"See you tomorrow, old boy!" a young man waved. Joly turned and waved before heading on his way. He wanted to get back to his apartment before the rain came in. The sky was darkening by the minute. Joly lived a few blocks down. Under a shop roof, he checked his pulse before going on his way. He cut down a few empty alleys to make his trip shorter. The last all he cut through, a cough startled him. Who could it possibly be? Joly wondered. He saw something lying on the cold, hard street against the wall. Whatever it was- Joly could not figure out what it was, let out another cough. A moan escaped the creature, as rain began to fall. Though unsure, Joly took a step toward the heap against the wall. All of a sudden, the thing turned and Joly jumped away. Dark hair moved aside to reveal a young girl. She was clad in a tattered and muddy skirt and corset. Her cheekbones stood out and she was ghostly white. She shivered, yet she didn't look as if she was sleeping. Joly propped his cane against the wall and nimbly went to the girl and felt her pulse. it was weak, but steady. Thank God. Joly silently murmured. Very carefully, Joly scooped the girl up in his arms. He could feel and see all of her bones. She was terribly malnourished and she looked as if she had been through quite a few fights. She was extremely light to carry. Joly grabbed his cane and took to the alleys to get home. When he approached his apartment building, he looked around all of the corners to see if anyone was in the halls. No one was. Joly fumbled with his key and thrust the stubborn door open with a kick from his boot. He went to the closet and pulled out a white sheet and threw it over his settee, before placing the girl on top of it. He retrieved a blanket off of his bed and threw it over her unconscious form. Though not knowing when she would awaken, Joly went off to warm some water in the basin. He hauled water until the basin was near full. He than went to his neatly stacked stash of soap and cut off a thick piece.

A tap-tap-tap sound. Running water. Humming. Footsteps. That was what Eponine Thenardier woke up to. What the deuces? Eponine's mind was fuzzy. All she could remember was the fight. The girl bit her lip as she remembered.

"You stupid, stupid girl!" Thenardier hissed, as he grabbed his daughter by the neck. "You never do anything right!"

"I, I tried. You could never do what I did!" Eponine spat and gasped for air. One of Thenardier's gang members slugged Eponine across the jaw, sending her crashing into the brick wall. The crack that Eponine heard from her head was not pleasant. "Finish her off." was the order that Eponine heard. The gang took turns kicking and beating her senselessly, before her world turned dark.

"Ah. You are awake." Joly commented. Eponine moaned and held her head. Her world was still fuzzy.

"You have a good egg on there." Joly worked to haul the last bucket of water in the powder room.

"Who are you? What do you want with me?" Eponine leaned against the settee, terrified. Joly came out again and replied, "Forgive my manners. My name is Joly. I am a medical student. On my way home I found you in an alley rendered unconscious, bruised and malnourished." For a moment, Eponine glared at him, but her facial features turned to a lost child suddenly found. She took in the sights around her. The room was wooden and concerts. There was a rug on the floor, the settee that she was on and a small table and a large bookshelf. Joly was standing in the middle of the room. He was dressed in brown trousers, a white and red striped button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows with a brown waistcoat. His overcoat was hung neatly on a peg. He himself was an odd sight. Tall and lanky, with his hair falling down, not quiet meeting his eyebrows. He had a nice smile. The man named Joly seemed trustworthy.

"If you feel up to it, there is a hot bath awaiting you." Joly shrugged his head towards the door where steam was floating out. Eponine closed her eyes. A real bath! Oh, how the warm water would feel wonderful. I must be in Heaven.

"It is real, I assure you, mademoiselle." Joly chuckled. Eponine scurried up from her seat, before falling back. A sharp pain burned her right leg. Joly hurried to her side and picked her up, before heading to the powder room. Very gently, he put her in the tub; skirt and all. Joly held up a bar of soup and replied, "Soap." He showed her some fluffy towels and walked out and closed the door behind him.

"Be sure to throw those rags near the door. I'll be back soon." Joly called from outside the door. Eponine immediately started to panic. He was leaving her? Alone?!

