Author's Note: Hello! And Happy Holidays to all of you. Welcome to my new Les Miserables adventure. For those of you who read "La Rose dans la Vitrine" welcome back! For those who haven't I hope you choose to at some point. This story is also Enjonine because I can't get enough of this ship. My headcannon of course as always is Sam and Aaron. Please know that I am an avid fan of the 25th and the 10th Anniversary casts as well as the book, but I am a crazy Aaron Tveit fan girl and I've been in love with Samantha since I saw her on I'd Do Anything. Anyway this story is MORE lighthearted than my other, but there will be struggles in store for these two. I do want to have more fluffy couple scenes though so look forward to that. The other characters will hopefully be brought into the light as well since I miss them bunches and oodles. Without further ado, please enjoy my newest creation.

Summary: Enjolras leads Les Amis, a club at a highly respected university in Paris, which fights for better equality in France. Eponine, a college dropout, leads her siblings in a fight for survival on the crime-ridden streets of the Parisian slums. They meet by chance, through mutual friends. Sparks might fly, but with the brilliance of flames comes the danger of being burned.

Eponine sat down at the small park which sat opposite the University of Sorbonne. She thought back to the days when she had been so excited to attend, when she had been thrilled by the monetary aid the school had given her to go. She thought back to the days when she could have made something of herself. That dream, she realized as she looked down at her torn jeans and faded shirt, was long gone. She heard the bell in the large bell tower ring, signaling that it was two o clock and as the students poured out of the buildings, laughing and smiling and chattering excitedly she sighed as she stood up and began walking in the direction of Gavroche's elementary school to pick him up. She got there a minute before the bell and waved at her 11 year old brother as he ran out of his classroom towards her. He was in his sixth year of primary school, but much more mature than most other kids in his class.

"Hey Ponine," he gave her a nod because hugs had become uncool as he grew older. His sister rolled her eyes and slung her arm around his shoulders lightly.

"How was your day Gavroche?" she asked him as they walked toward the library as they did every day. Azelma, her 16 year old sister would meet them there and stay to do homework with Gavroche until Eponine got her half hour break at her second job. Eponine would walk back to get them during her short break and walk them safely to their small one bedroom apartment before leaving for her second shift at her second job. She never let them walk alone without her watching them because while she had officially gotten custody of her younger siblings, she knew that a piece of a paper meant nothing to her father or the members of his gang, La Patron Minette. The day that Eponine turned 18 she had gone to the courthouse to gain custody of Azelma and Gavroche. She had won the case by default considering her parents never bothered to show up for any of the hearings. Still, she knew that they were not safe even if she had moved them into a slightly better neighborhood than the slums her father resided in. So she insisted on walking them everywhere even when it took time from her jobs. She had tried at first to work two small jobs and attend classes, but the bills became too much and she couldn't afford to pay for school and food without a third job. When it became clear that her education would have to be put off indefinitely she dropped out of the University of Sorbonne (where she had been studying journalism and literature) and got a third job.

"School is school Pony," Gavroche stuck his tongue out at her, but she gave him a fierce glare.

"Don't you dare call me that," she threatened him dangerously. He blew his tongue out at her once again, which caused her to tickle him mercilessly for an entire minute until he surrendered.

"You're a tyrant," he wailed dramatically.

"Oh hush now you little booger," she laughed, pulling him into a one armed hug before seeing Azelma and waving at her. "Behave for Azelma. I'll see you at 5:30, okay?" He nodded before running to meet his other sister. Eponine glanced quickly at her pay-as-you-go cell phone and cursed under her breath. She had five minutes to get to her job which usually took her ten minutes to walk to. It was her favorite job and she only had it because her good friend Marius knew the owner of the café and had talked him into giving Eponine a job as a barista.

Eponine, whose birthday was in early September, had been seventeen when she had started University. Marius Pontmercy lived next door to her, though she never understood why he chose to live in a poor neighborhood when he clearly had the money to live somewhere much nicer and closer to campus. When she had first met him, he was the first person in her life to actually be kind to her. For the first year of their friendship she had been hopelessly in love with him. She did everything for him, including hook him up with a classmate of hers, Cosette Fauchelevent. Though it had broken her heart, she had done it for both of them. She loved Marius and knew that Cosette was someone that would make him unbelievable happy. Cosette…well she felt she had owed Cosette for mistreating her when they were children. Cosette had very few memories from her childhood when she had been a foster child in the Thenardier home, but Eponine remembered the torture she had put the young girl through clearly and felt that setting her up with Marius would redeem her. In time, Eponine had come to realize that her feelings for Marius had never been genuine and she grew to be genuinely happy for he and Cosette, who seemed to be made for each other. Plus when she had gained custody of her siblings three years prior she realized she didn't have room in her life for anything except work and caring for Gavroche and Azelma.

