Disclaimer: I bought the rights to this film in the days since I last updated. Definitely. What? You don't think so? I am soooo offended! How dare you not think so! Oh, well, your right. Please disreguard (is that spelled right? Who cares?) the above sentence. I own nothing but Nini's feelings and those I can do anything I want with - laughs evilly, rubbing hands together excitedly.
Chapter 4: Cold
"Nini," said Sparkles. Nini woke up and looked around – it was almost dawn. "What are you doing here?" Sparkles continued.
"Oh! Um . . . waiting for you to wake up." Nini said quickly. "I have to talk to you."
"It'll have to wait. Christian –" she began to get up.
"Christian can wait – he's waited all night, he can wait a bit longer. Sparkles didn't seem to like this reasoning, but she sat back again. "I need to ask you something. You –" Nini gulped. "love Christian?" Sparkles nodded emphatically, smiling. "Yes. But – if it came down to a choice between Christian and the Moulin . . . which would you chose?"
Her smile disappeared. She didn't answer right away, a good thing in Nini's mind. It meant she was considering the consequences. She closed her eyes. "I –" she started and stopped again. "It won't come to that . . ."
"But it might." Nini pushed forward unsympathetically. "You know that. It very well might, and soon. You have to make a decision Sparkles. Now."
"The – the Moulin, of course." She said, averting her eyes and not sounding nearly sure enough for Nini's liking. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I really should go back to Christian." This time Nini didn't stop her and she left the room. The door closed slightly harder than strictly necessary.
Nini sat down on bed heavily. It would never work, this relationship between Sparkles and Shakespeare. They had to know that. She wouldn't be surprised if they broke up after this – and if Nini had helped it along, well, so what? It had to happen and sooner was better than later, for all involved.
She got up again and went over to the balcony and looked up toward Shakespeare's garret. As she watched, Sparkles came out one of the windows. She seemed agitated. Had they argued? Perhaps the seed of doubt that Nini had planted in Shakespeare had grown through the night he spent alone? She hardly dared to hope.
A few seconds later, he appeared as well and began to plead with her. Nini saw Sparkles shake her head and turn away, but her resolve was visibly weakening. Over the next few minutes, she broke down entirely and Nini began to shake with an emotion she couldn't name as they kissed once more.
"This can't be happening." She muttered. She turned away and brushed tears away from her eyes. Where had they come from? She couldn't say, but as she walked back down to street level, Nini felt a strange, empty coldness take over her. "You're not getting away with this Sparkles – I'm going to make sure of that." She said out loud.
But as another two weeks disappeared, Nini was unable to go through with this resolution. Everything that was pulling them apart was only making them hold on tighter. Shakespeare wrote that song – Come What May – in obvious hopes that they end of the play would also be the end of their story. "Foolish boy," Nini muttered more than once as the opening night of Spectacular Spectacular sped closer. Opening night – it was the ultimate test of Sparkles' supposed love for Shakespeare. The night she was to fulfill her promise to the Duke.
"Nini?" Arabia asked just after she'd said this once.
"Hmm?" Nini pulled herself out of reverie.
"You do know you've been staring at Christian for the past five minutes?"
Had it really been that long? It seemed to her that she'd only glanced at him, murmured her exclamation and been interrupted. But she had found that her eyes had wandered to him more and more often since the day she'd visited him.
Slowly the rest of the girls realized what was going on. They, of course, found it extremely funny and thought nothing of the financial disaster it would soon create. Despite Nini's efforts to open his eyes, however, the Duke's obliviousness continued. She kept giving him ideas of things to do with Sparkles – picnics, boating trips – and coincidentally she would always mention something when Sparkles and Shakespeare were 'rehearsing'. But it was always ruined by the Duke's overwhelming stupidity.
At the final dress rehearsal, Nini's patience ran out. With one last glance at Shakespeare, the cold emptiness returned, along with a fierce determination. He would not be with Sparkles. She wouldn't let him.
Slowly, she approached the Duke. "This ending's silly." She said, speaking rather loudly and enunciating very clearly. You never knew what might go over his head. "Why would the courtesan go for the penniless writer? Whoops!" she gasped theatrically as the Duke turned toward her, startled. "I mean sitar player." She gave him a lopsided grin and looked pointedly at Shakespeare, then Sparkles. He followed her gaze and, as she backed away still grinning, she could only hope he finally saw the truth.
He did. She could see the anger grow in them – even from the back – through the end of the song. She sat down, laughing with the other Diamond Dogs, and waited for the fireworks. She was not disappointed. "I don't like this ending." He said as the note faded.
The mood on stage changed. The triumph and excitement vanished, to be replaced with a tense confusion. "Don't like the ending, my dear Duke?" Harold asked, horrified.
"Why would the courtesan chose a penniless – sitar player –" Didn't the man have any imagination? He was basically quoting her. "Over the maharaja? Who is offering a life time of security – that's real love." Nini nearly laughed. Maybe he shouldn't use what little imagination he had – he was going to hurt himself, thinking these deep thoughts. He's doing what you want him to – don't complain. She told herself firmly.
Toulouse was also spouting nonsense – he normal rubbish about the Bohemian ideals, but the Duke wasn't any more interested in it than Nini. "I don't care about your ridicules dogma!" he shouted. "Why shouldn't the courtesan choose the maharaja?"
"Because she doesn't love you!"
Everyone went silent at Shakespeare's pronouncement. "Idiot!" Nini breathed. He seemed to realize his mistake also and immediately tried to correct it.
"H-him. H-him. She – she doesn't love, she doesn't love him." He stammered, but the damaged was complete.
"Oh, I see." The Duke whispered. He turned back toward the stage. "Monsieur Zidler! This ending will be rewritten . . . with the courtesan choosing the maharaja – and without the lovers' 'secret song'. It will be rehearsed in the morning, ready for the opening tomorrow night."
Harold began to protest this but Sparkles took control. Knowing Sparkles, she had been thinking of a cover since the Duke's first proclamation and now she was ready to give it. "Harold!" she laughed. "The poor Duke is being treated appallingly." Her disapproving look took in everyone, even Shakespeare. She started down the steps, toward the Duke. "Now why don't you and I have a little supper. And then afterward . . . we can let Monsieur Zidler know how we would prefer the story to end. Hmm?"
Good girl. Nini thought. It seemed like Sparkles was going to go through with her promise of choosing the Moulin Rouge over Christian after all. She closed her eyes in relief. When she opened them again, the Duke had gone off somewhere and Sparkles was headed backstage. Nini glanced at Shakespeare, who looked like he wanted to follow her. Before he did, he glanced over at Nini, eyes full of pain. Unconsciously, she lifted her head in defiance, as though he were accusing her.
He looked away almost immediately and left after Sparkles, but Nini couldn't seem to get his hurt expression out of her head.
Nini really is full of herself, isn't she? In this chapter alone she, what?, calls the Duke stupid several times, says Christian is foolish and an idiot, thinks Toulouse's ideals are nonsense - I think the only person (other than herself) that she approves of in this chapter is Satine! How did that work out? At least she does have something of a conscience . . . maybe.
"Love is like oxygen." Oxygen is necessary to breathe. Love is needed to hold this story together.
Let's put it this way: Reviews are like oxygen and love! Please give me both! (Seriously, for writing the Tango chapter, I'll need them. Lots of them.)