"Where are you going?" Eponine called, panic in her tone.

"To the shops to find something better than rags to wear." Joly called. She heard the door close and lock. Eponine did was she was told and threw the rags that she called her dress near the door and took up the bar of soap. By the time that she was finished washing herself and her hear, the water was a murky brown and lukewarm. Eponine looked at her arms. Besides the bruises everywhere, her skin was white! Not black, not brown, not red, but white! Eponine sighed and finally worked to get out of the tub. She was just raising her shoulders, when the door to the bathroom opened. A dress, undergarments and shoes were tossed onto a chair. A brush was thrown into the sink before the door closed once again. Eponine worked to stand, being careful not to put an extreme amount of weight on her bad foot and dried off with a towel. She eyed the dress. It was red. A beautiful shade of dark red. The unearthing were white. A snow white, not a muddy white. The shoes were also white with small heels. She had never seen anything so grand in her life. How beautiful. Eponine fingered the soft material. Not even when she was a child did he have such fine clothes. Eponine dressed and started to take the brush to her stringy hair. Once it was nearly dried and combed, Eponine didn't fail to notice how it had a slight wave to it. She slipped one shoe on her good foot, holding the other in her hand, before opening the door. She noticed that the sheet and blanket were removed from the settee. She was the small table had some food on a plate. A small slab of meat, a tiny hunk of cheese, and two green beans were on the plate. A fork, spoon and knife were beside the plate on a napkin. A tin cup of an amber liquid made the meal complete. Joly was in the next room doing something with what looked like a real bed. Eponine crept silently towards the plate. This must be Monsieur Joly's dinner. Eponine thought. But she pushed that thought aside and didn't give it another thought before picking up the plate and gobbling every piece of food down with her hands. She licked the plate clean, put it back in its place and at down on the settee. She then downed whatever was in the glass. It slightly burned her parched throat, but she didn't care. She put the cup back in place and sat down again, just as Joly comeback. He looked at the plate and then at Eponine. She was staring mindlessly out the window, but she didn't deceive him.

"I'm glad to see that you are eating something." Joly commented as he took everything off of the table and placed it in the sink. He than came over and pulled up a chair. "Can you tell me your name? if you have one, that is." Eponine snorted and told him, "Of course I have a name. It's Eponine. Just Eponine."

"Eponine. Well then 'Just Eponine'," Joly teased her. "It's highly improper, but I must check you. Your health is failing drastically. I need to check for more of your health problems." Eponine held her breath, but released it when she heard his simple request. She nodded. He checked her over and concluded that she had a sore jaw, busted lip, sprained ankle, dislocated shoulder and the egg on her head. Not to mention the black and blue bruises were on his arms and legs.

"I have more on my sides." Eponine admitted when he looked at her blue wrists. Joly nodded.

"In time, they will heal. Now that I have you cleaned up, I want to get your health back up. I don't want you to suffer anymore than you already have. You will take my bed for the time being." Joly told her.

"I can't put you out of a bed, Monsieur!" Eponine told him.

"And I can't make you stop calling me 'Monsieur' instead of Joly." Joly cracked a smile. Eponine bit her lip and ran her hand through her hair. Joly looked at the clock on the wall.

"Perhaps you would like to go to bed now." Joly looked at her.

"Perhaps." Eponine nodded.

