A/N: Well, I've been planning this for a while, with some extreme assistance from the lovely Sasha Snape. If you guys don't read Tresors, I highly recommend it. I was inspired for this fic by Aaron Tveit's interpretation of Enjolras. The little things he did really told me more about the character than any other performance I have seen. Plus, the way he says "Who cares about your lonely soul?" is what convinced me that I was on the right track with this. Please be forwarned, I do speak a little bit of French, but I am not going to take kindly to people telling me that I made a grammatical mistake. For example, I will change it if it's supposed to be "mon" instead of "ma" but if you launch into a full-page review on how many grammatical mistakes I've made, I will probably suggest that you read a French fic instead of this one. I'm not trying to be rude, but I speak English. I am trying to stay true to the French roots of Les Mis, so please don't call me out on my French. With that being said, I really hope you all enjoy this. I've worked really hard on it, and would appreciate any critique (no flames, please) that you may have. Please, enjoy!

Disclaimer: I am not Victor Hugo, nor would I wish to be. That guy lived a tough life. This will be based on both the musical and 2012 film, and partly on the Brick, though I haven't read it in a long time.

Prologue

She always watched and never participated. Eponine was a shadow; she was invisible and she was good at it. The only person who seemed to see her was Marius, which was why she loved him so much. They had first met when she moved to Paris from Montfermeil. He had helped Eponine and her family find lodging and, in turn, she helped Marius survive on his own when he cut himself off from his family. He still kept contact with them, though he refused all of their offers of financial assistance.

She watched from the very back of the large crowd in front of General Lamarque's house as Marius and his revolutionary friends attempted to rally the people to support the revolution. Marius stood atop a pedestal that had been set up in front of Lamarque's front door. Next to him, the leader of the revolution stood with his eyes blazing and his blond curls ruffling gently in the wind. Enjolras, the marble statue, also nicknamed Apollo, after the Greek God of prophecy and war, preached to his followers about liberté, égalité and fraternité. Eponine didn't truly understand what he was preaching about, but that did not matter to her. She was there to support Marius and ensure that he did not get into trouble.

Trouble such as a run in with Patron-Minette, as this square was close to where Thénardier's gang conducted their less-than-legal business. "Or a run in with the police," thought Eponine, as she watched numerous members of Paris' law enforcement ride up on horseback. Eponine watched as the various people in the square began to flee upon their arrival. She swiftly and silently moved among the people until she stood by Marius' side as he and his friend disembarked from the podium and began passing out flyers, passing along the news that the next rally would be held in a month's time.

"Marius!" He, along with his leader and his shadow, turned towards the voice. They were met with the sight of a bourgeois-looking man sitting in a carriage, leaning out the window towards them.

"Grandfather?" Marius looked startled. He had not seen his grandfather for almost a year, swearing off the Pontmercy family fortune and everything it stood for.

"Look at the shame you have brought upon our family! Give up this foolish business and come home! Do not force my hand in this!" Monsieur Gillenormand looked sternly into his grandson's eyes, and only Eponine could see the fear that shined through the anger.

"Marius?" He looked over at Enjolras, who gave him a look that requested that he make a decision.

"Vive La France!" Marius suddenly shouted, which started up a rousing cry that echoed through the remaining crowd.

Eponine looked around and spotted a policeman on horseback approaching them as quickly as he could through the throng of people. She quickly grabbed Marius' arm in one hand and Enjolras' in the other. She led them quickly through the rapidly dispersing crowd until she reached a dark alley way and silently slipped through it with her charges in tow. She hurried them down the dark alley, and through an abandoned building that backed onto the alley. When they reached the front door of the dilapidated old building she paused and opened the creaky door. Bright sunlight shone through and the boys could see that they were close to the Café Musain.

