Author's Note: I have no idea where I came up with the idea for this, but let's pretend shall we? The barricades haven't happened yet, who knows when they will, cause I don't even know what day it is in this story. Cosette DID leave for England after all, etc. etc.
Disclaimer: I don't own my favorite little Mizzies. Sigh.
Staring blankly ahead of me, I was barely aware of the cold Paris cobblestone beneath my feet. A solitary street lamp illuminated the abandoned road as the other lamps, cracked and desolate, held no sign of the luminous life they once bore. My skirt, ripped and jagged, swayed ever so slightly in my wake as my hair clung desperately to my features. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, breathing in the many scents around me. My stomach trembled when I caught a whiff of the local baker's fresh bread and pastries, yet I urged my feet to journey on in the straight path I had chosen. My path led away from home, naturally. It was well past midnight, and I had no intention of going back to where I should have been. Eyes still shut tight, I took the time to let my mind wander. My fantasies took wing, and I began to dream as the ground beneath me told me what area of town I was in.
"Monsieur Marius?" I whispered quietly, and a stride laugh emitted from my throat. 'That can't be right,' I thought. 'I am a delicate mademoiselle.' I changed my imagination to alter my vocal chords. Therefore, I believed my laugh to be a soft, feminine giggle… like Cosette's. Suddenly I could feel an invisible hand, firm yet gentle, tugging me along, though I knew not where I was heading.
"Where are we going?" I questioned, a little louder now. The person leading me stopped and I stood shivering in the bitter winter air. I pretended to gasp happily as the pressure of a man's formal jacket was placed on my shoulders. I turned, eyes still closed, as my imagination expanded, and Monsieur Pontmercy's face, loving and handsome, came smiling into my vision.
"You'll see," he grinned, the joy clearly lighting up his features. This wonderful young man led me to the bridge overlooking the river, and I stared curiously into its murky depths.
"Marius?" I remarked, all formality forgotten now. In my world, words such as Monsieur and Madame were not needed. In my world, we loved each other…
Yet I had been expecting more than the view that disgustingly graced me. Something more… elegant… like a rose garden in the park or other sights to that effect. Marius looked into my eyes, and I could tell he knew what I was thinking. He grabbed my skeletal hand gently, and I blushed at the contact.
Marius then moved to embrace me, and I sensed his voice whispering tenderly in my ear.
"Step onto the ledge," he said. "And don't worry; I won't let you fall."
I smiled, knowing my teeth were slightly dispositional and blackened in reality, but here they glimmered like fresh snow in the forest. I could trust Marius, I sincerely believed that. I placed my bare foot on the ledge, both in my fantasy and in life, and I pushed myself up. Marius kept a firm grip on my hand, and I viewed my surrounding panorama.
It was a lot more beautiful than I had expected. I knew, had I been standing here in the daylight hours, I would have been graced with smog in the air and the 'sweet' stench of pollution up my nostrils. From where I stood now, though, the river beneath me suddenly sparkled with the reflection of the surrounding street lamps. The pavement gleamed dully, almost as if it had been carved out of silver. The world was beautiful, and I believed I was too, having finally joined this midnight Utopia. The moon shone down on my face, and I leaned towards its warmth. The fires and lamps of many households twinkled merrily, at least I imagined they were, and I smiled gloriously.
"Marius, it's… beautiful," I breathed. My mouth felt like it would twist unrealistically from happiness.
"It is," he agreed. Then he paused and resumed to speak the words I had wished to here since I couldn't remember when.
"But it's not half as gorgeous as the love of my life standing next to me…"
My heart soared, and my poor mind disregarded the fact that this was fictional; that was put on hold in my mind to be eventually lost forever. The breeze began to pick up, and I wanted to laugh at the chilly wind. It no longer bothered me. Marius grinned at my comfortable stance, and I was aware he knew my reply before I voiced it.
I watched as he tenderly leaned down and kissed my left hand, kept softly in his sweet grasp.
My heartbeats were now coming in sporadical staggers.
"Marius, there's something I've longed to tell you as well. Now that you've said how you feel, I must tell you in return," I sighed, preparing myself. "I've always wanted to tell you I lo-"
A forceful piece of wind suddenly came barreling from the skies and wound itself about my frail body. My chest dipped dangerously towards the waters, and I fought with great effort to keep my feet on the rail. I screamed, subconsciously aware of the uselessness- I was too small to put up much of a battle- and reached out for Marius to save me…
He wasn't there.
He wouldn't even help me if he was.
Cosette was much more important.
I exhaled deeply, and my entire existence tipped towards falling, the wind still rushing around my face. I cried out again, tears cascading down my pale cheeks. My feet were seemed to be slipping in slow-motion on the wet bridge railing beneath me.
"'Ponine!"
His beautiful voice called out to me, but it was only in my mind. It wasn't him. It would never be, and I had to force my head to believe it, though I did not wish to.
"Eponine, hang on! I'm coming!"
No he wasn't. He was far away, doting on the curly blonde, no doubt. I was using most of my remaining strength to teach myself this fact. Marius would most likely never learn of my untimely and youthful demise. I would merely be another faceless urchin who disappeared from the world, and… well; he would have to find someone else to deliver his letters.
And this was it. One last gust pummeled my back, knocking the last of my balance, and I flailed desperately, giving up. My feet plunged into midair, and the adrenaline whooshed through my brain, making me dizzy. The corners of my death scene I was plummeting into –the rushing current, swelling and growling with the wind and rising tide- became black around the edges. This was it… Someone yelled, and I praised God for rewarding me with his voice as the last thing my pitiful soul would ever hear.
"Eponine, NO!"