"Oh, before you go. I have medical school Monday thru Friday from three o'clock to five o'clock. And I'll surely have to make a food run sometime soon. Whilst I am gone, I don't want you to open the door for anyone. I'll make sure to lock the doors and close the windows and throw the drapes over. Hopefully you can entertain yourself with something here. It would ruin your reputation if someone saw you coming out of my apartment. So don't open the door for anyone, no matter how kind or how scared they sound, unless I am home. Understood?" Joly looked her in the eye. 'Your reputation'. He isn't worried a bit about his. Only mine. Mine is already ruined. Monsieur Joly has his whole life ahead of him. Eponine thought. She nodded, and he could see that she meant it. Eponine hobbled towards the room. The bed was a sight. New clean sheets and pillows and blankets were neatly made up. A nightgown was on the bed. Eponine shut the door and changed, before slipping under the covers. The bed felt so soft and warm. And yet Eponine couldn't sleep. Never had she slept on such a bed since she was a very little girl. Eponine noticed how clean everything was. You could eat off of the floor! Eponine gathered up all of the blankets and saw two books. She had a bed on the floor and used the books as pillows. She slept soundly and quietly. A few hours later, Joly cracked the door open to look inside. But the door barely budged. Joly wrinkled his eyebrows and gently pushed a little more. It didn't budge. He stuck his head inside to see Eponine sleeping soundly on the floor. Joly's stomach lurched. Poor creature probably was so used to sleeping on the cold floors that nothing would change.

Eponine woke up and slightly moaned quietly. She felt warm. Warmer than she had in months. Daring to open her eyes, Eponine was the sunlight coming through the drapes. She wanted to throw them open and soak in the sun on her face but she remembered Joly's warning. Despite him being concerned around her reputation, she feared for his more. She went to where a porcelain bowl and pitcher of cold water lay with a washcloth. She washed her face and took a comb through her fair, before dressing. She quietly opened the door. I wonder where he keeps the food. Eponine wondered to herself. She turned to see the settee was empty and made up. Everything was in a folded neat pile.

"Good morning, Eponine!" Joly chirped. He gave her a smile before turning back. Eponine then realized how the apartment smelled of fried eggs and some kind of meat. He set down a glass of milk on the table and a plate. It contained a fried egg and a slab of smoked ham. Eponine raced to the plate and gobbled it up in one gulp, licking the plate clean and then drank the entire glass of milk. She coughed a little, as Joly chuckled and told her, "Easy, easy. I don't want you to get sick again."

"Oh, my manners." Eponine sank into a chair and blushed. How rude of her to eat like a pig in front of her host! "Do you have anymore? I feel so hungry."

"Not yet. You're too malnourished. You'll get sick if you eat too much before you are well enough to eat like a normal person." Joly told her. he shrugged on his overcoat, before saying, "I'm off to get some more food an some personal items. Stay here, keep the windows covered and the door locked and let no one in. If they call to you outside the room, don't answer."

"What if they, what if they try to break the door down?" she asked. Joly seemed to ponder this. Though one one had to force their way in, there was always a first time for everything. Joly backtracked to the kitchen. Hesitantly, he pulled out a large knife. He wasn't sure that she wouldn't murder him in his sleep, but there was something in her eyes that told him that she was just as scared of that as he was. He handed it to her, handle first.

"Only for protection." Joly told her. She seemed to shiver at the touch if it, but took it and nodded. Joly left the apartment and locked the doors tight.

The streets were unusually crowded that day when Joly went out. He first stopped at his favorite book store and bought two large books on diseases and treatments. Then he stopped and bought fresh meat, two dozen eggs, some green beans and potatoes. He also bought fresh milk, some sugar and croissants. Lastly for drinks, he bought tea and his favorite drink. How, he needed to find some things for Eponine. She had the care necessities, but she needed more than one dress, a coat and some more things. This was the time Joly wished he had a sister or his mother was still alive to help him with this. He went into a shop and embarrassedly asked for some help. He went out with two new dresses, a decent winter coat, another pair of shoes, underthings and some hair pins. I'll never understand ladies' clothing. Joly muttered to himself. He went on to finish his duties.

