CHAPTER 5

Dislaimer: Alright I don't own anything accept for my love for Ewen! I am only writing this story to give me something to do in between rehearsal for our upcoming show, Into the Woods. So sorry for the delay.

Rehearsal was vicious. The enduring running of the same scenes over and over again. Actually it was a lot like running though a high school musical. This might have been why Rachel felt right at home.

" 'Thank you for curing me of my ridiculous obsession with love!' Says the penniless sitar player, throwing money at her feet and leaving the kingdom forever!" Christian said to Satine. Rachel and Monica were, obviously, given undistinguished parts. Rachel had only one like. "YES!" And Monica has two, "Yes…yes."

"Oh, but a life without love, that's-that's terrible." Satine said. She and Christian had ended their feuding and were back to sharing these little engaging asides. This did not put Monica in high spirits. She knew that they were suppose to be together but, Monica had began to fall for Christian, and it was tearing her heart to shreds to see Christian and Satine flirting right in front of her.

"Oh, for Gods sakes, he's the dramatist, let him….do…his playwriting and stop asking questions." Rachel said. Not getting that much sleep the night before she was pretty cranky and play was getting the best of her.

She let out a whimper and walked off the stage and sat down rights next to the Duke. She reached into the Dukes jacket pocket which, parenthetically, was sill on him and pulled out a handkerchief. She then proceeded to swab the little beads of sweat from her brow.

"So how are you doing Duke?" Rachel said while sighing.

"I am…uh…can't carp." The Duke said not paying that much thought to what Rachel was saying. All of his awareness was set on Satine.

Without warning Rachel got up and shook The Dukes shoulders frenetically. "You need to loosen up Dukie. You are really uptight. Has anyone ever told you that?"

"Duke." He then said with a to some extent, aggravated look on his face.

"What?" Rachel asked bemused.

The Duke gave Rachel his full attention my turning his body to hub on Rachel entirely. "My name is…"

"I don't care what you THINK you're name is but I want to call you Dukie." Rachel said with an extensive smile prolonged across her mug. "Hey I've got a great idea!"

"And what would that be?" The Duke asked with a forced composed appearance on his face.

"We should go out and…I don't know…do something! It gets pretty mind-numbing around here." Rachel said in a now whinish tone. She was doing this for two reasons, one she wanted the Duke to take is mind off of Christine Monica and/or Satine and two Rachel had a little thing for him ever since he played Dracula.

RACHEL THINKING: Now if only I could find a way to die his hair black. Then he would look JUST like Dracula and the voice…well… I can tolerate the voice. Just as long as the face is there.

Monica starred incredulity as Rachel and the Duke got up and left the room.

"Well…what shall we do?" The Duke asked. Monica didn't know if Rachel really wanted to go out with The Duke or was trying to get the Duke away form the group. Either way she was thankful.

"A picnic sweet…sir." She was thinking about the next line in the movie.

"Isn't that peculiar?" The Duke began. "I was going to ask--"

"Me that exact thing?" Rachel asked cutting him off and pouting her lips seductively.

Monica waited for Satine to walk away from Christian so they could have a little alone time.

"So." Monica began as she walked hesitantly towards Christian. After the whole…well…thing that happened last night, she didn't know how to approach him. "how are you today?" She finally asked.

"Fine." Christian said looking the other way. He, too, felt awkward.

Monica turned to him an then said "Look Christian about that kiss, it was--"

"Nothing." Christian blurted out.

Monica was shocked she could feel the lump in her throat begin to grow. Her vision was becoming blurry and her eyes began to burn. She then looked the other way and said in a low voice trying her damndest not to cry. "Exactly that was what I was going to say."

Still not looking at her, Christian said with a sigh. "Oh thank God because when I woke up this morning I thought, oh my not--" but when Christian turned around he saw that Monica was walking away. Coming from that same direction was Satine, "What is the matter with her?"

"What do you mean?" Christian asked.

"I don't know. She looked as if she were crying thought." Satine said with a concerned look on her face.

Christian closed his eyes and sighed. He then realized that he had made a mistake in handling the situation the way he did. He now knew that Monica had feelings for him and he just brushed them off.