Marius wandered off, no doubt lost in thought over his argument with his grandfather. Enjolras turned around to thank the girl who had delivered them from certain arrest, only to find she had disappeared. Shaking his head and wondering who exactly their guide was, Enjolras strode purposefully into the café, already composing his next speech in his head.

Meanwhile, Eponine had followed Marius back towards the Gorbeau tenement. She could tell that he continued to be in a rage from his grand-père's words at the rally. She followed him silently as he stormed into his room and pulled out a small chest that held his few valuables. She watched from the doorway as he fiddled with the ring on his index finger before she decided to speak up. She hated seeing him in distress.

"Hey there monsieur, what's new with you? Still plotting to overthrow the king?" She heard Marius chuckle under his breath and continued. "I see you're still pretending to be poor. Well, I hate to tell you, Monsieur Marius, but I think your secret is out after the rally today with your grandfather."

He stood up and marched towards her, poking her in the stomach as he went. "I already told you Ponine, I won't take a franc that I haven't earned. All of my familial ties have been cut. I refuse to live in such a way if those around me cannot."

He began descending the steps as she grabbed the newel post and called, "I like the way you talk, Monsieur!"

He turned and flashed her a quick grin. "You are such a tease, Ponine." He quickly walked down the rest of the old, rickety staircase before leaving the building. Eponine scrambled to stay behind him. She caught up to him on the street outside the Gorbeau house, and felt her heart stop as she watched him lock eyes with a pretty blond bourgeois girl. She and an older man were visiting with the poor and giving them money. Eponine scurried towards Marius' side and looked up at his face. She felt her heart break at the sight. His eyes were clouded and he had a goofy smile gracing his lips.

"Typical," Eponine thought. "I spend every day with him, and he falls in love with the first pretty girl he sees." Eponine knew, however, that she could not lie to herself. She was not angry with Marius, only sad and heartbroken that he was so obviously smitten with a girl he had not spoken to though she had been pining over him for months. Marius began to stride towards the girl, and Eponine could not bear to watch anymore, so she turned away.

"Eponine!" She froze as she heard a rough voice call for her. She turned and saw her father poking his head through the flaps of a tent set up on the street. He beckoned her over and she reluctantly approached him. Thénardier re-entered the tent momentarily and Eponine could hear him instructing Brujon, Babet, Claquesous, and her mother on what to do.

Eponine stood there, waiting for her instructions. She loathed working for her father, but she knew the punishments that would follow if she did not obey him would be far worse. Eponine started when she felt an icy cold hand grasp her elbow tightly. "Hello darling." Eponine held back a shudder.

"Bonsoir, Monteparnasse. Comme ça va?" Eponine tried her best to be polite to the man, who had been her childhood friend, but throughout the years he had become colder and meaner, and it had become more and more difficult to consider him as a friend rather than a 'client' or a 'violeur'.

"Oh, come now 'Ponine. Is that anyway to treat your lover?" He asked as he planted a row of sloppy kisses down her neck. This time Eponine was unable to mask her disgust. She quickly pulled back. A wicked sneer appeared on Monteparnasse's face as he reached for her, but it quickly disappeared as Thénardier re-emerged from the tent.

"Everyone in there knows their places. You, Monteparnasse, look out for the law with Eponine. Take care not to get caught, I ain't got the money to bail any of you lot out of the clink again." He kicked one of the poles holding the tent up. "Turn on the tears and make no mistakes."

Eponine quickly retreated to a street corner where she could keep an eye on the tent, look out for the police, and, most importantly, ensure that Marius did not get caught up in her father's scheme. She watched as her father lured the blond girl's companion into the tent and couldn't help but tear up as Marius quickly took the opportunity to approach the girl who, now that she thought about it, looked vaguely familiar.

"Please, monsieur, come this way," began Thénardier, adding a wheeze to his voice. "I have a child that ain't eaten today. If you could, please spare a sou. God rewards all the good that you do."

