Chapter Six

I remember nights

Eponine opened a window and relished the smell of fresh air. She observed that this was a two-story building, with faded gray-blue paint on the walls and thick vines of ivy were growing up the walls as well. It had a quiet garden with an equally quiet fountain there. Eponine turned around and surveyed the room. It was dirty, smelly and looked as if ten bachelors had lived her instead of one.

"Hey!" A woman called from the room next to her. "What are ye doin' in his room?" She shrugged as the woman cackled. "Did he now? Well, about time he got himself a whore. Took him long enough to figure out ye can have needs too."

Eponine frowned. "I'm not a….whore."

The woman's brows rose. "Really? How come you're in his room then?"

This huge, blonde, woman was too coarse, nosy and curious. Eponine had a strange feeling come over her. She cleared her throat. "He-he hired me to clean his apartment. But, I've somehow managed to locked myself in."

"Well why didn't you say so?" The woman huffed. "I'll go fetch a key!"

Eponine smiled as her heart pounded joyfully. Now, she could get out of here! Oh no you can't! The contradicting voice in her head told her and she frowned. Why not? Then, her arguing began inside her head. How are you going to get there? You don't have the money to hire a cab and you wouldn't steal from him, no matter how rotten he is!

Oh why did she have to be brought up with such high morals? She sat down in a chair then jumped up from it. Well, I suppose I could try to sweet talk him. Now that thought almost made her sick again. So she assumed that she'd give nice a try. Well, God you do have a fine sense of humor I'll admit that. Loving thy neighbor and loving thy enemy was something I always thought was easy until now. However, I shall attempt to do so as You asked since You knew I was going to be dumped here. Oh well, it's Your will and I shall do it. But….get me out of here soon?

She stood up and began browsing Enjolras's apartment. He was messy. She opened a cupboard and a book fell off the top of the cupboard and hit her ontop of her head! She let out a yelp and rubbed her head, which had suffered enough abuse in one day.

The door unlocked and she stood up as another woman entered the room. She casually moved to stand behind the chair. "Thank you."

"Welcome." The woman huffed. "Thenardier said that you was locked in here. I weren't ever sure it was possible. Enjolras never brought any girl here, not even a whore."

"I'm cleaning up his place." She explained. What was with Enjolras? Did he go around shouting that he was immune to women?

"Nice. Saves me the trouble of his temper when I do it every month. Watch out for his books, he's very fussy about them."

"Thank you. I'll be careful with everything in here."

The woman snorted and walked outside. "Don't lock yourself in again!"

"Yes ma'am." The door closed and Eponine smiled as she surveyed the house. "All right Enjolras, you're in for a surprise when you get back." She glanced at the clock. "10:00. Let's see what I can do."

9:00, that night

She woke to see Enjolras bending over her and he could feel that she was on the bed. She bolted upright so quickly she smacked heads with him.

"OW!" She jumped out of the bed and stood there rubbing her head. He sighed. "Serves me right for tucking you in bed."

Her mouth fell open. "You what?!"

"You fell asleep on the floor." He stated. "I noticed, you were cleaning the floor."

"It was dirty."

He frowned. "I'm surprised you knew how."

She planted her hands on her hips. "Just because I don't do household labors doesn't mean that I can't clean. Everyone knows how to clean…well, you don't obviously."

"I'm a man."

"And I suppose that rides into you 'equality' scheme of things. However, are men cut out to do housework?"

"Depending on the chore."

He tossed his books on the counter before moving to go sit on the couch. "Don't!" She shrieked. "Don't sit down!"

Enjolras jumped. "What?!"

She exhaled. "The couch is wet and I don't want you sitting on it until it dries."

He stared at her if she were crazy. "I know this sounds stupid, but why is the couch wet?"

"Because I cleaned it!" She stated. "Honestly, how could you let such stains sit there for so long? I broke a nail getting them out and stay away from the woodwork, it's wet."

"You cleaned the couch?"

She yawned. "That was one of the things I did."

"One of the things you did?" Enjolras moved to light more lamps to see the room better. "Don't tell me you painted as well? I thought I smelled paint but I wasn't sure."

"I did." She sighed and sat on the edge of the bed.

Enjolras stared at her before he ground out. "What…did…you do?"

She shrugged. "I removed that dirty wallpaper and I noticed you had several cans of cream colored paint stashed under the bed. A few boys down the hall helped me paint the walls so they should be dried tomorrow, the smell isn't so bad."

"Isn't so bad?" He ground out. "What did you do to my flat?!"

