Until
by: Sugar Princess

Song: 'Until' by Sting
Disclaimer: Characters don't belong to me (well, one does. (-:), neither does the song
Dedication: To the GRRR gals... Camie, Celita, Kara and Hannita!


Satine traced a finger down Christian's forehead, over his nose, and over his lips. He squirmed in his sleep, and Satine giggled quietly as he tried to escape the tickling sensation on his face.

The moonlight shone directly through the window and onto Christian's bed as it had everytime they had ever been together. If memories were physical, you wouldn't be able to take a step without running into one. This is where their love had blossomed and grew radiant.

And nothing could ever change that.

A gust of spring breeze blew in the window, smelling of April showers and the promises of May flowers. Satine shivered, and wished the window was closed.

The clock on Christian's wall read two o'clock. She really should be going.

Satine knew she didn't belong with him, and that she never had. Everything was always going to be against them, and she had no right to continue prolonging it.

"No matter," she whispered, leaning down and pressing her lips to his in a sweet kiss.

Caught somewhere in the milky haze between sleeping and waking, Christian's hand fumbled around. Finding Satine's hand, he let out a soft "Satine," before returning to dreamland.

Moments like these were stolen and not allowed. Satine promised herself that she would soon end it, for his sake.

"If I caught the world in a bottle
And everything was still beneath the moon
Without your love would it shine for me?
If I was smart as Aristotle
And understood the rings around the moon
What would it all matter if you loved me?"

Guiltily, she slid between the sheets and into his embrace, which, in his slumber, he tightened. Satine let out a breath, and she damned herself for being such a sentimental fool. Why had she fallen in love in the first place?

"Here in your arms where the world is impossibly still
With a million dreams to fulfill
And a matter of moments until the dancing ends
Here in your arms when everything seems to be clear
Not a solitary thing would I fear
Except when this moment comes near the dancing's end,"

He would continue on without her. He'd survive. It was her emotions that kept her from leaving. He had so much to offer in life. What did she have left?

Only here, in this room, was she alive. When she was in the Rouge, her soul was dead. When she was with the Duke was better off dead. Everywhere she went without him, she wasn't.

"If I caught the world in an hourglass
Saddled up the moon so we could ride
Until the stars grew dim,
Until..."

Yes. He would continue on. He would love again, after her. He would someday realize that she was not the end-all, be-all of lovers. He could dig his heart up, and find some pretty, innocent little girl to give it to.

"One day you'll meet a stranger
And all the noise is silenced in the room
You'll feel that you're close to some mystery
In the moonlight and everything shatters
You feel as if you've known her all your life
The world's oldest lesson in history
Here in your arms where the world is impossibly still
With a million dreams to fulfill
And a matter of moments until the dancing ends,"

Satine took a deep shuddery breath. She had been there for too long, the inky blackness of night was retreating and the brillant rays of the dawn were coming. She had to leave.

"Here in your arms when everything seems to be clear
Not a solitary thing do I fear
Except when this moment comes near the dancing's end,"

Bracing herself, Satine climbed out of the bed and went to the balcony. Many new days would dawn for her sweet Christian, days without pain and without longing. He would get over her, and move on with his life. It was for the best.

"Oh, if I caught the world in an hourglass
Saddled up the moon and we would ride
Until the stars grew dim,"

She glanced back at the room, and smiled at her Christian. He had switched position, so now instead of facing the wall, he was spooning the young lady that shared his bed, one with glossy brown hair and a creamy complexion.

She smiled at him, then then she turned to face the sunlight.

"Until the time that time stands still,
Until..."