Eponine rushed into the café with only a few seconds to spare before her shift started. She rushed to mark the beginning of her shift on the employee board before slipping on her apron and tucking her personal things away in the break room. She made her way out to the front, a forced smile plastered onto her face. Working at the Café Musain was her favorite job. It sure as heck beat her other two jobs. Her morning job was always a mix of things. She worked for an agency that sent her out on different "household" jobs for the rich folks. She found herself frequently walking dogs, cleaning homes, and even caring for elderly folks when requested. Customers were allowed to request specific employees from the agency which is why she was often called one specific home. The Dubois family was a popular client for her. The matriarch of the home had a fondness for cats while the children had several dogs. They liked the way Eponine interacted with their animals so many mornings she spent cleaning up after ten cats and walking and playing with the children's five dogs. She fed the animals for the day before going to whatever other jobs she had been assigned before she had her short fifteen minute break between getting off and going to get Gavroche. Her evening job was by far her least favorite. She worked as a bar maid in a sleazy part of town with frequent visits from Montparnasse, a former member of her father's gang. While Montparnasse helped out the Patron Minette once in a while, Eponine knew she didn't have to worry about him leading her father to him. Montparnasse had his own agenda. He always had. That scared her a little bit more, but she was always especially cautious not to set him off and to make sure he was drunk when she left so that he wouldn't follow her home. All the same she kept her apartment locked tight and always went the long way home in case she was tailed. She worked there well into the night and usually got home after Gavroche had fallen asleep. Azelma was only awake when she had a particularly large amount of homework or a major assignment due the next day.

"Eponine snap out of whatever haze you're in," her coworker Musichetta snapped at her. Musichetta's hair was tied up in a bun, but wild curls were falling out left and right as she worked. Her fiery attitude was represented easily by her hair, and also by the string of cursewords she often muttered under her breath when equipment acted up. Eponine knew Musichetta through Marius as well. Marius was friends with a large group of boys, really men, from the University. Most of them were a part of some club called Les Amis, but really it was just a label on their group of friends. Among the group were Joly and Bossuet. Musichetta dated both of them simultaneously. They both had fallen head over heels for her. Initially it had torn their friendship apart until Musichetta had calmly informed them that she wasn't a one man kind of girl and she'd just date both of them. It had shocked their friends, but eventually became just another part of everyday life.

"Sorry Chetta," Eponine shrugged as she restocked the little glass case. It was almost 4 which meant the first of Les Amis would be piling in. The Café Musain was their go-to spot. The owner, a distant relative of someone's, even let them reserve the upper room free of charge for meetings. Usually the upper room (the loft it was called) was open seating, but no one bothered to go up their when all the rowdy college boys were using it anyway. Some of them had classes later, but many of them stayed their all afternoon and evening studying and hanging out with each other. Of course not everyone was present all the time since they had other commitments and sometimes preferred to study in the quiet of their homes or the library. But on Wednesday evenings at 6 when Eponine got back from break, the "club" held an actual meeting and attendance was mandatory. It was Thursday of a midterm week, though, so Eponine doubted the whole crowd would show up. She hadn't yet met everyone in the group, but a few of them had become close friends. Marius and Cosette were obviously good friends of hers, but she had surprisingly found a strong friendship in Jehan- a literature major who spewed poetry constantly, Courfeyrac who was a theatre major with a hugely comedic side and a soft spot for Gavroche, and Grantaire—the resident cynic who preferred to drown himself in beer over the more popular coffee. She and Grantaire often discussed the more jaded side of life. Other than that Eponine hadn't even met the president of the club that all her friends spoke so highly of. He usually arrived in the half hour window when she was on her break and slipped out in the crowd. She had caught a glimpse of him here and there, but didn't understand what all the fuss seemed to be about. While at her job at the Musain Eponine was part of this circle of friends. She felt at home and part of the family, but when she helped Musichetta close and traveled to her third job she was reminded that she would never be rid of her past. She lived two lives. One was a façade, a little moment of light in her day when she could forget about how hard it was to struggle in poverty to raise her two siblings on her own with no education. She had no grand illusions that life would ever be easier or that one day she could live for herself. She would always play the mother figure to Azelma and Gavroche and she refused to ever let them know just how much she had sacrificed for them. She didn't want them to feel like a burden the way she had felt her entire life. She strived every day to work harder so that every once in a while she could take them out to dinner or a movie and so that she could afford to buy them nicer clothes than what she wore. She tried to make them more comfortable so they didn't feel isolated for being poor. She knew she wasn't doing the best.

As she walked them back home that evening she sighed in frustration. Azelma was sixteen years old, a full five years younger than Eponine, and just beginning her junior year. She still had to share a bedroom with Gavroche because the apartment only had one bedroom. Eponine herself slept on the couch, but never once made it seem out of the ordinary because she didn't want her sister or brother to feel guilty. The 21 year old knew that they needed a bigger place. Azelma deserved her own space, away from her little brother. They didn't have cable TV or internet because they could barely afford the electricity and water bills each month. The rent was tight, though Eponine did her best to avoid late payments so she wasn't slapped with fees. They often found themselves searching pockets and couch cushions when one of her siblings had something at school they needed money for. She budgeted and saved to buy their school pictures, but as Azelma grew older it became painfully clear that she needed more. School dances cost money and while Eponine did her best, Azelma missed out. The younger sister tried not to be too upset about it, but sometimes couldn't help herself and snapped at her sister.

