A/N: Thanks again for all the reviews and favorites and follows! It really does mean a lot that you guys are reading my story!
This chapter is definitely filler material, but I had a lot of fun writing it and it gave me a chance to show Éponine that Cosette really isn't all that bad, and plus Musichetta is very fun to write. So, without further ado, here is chapter 4!
Éponine startled awake at the sound of someone clearing their throat. She sat up straight, quickly rubbing her eyes to get the sleep out of them.
"Sorry to wake you, but Cosette and Musichetta are about to go on their, um…" Enjolras began, looking to the two women standing beside the piano for help.
"Shopping spree, I guess you could call it!" Musichetta grinned, "Unless you two wanna stay here and cuddle more…" She raised her eyebrows mischievously.
"We weren't cuddling!" Éponine exclaimed, and Enjolras stiffened at Musichetta's use of words. "I was just very tired, and Enjolras' coat is very soft." She nodded affirmatively, looking to Enjolras with a little smirk. Her friend sat there looking a little uncomfortable, probably because Cosette and Musichetta had taken what they were doing the wrong way. However, Éponine felt quite comfortable around Enjolras, and she was extremely tired, so it was pretty innocent of her to take a little nap upon his shoulder. Plus, it was nice to see his marble stature crumble a little at the piano; he seemed much more relaxed there than when he and Éponine discussed political events or his plans for the rebellion. She made a note to ask him to play piano more often, as he did look more refreshed and less stressed out than he did before.
He cleared his throat again, standing up and moving to the other side of the piano bench. "Yes, well, whatever we were doing shouldn't be done tonight. You three are vital parts of our plan, as if in the event something goes wrong, you can-"
"Charm our way in with our feminine wiles?" Musichetta finished, and purposely dropped a hip, accentuating her curvy and perfectly proportioned body. Éponine giggled, but Cosette looked frightened.
"Will we really have to…" She almost gulped, "seduce our way in?"
Enjolras gave Musichetta an annoyed look, and then shook his head to Cosette. "No. As you said, your father has ensured that we will all be able to attend, yes?"
"Yes, of course! Papa will be very pleased to have your company, I'm sure." Cosette smiled, and then turned to Musichetta and Éponine with a more relaxed stature. "Well, shall we?"
"Well, we shouldn't have any problems, then. Please be back before 4 o'clock." Enjolras responded, and looked to the three girls in turn, before nodding and walking off to join the other men at the table, who were still working out the kinks in their plan.
"Let's go!" Cosette almost squealed, and Musichetta grinned, and Éponine dreaded what was about to come.
In all honesty, Éponine wasn't all that concerned with the shopping bit; it was the hanging out with Cosette and this new woman, Musichetta, that frightened her; she barely knew either of the girls, and she was a bit concerned that the two beautiful women would talk to each other and only consult Éponine if they needed a second opinion on a dress they would try on. She wouldn't be surprised if she was excluded, since Éponine had been quite ignored most of her childhood ever since Cosette left.
That was another thing Éponine was concerned about; did Cosette remember how horribly Éponine had treated her? She prayed that Cosette didn't remember, since she didn't want the beautiful lark to think badly of her. Even though Éponine should have hated Cosette for 'stealing' Marius, she couldn't find it in her to feel any strong bitter feelings towards the blonde, seeing as how she had treated her in the past probably excused the brunette from hating her. In fact, Éponine was trying very hard to be as kind as possible (and ladylike as possible) around her and Musichetta, since she suspected both of them came from families with money, and Éponine didn't want to be embarrassed.
"Have you ever gotten your hair done, Éponine?" Musichetta asked, snapping the brunette out of her train of thoughts.
"Oh, no, I've never had the time." She responded, and Cosette gasped.
"Golly! Well, I sure know where we're going first! The salon!" She squealed again, and Éponine smiled; even though Cosette wasn't really her idea of a friend, the girl certainly was charismatic.
"I'm not sure I want my hair cut, though." Éponine cautioned. She remembered the first time she met Les Amis, and how Marius had noticed her long hair; that prompted her to be less insecure about her hair length, and she had been wearing it down more often.
"But it would look simply adorable." Musichetta argued, as the three girls jogged across the street, avoiding honking cars. "And we can finger curl it! Oh, the possibilities!"
"Can't we just put it up?" Éponine asked, rubbing the side of her arm. She really didn't want her hair cut, and Musichetta saying that she would look better with it short made her feel a bit more insecure.
