AN: I'm back! I'm so sorry, but school got in the way! My last day before winter break is tomorrow, so I'll try to update over break. Anyways, this was a prompt from my dear friend Freedom909.
She gave this to me a while ago and I'm just now getting it done. I'm a great person. I really need to get working on things. Oh, one more thing before you read, the title is from a song in Oliver! Freedom's fic Of Hockey, Harmonies, and Husbands, go read it if you haven't, mentions Oliver! a few times so I decided to pay a little homage to that.
Disclaimer: I don't own Les Misérables.
The soft blanket of snow the ground had acquired during the evening crunched loudly under the soles of Éponine's worn boots as she walked a few paces behind the Patron Minette. A gentle flurry fell around her and she pulled her thin coat closer to her small frame as a harsh wind blew against her. Éponine's ears and nose had gone numb from the cold and she shrugged her shoulders up slightly to protect them from the elements.
She let out a deep sigh and watched as her breath curled upward into the silent winter night like dragon's breath. Éponine turned her gaze back towards the ground and kicked a small pile of snow that blocked her path.
She had always hated winter. The season was cold and unforgiving. Harsh and unyielding as it made days shorter and nights longer. She didn't mind that part of winter as much, for she could spend hours upon hours sitting under the soft glow of the moon. But she loathed the rest of the season.
Éponine's favorite season was autumn. She loved the warmth that still filled the air as the summer's heat was fading to give way to winter's hard reign. She loved watching the leaves change into beautiful mixes of reds, oranges, yellows and browns; each tree unique with its own colors that looked like Mother Nature had painted each leaf carefully and perfectly.
She most of all loved how it reminded her of better times. Times when she wasn't tagging along on her father's robberies. Time when her sister didn't shun her and when her brother actually smiled out of joy. Times when she was a carefree little girl who didn't have the weight of the world resting on her shoulders.
But times changed and so did she. Éponine wasn't that little girl anymore. She now had to work multiple jobs to keep her family afloat. Her youth was taken from her hands far too soon, but there was nothing she could do. It was out of her hands.
"Watch where you're going," a voice hissed as Éponine collided with a firm back. She stepped back and met Montparnasse's smoldering eyes as he glanced at her over his shoulder. "Stop daydreaming, you have a job to do," he finished firmly, grabbing her arm and yanking her forward.
Éponine stumbled forward and slipped on a small patch of ice, a small yelp leaving her lips as she crashed onto the wet earth. She pulled herself up and threw a heated glare at Montparnasse as he smirked devilishly.
"You're an asshole," she muttered sourly, crossing her arms and walking away from him. She ignored him as he chuckled fondly and caught up to her.
Éponine hated a lot of things in this harsh, cruel world and Montparnasse sat at the top of the list. But he also sat at the top of the list of people she liked and, dare she say it, loved. He completely infatuated her, with his charming nature yet dark heart. She was extremely good at reading people, but he was the one person that she could never read properly.
He was always playing games with her. Kind one moment and cruel the next. But for some unexplainable reason she enjoyed the games they played. And that infatuated her all the more. Éponine shook her head and shoved her hands into her coat pockets as she came to a halt near the building her father had described earlier.
"Alright, ya all know what ta do, correct?" Thénardier asked, glancing around the group. They all nodded obediently and he smiled. "Good. 'Ponine, yer up first."
The gang turned to look and her and she heaved a sigh, walking towards the front door of the building. She let out a sigh of relief when she looked into window and saw that the lobby was completely empty.
"Coast's clear," she whispered harshly into the night, her voice raspy from her lack of use. The gang moved forward she opened one of the gigantic doors, a blast of warmth hitting her face and causing her eyes to close.
Éponine walked inside and glanced around the posh building. She rolled her eyes at everything she saw. From the red and gold covered walls to the huge Christmas tree that stood front and center in the middle of the room. Another thing she disliked about winter.
She remembered when her family was able to afford a Christmas tree and presents. Back her parents spoiled her to no end. She closed her eyes and sighed gently, the slightly smell of holly wafting into her nose. Éponine's eyes flew open when she felt a rough shove against her shoulder.
"Quit standing there, 'Ponine," Montparnasse said harshly. "We don't have all night to wait while you stand here like an idiot in the middle of the room. Now come on." He grabbed her hand and gave her a firm tug.