Since her host was gone, Eponine had a ken to exploring the house. She had also not let the knife leave her fingertips. There was no food, no games, just a bunch of books. Large ones, fancy ones. Eponine fingered them all. She pulled one off of the shelf and settled onto the floor. About an hour later, she head the handle jiggle. She jumped to her feet and hid behind a wall with the knife ready for action. The door was thrust opened, making Eponine jump. Joly stumbled in, with many packages. Some were wrapped in brown paper, while others were in elegant pastel colored boxes with ribbon. Eponine tried not to look so confused as Joly closed the door. He put down the food and started to put it away. The potatoes, eggs, meat, sugar and such looked heavenly to her. He then put away the milk. The last packages couldn't possibly be for himself, and Eponine was tight. He took them all into her room and turned his head towards it. Curiously, Eponine went in, but not before handing the knife back to Joly. She noticed that Joly didn't follow her. With careful fingers, she saw the smallest box on top and worked to undo the ribbon. She took of the lid and it revealed a glass bottle of something. Eponine saw a handle and gave it a squeeze. It smelled of wildflowers in the month of June. It was perfume. Eponine popped her head out of the room to see Joly picking up the heaping mounds of books on the floor. Eponine turned back to the several still-wrapped packages. The next one was rectangular and pastel pink. It wasn't too heavy. White tissue paper covered that was in it. Folding it back, it revealed a rose pink dress. It was nothing grand, by far, but to her, it was a princess gown. The skirt was full, the neckline modest, the sleeves were three quarter trimmed lightly in lace. Eponine lifted it right out of the box and felt the material. No doubt, these were quality dresses. The next box was a pair of white lace-up boots with small heels. The next box was a sky blue dress, simple but elegant. The last two boxes were underthings and a new black coat. Oh my. Eponine felt tears spring into her eyes. A knock on the door frame startled her. Joly was leaned up against it with her pipe and asked, "Do they meet your qualifications?" A small teasing challenge was held in his tone. Eponine noticed how she was still holding up the blue dress against her skeleton frame and she carefully put it across the bed before hugging herself.

"I-uh, yes. Yes, they meet my qualifications. Higher than any that I could imagine. But how much did it cost?" Eponine asked, her untamed black-brown hair fell over one of her eyes.

"Less than you think." Joly grinned. "I can pull a few strings." Eponine nodded her thanks, before remembering her book mess. She had all of Joly's books- the one from the shelf and in the room, on the floor. Some were opened, others were open with the cover facing up, it just looked as if a library had been thrown on the floor. She hurried out of the room to see it all cleaned up. She hurried over to the shelf. They were all in the same alphabetized order that she had found them in.

"I see that you were reading this one. The Science of Science. It's a good book. What was your favorite part?" Joly picked out a large red book. He flipped through some pages, before looking up. Eponine had not answered his question, but she had quietly folded her arms together and hugged herself. The look of humiliation flooded her brown eyes as she stared at the ground.

"You don't know how to read, do you?" Joly murmured. Eponine turned away from him in shame. It was embarrassing. She had learned nothing more than the alphabet. Nothing of phonics or verbs or letting sounds. When people usually fond out that she couldn't read, they made her feel like she was retarded and stupid. They treated her like a five year old and talked extremely slow and loud, though she could understand everything that they were saying.

"No one taught me how to read." she said, quietly. Joly closed the book and pulled out a thin green book.

"I can teach you." Joly told her.

"What?" Eponine turned to look at him.

"I can teach you to her read." Joly told her, his voice rising with delight. Eponine looked at him doubtfully.

"I'm not a good student." Eponine told him.

"And I'm not a good teacher, but we'll both learn on the way." Joly told her.

Montparnarsse trudged over to the alley. He was responsible for "looking out" for Eponine. With a quick puff of his pipe, he turned the corner to see that it was empty. His stomach hammered. She was just here yesterday! Montparnarsse took off to find Thenardier. The gang was waiting in another dark alley on the outskirts of town.

"Well? Where is the stupid little brat?" Thenardier hissed. Mont gaped for air. He was tired of running.

"She's gone. She's no where to be found." Mont told them.

"We will find that little grate and drag her back here where she belongs. Search the entire city. Don't leave one alley, one apartment building, one who unchecked! Go!" Thenardier ordered. All of the gang scurried off. But Thenardier held Azelma back.

"Not you. I know your sister better than anyone. I think you'll be able to find her faster than any of us." Thenardier hissed.

