(BRIAR)

Enjolras leading me up to bed that night probably helped me sleep a little better. The conversation we had certainly did.

His arms incircled my waist as he lead me to the bed, and bent down to unlace my boots.

"Bri...I know you hate him, but can we please try to get along? Those boys may be of some use to us."

I clenched my fists. "Trust me, Enjolras, there's nothing more that I want now. I want what you wanted when we last met. And if you still want it," I put my hand to his shoulder. "I will be there."

Enjolras' stone face gave no emotion. "And what is it that we want?" he asked, undoing the braid my hair was in.

"I want to end the National Socalists. I want to show the world what's going on behind Hitler's nasty propoganda. I know what they did to us, but what are they doing to others? Enjolras," I whispered intently, leaning my tired head against his,"I want to fight them."

Enjolras tired to push me back, but I didn't let them. With shakey hands, he finally gave up and sat next to me onto the bed, wrapping his arms around me. "What did they really do to you?" he whispered, pulling on the string of my medical patch, letting it fall. "Besides that?"

I took a shakey breath, if only so I could this one thing without tears. "We were in a line...we were naked...they were taking us to different areas...O-one of the guards took me into a room..."

"Briar," he whispered, begging me to stop now.

"They took turns molesting me and raping me."

He didn't say anything for a while, but Enjolras did something I'd never seen him do before. Enjolras cried. Those blue eyes of his set so dark they almost seemed black were shedding tears.

"Briar...as a man of twenty-four years, I take responsibility for you. Bri, I feel like your my sister, so please-"

"No, Enjolras, I am your brother," I said, pulling him away from me with a smile. "And as your brother I am prepared to start a revolution with you. When we rise, it will be together."

I rested my forehead against his again. "Alright, my brother," his lips twitched upward, his only smile,"sleep now," he breathed on my lips. I smiled and nodded.

Dee came in after he left to chew my ear off, but I shook her off. I wasn't just going to stay in this disgusting boarding house for forever. I refused to exchanged one prison for another.

When I woke up, Dee was gone, and I figure she was already down stairs as the sun was peeking through my window. It would rise behind the clouds of the city in a few moments.

After changing, I once again found myself downstairs for breakfast. Enjolras waved me over, but not before Grantaire could sling his arm around my neck.

"There's my girl!" he said, grinding his fist into my head. "Yes, indeedy! Enjolras told us what you said last night. Welcome, my friend, to the revolution."

"Will you lower your voice?" I screeched glancing around.

"Oh, posh," Helena groaned. "No one here gives a rat's ass about the bloody revolution you're organizing. You want to be a girl in man's world? Be my guest. Be a man for all I care. Just don't expect me to pay for the funerals."

I looked around at the men in the parlor. Luca, who would probably join, Enjolras, Grantaire, Marius and the boys who were already joined. Little Christine, who'd do anything to be loved commited herself long ago to be the ears to the city. The ears for us. Helena and Sacha...well, I heard their imput. Random stranger's lined the walls, all gyspies or prostitutes. None of them cared.

"How cruel, Helena," a woman spoke up. Her face was clean and her dress was proper, and it was odd seeing a girl like that here. Her hair was a reddish brown, with chocolate eyes set in her rosy face. "These poor boys-it's good, what they're doing."

"And what exactly is that?" Helena cried, her nose in the face of the woman.

"Helping my people," smiled the other woman.

"Ma'am?" I asked, leaning forward and sitting next to her.

"I'm Kristal. I'm sorry we didn't get to meet before," she stuck out her gloved hand for me. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"I'm Briar...what are your people, exactly, Miss?"

She smiled proudly. "Jews. My parents and sister were taken from my house about a year or so ago. I hid, and they didn't find me."

"Been earnin' her keep, this one has," Helena said, stepping out from behind the bar, showing us her taffeta green dress. "She made me this, ya, she did. Don't it just look loverly?" she said, moddling it for us. Her midriff was showing, not that she cared. Sacha came up behind her, pinching the top of her cleavage. She screamed and chased after him, him laughing the whole way.

"Ever think we could find a love like that, Al?"

I heard a slight giggle, and turned.

The Elrics were sitting behind me.

"Eh, there's the girl."

I glared at Edward again. So much for thinking I could be civilized.

"Um, Miss?" the younger boy who looked like our Al stepped out from behind his brother. "I do apologize for yesterday...we didn't mean to hurt you, us...looking like them..."

I felt a pang some where in me. I remember Alfons for a moment, looking at this boy. My lip trembled.

"C'mon, Briar, you and Miss Dietrich can sleep in my bed. I really don't mind sleeping on the floor."

I didn't touch it. "Al, I don't wanna get it dirty..."

"You won't," Al giggled, handing me one of his nightshirts, and another to Dee. "And if you do, so what? If you're that bothered by it, tomorrow, I'll get out mother's wash basin and you can bathe, okay?"

Dee and I both broke out into grins.

"Alfons!" Dee said, falling forward to hug the boy. I laughed, then looked over at the boy in the other bed, who had been quiet this whole time.

"Thanks again, Eddward, for letting us stay," I whispered to him. He didn't look up from his book.

"I'm not letting you, my mom is."

"Still...thank you..."

"Thank you," I sputtered out to the boy. "...but you don't need to apologize. I do. So...I'm sorry, for all that I said. It's just...I found out yesterday..."

"You loved him."

I looked up at Edward. "When you saw me, I could tell. That Dietrich girl, I mean, she freaked out too, but you...you were about to insane. I don't have a doubt that she loved them as much as you...but you were infatuated with the boy, weren't you?"

I tried not to glare at him. "...I loved Eddward Heiderich. I still do...He was the best of my life."

"...So? He's gone."

I sat back down on a barstool. "I...I guess part of me still thinks he'll come back to me...like the way I wanted him to. I loved him so much," I whispered, a tear falling from my left eye. "He didn't love me back, not the way I loved him." I looked back up at those boys. "Now, tell me the truth: Are you National Socialists?"

Al shook his head frantically, and Edward stared me down. "I can tell you I am not. And you?"

I once again slipped off my medical patch. "Never," I whispered. Edward looked at the boys around me, and I felt Enjolras slip his hand onto my elbow.

"We are the resistance," Enjolras whispered. "We must ask you: which side do your loyalties lie. Answer wrongly..."

I heard Grantaire's gun click in the background.

"We don't support the Nazi's or Hitler, if that's what you mean. Al and I were looking to get out of Germany."

"They aren't letting anyone out," Marius said, now flanking me. "Hitler isn't. And this won't stop here. Hilter won't be done until he's Fuhrer of all of Europe and then some. You must believe this."

"You can run," I whispered, pulling my blade from my thigh,"or you can stay and fight. If you think I can't slit Eddward's throat, you're very wrong," I whispered.

Ed laughed slightly. "C'mon, Al, let's-"

"No."

Edward looked back at his younger brother. "Edward, they're right. All these people...will they die?"

Al's silver eyes were trembling. "Brother, I want to fight. With them." Al looped his arm through Marius', and the older boy was beaming down at the new recuit.

"Elric, I can and will kill you," I warned.

Ed sighed, scratching the back of his head. "Guess I got no choice. I'm not leavin' Al here with you idiots...count me in."

I smirked, putting my knife back. "Welcome," I said, tying back my medical patch,"to the resistance."