She silently fumed behind him, but said nothing. The group silently made their way up the stairs until the reached the fourth floor. Éponine was out of breath by the time she reached the top and she leaned against the wall next to her to catch her breath.
"What do ya think yer doin'?" She opened her eyes and was met with the sight of Babet.
"Catching my breath," she replied shortly, turning her eyes away from him. She gasped suddenly when he yanked her forward and led her down the hall.
"We ain't got time ta wait fer ya. Now get in there and make sure no one's home." He gave her a final shove towards the door before stepping back with the rest of the men.
Éponine looked back at them. "What if there's someone in there?" she questioned, crossing her arms and raising a brow.
"Then use this," Montparnasse said, tossing a small object her way.
She deftly caught it out of the air and held it in her palm. "You can't be serious," she said, her rough voice coming out shocked. "This is crazy," she mumbled. She shoved the object into her pocked and turned towards the door.
She pulled a bobby pin out of her pocked and worked it into the lock, jiggling the handle slightly until the door opened with a soft pop. Éponine put the pin into her pocket and moved inside. She glanced around the room and her eyes widened at the sight before her.
The room before her was huge and extravagantly furnished. A place she could only dream about. It felt massive, yet comforting at the same time. She wandered in further and gazed in awe at everything around her.
The living room held a large, burgundy sofa that looked extremely comfortable compared to the ratty one she had at home. But she did consider herself lucky that she even had a couch. Her eyes landed on the fireplace that was beside the couch and continued to scan around the room until they rested on a grand piano in the corner.
Éponine could barely contain her giddiness as she glided towards the piano and sat on the bench. She rested her foot on the peddle and ghosted her fingers lightly over the keys. She couldn't remember the last time she had played piano or seen one as beautiful as this. A small smiled glided onto her lips and she pressed down ever so softly onto the keys.
The sound rang delicately around the room and sent shivers down her spine. It was absolutely breathtaking.
"Éponine! Is the coast clear?" Her father's voice carried into the room and her joy died.
"Oui," she replied, standing up and continuing her investigation of the place. She wandered into the kitchen and scanned the room quickly before her eyes landed on a dark hallway.
Her feet carried her across the hardwood floor before she could even think about it. Éponine moved down the hall with the deftness of a cat. She stopped outside a door at the very end of the hall and slowly turned the handle. Éponine nudged the door open and her eyes widened when they landed on a form lying underneath deep red covers on the bed.
"Dammit," she cursed softy, glancing back down the hall. A shadow caught her eye and she knew the men had already started their mission. She turned back towards the room and quickly stepped inside, shutting the door behind her.
Éponine moved carefully into the room, closer and closer to the person under the sheets. She stopped a few feet in front of the bed and studied the person before her. It was man, a handsome one at that. He was peacefully asleep, facing the window in his room that light small amounts of moonlight from the red curtains that illuminated his face. She looked closely at him, starting with the mass amount of blonde curls on his head that shone in the light.
Her eyes moved down to his forehead and down the gentle slope of his nose and her eyes lingered for a second too long on his full, pink lips, slightly parted in his sleep. She unconsciously wet her own lips before trailing her eyes down to his jaw that was covered in some scruff. Her eyes roamed over his pale neck, past his shoulder and landed on his bare chest.
The moon casted a glow over him that made him appear like he was made out of marble. He was beautiful and Éponine found her mind wondering to what the rest of him looked like if the first half was oh so pleasing. Her cheeks heated up slightly, but she blamed the warmth of the blond's apartment as the room suddenly felt warmer.
A loud crash on the other side of the door caused her to jump and the man to stir. Éponine's eyes grew wide once more in panic and she rushed over to the man. She felt the weight of the small gun in her pocket and she grabbed it. Éponine pressed a hand over the blonde's mouth as the sound of shouting followed the crash.
The blonde's eyes flew open and she pressed the gun to his temple, cocking it. "Make one move and you die," she whispered harshly into his ear. She met his eyes and her breath left her all at once.
His eyes were a delicious bright blue that she felt she could drown in. They were wide and slightly panicked, but she saw the hint of anger and defiance in them as well. Something about the fire in his eyes made Éponine's heart beat twice as fast.