Eponine kept a lookout for the police while wondering where she had seen the blond girl before. She could not get far in her pondering before she saw the infamous Inspector Javert approaching with a few of his constables. She stopped leaning against the wall behind her and leaned around the corner to yell, "It's the police! Get out of here! Run for it! It's Javert!"

The man burst out of the tent yelling the name Cosette, which caused the blond girl to hasten towards him.

The grizzled police inspector marched towards them. She gasped internally as he grabbed her little brother Gavroche, who had appeared out of nowhere, and hoisted him up. "Another brawl in the city square, hmm? I wonder who will be to blame. If there is a witness, let him speak to me. Do not fret, good monsieur, I will see the criminal suitably pay for his harassment of you." Javert clapped the older gentleman on the back as he passed, and Eponine saw him flinch in fear as the Inspector's hand grasped his arm. "Look at this fine collection of worms and maggots. They could have picked you to the bone, monsieur." Javert paced up and down the line of criminals in front of him, and Eponine was secretly glad that none of them had been able to escape. Maybe if they went to prison she would have some free time to spend with Monsieur Marius. A sudden movement caught Eponine's peripheral vision, and she turned just in time to see the gentleman and his blond companion running away from the scene while Javert preached about justice and putting away as many criminals as he could. "…but where's the gentleman gone, and why on Earth would he run?" She heard Javert ask. Her father began to reply in his normal oily way, and it suddenly hit her.

"Cosette…now I remember." The little Lark, the prissy bourgeois girl from the square, the girl that Marius was so taken with, was the little girl from her childhood. She had been taken from their inn at Montfermeil many Christmases ago by an older, well-dressed man. She remembered her mother and father arguing night after night about how the work was not getting done, and how they should have swindled more money out of the obviously-rich man. And here they were, eight years later. Cosette was the one wearing the pretty dresses and the beautiful bonnets. And Eponine was the one wearing the rags and being treated like a slave. "We were children together, and look what has become of me." Eponine could not help her bitter thoughts. Her life had been as close to perfect as was possible in Montfermeil, but then Cosette had up and left, leaving Eponine and her siblings to pick up the slack.

Eponine watched sadly as Javert was forced to let the Patron-Minette go, but smiled when she felt a soft hand on her elbow. Marius had moved to stand next to her, but was staring in the same direction that Cosette had run. "Eponine…who was that girl?"

Eponine scoffed. "Some bourgeois, two-a-penny thing?"

Marius smiled at his best friend's sarcasm. "Will you find her for me?" he asked hopefully.

"It depends on what you'll give me." She smirked at him.

"Oh come now, 'Ponine. I'll give you anything, please!"

"Hmm, got you all excited now, doesn't she? God only knows what you see in her Marius. You haven't even spoken to her yet! She's got you all starry-eyed and delighted…" Eponine sighed as Marius dug for his wallet. "I'll find her for you. But I don't want your money, sir." She sadly turned to leave, planning on following the path that Cosette had taken and working from there.

She paused when she felt Marius grab her hand. "I'm sorry Eponine. I did not mean to show you pity." She smiled, feeling giddy in her stomach at the way he was looking at her. "And thank you for doing this for me. But, please, be careful. Don't let your father know, I don't want you to get into trouble."

"I'm always in trouble, Monsieur Marius. You know that." Eponine replied flirtatiously.

"Yes, I know 'Ponine. You're the biggest tease in all of Paris."

"And don't you forget it!" She went to leave, but Marius called her name once more. She turned to face him.

"Please find her for me, 'Ponine. I'm lost until she's found." She nodded and left, feeling her heart break with every step she took.

A/N: Well, there you have it. Please let me know how I did. I already have some of the second chapter written and ready to go, now it's up to you lovelies to convince me that it's good enough to continue with.

Translations:

liberté, égalité and fraternité- liberty, equality, brotherhood

grand-pere- grandfather

Bonsoir- Good Morning/Good Day

Comme ça va- How are you?

violeur- rapist