Hey! This is my first Les Miserables story, so if you like it don't be shy! Reviews, alerts, and favorites keep the author from kicking herself for writing something no one likes...
For the sake of this story, Eponine was born in 1811 and Azelma in 1812
Oh, Ramin Karimloo is Enjolras; Samantha Barks is Eponine; Ray Stevenson (in The Dwelling Place) is Montparnasse; and Hadley Fraser is Grantaire.
Disclaimer: I wish I could take credit, but I can't.
22 December 1830
I tried pretending like I was doing some sort of work while I watched the auction going on in the next room; but after five minutes or so I was just dabbing at nothing on the bar. My heart was pounding as if I had been running for the past hour. I was nervous? I can't even remember ever being as nervous. It was silly, really. But I had grown accustom to the way things had been playing out for the past few months. The idea that it could be interrupted because of one person was unnerving. Mama had even stopped her sweeping to watch what was going down. We weren't use to more than two people being in that room with my father. Maybe the newcomer had brought a hefty load of change with him. I can't think of any other reason why father would have favored him coming in over some of the other regulars that come in and out of this damned place. I sent mama a glance. She had set the broom against the wall and watched the four men with her hands on her hips. Would she let father be swayed so easily by some fresh meat? No. Mama wouldn't let him do that. Unless...unless the money was too great to argue about. Father's greed would outweigh his loyalty to those who've paid his dues in the past.
"Mama." I whispered.
"Hush!" She waved me off as she inched closer to the room.
Montparnasse sat between the two other men. His wildly unkempt hair distinguished him from the other two. The one two his left was a burly, bald man. I wouldn't be surprised if he looked remarkably similar to father. He was probably the same one who comes in here every Wednesday but always gets out bid by Montparnasse. The one on his right was the newcomer, obviously. His red hair was brighter than mama's, and he was probably a good five inches taller than father. I could only imagine what he looked like. Hideous probably. 'Parnasse looked over his shoulder at where mama was leaning and casually turned his attention back to what the men were discussing. Really, he was such a fidgety man that it was a wonder how he had even ended up becoming associated with my father in the first place. I suppose he was just as great as acting as he was at lying. The bald man slammed his fist against the table father used as a desk and stood quickly. Mama left the threshold and hurried to pick up the sweeping where she left off. I stared at the man. He had a scowl on his face as he stormed from the room. I can't say I wasn't happy that Montparnasse had beaten him out for the past few months. I looked down at the bar when he caught my gaze. He was barbaric.
My heart skipped a beat when I saw father's eyes grow wide. What did this mean? He was never caught off guard. When I whispered for mama again she fixed me with a cold glare as she tried listening in on what was happening. Please, it's not like she was finding anything out. I looked back to the three left in the room. They were standing up and father was shaking hands with the stranger. Oh no. Please, God, please don't let it be. I wiped my hands off with the rag as father lead the other two towards the bar. Why I was I this nervous? Absolutely ridiculous. It wasn't like I hadn't been with other rats before. What was one more? So it messed up the routine I had mapped out for Wednesday nights. It was one day. Montparnasse could just buy me out for the next day. I watched carefully as the red headed man followed behind father. Neither of them gave any indication of how the meeting went.
"Eponine, get this man the best we have." Father exclaimed. Montparnasse looked ill. "Then walk 'Parnasse home." He added, slapping the poor man on the back. I almost sighed in relief.
"You really had me worried there." I hissed once the door shut behind 'Parnasse and me. "Who was that rat anyway?"
"Some Englishmen on his way through town." He said distractedly. "Look, Eponine-"
"Good." I cut him off. "I'll be damned if he screws up my Wednesdays."
The two of us walked in silent, taking the back alleys, of course, as we made our way towards the Cafe Musain. Back in June of last year Montparnasse started coming around the Inn more and more often, hanging around my father and breathing down my neck. No one really paid much attention to him. He was just some dumb drunk who stayed around the Inn because of the Thenardier's two pretty daughters, just like everyone else. Montparnasse didn't become a paying customer until mid-August. Mostly because the other greasers pestered him and asked him crude things to which he had to make something up, and I was forced into trying whatever dark thought had come to his pea-sized brain. I'll never forgive him for that. But at the beginning of October we fell into our routine. I can't remember the last time I fooled around with 'Parnasse. Wednesdays. The only day of the week I was able to look forward to. His oblivious father came with a pouch of money for the street rat on Tuesday nights. Half of it paid his dues and the other half for me. Not that his father was aware of this.