The blonde shifted uncomfortably below her and Éponine's finger tensed on the trigger. "I'm warning you," she muttered. "Another move or a sound and I will shoot you." She shifted from one foot to the other nervously, his hot breath on her hand sending tingles up her spine.
His eyes met hers once more and she stood stock still. He looked at her for a few moments before closing his eyes and exhaling against her palm, making her shiver. God, why was she acting like this? She heard her heart pound in her ears and her stomach was doing flips.
No, this was ridiculous. Her father was out there robbing him for crying out loud! Why did she feel like this? She wished she knew. Éponine sighed angrily and pressed the gun harder against his temple. A small whimper of pain left his lips, his brow furrowing, and Éponine loosened her grip on the object slightly.
What was taking them so long? She began to tap her foot impatiently and let out another aggravated sigh. This was one of the longest nights in her entire life.
This had to be one of the longest nights in Enjolras' twenty-two years on this Earth. Two weeks before Christmas and he was lying in bed, a gun pressed to his temple and the sounds of others moving about his apartment. He thought he had been dreaming at first. Things like this only happened in other places or in movies and most certainly did not happen to him. But the cool tip of the gun pressed against his temple reminded him that this was all too real.
Enjolras let out another deep breath and caught the way the woman holding the gun to his head shivered slightly. He ignored the movement and focused on figuring a way out of his current problem.
Though he hated to admit it, he was too afraid to move. She had promised she would shoot him on the spot if he did and he wasn't really willing to risk it. He glanced at the gun out of corner of his eye and sighed again. This was shaping up to be an extremely long night.
Giving up on his idea of finding a way out, he turned his attention to the woman standing next to his bed. He glanced over her, taking her in. She was short for her age - whatever it was - and the large coat she had on engulfed her small meek frame. Her clothes looked worn and torn up. Her shirt was dirty and hanging loosely off of her. She had rips in her jeans and well-worn shoes that looked too small for her.
Next, he focused his eyes on her face. Her lips were cracked and dry and he noticed the way her tongue darted out every few seconds to wet them. He felt a weird fluttering sensation in his stomach every time she did so and it confused and angered him. He should not be feeling like that towards her; she was holding him hostage, for God's sake!
Enjolras shook his head slightly and continued moving up her face. Everything else seemed relatively normal, nothing particularly special about her - until he saw her eyes. They were a rich dark brown, reminding him of chocolate. They were full of mystery, secrets, passion, and flames. He was intrigued by her, her whole personality seemed to be reflected in her eyes; telling her whole story through just the power of one glance.
Enjolras felt a tremor run through his body as her eyes flicked up to meet his. He tried to look away, but her piercing gaze kept him from doing so. It felt like she was reading him by just one look, like she was unraveling him and learning everything about him. It slightly unnerved him, but filled him with a certain excitement.
He shivered again when she spoke.
"Can I help you?" she asked, her voice rough and low. Not exactly what one would describe as fitting for a girl, but it was fitting for her. She wasn't a girl, she was a woman and a tough one at that. It filled his heart with excitement and his pulse spend up, pounding through his ears.
Enjolras went to reply, but remembered that her rough, calloused was still placed over his mouth. So he settled for shaking his head instead.
"Look, if you promise not to do anything stupid, like yell or call for help, I'll remove my hand," she offered, cocking one hip to the side. Enjolras followed the movement with his eyes and felt his mind being to drift. "Well?" she said harshly.
Enjolras nodded and sucked in a breath when she moved her hand to her side. He kept his eyes trained on her hips, following the gentle curve up to her small waist and all the way to her breasts. She had a small hint of a figure, which would've suited her more if she wasn't incredibly skinny.
"What are you staring at?" she questioned. His eyes snapped up to hers and a dark blush covered his cheeks. He was thankful that his room was dark and she couldn't see.
"N-nothing," he stuttered, moving his eyes to the floor.
"Ah, so he speaks," she teased and he could hear the smile in her voice. Her looked at her and saw the grin that was painted on her face that showed off her dimples. "Do you have a name?"
"Enjolras," he replied smoothly and her eyes sparkled slightly in the moonlight.