"You know Ponine my friends are all going to the football game tomorrow," she said as they reached the block the apartment was on.

"Yeah? I thought you'd mentioned that a while ago," Eponine murmured, preoccupied with worries that the electricity bill was going to be especially high with having to run the heater so much.

"I did. A lot. Ponine I wanna go with them. I'm tired of skipping out!" Azelma whined. Eponine frowned.

"Well sure I guess I can figure out a way to walk you guys there and home. As long as you take Gavroche because I don't have anyone to stay home with him," she smiled, hoping this would help her sister feel better.

"Fine. Can I have ten bucks? It costs five for each of us to get in," Azelma stuck her hand out. They were now standing in the hallway in front of their apartment. Eponine tightened her jaw, unlocking the door.

"Gavroche go in and take a shower okay?" he glanced between his sisters with worry before nodding and dashing inside. "I'm sorry Zelma but I don't even have five dollars to give you this month. I had to pay for Gavroche to go on that field trip and both of your school pictures last month. It dipped a little into the bill money for this month and there just isn't any. If you can scrounge it up then I want you to go. I'm not trying to be the bad okay?"

"Jesus Eponine! I don't want to have to look under furniture for a few coins just to go to a stupid football game!" Azelma shouted. Eponine winced at the sound before taking a deep breath, trying to remain calm.

"I know that and I'm sorry," she sighed.

"Marie and Lillian offered to chip in so I could go to the game. It's no big deal Eponine," Azelma started. Eponine shook her head immediately.

"Absolutely not. We don't take charity."

"That's not fair!" Azelma protested.

"I know it's not fair. I got docked on my paycheck at the bar again and that's my fault," she tried to pacify the fuming teen.

"OF course it's your fault! This is ALL your fault! Why didn't you just leave us with mom and dad? At least then we wouldn't even know about football games and all the other stuff we can't actually do!" she fumed. Eponine glared at her.

"Yeah and you could each nurse a few broken bones and some black eyes here and there. And then you could live with scars like me for the rest of your life. Is that what you want Azelma?! Do you want to go back to dad so you can steal for him and he can let his friends do whatever they want to you?! DO YOU WANT TO GET KILLED?!" she shouted. Azelma let out a shriek before turning to go into the apartment and slamming the door. This is how their arguments always ended. Eponine knew she had crossed the line. She suppressed her own shriek before jogging back to the café. She didn't talk to Musichetta for the rest of the shift and purposely avoided having to take orders or interact with any of Les Amis. She went up to the loft only once when most of them had gone to clean up. As she went about wiping down the tables and sweeping the floor a group of four young men studied silently in the small table by the window.

The four men went by Enjolras, Combeferre, Joly, and Courfeyrac. Eponine honestly wasn't even sure if those were their first names or last names. She had heard rumors that they all went by their last names, but she couldn't say for sure and Marius mostly went by his first name because he hated his family. They all sat hunched over books, studying for their respective exams. When Eponine knocked over a mug and it shattered on the ground she cursed loudly before turning to apologize to the four students whose heads had snapped up.

"Oh hey Eponine," Courfeyrac smiled, but she didn't look up from where she was picking up the ceramic shards one at a time while muttering under her breath. Frustration was building inside her, but closing herself off was her way from keeping the tears at bay.

"Eponine?" he asked again, wandering toward her.

"That's really not a sanitary way to clean that up. You could get an infection. I just finished studying about Gangrene and it's really a horrible thing," Joly fretted, standing to stop her. Eponine knew Joly, though she wasn't close with him. Still she didn't stop herself from standing abruptly and placing her hands in front of her to stop him.

"Enough Joly. I will clean it. It's my job and I know what I'm doing," she seethed. Courfeyrac seemed put off by her attitude and Enjolras looked up, taking a good look at his friends' friend for the first time. Her hair was disheveled, her cheeks gaunt, and her clothing faded with age, but the thing that overwhelmed him the most were the large dark circles under her eyes.

"I hardly think that's necessary. He was only trying to help," he said calmly. Combeferre gave him a wary glance, not wanting to listen to an argument between anyone.

"And I'm telling him he doesn't need to so why don't you just mind your own business," Eponine snapped at him.

"PONINE," Musichetta yelled from downstairs, hearing the commotion. Eponine paused for a moment before turning and heading down to the counter. She survived the rest of her shift by working only in the kitchen. Musichetta let her go early, saying she would cover her, and instead of taking a nap like she should have Eponine went to the bar early to pick up an extra shift and hopefully earn some extra tips.

Azelma woke the next morning, feeling guilty about having fought with Eponine. She went to apologize, but found a note taped on hers and Gavroche's bedroom door.

Zelma,

I'm sorry for yelling at you. Take Gavroche to the game and have a good time. Courfeyrac will be there after school to walk Gavroche and you to the game. I'll come walk you back please just use a friend's phone to call me. I went in to work early, but Marius is going to walk with Gavroche to school. I love you both. Don't forget to bring your lunch! Both are packed and waiting on the coffee table.

Love,

Eponine

Azelma smiled as she gently removed the ten dollar bill that was taped to the bottom of the note.

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