Author Note: Okay, I've recently become very obsessed with Les Misérables. At first, it began when I saw the movie. I can't even rant about it right now; it'll take me too long. Then, we had to read Victor Hugo's fabulous book for school. We've pretty much finished it, and it made me love Les Mis even more, if that's even possible! I realize there are significant differences between the book and movie. And please don't hate me for this, but this fan fic will be based more on the movie than the book. I tried and put some things from the book in this, but it has very little. I will have my own ideas, too. That's kind of the whole point of me writing this fan fic.
Characters will be from the movie, so Samantha Barks as Éponine, Eddie Redmayne as Marius and such.
I'm thinking this fic will be a two-shot. It would be way too long if it was only one chapter, but I might add a short ending chapter, as well.
This is in third person, so point of view will change, but it will mostly be from Éponine's point of view. I hope that makes sense.
Please enjoy and leave a review if you have anything to say about this. Constructive criticism is welcome. A review is a review and will make me happy no matter what.
Let's begin!
Disclaimer: I do not own the brilliant story of Les Misérables that an equally as brilliant man known as Victor Hugo came up with many years ago. If I did, I would have ruined it and everyone would hate me.
If I could find assurance, to leave you behind, I know my better half would fade.
-I'll Follow You (Shinedown)
Éponine wakes up with a groan from her now typical place on the hard, wet ground under the stone bridge. She was thrown out on the streets again by her own father last night for returning home late. The soreness of her body from the beating reminds her just how furious her father was, but Éponine also remembers the promise she made to herself many years ago. She swore she'd always keep him safe, no matter the cost.
The sun was just barely rising, making the blues, purples and pinks blend together in the sky when Éponine decides to move from her place on the ground to travel the streets. She makes her way through the familiar paths on her own. She wants to give her father some space before she returns.
Éponine can't help the course her mind takes her while she waits for the rest of the people in the town to wake. She hums under her breath as she daydreams of a certain man with bright green eyes and brown freckles dusting his face. She remembers the passion in his eyes and voice as him and his friends talked of their little revolution last night. She knows their plan to win over les misérables will not work, but there was no way to convince this group of rich schoolboys or as they like to call themselves Les Amis de l'ABC. They are both stubborn and stupid. Their beliefs are good-natured, but they won't have the outcome they desire. The people have, and always will, live in fear.
There's a small tug on her heart when Éponine remembers the speech the handsome leader in the red vest gave at the Café Musain.
~~YESTERDAY~~
Éponine sat by herself at the back of the room watching the love of her life engaging passionately of the discussion at hand. She always tries to listen to the speeches the leader, Enjolras, Éponine remembers, gives, but her eyes and mind always wander to him, Marius, the man she has been in love with for years now. This time was different, though. Two sentences were all it took for Éponine to give her undivided attention to the man in red.
"I have been informed that General Lamarque has fallen very ill. They say he won't make it past the end of the week," These were the sentences uttered by Enjolras that made Éponine pay attention. She knew how much the boys looked up to the General. He was the only man who cared about Éponine's class of people. If he were to perish, there would be no telling the horrors that will come upon the lower class.
The murmurs coming from the Les Amis were ones of worry and excitement. They knew their time of uprising was approaching. As Enjolras continued his speech, their suspicions were confirmed.
"Listen up, tomorrow we will take action and rally the people in front of General Lamrque's house. This is the perfect time to act and we needn't waste it. At noon tomorrow we will meet. Wear our emblem in pride, and let's bring the people on our side!" Enjolras finished, his chest rising and falling from yelling; trying to regain oxygen into his lungs.
The boys of Les Amis cheered in unison; their adrenaline from their excitement overpowering their fear of what is to come.
All Éponine could do was stand there in shock. Her eyes widened in fear and all she could think about was the welfare of Marius. She knew the outcome of this revolution, if she could even call it that, and it definitely did not end well for her love.
She looked through the crowd of schoolboys and spotted Marius having a drink and celebrating with his friends. Her breath started to get more labored as she continued to think of the image of her love lying on the pavement, soaked in his blood. And as if he could feel her eyes on him, Marius looks back and makes eye contact with Éponine, and she is momentarily paralyzed by the excitement showing in his eyes. He doesn't seem to notice her distress, and walks over to her with a large smile on his face and another drink in hand.
"Bonjour, Éponine. Please, come and join us in our celebration! You're missing out hiding in the corner all by yourself," Marius said with his hand outstretched towards her. She gladly accepts his offer and takes his hand. Éponine feels small shocks of pleasure throughout her body that make her shiver and she's almost certain Marius should be feeling this as well, but if it does happen for him, he is a master at hiding it.