"Enjolras," she purred lowly, his name rolling off her tongue like she had been saying it all her life. He shuddered and felt a small ache in the depths below his stomach. "What a pretty name. I like it. Enjolras."
He nodded and avoided her gaze. "Are you going to continue being cryptic or do you have a name as well," he bit out after a few seconds of silence. Something about her infatuated him to the point of annoyance, but he couldn't deny the intrigue she brought up as well.
Enjolras looked back at the woman and caught her eye as the corner's of her mouth lifted up.
"My name is Éponine," she said, the grin never faltering. "And I happen to be very cryptic, Monsieur Enjolras. It's one of my many talents." There was a teasing undertone in her voice that got under his skin.
"There is something wrong with me," he muttered under his breath. Enjolras was going insane, or maybe it had to do with the gun against his temple. Yes, that was it. The gun was making him act completely out of the ordinary because he was paranoid.
The woman- Éponine- raised a brow at his comment and chuckled slightly, the sound rough and jagged like a thorn bush. "And why is there something wrong with you?" she said, that annoying grin still painted on her lips.
Enjolras decided to stay silent and close his eyes. He wanted this to he over with. The sooner she left, the better. Then he could forget about her and never have to see or hear from her again. Éponine would be nothing more than the girl who held him at gun-point, that was all. Nothing more and nothing less.
"Oh, I'm sorry," she said suddenly, startling him. "Did I offend the great marble man?" The growl Enjolras let slip past his lips only served to make her laugh harder. "And it looks like I hit a nerve."
Enjolras turned to Éponine and glared. His tolerance level for her was slipping drastically. She was entering dangerous territory.
"I would advise that you choose your next words very carefully, Mademoiselle Éponine," he hissed, trying to maintain his composure. He wouldn't let this girl get under his skin anymore than she already had.
Enjolras was hoping to be greeted by silence, but he heard her chilling laughter instead.
"Oh, pretty boy," she sighed. "I think you're forgetting who's in control here." She proved her point by pressing the cool metal hard against his temple. Éponine leaned close to his ear and he felt her hot breath on his neck, making him shudder. "I always win, pretty boy," she whispered.
Enjolras bit his lip and steeled himself. When she pulled back he forced himself to meet her gaze. He opened his mouth, ready to retort when another crash resonated through the apartment.
"'Ponine!" An angry voice called out. "We've gotta go!"
Éponine's head whipped around to face the door and she cursed, slightly impressing him, but also terrifying him. Enjolras glanced towards the stand next to his bed and saw his phone resting near the edge. Seizing his opportunity, Enjolras quickly reached out and snatched his phone off the table and unlocked the screen.
He pressed the keypad and was ready to dial for the police, but Éponine turned back to him. She glanced down at him and glared. Enjolras gulped and squeezed his eyes shut, bracing himself for the moment when his world would go dark and he would take his final breath.
"You thought you were being sneaky, huh?" Éponine mumbled. She neared her face to his and Enjolras would've been lying if he said his heart hadn't picked up speed. "You're going to regret making that move," she growled lowly into his ear.
Enjolras sucked in a breath and waited, but the breath was stolen from his lungs as she quickly slammed her lips onto his; the gun slipping from its place. Enjolras' eyes opened and he assumed that he must've looked like a deer trapped in the headlights of a car. As she continued to roughly kiss him, Enjolras felt his eyes slide shut and he kissed her back, surprising both of them.
Éponine's lips were rough and cold compared to his soft and warm ones, but a Enjolras couldn't have cared any less at that moment. He could hardly focus with the warmth of her chest pressed against his and he felt dizzy. Her hot breath filled his mouth, as did her tongue and he felt himself fill to the brim with excitement.
He could hardly believe what was happening and soon the moment was over. Éponine pulled back and smirked down at him. Enjolras gazed back up at her, breathing heavily as his lungs struggled to gain back the stolen air.
"'Ponine!" The same sharp voice as before rang out again. "I'm serious, we've gotta go!"
Éponine looked at the door then door once more at him. "I've gotta go, pretty boy," she said, a grin coming to play on her face. "Thanks for keeping me company." She stood up and made her way towards the door, purposely swaying her hips as she went. "Oh, call me sometime."
And then she slipped into the hallway and was gone.
