I do not own Les Miserables, any of its adaptations, or it's characters.
Sort of an AU based on what might happen if Marius never ran into Cosette.
Perhaps...
The sharp sound of a soaring bullet sent a sickening feeling through her stomach. It had almost hit her. She could be laying in a pool of her own blood, and she would never have the chance to tell him.
As soon as the revolution started, she realized they were both going to die. She glanced over at Marius. It wasn't quite fair. Even if she had professed her feelings now, her fantasies would never be realized. Then again, she realized that her greatest dream was just as hopeless as anything else in her life. Some bourgeoisie beauty would have eventually stolen her dream from her right underneath her bare feet.
Monsiuer Marius...
She drew in a sharp breath of air and dashed over to him.
"This is hopeless," she breathed. "If we don't leave, we'll die."
"I cannot abandon the cause," he replied. "This is what my father believed in, and if I must die for it, so be it."
She bit her bottom lip and lowered her gaze. "I don't want you to die."
It was probably the closest she had ever come to admitting her feelings to him. It lifted what little spirits she had left. A bit of a smile crossed her features as she allowed that small feeling to sink in.
"I would not want you to die either, Ponine," he replied.
His words made her heart skip a beat.
Then, the sound of another shot rang in her ears, and she was snapped back to reality as quick as thunder. She snatched an abandoned pistol from the ground and clutched it tightly. She had done some unspeakable things throughout her life – robbery, petty theft, terrorizing that little girl in her youth – but she had never killed another. She wasn't exactly sure if she could.
She dropped the pistol to the ground. She didn't want to take a life if she had any chance of dying soon.
"I suppose I wonder what it might have been like to fall in love."
His voice broke her thoughts, and she was unsure whether to be upset or not by his statement. She sighed deeply and replied, "I know what it's like."
"Tell me what it's feels like."
"I think it's the most amazing and painful feeling I have ever felt. One minute you're soaring, and the next minute you feel like you're drowning."
"Perhaps I'm better off never knowing," he laughed lightly.
"I suppose you are," she replied.
And in that moment, she had noticed it. She saw the barrel of the gun pointed at him. So, with all the strength she could muster, she shoved Marius away just as she heard a crack from the rifle.
She didn't feel it at first. It wasn't until she noticed a pool of red blending with the rain puddle beneath her that she knew. That was when the unwelcoming sharp pain invaded her body.
It was really all over. It was really all over.
And, she was so young too. The things she could have done with all the life she would never live...
"Ponine!" she heard him shout as he caught her halfway between falling.
"It's you, Marius," she whispered. "It's always been you."
"I know," he murmured. "I think I may have been a little bit in love with you too."
That was the last thing she heard, and perhaps those words dying a little bit easier.
Fin
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