Marius leads her to the rest of the Les Amis and hands her the extra drink in his hand. "Please, Monsieur. You don't have to buy me a drink," Éponine tells him and pushes the bottle away. "Oh, 'Ponine, it's really no trouble at all," Marius reassures, placing the bottle back in Éponine's hands. She smiles when Marius uses her nickname. He's the only one to ever use it and that makes it special. She loves it. He came up with it on the day they first met, and it has stuck ever since.
Before she could take a small sip of the vile drink, one of Marius' friends snatches it up and takes a giant gulp, downing half the bottle in no time at all. Éponine looks up at the man with wide, fascinated eyes. Her smile widens as she recognizes Grantaire's messy black curls as the man who took her drink. Marius slaps him across the head with a glare towards his friend.
"Oi, what the hell was that for?!" Grantaire replies as he rubs the back of his head—a small pout darkening his features.
At this, Éponine busted out laughing. The look on Grantaire's face had Éponine doubled over in a fit of giggles. She had tears in her eyes by the time she was done. She looks up to see Marius chuckling as well.
For the rest of the night, Éponine had the time of her life. She forgot about the impending doom and had fun with Marius and his friends. Then, she remembered that she needed to be home and began to panic when she realized she was late. She left in a hurry after that. Only stopping to say goodbye to Marius, and sped out the door.
She feared all the way back to the Gorbeau House of what her father would do. She was already late; she could at least take her time.
She entered the apartment slowly, trying not to make a sound. But the house was old and the floor creaked as she tried to make her way to her shared room with Azelma. She quickly ran the rest of the way to her bed and lied down on the uncomfortable table her parents had made into her bed. Éponine checked to see if her sister was sleeping, and sure enough, Azelma's eyes her closed and her chest was slowly rising and falling.
Éponine hoped she hadn't woken her father, but faith was not on her side. Her name was roared by the voice of her father, waking 'Zelma from her slumber.
Éponine unwillingly walked the distance from her room to her father—Éponine became the master of putting up a façade from years of beatings, but behind it she was always afraid of her father's fist.
"Where the hell were you?" Thernardier asked menacingly. Éponine pursed her lips, refusing to answer. She couldn't get the Les Amis into her mess. And she was sure if she told her father she was with the revolutionaries that he was going to do anything to rob and hurt them.
Her father was not patient with her tonight and his fists made contact with her skin, surely leaving marks in the morning. Over the years, Éponine has learned to take her beatings quietly. She no longer made a noise. She was quite proud when she first did it. It filled her with a swell of pride. Even now, she still feels strong.
Once Thernardier was done with her, he threw her out on the streets to fend for herself. This wasn't the first time her father had kicked her out for the night, so she went to her usual place under the bridge and got as comfortable as she could and fell asleep.
~~PRESENT~~
Éponine was still walking the streets when the clock tower struck noon. She knows where she needs to be and practically runs the whole way to General Lamrque's house.
She made it just in time. She went and stood with the crowd that was gathered near the Les Amis and watched attempt to rally the people. She saw the fear and suspicion in almost every pair of eyes she looked in. The schoolboys tried so hard, but there was no use. The people have lived in fear for so long that it was hard to change. There was still a little sliver of hope that the people would rise during the very last moments, so this revolution would not fail.
Éponine's heart was being ripped out of her chest at she was reminded again that her love would die not knowing how she felt. Her eyes began to fill with tear, but she gritted her teeth to help keep them back. She will not show weakness. It was already terrible that he did not return her feelings, but she should at the very least tell him her feelings.
Then, an image of his face contorted into disgust and anger filled her mind. She knew there was no way to voice her feelings for fear of his reaction. There was no way for her to live without Marius in her life.
Before she knew it, the rallying was over and Marius was making his way over. She faked a smile as best as she could and it must have worked because Marius did not question it. She was slightly relieved, but there was that one small part of her that wishes he'd notice when she was upset.
"Good afternoon, 'Ponine. What did you think? Do you think they people will rise to our cause? I feel like we did an excellent job. I could just see the people absorbed by the possibility of a better future!" Marius began rambling—still full of pent up energy.
"I think you did a great job, Monsieur. The people did look very enthused," Éponine lied easily. A life on the streets could do that to the best of people. She knew it was wrong to lie to Marius like that, but she loved seeing the happy expression on his face. It cheered her spirits to see the smile he was giving her now.