"It looks better long, Musichetta; I don't know what you're talking about! I saw in a magazine, this model had an adorable hairdo with the sides of her hair curled and the long part put into this sort of tucked-in bun, so it gave the illusion that it was short, but it was still quite long! Perhaps we could do that, Éponine?" Cosette suggested, smiling kindly.
Éponine smiled back. "Yes, I'd like that."
Musichetta shrugged. "Alright, just be sure you're specific. Will you be able to pay for your hair, Éponine?" She asked as she opened the door to the salon.
"Uh-" Éponine began, once again beginning to feel insecure.
"I'm covering all of Éponine's expenses! It's only polite, after all." Cosette saved Éponine once again, and she was incredibly grateful. The blonde turned to the counter, where a woman was sitting. "Hello, yes, may we make a reservation? 2pm, please. Three chairs." Cosette said expertly, as if she had done this thousands of times (which she probably had) and the woman proceeded to scribble something down on a paper.
"If you don't arrive on time, you will lose your reservation." The saleswoman cautioned.
"Of course, we'll be here!" Cosette assured, and Éponine looked to her with a confused look. "Well, if we get our hair done before we get our dresses, how are we supposed to try on dresses while running the risk of ruining our hairdos?"
"Oh. Yes, of course." Éponine smiled; she was so new to this shopping etiquette, and Musichetta waited while still holding the door open. She noticed the salon was quite busy, and it was only 11 am. "Are you sure we'll have three chairs open for us by 2?"
"Of course, you underestimate the powers of Cosette." Musichetta grinned, and the three giggled.
"Let's go find some dresses!" Cosette gave a little hop-skip, and Éponine smiled, feeling much more relaxed, now that she found that her worries were all for naught.
"Hmmm… I liked the beige one better." Musichetta put her finger to her chin, and Éponine stared curiously to Cosette, who was currently standing in front of them in a green sparkly flapper dress. The three girls had made their way to a very expensive dress shop, and Éponine had followed the two girls around while they navigated the rows and rows of clothes expertly; the brunette didn't know how to really shop for what looked good on her, since she really only had one or two dresses. So, Musichetta and Cosette helped her find clothes that would look good on her; once they had all stocked up on enough things to try on, they all decided to try things on and show the others' for opinion. Cosette was to go first, and then Éponine, and then Musichetta. This was Cosette's last dress, and Musichetta always had some sort of intelligent insight to give about whatever she wore, while Éponine thought she looked amazing in any one of the dresses.
"Really? I thought this suited my form better…" Cosette replied thoughtfully. "What do you think?" She looked to Éponine, and once again, Éponine didn't know what to say.
"Erm… I think you look stunning in both, but I really think that if you wore a soft pink, you would look better." She responded, hoping that she had used the right color phrases; she had seen a beautiful pink color in the shop window on their way in and it was called soft pink, so Éponine figured that she would try to use it at some point today to make it seem like she knew at least a little bit about fashion.
"Oh, you're right! I did see a very cute one in that color on our way in… Sit tight, I'll be back!" Musichetta exclaimed, getting up and rushing off to find a suitable dress for Cosette.
"Éponine, why don't you go try on the beige one I picked out? I think you'd look darling in it." Cosette smiled, pulling the dress out from her dressing room and held it out for Éponine to take.
"Are you sure?" Éponine asked, taking the expensive dress gingerly.
"Of course! I don't look very good in it, anyways." Cosette replied, and Éponine smiled, stepping into a dressing room.
She soon changed into the dress and stepped out. The dress hung on her like a burlap sack, and Éponine found it to be quite itchy, though she didn't raise those concerns with the blonde in front of her. Cosette put her finger to her chin thoughtfully, looking her over. "You know, that dress just simply doesn't look good on anyone. Éponine, you have such a wonderfully tiny waist! We should find a fitted bodice dress to accentuate it… Maybe in red?" Without waiting for a reply, Cosette scurried off, still in the green flapper dress, leaving Éponine alone.
She looked around the expensive store. The ceiling was quite high, dotted with a few chandeliers here and there; there was very nice carpet underneath her feet that felt softer than any pillow she'd ever touched, and Éponine had never seen so many beautiful articles of clothing in one place before. It was quite exciting, and she couldn't help the smile that spread over her face. Who would have thought that a lowly street urchin such as herself would ever been in such a grand place as this? And that night, she was to be in an even fancier place! Her smile grew wider and her cheeks warmed with excitement.
"Ah! This one! Try this on, Éponine!" Cosette came back, holding a lovely red dress and a headband with a red feather. "I found this accessory; I thought it would look darling with your hair done!"
