Les mis fanfic #2

Marius looked up to find himself staring straight down the barrel of a gun.

"This is it. Vive la France."

He closed his eyes and waited for total darkness to overcome him. That sound peirced his eardrums as if someone were screaming at the top of their lungs into his ear. That's what it sounded like to him. That's what this whole war sounded like. Scream after scream, gunshot after gunshot, innocent civilians praying for a new tomorrow that wouldn't come.

A few seconds passed and the echo of the gunshot faded. He felt no pain and assumed that he had gone immediately seeing as the gun was in such a close range. He slowly opened his eyes, expecting to see very different surroundings, but it was the same death ridden Paris street he had been on before. The cries of men around him still ringing through the air. He was very much alive, but who's life did that gun cut short?

His instincts fired back into motion as he grabbed the first two things before his eyes. A keg of gunpowder and a torch. He began climbing to the top of the barricade once more.

"Fall back or I blow the barricade!"

The men glanced back and forth not knowing whether or not they should continue to obey orders.

"Blow it up and take yourself with it!"

Marius felt a rush of courage and guilt take over him. If this worked, he had saved who was left of his friends. If it didn't, they were all dead at his hand.

"And myself with it." He began to lower the torch …

"Back! Get back!" The men lowered their weapons and began climbing back down the barricade.

It worked. They were saved for a while longer. Relief came over Marius as Enjolras took the torch from his hand and disappeared behind the barricade. He now had one thing on his mind. Who, if there was someone, had taken that bullet for him?

He climbed back down. He was being scolded for risking the lives of friends around him, but he barely heard a word they said. For he had noticed someone who should not have been there that night sitting against the barricade.

"Eponine, what are you doing here?" She was dressed as a boy, in an overcoat and pants. She was paler than usual and there was only a faint glimmer of light left in her eyes. She held out her hand which was gripping a letter, soaked through by the rain.

"I kept it from you, it's from Cosette. I'm sorry …"

Marius took the letter from her hand and a bit of happiness flowed through his veins once more, until he looked back down to his friend …

She was holding her cap tight against her chest and he could see the red seeping through her shirt. He was suddenly overcome by fear and realization. She took that bullet for him.

"What have you done?"

He knelt down beside her and moved her hand from in front of her chest. What was once a dry, lightly coloured pinstripe shirt was now bright red and soaked all the way through. He placed his hand over the hole which was clearly visible and in the very centre of her chest. She was soaked to the bone by a mixture of rain and sweat but had a look of calm, almost happiness upon her face. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close.

"It doesn't hurt, Monsieur. Don't worry." Her voice was the sweetest he had ever heard it. It was usually very rough and hoarse, with a barking cough that took over her every once in a while.

"Eponine, we have to get you help right away! I'll carry you anywhere we need to go … where is Joly? He might know what to do in the mean-"

"Monsieur, please just let it be, I feel ok in your arms." She laid her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes but Marius wouldn't allow it. He moved his shoulder and her head came up to look at him once more.

"You don't die today, 'Ponine, do you hear me? You can't die today!"

She looked at him with gentle eyes and smiled taking hold of his hand placing it on her cheek.

"Nothing can hurt me now that you're here. Not the rain, not a gunshot, nothing." She smiled and looked into his eyes with all the love Marius had ever seen.

What was he to do? This poor young girl, his dear friend was dying in his arms and it was because she had taken a bullet for him. Guilt had it's hands around him … he never really did show her what she meant to him, and now he only had one chance. But he couldn't lose her, not today, not when her life had been so dark and miserable all along. This couldn't be how she was meant to die. She deserved to die with all the love one could give to a friend.

He looked into her eyes and pushed a piece of hair behind her ear and away from her face. He could still see that trace of beauty left from her childhood, and he began to cry…

She was growing weaker now, it seemed to be harder for her to keep her eyes open. She shook a few times, violently, and Marius held her closer to him. He felt her finally relax and her breaths became shallow and further apart.

" 'Ponine, you're going to make it out of this... And you know what? You can come and live with me…You can finally get away from those awful parents of yours and live with me in my appartment … and we'll get you a new blouse and a new skirt and some shoes for your feet, ok? And you will eat everyday and you'll feel full and nourished and you'll sleep on a soft mattress every night. And you'll be warm in the winter, please 'Ponine, please, I need you here, you can't die, please …"

She looked up at him and smiled, gently touched his cheek, and wiped away the tears from his eyes.

He then realized it. There was nothing that could be done to help the lonely soul. And for some reason, she didn't want to be saved. He simply cradled her and rocked her, finally accepting it … although he could not stop the tears streaming from his eyes. He could hear that she was holding her breath. Every few seconds she would let out a short burst of air, what now seemed to be the only bit of air her lungs could hold.

"Shhh, 'Ponine … I'm here. I'm here …"

She looked up at him with the last bit of strength she had.

"That's all I need to know, Monsieur." She grazed his cheek once more and tried to smile, but she couldn't. Her eyes closed gently and Marius caught her hand in his as it fell.

"Eponine…?"

He gently shook her, hoping that none of this had been real … that she was really just asleep in his arms and she would wake up again in a little while. His tears were uncontrollable.

He kissed her brow and hugged her as tight as he could.

"Thank you, 'Ponine. I love you."

Enjolras helped Combeferre lift her into his arms and he carried her into the tavern.

What Marius didn't know is that Eponine heard that last "I love you…" and although it was only the kind of "I love you" meant for a dear friend, she was happy. She had finally gotten the chance to be held in his arms.