"Lamarque is ill. His death is the sign we are awaiting, the sign that tells us that the time has come. All of us chose to fight for this cause. If we died, we know we died for a reason, and we'll die knowing that our lives were not wasted. Are we afraid of death? No. We will fight for the poor and cut the fat ones down to size!"

Cheers blasted around the café, Enjolras looking proud with his speech. He grinned widely from ear to ear, listening to praise from multiple people. Even the drunkard Grantaire was waltzing around with his bottle. This was it. The revolution they had been planning for months was coming in a few days. Lamarque was ill, and at his funeral, Les Amis would come charging at the National Guard. It was coming soon, but maybe too soon, Enjolras thought. He watched people chat and drink, when his eyes fell on Marius. No. Not Marius, someone else. Marius' shadow. She came to all of the Amis' meetings, but only if Marius was there. She was everywhere Marius was. Enjolras couldn't help but feel a little pity for the skinny girl. Marius seemed to be her only friend, the only one who paid attention to her.

Eponine noticed the tall, blond boy looking at her. She looked away, not wanting to draw attention from anyone else. She was a shadow after all.

"'Ponine, I'm leaving now. Do you want to come with me, or do you want to stay?" Marius's voice snapped her out of her thoughts.

"Oh! Yes, Monsieur Marius, I'll come with you."

"Great! Come on!"

Eponine sighed and stood up. Anything to be with him, she thought. She rushed to his side, walking out the door.

Night was still dawning, the sun slowly retreating behind the red clouds. All the buildings were cast in shadow, making it hard to see. Two figures could be seen entering a rundown apartment building.

"Bye 'Ponine! I'll see you tomorrow, there's another meeting at the café, so wake up early so we can spend the morning together! I have plans for the two of us!" Marius exclaimed before shutting the door.

"The two of us. I like the sound of that." whispered Eponine.

She started tip-toeing back towards the entrance to the building. Suddenly, a rough hand grabbed her arm, hard. Eponine whimpered in pain. Slowly, she turned around, facing those evil eyes.

"So, what has our precious jewel been up to? Has little Eponine grown and fallen in love?" taunted Thenardier. "That won't do! Now, we have a job for you, there's a house that looks rich enough to rob, and we need you to do the work. Now get inside, or we'll find that brother of yours and give him a beating he won't forget!" he roared.

"You wouldn't hurt Gavroche! He's only a child! He hasn't gotten beating in a long time!"

"Maybe I will. And maybe I'll make his worse than yours if you don't do the job RIGHT NOW!" he threatened.

"Give me the address. I'll do it."

"That's my girl. Finding this house won't be hard. Look, he's our neighbor."

Eponine gasped. Marius. That's who her father wanted to rob. Her best friend. Her beloved. Of all people, why Marius? Why him? Why Marius?

"Why Marius?" she cried. "He's not even rich!"

"Yes, but his grandfather is. There must be some expensive stuff in there. Now get on with it, or your brother gets beaten!"

Eponine scurried out the door, and over to Marius' door. She put her ear up to it, listening quietly. Marius must have gone out again. She tried the doorknob. Unlocked.

"Hmm. He must have been in a hurry." Eponine said thoughtfully. She carefully opened the door, careful not to make a squeak. The main room was neat and tidy, all the books back in their place. Expensive stuff, that's what I need to look for, she thought.

The first thing that caught her eye was a golden clock on top of the fireplace. The numbers were carefully carved in, and a note was still attached. Eponine couldn't read very well, but she was able to make out the few words written.

"Love, Your Grandfather." She whispered, the delicately scrawled handwriting just visible in the darkness. Was this what her father wanted her to steal? Treasured possessions filled with love from another person? She couldn't do it. She wasn't going to be a thief anymore.

Eponine slowly backed away from the brick fireplace. She had to get out of here before Marius got back and saw her. Turning around, she ran to the door. Just as she reached it and touched the doorknob, the door flew open, missing her by just an inch. She squeaked in surprise. The figure whirled around.

She was caught.

A/N: So, what do you think? This is my first story, I had to spend a lot of time reading others to get inspired. There's so many ideas in my head, but I can't write them all in one story, it'll sound weird! Eventual E/E, don't worry.