London-1834

"It's a gorgeous day, isn't it?" Eponine asked as she fed the pigeons that covered the ground in front of her.

Enjolras, with his nose in his book, looked up at the young lady he sat next to.

"Yes, it is." he told before digging his nose back in his book.

Eponine threw a fist full of crumbs to the pigeons, and watched as every one of them fought for a piece. A few baby birds tried to get a crumb, but were pushed out by the older ones.

"God, you rats with wings! Let everyone have a piece! There is enough!" Eponine complained.

"'Ponine. They're birds. They don't understand our language." Enjolras said without taking his eyes off his book.

Eponine crossed her arms.

"It should be second nature for them to share! I mean, look at you and me! We are sharing a small flat not to far from the river Thames! We share food and medicine. We take care of each other!"

"You are making it sound like we are in a courtship." Enjolras claimed.

"Well, it's not everyday a man of your status would take a girl of my own petty misfortunes and invites her to tag along to London to escape a failed revolution!"

Enjolras put the book onto his lap quickly and shushed her.

"Eponine! Don't say that! At least not out here! Someone might catch us and take us back to Paris!"

"Oh, please! If that was the case we would have been taken back by now!"

Enjolras rolled his eyes.

"You are impossible." he said and went back to his reading.

"And, for the record, I never invited you to tag along. You invited yourself."

Eponine gave him a stern look.

"We made a deal! I was losing lots of blood and manage to find you, dying, lying on those barricades. I managed to pull you off and take you to a doctor before passing out. I saved your life! If it weren't for me, the two of us wouldn't be here. I took this opportunity, when you said you were escaping to London, as payback."

Enjolras, again, placed his book on his lap and faced the young woman.

"Do not think that I do not appreciate your bravery for saving my life, but as I told you back in Paris, this may be dangerous. We illegally escaped the King and the law. They could be hunting us down right now…."

Eponine chuckled.

"The only danger we have encountered together was you nearly burning our flat down!"

Enjolras gave her a shocked expression.

"Oh, really? How about the time when we bumped into that angry drunk?"

Eponine laughed.

"You mean the one who "locked" us behind a gate and yelled," she made a waving fist and in her best old drunk man's voice said, "'Once this door closed it will never open again!'"

Enjolras and Eponine shared a laugh before taking in the sights of one another.

Eponine had drastically changed from her life in Paris.

No longer was she covered in mud and grime. No longer was her blackish-brown hair matted and tangled. No longer did she looked hunger-panged, for Enjolras had made sure she was fed. Her chocolate brown eyes shimmered with joy and laughter. Her dimpled smile seemed to make a permanent home on her face.

She looked very pretty...no...she looked beautiful.

How could a woman like her catch his eye?

He had no interest in women. At least, he use to. While the two of them had butted heads before arriving in London and a few weeks after they arrived, he never noticed the pure happiness that she brought to the flat.

After all he had been through, from the fall of the barricade to his many attempts of suicide, Eponine had been there and he couldn't be more grateful.

She made him happy, and O! How he wanted to make her happy.

Suddenly, a cold wet feeling plopped on top of his head. Enjolras noticed Eponine trying to cover her head with her hands.

"It's raining!" she squealed with glee.

Enjolras stood up and held his hand out to her.

"Come! Let's head back to the flat!"

Eponine took his hand and stood up next to him. She took his other hand into her other free one. Her face moved dangerously close to Enjolras'.

"Not yet. I like the rain. There isn't anything that will make me happier than a rainy day in London."

Enjolras smiled.

"I agree." he told. "There isn't anything that will make me happier than a rainy day in London."

With you.