A/N: Hello all! This my first fic ever and I'm extremely nervous but exciteeeeeed! Sorry, I am suffering from middle-of-the-night-humor. You know, the kind where you laugh at everything?
Okay, some things you should know before you read:
-This is loosely based on the 2012 movie with a touch of the Brick (I haven't read it yet, so some things may not be completely accurate... let me know!)
-I like to include lyrics in there so many of the lines may be taken directly from musical or at least reference it.
-The timeline on this is slightly different than the movie version but I had to adjust fit everything in.
-The title is a reference to the Lifehouse song "Between the Raindrops" because that is the Enjonine theme for this story!
-Disclaimer: I do not own Les Miserables! (Obviously...)
CHAPTER ONE: Before the Barricades Arise
May 28, 1832
It all began one afternoon in May; spring was drawing to an end and summer was just around the corner. Éponine Thénardier strolled along the streets of Paris, making sure her bare feet did not accidentally step into a puddle of rainwater leftover from last night's storm. She did not mind, though, for she had been used to wandering around barefoot since her parents lost the inn and they were forced to live in the slums of Paris.
As she walked, she noticed a large gathering of people in the road ahead of her. They were all watching two men standing up on a small platform. The two men were addressing the crowd, and the crowd would cheer and raise their fists in response.
It looks like a rally of some sort, thought Éponine. Curious, Éponine weaved in and out of the mass of people to try and get a glimpse of the two men that held the attention of such a large number of people. One of them she recognized almost immediately: it was Marius Pontmercy, a student who used to be Éponine's neighbor a few years ago, back when her family actually had an apartment.
Upon seeing Marius, Éponine's heart skipped a beat: she had been captivated by him the moment they met, swearing that she could love no man other than Marius. Although Marius never reciprocated her feelings, Éponine continued to follow Marius everywhere in hopes that one day he would finally see her.
The young man standing next to Marius was not someone Éponine had met before. He had a tall, muscular physique that emanated confidence and authority; his blonde curly hair gleamed in the sunlight, making his cherubic facial features more prominent. When he spoke, there was such passion in his voice that Éponine had forgotten that Marius was there and became engrossed in the man's words:
"Where are the leaders of this land?" he asked the crowd, furrowing his brow. Despite the fact that his voice was not deep, there was a certain sharpness to it that was slightly intimidating. "Where is the king who runs this show?"
Many people in the crowd shouted in agreement and Éponine was almost tempted to join in, entranced by the man's charisma and passion. Marius spoke up next. "General Lamarque is the only one that is willing to represent the people, but as we speak he lies on his deathbed!"
"With all the anger in the land," said Marius's comrade, "how long before the judgment day arrives? Before the barricades arise?"
Éponine's eyes widened as the crowd let out another cheer. Were they really planning on starting a war? A revolution? Marius, what have you gotten yourself into?
"It's the National Guard!" cried a man from somewhere in the crowd.
Éponine whirled around and spotted several uniformed men approaching the crowd on horseback, their expressions far from friendly. She glanced back at Marius and his friend: they already jumped off their makeshift platform and were making their way through the crowd, chanting "Vive la France!" as they did. Éponine began making her way over to Marius when the crowd started running all over the place trying to avoid the police. Someone stepped on her bare foot and she hissed in pain.
"Monsieur Marius!" cried Éponine, waving her arms to get his attention. "Marius! Over here! Monsieur Pontmercy!"
Suddenly a group of a half-dozen men barreled into her one right after another. One accidentally elbowed her in the stomach and another plowed into her side, knocking her off her feet. Éponine squeezed her eyes shut, bracing for the impact. Instead, a pair of strong arms wrapped around her torso and hauled her to her feet just before she hit the ground.
"Are you all right, mademoiselle?" Éponine looked up and saw the handsome man from the platform towering over her. His facial expression was grim but his eyes held a trace of concern in them.
Unsure what to say, Éponine nodded.
A gunshot rang through the air; out of instinct, Éponine ducked down, dragging her savior down with her. The crowd panicked even more, selfishly shoving others out of the way so they could escape the Guard's wrath. Éponine's body tensed in alarm: she had already been to jail once because of her father and it was not an experience she wanted to repeat.
The young man must have caught Éponine's fearful expression because he grabbed her hand and shouted over all the noise, "Follow me!"
Éponine had to put every ounce of her strength into keeping up with the revolutionary, for he navigated his way through the crowd at a quick pace. Thankfully, Éponine was used to running away from the police so she was not out of breath when the man pulled her into a quiet alleyway. "I heard you calling for Pontmercy," the young man explained letting go of her hand. "That fool is oblivious to everything around him, I swear."
Éponine frowned at him. "Excuse me, monsieur, but that is my friend you are speaking of."
A small smirk spread on the young man's mouth. "He is my friend as well and he does not mind that I refer to him in such a way."
Éponine crossed her arms. "Well, I do mind."
"You are awfully defensive of Marius."
"What exactly are you implying, monsieur?"
Enjolras folded his arms across his chest. "Nothing, mademoiselle. I was simply making a statement. If you were wondering where he went, he told me that he was heading back to his flat. Do you know where that is?"
Éponine nodded curtly and brushed past Enjolras, walking toward the end of the alley. Suddenly she came to a halt. She turned to Enjolras and murmured quietly, "Thank you for…"
With a nod, Enjolras replied back, "Take care, mademoiselle."
A/N - So what did you guys think? If it seems like it looks like every other E/E story, trust me... it's not!