"I, don't, I don't know where she is, Papa." Azelma struggled. She let out half a shriek, half a whimper, as her father pulled harder on her hair.

"Oh, I don't doubt your innocence. But you will find your sister of you'll end up just like her." Thenardier threw his daughter to the ground. "Find her."

FIVE WEEKS LATER

"The dog went to the house." Eponine read. She sat beside Joly on the settee. She was learning quickly and she was recognizing words everywhere. Joly was glad at her quick process. She had known her alphabet already, it was just putting the sounds together.

"That's wonderful. You're doing wonderful." Joly hugged her from the side. Over the past five weeks, bot of them had grown extremely close. Joly learned that Eponine was eight and one years, nearly nine and one years, while Joly was two and twenty years, nearly three and twenty years. Eponine was like a little sister to him. Eponine thought of him as her older brother. He was like her protector, her best friend, her teacher. She felt as if she had known him all her life. Setting the book down, Joly announced, "I think I have a plan for you. A way that you can go outside, open up these windows, a way that you could walk around freely."

"No! I like it here! I like it here, with you! I'm safe!" Eponine caught Joly's arm in a death grip.

"You will be safe. I can just say that you are my sister, visiting from Southern Paris. You'll need a different name. You're not the same person that you were five weeks ago, sis." Joly told her. He already called her 'sis' as it was, it wouldn't make a difference with him, calling her that permanently in front of people.

"But they'll recognize me." Eponine protested.

"No, you don't look the same. I don't want to make you someone you're not, but I also want to ensure your safety. You can't hide forever, Ep." Joly pointed out the true facts.

"Nancy." Eponine said, finally. "Nancy will be my name. I want to learn about proper etiquette for a lady. I want to be a respectable person in the society."

"Then I'll find some books on etiquette for you." Joly stood and shrugged on his brown overcoat. Eponine nodded as Joly handed her the weapon before he locked her in. When the door was shut, Eponine stood up quietly. She walked to her room where a large mirror was. Supposedly, Joly had found a woman giving away her "wordly things" for money and he had bought it for her. She looked at herself. She was actually looking normal. All of her bones weren't sticking out, her bruises were healed, her hair was now growing back to its usual thickness. And she was clean. She had gained weight, enough to now look like a normal person instead of a skeleton. The first dresses that Joly had bought for her no longer fitted, therefore he had bought her three new ones. A yellow one, a red one, specifically requested by Eponine herself, and a white one with pink curlycues and accents. Eponine stared at herself. She didn't look the same at all. Her dark hair was different, her face looked brighter, and when she wore her hair up with a hat over it, she looked almost unrecognizable. All of a sudden, she heard a voice. Her heart dropped and she felt faint. But she knew. Clutching the knife, she crept towards the front food and leaned her ear against it.

Joly had just locked the door and had walked a few steps when he spotted a man leaning against the wall. Out of the two other people in the hallway, the man had stopped both of them and questioned them about something. Then he would let them pass. Joly walked on, with his cane, as the man said, "Hold it right there."

"If you are any kind of gentleman, you will let me pass." Joly told him. But the man didn't budge.

"I'm here to ask you some questions." the man told him

"Fine. Then make them quick. I have places to be and things to do." Joly told him, raising his top hat.

"Have you see a little brat come through her or these parts? She about this high, she's skinny as a rat and has stringy, ugly, brownish-black hair." the man rose his hand to his chest. It was right accurate.

"Why on earth would a little street rat come by these parts?" Joly scoffed, though inside his heart was racing.

"You would be surprised, Monsieur, of all the streets rats who go anywhere to swindle someone. Keep an eye out for her. If you ever see me again after seeing her, let me know." the man nodded his head and let Joly pass on. He raced through the shops to get the books he needed before racing home once again. The man was no longer there, but still, Joly unlocked his door, kicked it opened, and ran inside. He tossed the books on the floor and locked the door tight. He turned around to see Eponine in a red pool on the floor. She was trembling and a tear ran down her cheek.