"Well come on we have to finish rehearsing this play if we want it to be a success." Zidler bellowed.

"Uh one moment, there is to be a change in the script." Christian said.

"Change in the script!" The Zidler asked.

"Yes. The Courtesan should have a friend."

"How is that going to spice up the play?" The Zidler asked with a puzzled look on his face.

"Well her friend is in love with the Sitar player. One night while the Sitar player and the Courtesan are having a fight, the friend comes in to comfort the Sitar player. Then, not intentionally, the Sitar player leads her friend into believing that they are in love. Only when her friend finds out that he does not feel the same way she is heart broken."

"It sounds like you are adding another lead to the picture." Satine said with a sympathetic expression on her face. She knew exactly who the friend was.

"I love it." The Zidler said. "This can only leave to heartbreak and tragedies sell. You have a gift my boy. Now who did you have in mind to play this part?"

"Monica." Christian said in a low voice.

"Her?" The Zidler asked. "Why her?"

"Why not?" Satine asked with a smile. "Have you heard her sing?"

"Have you?" The Zidler asked.

Satine thought about it, "Well…not but--"

"I have." Christian said. He took a step forward and explained to the Zidler. "She has an amazing voice. It is perfect for this part."

The Zidler let out a defeated sigh, "Alright."

Satine smiled. She was starting to actually like Monica. She wanted to tell her the good news but look around to see that neither she or Rachel were anywhere in sight. "Have you see Monica or Rachel?" Satine asked.

"No Miss." A stagehand said.

"Have you?" She asked. This time it was a dancer.

"Sorry Satine." She said in between leaps and kicks.

"Has anyone seen Rachel or Monica?" She said loudly.

A few people shook their head no while the rest said "no." in a low rumble.

"Where on earth have they…where's the Duke?"

"The Duke? The DUKE! Where on earth is the Duke?" The Zidler asked. When he said the Duke, he really means the money. Where is the money?

"I saw him walk off with Miss Rachel." The same stagehand said.

"But I just asked you if you had seen her and you said no."

"You asked me if I had seen HER or Miss Rachel. Not the Duke and Miss Rachel." He said with a stupefied smile on his face.

Satine, the Zidler and Christian all looked at him with a concerned glance. "Well," The Zidler began, "I don't much care for Monica right now. All I care about is finding the Duke. So, here's what we'll do, Satine, you go and search for the Duke and Christian, you go and search for Miss Monica." This did not sit right with Christian. What was he going to say if/once he had found her? Hey I've been looking all over for you. Guess what, you've got a bigger part in the show! Your character?...uh well she is basicallt she's you!

LATER ON

Rachel and the Duke were roaming the streets conversing. Well the Duke was really talking, Rachel was just trying to speak. She could not get a word in edgewise.

"So then I told them all that I font care whetner or not they had been living there for years, I wanted their home and do you know what happened?"

"They died." Rachel said with dry sarcasm.

"Oh heavens no. I took out my checkbook and wrote them a check for twenty five thousand dollars and they moved out in three days. And that was the third house I bought."

"wow that was amaz--"

"Now the fourth was tricky there was a little old woman who lived in this mansion on Grove Street and--"

"Okay listen Duke I know this is going to come as a shock to you but there are other things to life than buying things." Rachel said with a hint of sarcastic surprised buried in her voice.

"What do you mean?" The Duke look at Rachel as if she had a boil on her head the size of a grapefruit. "What else is there to discuss."

Rachel squinted her eyes and starred at the Duke. "Change."

"I beg your pardon?" The Duke asked Rachel.

"I said 'change'. It's time you've made one." She then grabbed his hand and led him down the to a sign "Mortiners Gentlemens Hair Care Shop."

"This is where it shall begin." Rachel said with a grin lingering across her face. She glanced at the Duke who had two hints of fear and one supplementary hint of fear.

"What are we doing here? I thought we were suppose to--"

"Don't change to subject. It's time you faced the facts, blondes, reds and browns don't have more fun. Black is where it's at."

The Duke coundl say anything he was paralyzed with fear and confusion and he could do was…gulp.