So, this was supposed to be up a week ago, but then there was March Break, so I was out of town for a week, and this story is only saved on my desktop, so, yeah. I kinda couldn't work on it. And, well, I guess the two snowdays in a row that started yesterday mean I don't have an excuse, even with the slight writer's block that wasn't even as big of a problem as I thought it was, so after March Break I got lazy. And that is my excuse. Out of town for a week and laziness. But really, I'm a seventeen year old girl in grade 12. I'm allowed to be lazy once in a while, right?

Chapter 5

Eponine dragged herself out of bed the next morning. Enjolras had insisted on her taking his bed while he slept on the couch, and as she had been too exhausted to argue, and felt too good after the warm bath he had insisted that she took, she had finally relented. He wouldn't be that lucky that night though, she hoped.

With a sigh, she reached for her old chemise and skirt, only to find that they were gone. Along with her coat. She blinked, astounded. They had just been there the night before. But now they were gone.

"Enjolras!" she shrieked, grabbing a blanket from the bed and wrapping it around herself. "Enjolras!"

Enjolras was startled awake by a furious, feminine shriek. "Enjolras!" But really, it was the impact of landing on the floor that actually woke him up. He groaned, pulling himself up off the floor.

"Now what?" he muttered, heading towards the room that Eponine was in. He opened the door to find her wrapped in a blanket looking incredibly angry.

"Where are my clothes?" she yelled, a murderous look in her eyes.

"Oh." Was his only response.

"'Oh' what?" she hissed.

"Well, they were old and tattered, so I talked to Joly and-"

"And what?" she asked, still glaring furiously.

"Well, we got rid of your old clothes and got you a new dress…"

"You what?!" Enjolras found himself cringing slightly.

"You didn't even bother to ask me how I felt about that?!" Enjolras decided that this was why he had spent so long trying to avoid women. They were very impractical and ridiculous.

"We thought that you would like a new dress, one that's clean and not falling apart," he said gently, praying that she would listen to reason.

Her gaze softened slightly. "Where is the dress?" she asked, her tone still harsh.

"You mean you do want it-"

"It's that or wear this blanket all day! Now where in God's name is that stupid dress?" she practically screamed at him.

Enjolras tried his best to remain calm and not run out of the room to find the dress. The result was that he was very stiff as he went to fetch it. He returned to her room shortly after, deciding he was completely insane for falling for her. He rather stiffly handed her the dress, which was rather plain and pale blue.

She snatched it from him viciously, still glaring at him.

He remained in her room a moment longer, staring at her, waiting for her to say something. What she said, he hadn't been expecting though.

"Why are you still standing there? Get out!" He did as she said, certain that all women were completely insane.

"Ugh!" Eponine growled in annoyance as she looked at the dress Enjolras had brought her as he left.

She supposed that he was right about her old clothes, they were pretty ratty, and most certainly beyond any hope of repair. But he could have at least talked to her about it rather than nearly giving her a heart attack and making her think for a minute that she would be stuck in a blanket for God only knew how long.

She looked down at the blue satin dress that he had given her. She had to admit, it was rather pretty, and much nicer than her old chemise and skirt. She sighed and dropped the blanket, and put the dress on.

It felt wonderful against her now-clean skin, and when she looked in the mirror, she hardly recognized herself. Her face was dirt-free after the bath the night before, although she did still look rather exhausted, and there was still a fading bruise on her left cheek. Her hair was neater than ever – well, not quite, she hadn't brushed it yet, but that could easily be fixed soon – and the dress suited her perfectly. It was plain pale blue with green trim along the edge of the skirt, and sleeves that ended at her elbow in a slight ruffle. The neckline was just an inch below her collarbone, so it thankfully revealed little. Nothing too fancy, but far better than anything she'd owned in years.

She found that she actually rather liked it. She grabbed the comb that Joly had given her almost two months earlier, and began to tug it through her hair. It took her almost an hour, but eventually her persistence won out, and her hair was almost entirely tangle-free.

With a sigh, she set down the comb. It was time to face Enjolras.

Enjolras was sitting in a chair reading when he heard a door open and the sound of soft footsteps. He lowered the book and looked up to see Eponine, clean and wearing the dress that he and Joly had gotten for her. He immediately had to force himself to remain calm. Despite the fading bruise on her face, and the fact that she was still very underweight, she looked stunning. Her long auburn hair had been carefully combed, and she looked radiant without the dirt and grime covering her skin, especially in the pale blue dress. All that was missing in his opinion was confidence.

"Eponine, you look.." he trailed off, not sure exactly what to say.

The corner of her lip twitched in slight amusement. "Like a dressed up street rat?" she suggested.

He quickly shook his head. "No, definitely not. You look… beautiful."

Eponine laughed, clearly not believing him. "There's no need to lie, Enjolras." She was looking at the floor now, and Enjolras couldn't help but grin. Eponine, of all people, was shy.

"I'm not lying," he promised, walking over to her and placing both hands on her shoulders. Surprised, she looked up at him. "I could never see you as anything less than beautiful."

He felt his heart flutter and his stomach flip as she smiled at him briefly, but then she stepped away, turning her face away from him, and his heart sank. Things still hadn't changed.

But she had smiled at him, and that was a start.