Don't let me fool you, though. Monsieur Montparnasse was hardly the Good Samaritan he comes across.
"Eponine-" He said as we stood in the alley across from the cafe.
"I'll see you when I get out."
"'Ponine-"
"Try not to leave me searching for you again." I said sternly. Idiot had me wandering about Paris an hour past curfew.
"Eponine!" He hissed, grabbing a fistful of my hair and yanking me towards him, preventing me from going anywhere. I gasped and clutched at his arm, desperately trying to dig my nails as deep as they would go. I knew my father was bound to rub off on him. Dirty, filthy scum. Who could you trust? His mask was too good to be true. "My father's cutting me off."
I stopped clawing, "What?" I whispered as he let my hair go. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Joly and Combeferre walk into the cafe. "Why?"
"He's putting things together, Eponine." His voice got even lower. "For you, your father is charging double what my rent is! I can't afford a home and a hobby. I'm sorry. Maybe you can get Saturday to take you on Wednesday, too. You said he's fairly soft on you, yeah?"
"That's not the point, 'Parnasse!" I growled. "I need Wednesdays with you." I cupped his face. He had to see how much his money meant to me!
"I only have enough to spare maybe two more weeks as long as Bedeaux is the only one coming in asking for you."
"Move! You don't use half the floor in your home. Downgrade!"
"I'm moving back to my parent's. Besides, I wouldn't move into a little garret just so you can keep a secret from your father."
"Why? I'm keeping a secret for you."
I know I shouldn't have slapped him, but I couldn't help it. He struck me first. Not that I didn't deserve a little bit of it for the slip of my tongue. But he was going to be leaving Paris, and I'd have to crawl out of someone else's bed in the middle of the night. I was angry, panicking, and a little sad, so I smacked him right across the face. No man, rat or rich, can stand that. To be hit by someone who will always be below them. Montparnasse back handed me before slamming me into the brick building behind us, knocking the wind nearly out of me. His right arm was pressed firmly across my chest, keeping me from running into the cafe like I so wanted to. My stomach leapt into my throat when I heard his knife being drawn from its place on his hip, I didn't need to see it to know where it was going. In an instant I felt the cool metal against my neck. God, 'Parnasse, think of what you're doing. Joly or Combeferre most certainly saw you and I standing out here, you fool. And if not them, Marius knew about us. Someone would realize I was missing. Right? My heart beat sped up. Right?
Montparnasse threw me to the ground, giving me a good kick in the stomach that caused me to lose whatever meager scraps that had been in there. I should have fought back. I should have fought him. I could have kicked his ass, no doubt. But dying would be so much easier, right? I wouldn't have to go back to the Inn. I wouldn't have to watch Monsieur Marius trip over himself as he fantasized about every other girl but me. I could handle being dead. Really, I'd be doing everyone a favor. Mama could give Azelma my rations so the girl wasn't crying from her hunger every night. Yes, that would shut her up long enough for her to get some sleep. 'Parnasse wouldn't have to leave his home, and his father would start giving him money again. It was just better this way. And I could keep some sense of the dignity I had left. Mama had always said that I would be screwed to death. A rough beating was somehow so much preferable.
The beating stopped, though.
"I'll be back for you later." Montparnasse seethed, straightening his jacket.
He was gone just as quickly as his rage had come. I cried after him. Why couldn't he have just killed me? I hacked harshly as I laid there. Maybe if I just stayed there the rats would eventually kill me. Of course, God wasn't nice enough to let Montparnasse kill me; he wasn't going to be nice enough to let the rats get me.
"Boy!"
It was Grantaire. I would recognize that drunk's voice in a crowd.
"Leave me be." I grunted.
"Thenardier?" I heard him come closer. "What are you doing down there?"
"Dying." I muttered, blinking away the tears that wanted to fall.
"Oh." He said. "You want a drink before you go?"