"Oh, thank you!" Éponine couldn't keep the excitement out of her voice as she took the dress and disappeared into the dressing room. Once the dress was on, she couldn't bear to look at herself in the mirror for fear of hating what she saw. So, Éponine covered her eyes and walked out cautiously, to where Musichetta and Cosette were waiting. Slowly, she opened her eyes to see her friend's reactions.
Much to her surprise, their mouths were open.
"…Éponine, I do believe we've found your dress." Musichetta beamed.
"Look in the mirror!" Cosette squealed.
Éponine spun around, and her mouth also went agape.
The dress was simply gorgeous; the hemline was a red rayon slip, and the red bodice fitted ever so nicely to her body, accentuating her waist and hips. A small sparkled band around the lower part of her waist separated the bodice from the skirt, which was a flounced handkerchief hem skirt that went down to just above her knees. She covered her mouth in excitement, and turned around to the two girls, and let out an excited squeal; Éponine couldn't help herself.
This was the first time she had ever felt truly beautiful, and it was such an amazing feeling.
Soon enough, after much searching and different combinations of accessories and shoes, the three girls found precisely the right dresses for their night out:
Cosette was to be dressed in a soft pink flapper dress with a fitted bodice and sleeves that went down just above her elbows; when she said it was missing something, she had found a lovely black satin ribbon and tied it around her waist in a fashionable bow. As an accessory, the blonde was able to find a satin black headband and shiny black shoes to put the whole thing together; after much persuasion from Musichetta, Cosette gave in and also bought a pearl bracelet and necklace. ("But trampy girls wear pearls, Musichetta!" Cosette had protested. "What does that say about me, then?" Musichetta had answered, which made the blonde shut up.)
Musichetta, after trying on the dark green flapper dress that didn't work for Cosette, decided that green was most definitely her color since Bahorel loved yellow but Joly adored blue. She figured that a mix of the two colors would satisfy her partners and silence any playful arguments they might make. The dress was very sparkly and had staggered rows of fringe all over the dress, which, as Musichetta put, "accentuates my ladies; if ya got it, flaunt it! That's my motto!" She had found a headband similar to Éponine's, but it was in a dark green much like her dress with a lighter green of a feather and a shorter darker green one. The headband fit across her head perfectly, and didn't irritate her forehead as she had thought it would. Musichetta didn't feel that pearls were necessary for her dress, so Cosette was the only one adorned in the "trampy" jewelry.
Finally, Éponine's accessories were simple but effective; she and Musichetta had found a diamond choker necklace, and figured it would be perfect for her since her dress had very little sparkle in normal lighting; her shoes were a nude color, since Éponine decided she didn't want to look too flashy.
After they all bought their clothes, the three rushed to the salon; they just made it there before their reservation had been given away, since they had spent so much time shopping.
First, Cosette insisted they all get manicures.
"So, how're things with you and Marius?" Musichetta asked in a lilting tone, a sly smile spreading across her face.
Éponine tried not to stiffen, but she couldn't help the stone that dropped in her stomach. This was the one bit of conversation she had been trying to avoid this entire time, but she should have known that it was bound to come up at some point.
"Oh," Cosette giggled, biting her lip. "Well… Yesterday was our first kiss!" She confessed, and Musichetta grinned. Éponine frowned.
"Ah, I see… Was he a good kisser?"
"Musichetta!" Cosette gasped, and Éponine couldn't help but snicker.
"Well, was he?" Éponine asked, quite enjoying how flustered Cosette got; she was so fun to mess with and it distracted her from Marius. (Plus, she did want to know if he was a good kisser.)
"He…" Cosette was blushing, her face turning redder and redder. "Well, of course he was! I just don't understand why you nosey chicks had to know." She bit the inside of her cheek, and Éponine and Musichetta busted up laughing. "Well, what about you and Joly and Bahorel?" Cosette challenged Musichetta; which was, essentially, a bad idea.
"Oh, my, where do I start?" Musichetta replied, sighing wistfully. "Hmmm… Well, last night we had a particularly fun idea involving whipped cream and lots of licking-"
"Gah!" Cosette exclaimed, shaking her head and closing her eyes. But she couldn't help herself; the blonde was laughing with both Éponine and Musichetta, the latter of whom was still trying to explain to Cosette about her and Joly's and Bahorel's "fun idea" they had come up with last night through bouts of laughter since she knew it got to Cosette.
"No, no, enough! Forget I asked!" Cosette laughed.
"Oh, alright." Musichetta sighed heavily, and after a moment of silence, looked to Éponine with a smirk. "How about you, Éponine?"
"What about me?" The brunette asked cautiously.