"It was him. I know it was him. He's here, he's looking for me. oh, what am I going to do? He'll recognize me in an instant!" Eponine rocked back and forth, hugging her knees to her chest.

"Who was he?" Joly asked, sitting down beside her.

"Montparnarsse. I should go. If he finds me, he finds you, he'll recognize you and then he'll realize that you lied to him. You'll never live to see the next sunrise." Eponine shuddered at the scene of Joly being assaulted and shot in a dark alley in her mind.

"I don't care, Ep. I won'y let anything happen to you. And I have friends who will help me. Who will help you." Joly told her.

"Who?"

"The Friends of the ABC. We can go there at night and one of them will escort us home. I know they will. In the Les Amis, we all look out for each other." Joly told her. Eponine buried her face into Joly's chest and sobbed in terror. She didn't want any harm to come to Joly. her brother. My brother. Eponine sobbed harder at that thought. They did not notice that figure leaning against the door outside.

TWO WEEKS LATER

Thenardier shouted in rage and turned a table upside down. The gang slightly flinched. It had been seven weeks and not a sign of Eponine. Not even a trace. They had searched the city up and down at least three times and no sign of her.

"Seven weeks! Seven weeks and not a sign, not a trace of that stupid girl!" Thenardier shouted.

"Maybe she's dead and someone threw her in a gave." Mont puffed his pipe. He missed Eponine terribly, but in this gang, you couldn't let your true feelings show. You had to be tough and not let anyone know how you truly felt. He missed her punches, her smirk and her showing up randomly and fading away like a ghost. He simply just missed the sight of her, and her ghostly presence.

"She is not dead. Maybe she's working on a mission. Maybe she's scamming a rich lady." another gang member shrugged. Mont slapped him against his bald head at the stupid idea.

"Has anyone seen Azelma?" Thenardier asked. 'No's' floated though out the group.

"Last I saw her, she looked to be on a mission of her own. She told he that she was bound and determine to find Eponine." Mont re-stuffed his pipe.

"Well, let's just trust that she'll find her. She knows Eponine like the back of her hand." Thenardier told them.

Azelma wondered aimlessly along the streets. People pushed past her and hurried off to their homes. Azelma felt raindrops and hurried under a bridge nearby. She had found her sister. And by the looks of the man who had gone into the same apartment, she was living nicely. He had clean cut clothing, he was obviously intelligent, and from the sounds of his comforting voice, he was more than kind and generous. Her hard broke when she heard her older sister's sobs. She had heard them talking in hushed whispers. She had to lean extra hard on the door to hear. Half of her wanted to keep it a secret that she knew where her sister was. Half of her wanted to tell her father to finally make him proud, therefore she would be the special one. But I can't. Oh, I can't do it. Azelma sighed and suddenly, she cried. She wept loudly and bitterly, the thunder and pouring rain drowning out eh noise of her cries. All of a sudden, a shadow loomed over her. Terrified, she leaned against the wall and shielded herself from whoever it was. The person propped something against the wall, before kneeling down a bit. He removed her arms from her face. She stared up in to the face of the man who had helped her sister. Scooted away, but he came closer.

"Who are you, Monsieur?" Azelma whimpered.

"You can call me Joly." Joly told her.

"Leave me be. I'm just a simple street rat." Azelma told him.

"Please, let me help you." Joly told her.

"No!" Azelma tore off at lightning speed. Joly sighed, but didn't go after her.

When he came through the door, the smell of some kind of beef stew filed his nostrils. Eponine walk doug, carrying a large bowl with a ladle. What's all this?" The table was set with an ivory coloured table cloth, two large candles were lit. The table was set for two. As he came closer, he saw that the plates, goblets and the silverware were all positioned in the way that Eponine learned in one of her etiquette books. She was donned in her red dress, her hair up, leaving a few stray ringlets on both sides her of her face.

"It's to try my etiquette skills. And to thank you for all that you've done for me."