I smacked Grantaire's hand away when he tried helping me up after I agreed. I was beaten, not weak. I could stand up on my own, and I could walk myself across the damn street! Grantaire walked slowly with me. We were late for the meeting. Not that anyone would be surprised if Grantaire walked into the meeting halfway through. I'm sure most of them would be expecting it. But me? Ever since 'Parnasse started buying me out, I'd been there every Wednesday at the same time, sitting at the same little table as Marius. What would they think if I walked in late with Grantaire with a red mark against my face and a limp in my step? Oh, God! What would Marius think? What if he blew it off as another rough day on the streets? Surely he'd care a little, right? After all, he knew all about what Montparnasse and I had been up to for the past months. I breathed in and out deeply. Get a hold of yourself, Thenardier. I mumbled a barely audible thank you as the drunk held the door open for me. Maybe people would think he had saved me from a fight. Then they'd think I was incapable of taking care of myself if a drunk like him had to be my knight in shining cotton. I rolled my eyes. What did I care anyway? Let them think what they wanted. They were a bunch of good for nothing rebels. This revolution would kill them before they could even see it coming.
"Lavigne, a tab for the night." Grantaire smiled widely as he announced his intent to stay for most of the night. "Two ales to start." He said before adding to me, "Do you like ale?"
"It's okay." I lied. I smell it on the men I'm with every other night; I really didn't feel like I needed to actually drink it.
I sipped from the mug Lavigne put in front of me and grimaced. Blood and ale. Grantaire always rants about them, but I doubt he's ever had to experience them in the same sitting. He was a pretty, rich boy. He probably never had to lift a finger a day in his life. Everything had been handed to him, I bet. Mama would have said he'd been born with a silver spoon in his mouth. The pouch of coins he always carried with him told me she wasn't wrong.
"I really should be getting to-"
"Who was he?"
"What?" I hissed.
"Don't tell me you beat yourself." He laughed. "I may be drunk, but I'm not daft." His smile wavered a bit.
"I don't need to explain things to you, Monsieur." I bit rudely. "Excuse me, I really need to-"
"Montparnasse, I bet."
"Shut up, Grantaire." I snapped.
"Come on, it's no secret." He took a long drink from his mug. "We all see him walking you here before and waiting for you after. Marius has already told us he's your Wednesday nights." My mouth opened but nothing came out. Marius told them? Marius told them what I had confided in him about? I felt a pang deep in my gut that had nothing to do with the beating. "Does your father know you're coming to these? Is that what's going on? You come to these meetings and Montparnasse knows about it, but you're buying his silence with your...services?" Grantaire let out a noise that was most likely a giggle.
"It's nothing like that." I dumped whatever was left in my mug onto his lap and then took off for the back room. He was a sick bastard. Perpetually drunk or not, he ought to know better about what he allows out of that dirty mouth of his.
The man Enjolras, whom Marius was so fond of, was deep into an animated speech when I tried slipping in. Usually the boys were all riled up, shouting in agreement, spitting out lines of speeches they themselves had memorized. Today, though, it was an 'Enjolras says something, and they're mesmerized' day, making my tardy appearance all the more obvious. I ducked into the far corner, trying my best to fade into the background. It didn't take much effort. Enjolras was so caught up in whatever he was saying that he couldn't care much about a street rat sitting in the corner, and everyone else only needed to affirm it was me before being sucked up into their leader's ramblings. What did these guys know about the people anyway? They were just like Grantaire. The hardest challenge in their life had been choosing which university to attend. The people, though? The people were faced with starvation, prostitution, dehydration, and simply finding a place to sleep at night. These fools would never have to worry about that. They wouldn't have to worry about not being able to go home if they didn't meet a quota. Why weren't they walking in our shoes before preaching on our behalf? That's all these brats were anyway: preachers. They talked the good talk, but none of them would dare to be the change that they clung so heavily to.
Grantaire, wet pants and all, managed to walk in when the lot of them were cheering at the empty ended words. He raised his mug in cheer with them, gave me a smirk, and plopped down to the left of Marius and the right of another empty spot where Joly usually sat, but he was up in the spot where Bahorel sat every time I've been there. I tried practicing my breathing as the meeting wore on. It was fine at first. I had managed to take quite a few breaths without feeling like my lungs were going to fail me. But then I'd think of having to spend the next few hours either in search of Montparnasse or with him, and my heart would start racing, putting me in an almost panic like state. My injuries were making me crazy. I shouldn't have been afraid of 'Parnasse. He was a twitchy little man, after all. I could lay him flat with one punch. He caught me in a moment of weakness. He caught me when I wanted to die. It wouldn't happen again. Right? Never in the months that I'd been with him had he ever been rough to the point where I feared him. A little roughing up was nearly a part of the job description really. Father wouldn't think I had a good night if I didn't have a bruise or a scrape here or there.