"What about you and Enjolras! The marble statue, the beautiful man who could be swayed by no woman!" Cosette explained with a bright smile. "That is, until you came along!" She giggled with Musichetta.
Éponine simply laughed it off; these two were so silly! "No, no, we're only friends. In fact, I think Enjolras is starting to become my teacher, really. He's taught me so much about history, and literature, and now I think he might even want to teach me to play the piano." She smiled.
"Ooh, a relationship between a student and a teacher… How kinky." Musichetta grinned. The ladies working on their hands told them to stand and move to the salon chairs in front of the mirrors so that they may begin to work on their hair.
Once all three of them were situated, Éponine shook her head while rubbing her incredibly soft hands; they had never felt like this before! "No! There's nothing between us; he's far too concerned with his cause, he's told me. And instead of falling for him, which would be a waste of time, I've opted to learn from him. He's really quite sweet once you get past his hard exterior."
"Eponine, please! When you walked into the speakeasy, Enjolras lit right up. I don't believe I've ever seen him so happy." Musichetta smiled knowingly.
"Well, maybe he was just happy to see me because-" Éponine began, but she stopped herself.
"Because why?" Cosette prompted.
"Because you and Marius were extremely gooey and lovey today and Enjolras simply detests that." Musichetta finished for Éponine with a grin.
"Oh, I hope we didn't upset him!" Cosette exclaimed, suddenly worried and concerned. "I just get so lost when I'm around Marius, it's like the only person in the world is him…"
"Yes, I've noticed." Éponine sighed to herself. She wished Cosette would stop bringing Marius up; it dampened her mood.
In an hour or two, their hair was finished and Éponine once again felt incredibly beautiful.
'I could get used to this feeling,' she mused as she stared at herself in the mirror. Her hair was put up in a tucked in bun, and the stray hairs on the sides of her face were curled and stuck to the sides of her face. The three girls asked to use the salon's bathrooms, and once they were given permission, they all rushed in to change into their new dresses.
Once Éponine saw herself, in her beautiful dress and beautiful hairdo, she almost cried. She was simply overwhelmed; she had never ever thought in a million years that she would look as beautiful as this. Her dress was so fancy, and she had never worn anything this grand; her hair looked just like the pictures in the magazines she had snuck a glance at occasionally, when her mother wasn't looking. Mind you, Éponine still didn't believe she looked as lovely as Cosette or Musichetta, who were now applying their makeup, but she felt beautiful nonetheless.
"Don't you have makeup?" Musichetta asked, to which Éponine shook her head.
"Oh, my! Come over here, Éponine, we have the same skin tone; I'll help you out." Cosette exclaimed, pulling Éponine over to her.
"Oh, this isn't necessary." Éponine insisted, but Cosette waved away her protests.
"Be still! I'll have you looking prettier than a diamond freshly cut!" Cosette promised, and set to work on the brunette's face.
After what seemed like an eternity of brushes buffering her face and weird pencils on her eyelids, Éponine was finally permitted to open her eyes. She gaped; her eyes were lined ever so slightly to make her normally boring brown eyes pop. Her cheeks were dusted with a very light tint of pink, just enough to make her skin look almost as flawless as Cosette's or Musichetta's.
"I have the perfect thing to make this better!" Musichetta exclaimed after staring at Éponine's reflection thoughtfully. She spun around to her makeup bag and pulled out a lip stick. "Come here, you."
"Make your mouth an o, like this." Cosette demonstrated, opening her mouth and making her lips stick out. Éponine laughed, and Musichetta giggled.
"I can't look like that with you looking like that!" Éponine chuckled, and Cosette smiled.
"Just try, come on!" She exclaimed. Éponine tried, but before Musichetta could touch her lips with the red lipstick, she busted up laughing again.
"I blame you, Cosette!" Musichetta laughed, and grabbed Éponine's face, squishing her lips together. "Alright, stay still or we're gonna have to do this the hard way."
Éponine finally calmed down, and Musichetta applied the lipstick with expertise. "There! You look positively stunning, doll."
Indeed, Éponine agreed with Musichetta. She smiled to herself in the mirror; she almost didn't recognize the beautiful girl looking back at her; Éponine had to keep on reminding herself that this was real, that she was going to attend a night club party with a bunch of people with money, and not to scam them.
Oh… Actually, Éponine still needed to speak with her parents about that. She gulped, visibly looking worried. What if her father hit her after he found out that she had made different plans? Éponine didn't want her lovely makeup to be ruined; after all, Enjolras still hadn't see her—
"Are you alright, Éponine?" Musichetta asked, putting all of her makeup away. "You look as if you've seen a ghost."