Enjolras's brow furrowed at her last comment, but then he suddenly looked down and saw that his phone was no longer in his hand. He looked back up and cursed, throwing the sheets off of himself and dashing out of the bedroom.
"Éponine!" he called out, crashing into his kitchen and grabbing the counter for support. "Éponine!" He gazed around the apartment and found it dead silent once more, save for his heavy breathing.
Enjolras let out a frustrated groan and leaned against the counter. This was not his night. "Damn," he muttered, smacking the counter violently. He cursed again as pain shot up through his, now throbbing, hand.
He rubbed at his hand and made his way towards the couch, plopping down and letting out a huge sigh. Enjolras glanced around the room and saw that some things had been moved and some things were now missing. He looked at the table beside his couch and saw that the lamp that was sitting there was missing.
Peering over the side of the couch he saw the shattered shards of lamp resting on the floor and he heaved out another sigh and dramatically got to his feet. Enjolras sluggishly made his way towards the broom closet and grabbed the dust pan and the broom, slamming the door shut with a resounding thud.
He walked over and swept the shards into the dustpan and bent down to pick up the lamp shade. Enjolras set the lamp shade onto the table and carried the dustpan over to the trash can in the kitchen. He pressed the pedal down and dumped the shards in, letting the lid fall closed and returning everything.
He preformed every movement robotically, his mind never fully focused on his task. Enjolras' mind was too full of thoughts of Éponine. She had completely consumed his thoughts and he couldn't turn his mind away from the mysterious girl. She was so intriguing and left him with the burning desire to know more about her.
Enjolras ran a hand through his hair and headed back towards his bedroom, his thoughts still racing. He settled back under the sheets and stared blankly at the ceiling, trying hard to decipher his entire encounter with Éponine.
Did that kiss mean anything to her? Because it sure did ignite something in him and that downright terrified him. He had never felt like that before and he never would've guessed that it took a girl holding a gun at his head to make him feel like that.
Enjolras let out a deep sigh and turned to lay on his side. He let his eyes fall shut and he slowly fell back asleep, thoughts of Éponine lulling him into his slumber.
Éponine once again trailed behind the rest of the men as they walked back to their meeting place, Enjolras' phone burning a hole in her pocket. She felt slightly bad that she had taken it from him, but she knew he would've called the police otherwise and gotten them all arrested. She couldn't afford to go to jail, again.
She let out a breath and pulled the phone from her pocket, drowning out the men's excited chatter about another successful raid. Éponine pressed the on button on the phone and unlocked it; thankful that Enjolras didn't put a passcode on it. She clicked on his contacts and scrolled through them, all of the names blurring together; except for one.
Éponine nearly choked on her own saliva when she saw Marius Pontemercy's name on the screen. How did Enjolras know Marius? She shook her head and decided to look at something else. She clicked on his photos and began scrolling.
She stopped when she found a picture of Enjolras and another man with glasses perched on his nose and straight brown hair. Both men were wrapped in warm jackets and had scarves around their necks. The brown haired man was smiling at the camera, looking quite content, while Enjolras was laughing beside him, one arm thrown over the other's shoulders.
Éponine liked the look on Enjolras' face, the look of content and happiness etched into his perfect features. He looked so different than he had earlier that night and the picture made her heart beat a little faster than normal. She felt a tiny grin of her own slip onto her face.
She wonder if that kiss had meant anything to him. It meant something to her, it made her heart flutter and her insides melt and it terrified her. She wasn't used to feeling like that around anyone but Marius and that terrified her even more. She never would've guessed that it took one chance encounter to change her perspective of things.
Another wide grin spread over her face and she clicked the phone off, shoving it back into her pocket.
"What's that stupid grin for?" Montparnasse asked, startling her. He eyed her suspiciously and she shrugged in reply.
"Oh, nothing," she said lightly. Éponine walked forward slightly, leaving a confused Montparnasse in her wake. She ignored him and let her mind take her away.
Éponine let out a light sigh and shoved her hands into her pockets. The rest of her walk home was filled with thoughts of Enjolras. She couldn't keep the dumb grin off of her face even if she wanted to.
AN: That was a lot of fun to write! I hope Freedom and the rest of you guys enjoyed reading that because it was a blast to write! I missed you all and I promise I'll try to update before Christmas.
Thank you so much for reading!