Chapter Vingt-Deux
It was moments like these that made him feel the cold, the dark, the pain. When he was left alone in his garret with nothing more then the memory of her blood on his hands, the penetrating cold filled his heart. Her kisses, her caresses, her loving words, all turned to hot, throbbing scars when he was alone.
Sometimes he would wake up, cold sweat pouring from his forehead. He'd drop his hand to the other side of the bed, only to realize that nobody else was there.
This night was one of those times. He sat straight up in his bed, knowing he was alone. He brought a hand to his forehead, knowing sweat was there.
He knew why.
It was four years, to the day, since his brother put metal into the flesh of the woman he loved. He could see the scene so clearly, as if it had been just yesterday.
The bullet was shot, and then blood began to pour from Satine's flesh. He held her in his arms, sobbing. Somebody called the police and they arrived just as Richard began to load another bullet into the gun. God, he wished he had shot him. He wanted to die!
He let the tears flow as they had when he held her in his arms, her breathing shallow. He could almost feel her blood seeping into his clothing, his heart, his soul.
The cold, the dark, the pain…all because of his brother.
He wanted to write. He wanted to scream. He wanted to rip his hair out and drink Absinthe until he died. He would have, if he hadn't heard the laughter.
The gentle sound of laughter filled the garret. He couldn't tell if he was laughing or if someone nearby was mocking his pain.
Looking up from his hands, he saw the sun was out, its golden rays warming his tear stained face.
The door opened and a little girl entered. She had black hair that curled gently and covered her eyes that were oceanic and pristine. A smile played on her lips when she saw him.
"Good morning Papa," She said, her voice cutting through the painful barrier that he had wrapped around himself like a blanket.
"Good morning Amelia," He said, pulling himself out of bed.
He smiled down at his daughter and lifted her onto his shoulders.
"Why is your face wet Papa?" Amelia asked as she wrapped her arms around her neck.
"I had a nightmare, sweetheart," He said simply, knowing that Amelia was too young to understand his pain.
"There are groceries outside, Papa," She said, giggling. The sound, melodic and youthful, made him smile.
When he got into the hall, he saw her.
"Hello darling," Satine said, putting her bags down to kiss him. She felt his wet cheek and looked up.
"Another nightmare?"
He nodded. Satine kissed him again and told Amelia to go inside. She jumped off his shoulders and closed the door behind her.
"Your brother didn't kill me, remember?" He could see the pain in her eyes, knowing that his sorrows hurt them both.
"I…" He started, knowing that he wouldn't be able to find the words. His mouth closed almost as quickly as it had opened.
"He had bad aim, Christian. He shot me in the shoulder. I passed out from shock."
He nodded, "The nightmares just keep coming, Satine. I feel your blood…I feel like I'm about to loose everything."
"Christian, I'll always be there. I'm not going to leave…ever. You'll always have me and you'll always have Amelia," She kissed him again, meaning for it to be like a brush of air. Instead, their lips were caught up in passion, in love, and they couldn't break apart.
"I love you so much Satine," He whispered into her pink lips. She smiled.
"I love you, too," She replied. Then their lips found each other again and the two fell into a powerful kiss.
In the kiss, Christian felt something. It wasn't cold. It wasn't dark. It wasn't pain.
It was love, unconditional and everlasting.
At that moment, he knew he was going to be ok.
Finis
A/N-Well…that's it. Hope you liked it and, if not, please don't kill me, lol. I loved writing this story!!!!