"Oh. Yes, I'm fine. I've just-"
"Golly! Look at the time! We have to go, it's 3:45!" Cosette exclaimed, grabbing her things and rushing out the door, with Musichetta and Éponine hot on her heels.
"The sheriffs will be there tonight, as well as our governor, and their families. We are all aware of how exactly to extract the information?" Enjolras asked, glaring at Grantaire, who was nursing a whiskey.
"Yes, we make small talk and get the information that way." Courfeyrac said, exasperated. They had gone over this a million times, and he was beginning to hope that the three girls would get back soon so that Enjolras would be distracted and preach his ideas to Éponine.
"And if that doesn't work?" Enjolras prompted.
"We woo their daughters and get them to tell us through our gentlemanly charms." Grantaire joked, receiving a laugh from the other men.
"This is serious, Grantaire." Enjolras huffed, rubbing his eyes tiredly. Jesus, it was only 3 pm. He glanced at his watch; the ladies needed to be back soon if he was to explain the plan efficiently. He didn't worry about Éponine, it was Musichetta and Cosette; what if they weren't as witty as his friend?
"I'm kidding, mon ami. If that doesn't work, we'll pose as the extra cops sent in to keep the citizens in check and find out if any speakeasies are nearby." Grantaire said tiredly; they had gone over this plenty, and the men still needed to put on their suits.
"Precisely. Now, who are the-" Enjolras began, but was interrupted by Marius.
"Cosette!" He exclaimed, and all of the men whirled around; thank God, if Cosette was back, then Musichetta and Éponine were back!
"Marius!" Cosette smiled, leaping into her love's arms, pressing her lips to his passionately. Enjolras rolled his eyes as the two clung to each other. Before Grantaire had the chance to whistle, he cleared his throat loudly.
"Where are Musichetta and Éponine?" Enjolras asked seriously, his expression marble and focused.
Cosette giggled, Marius' arm still around her waist, and licked her puffed lips. "Oh, Musichetta is-"
"Joly! Bahorel!" The caramel-skinned beauty burst into the bar, waltzing to her men happily. The two looked simply elated to see her; especially in a dress as sexy as that. Enjolras decided not to watch their kissing exchange, as the three's relationship confused him to no end.
"Enjolras, I have to talk to you." Éponine finally entered the bar, walking swiftly to Enjolras without paying any mind to Marius and Cosette for the first time, he noticed.
He also noticed her dress. And her necklace, and her hair and her eyes. And her lips. His mouth opened ever so slightly, though his brow was still furrowed. He had never seen her like this; dressed like the girls he had grown up with, dressed in such a fancy and—form-fitting dress. Éponine's waist was so petite and perfect on her, he felt as if he had never truly seen it before. This was a completely different girl in front of him; but it was the same Éponine, with the same expression he wore: all business, nothing funny. He was quite relieved that his friend was taking this as seriously as he was, but something else about her expression unsettled him.
She looked—was that fear? No, it couldn't possibly be; Éponine was the strongest and most intelligent girl Enjolras had ever had the pleasure to meet. How could she be scared?
"Um, listen." Éponine began, and Enjolras forced himself to stop noticing her. "I…" Could she really tell Enjolras what she needed to say? Could she really explain her need to leave for an hour or so and explain to her parents about everything that had happened? "I need to talk to my parents. About, uh, about this whole… ordeal. You see,-"
"They don't trust you going to a night club with a bunch of men." Enjolras finished for her, and felt pleased with himself when Éponine smiled a little.
"Yes, I suppose you could say that." She sighed. "So, I'll be gone for a while, just to explain to them about this whole thing."
"No, I'll come with you." Enjolras decided, grabbing his red coat and slipping it on.
"Er, really? I can handle them, they're just my parents." Éponine said uncertainly, a bit confused as to why Enjolras would suddenly go with her to her home.
"Yes, I have no doubt in my mind that you can. However, I think their minds would be more at rest if they met who you were going to the club with." He stated, and began to walk towards the door before Éponine could protest.
"A-are you sure? It's not, uh…" She gulped. "It's not in the best of neighborhoods, just to warn you."
"That doesn't matter. Remember, I do not judge those with less 'power', as society defines it. If you're such a pleasure to be around, I'm sure your family will be no different."
"Oh, well, ahah, you're wrong…" Éponine muttered, walking out of the bar with Enjolras silently.
A/N: Sooo sorry for not updating sooner! I've been slammed with homework lately, but this week, luckily I have testing so woohoo no homework! Anyways, I'll probably update again tomorrow or Wednesday, so yay. Hope you enjoyed! xx