I elbowed my way through the guys to get to Marius. One of them got me back, playfully albeit, but it caused me to nearly double over in pain. I shied away from him quickly, though and found Marius over with Courfeyrac and Joly.
"Messieurs." I grinned.
"'Ponine, what happened?"
My heart fluttered and my skin melted when Marius touched my face. If getting beaten was all it took to get his attention...
"It's nothing." I waved my hand dismissively. "Really, I'm lucky all it was was a smack. I had it coming." Well, I wasn't lying completely. I glanced around the room. Grantaire was over in the front with Enjolras, the two were bickering over something. As long as the oaf was far enough away from me I didn't really what he was doing.
"I could check it out for you, if you want." Joly offered.
"Thank you, Monsieur, but it's nothing, honest."
"Eponine," Marius walked me towards the door a little while later after the majority of the room had dispersed, leaving me alone with Marius and two others I didn't know well. His hand was on my arm. It was like heaven. I was sure of it. "Have you seen that girl from the market at all? I've been meaning to write to her, but I never know what to say." No, Hell. Definitely Hell.
When I caught a glimpse of 'Parnasse waiting in the alley where he had left me I didn't know whether I was relieved or not about it. He was saving me from having to endure a long, one-sided conversation about the gift from God that is the girl from the market. And I'm sure that he had cooled off after earlier. He had a quick temper, but it was easy to blow out. I'm sure whatever back alley bum he found after me had suffered worse anyway. I'd rather stick with Montparnasse. I wouldn't have to hear a damn word about that dark-haired angel with "eyes the color of the sea". I bid Marius good-bye and straightened my cap before heading out in the dark.
"Thenardier." Grantaire nodded to me as I walked out of the cafe. He stood, smoking something similar to what my father does, just outside the door telling Enjolras he'd see him later. I looked at the drunk stiffly, throwing the two a quick good night, before heading over to 'Parnasse.
"Took you long enough." Montparnasse sneered. Apparently his temper hadn't fizzled.
"Well, if you hadn't been so careless with your hand the school boys wouldn't have been worried."
"Isn't that sweet." He rolled his eyes.
"You know that they're all critical of anyone who-"
"Ai, Thenardier!" Grantaire called, crossing the street.
"Oh, God in heaven..." I hissed and rolled my eyes.
"Monsieur," The drunk bowed to Montparnasse, taking him a little by surprise. "I do apologize for interrupting, but see, I bought a drink for 'Ponine here, and well, as you can see," He motioned to his pants. "I expect repayment."
"What?" 'Parnasse and I quipped together.
"These are very expensive pants. It only seems fair."
"You're going to take 'Ponine in exchange for your pants?" I'm glad I wasn't the only one who found Grantaire incredulous.
"Like I said, they were expensive." He repeated. "I'll pay you for her."
"Buy a new pair of pants!" I snapped.
"Hush, woman. Let the men work."
"Montparnasse! You can't be serious!" I barked as Grantaire told him he could have the rest of the money in his pouch. A wide grin spread over 'Parnasse's dumb face as he saw the coins in it. "You greedy bastard!" I shoved him, but Grantaire grabbed me by the waist. "Bastard!" I let out another cry of pain, of rage, of expression. I couldn't believe that dirty rat!
"If you bite her she purrs." 'Parnasse said before taking the pouch and running.
I stared after him, wide-eyed. Really? He was going to leave me with a drunk for some spare change? I had so much on him, I could ruin him! And he wanted to play this with me? I yanked my arm out of Grantaire's grasp and made an attempt to run for it, but the drunk caught me by the belt. I let out another cry of pain and hurled. Maybe 'Parnasse had gotten a rib or two when he beat me. I was kind of just hoping it was nothing more than bruised. I turned my anger out on the drunk behind me, though. I spat at him, kicked his shins, shoved him, and even went for a punch. But I was seriously restricted, and he was quite agile for someone who was too drunk to talk sometimes.
"Stop it," Grantaire grabbed my hands as I slapped and shoved his chest. "I'm going to need all my strength to fend off Enjolras when he finds out I brought a street rat home."
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