She began counting off on her fingers. "I cleared out the closet of all your garbage. Your clothes are hung up nice and neat. I repaired your torn clothes and cleaned the couch and rug. Then the boys helped me paint the walls and stain the woodwork. Then once they went home I began scrubbing the floors." She made a face. "I guess I fell asleep doing that."

"I'll say." He pointed at the table that was flat on it's side. "Did you intentionally block me in here?"

"No and you should pay me for this job I did! I am nowhere near being done."

"I'll not pay you one franc for ruining my place!"

"Ruining?!" She was livid. She'd spent all day cleaning up his pigsty and he was mad!?

"Yes! I don't appreciate what you did here! I shall spend half the day looking for where you put everything."

"You listen to me!" She shouted. "I could have run! The door was open and I could have had the gendarmes here for your arrest waiting for you by now!"

"Then why didn't you?"

She walked towards the bed and got in with tears in her eyes. "I don't know!" She sniffled. She was tired and she wanted to sleep. She was sick of Enjolras. Sick of arguing with him and sick of looking at him. "You were right, I don't have a mind of my own. If I did, I wouldn't be here now. Next time the opportunity to escape pops up, I'm going to take it even if it means I have to run all the way back home!"

"Where do you intend for me to sleep since you're in the bed and the couch is wet?"

"Excuse me." Eponine bolted up from the bed. "I'm sorry. The bed is all yours."

"I didn't mean it like that, I only meant-" Eponine got up from the bed, taking a blanket with her and lying down before the fireplace. "Don't be so-"

"Goodnight, Sir." She practically spat it at him.

"Don't call me Sir."

"Prisoner's aren't allowed to address their wardens in any other fashion so it's appropriate that I call you Sir, Sir!"

"That does it." He hissed as he walked towards her before kneeling beside her. "Now you listen to me-"

Eponine plugged her ears and turned on her other side so she wasn't facing him. Enjolras grabbed her around the waist and pulled her upright. She pulled her hands free before striking his face hard and the moment she did, she was sorry. Enjolras grabbed her arms as she tried to hit him. She grunted and struggled as he pinned her arms above her head.

He sighed. "Calm down for a moment."

She groaned and inhaled deeply as she studied Enjolras's face at this close distance. He was angry and his dark his eyes blazed with fury he was struggling to hold back. She blew her hair out of her face as Enjolras stared her down.

"Now," he breathed. "as much as I would like to throw you out on your ear…we are going to have to find a way to make this work."

"You're going to forcing me to make it work. Honestly, what do you know of my life? What do you know of me? You are the most judgmental man I've ever met! You decide that just because I'm a lady that I must be a spoiled brat!"

"And you thought that I was some brainwashed university student!"

"That was my second thought which is nice compared to what I think of you now!" She looked up at him as tears streamed down her face. "I think you are cruel, the rudest and most inconsiderate man I ever met! I spent hours here and you say I ruined your home! Honestly, it looks amazing but you're too blind and ignorant to see that!"

"Oh for God's sake will you be quiet and let me talk?" he asked. She bit her lip and rolled her eyes. "Eponine."

That caught her attention. For the first time, he called her by her name, he acknowledge her. But, she hadn't prepared herself for his voice to soften and she found her heart beating a little faster. She began to take notice of Enjolras, studying him and forming a new opinion of him. Was he really this handsome or had she been to angry with him to notice?

She nodded and croaked out. "Yes."

He frowned. "Yes what?"

She noted his expression looked as stunned as she felt. "Yes, I'll be quiet."

His dark eyes seemed to study every inch of her face and she wondered if he could feel her pulse pounding in her arms. Eponine held her breath as Enjolras studied her, their closeness and the situation. He slowly let her arms free and they slowly trailed down the wall.

Enjolras was breathing a little hard and she trembled for some unknown reason. The tension was broken when he cleared his throat and stepped back towards the door. "I'll be back soon. You go to sleep, in the bed. I'll talk to you in the morning."

Eponine could only nod as the door closed behind him. She stepped away from the wall, her heart pounding in her throat. What had almost happened? If either of them had moved….she didn't want to think of it. She hated him! But…someone did say that there was a thin line between love and hate. No! It wasn't love! If she were to fall in love, it would never be with him!

Eponine stepped away rubbing her hands together. Then she realized that Enjolras had pressed her against the wall; the wall she'd painted earlier. She realized that the back of her hair, dress and arms were covered in paint. Eponine moaned as she began to prepare to scrub the paint off her arms and out of her hair.