young director by the name of Mark Luhrmann who turned it into a musical. Satine auditioned, not mentioning the connection and was successful it wasn't until opening night that they found out she was married to the author. The show was an instant hit traveling all over England and Europe.

Four months after Moulin Rouge finished, Ewan was born having his father's eyes and his mother's nose.

This story is about truth, beauty, freedom, but above all, love

AN: thank you to all the reveiws and I'm so sorry to finish this here I could have gone on but I couldn't...L O N G story

but thanks all reveiws still appreciated