"Éponine, what did I tell you about calling me that? We're friends and it makes me feel like an old man," Marius whined, but the smile remained on his face.
Éponine blushed. "I'm sorry, Marius. I know you don't like it, but it just comes out. I won't do it again, I promise," She replied, putting her hand between them to shake on their deal, but Marius leans in and wraps her small, boney frame in his strong arms and spins her around in a circle.
Éponine laughs as she's being spun, but all of a sudden Marius drops her back on her feet. She was about to pout, but then she noticed the look on his face. It's a face of a love-struck fool. A face Éponine has often been caught making at Marius by Grantaire or the other Les Amis.
She looks to where Marius is staring and sees the most beautiful girl she's ever seen. She has long, thick golden hair and the biggest blue eyes. She looked much healthier than Éponine ever would. She could tell the girl came from a well-off family, but something about her seemed very familiar. Éponine could almost put her finger on it.
She looked back at Marius and saw he was practically drooling over this girl. His eyes followed every way she went, but the girl didn't even notice. She was too busy trailing after an older man with greying hair. Éponine thought it must have been her father.
Éponine's eyes trailed after the healthy girl, too. She saw the father stop at a crate across the street. The crate was none other than Thernardier's. Éponine sighed as her father tried to get the man for all his money.
Éponine had gone back to staring at the girl, and was hurt by the fact that she could catch Marius' attention when she's been trying to do that for years. She was angry, and sad, and just wanted to run away, but she chooses not to because then she would have to explain to Marius why she ran off, and she did not wish to do that.
"You're the man that borrowed Cosette!" The scream of her father shook her from her reverie. The name of the girl even sounds familiar, but before she could figure it out she spots the familiar blue uniform of the policeman, Javert, headed straight for the commotion the old man and her father were bringing. Not matter how badly her father treated Éponine; she still had to warn him.
"It's the police! Disappear! Run for it! It's Javert!" Éponine screams at the top of her lungs—pulling her father, the old man and even Marius out of their stupor. Her father and the old man are not fast enough, though, but when Javert turns toward her father, the old man and Cosette make a run for it. How odd.
She grabs Marius' hand and makes a run for it, as well. He still had the daydream-like expression on his face, but still managed to make his feet move.
Then she remembers everything.
"Cosette, now I remember. Cosette, how can it be? We were children together. Look what's become of me," She stopped abruptly as the realization hits—making Marius crash into her from behind as she remembered her childhood with the homely looking Cosette. Éponine remembers her well. That's the one thing Éponine regrets in her life. She should have never treated Cosette so badly.
Now, Marius gave her, her full attention. "Éponine, do you know that girl?" He asked, his eyes beginning to swim with hope. How could she say no to that face? She couldn't, and that made her angry. She wants to lie to him, but he's heard her anyway.
"What? You mean that bourgeois two-a-penny thing? She's just someone from my past," Éponine tries to attempt nonchalance, but fails miserably.
"Find her for me, please, Éponine? I beg of you!" His voice was so full of desperation. This is killing her inside.
She sighs. "Fine…" She tries so hard not to let her tears fall, but to no avail. Her pride is also wounded because she is forced to look down to hide her shame at being weak.
"Oh, thank you, thank you so much, Éponine!" Marius picks her up and spins her around like before. Éponine's world is falling apart around her, but she still wipes her tears and manages a smile.
She would to anything for the man she loves; even if it means ripping her own heart out in the process. Not-so-very deep down, Éponine knew she could never have Marius. It was a fact she needs to accept. Maybe helping Cosette and Marius be together will help with that.
Marius finally puts her down, gives her a kiss on the cheek that makes the butterflies in her stomach explode, says his goodbyes, and quickly runs off. He's probably going to the Musian to tell his friends of the beautiful young blonde he's fallen in love with.
"I'll find her. There are lots of things I know. 'Ponine, she knows her way 'round." She tells no one. She's more trying to reassure herself than anything else.
Now, she has a job to do. She runs off into the night in search of a girl for the man she loves. Little does anyone know, the blonde thinks of another…
TO BE CONTINUED…
Author Note: Whew, this took me all day. This was one of the longest chapters I've written.
I hope you guys like it. There will be more dialogue, I promise! And there will definitely be more drama. I'm sorry if this was boring, but it gets better. I'm going to cry while I'm writing the end, I know it.
I'll try and update soon.
I'm sorry for any spelling/grammar mistakes.
PLEASE REVIEW!