Here you go, another chapter! The interaction between Marius and Cosette at the beginning is lyrics from the original London Cast recording of A Heart Full of Love. Thought it would be fun to include them here.
Chapter 6
Eponine spent the day wandering the streets of Paris feeling sad and alone. Marius had spent most of his time either daydreaming about Cosette, sending Eponine to deliver letters to Cosette (which had resulted in more awkward encounters with the blonde), or actually being with Cosette.
She knew that Marius would be visiting Cosette at that point in time, so why she was making her way towards number 55 Rue Plumet, she didn't know. All she knew was that she seemed to have lost control of her feet, which were dragging her towards where Cosette and Marius were.
"The words are foolish, but they're true. Cosette, Cosette! Oh were we dreaming when we met?"
Eponine groaned. Once again, they were professing their love for each other.
"Who can say?" she heard Cosette reply.
"Who can tell?"
Once again, she found herself leaning against the same tree she had leaned on the day that she had led Marius to Cosette. She felt as though her heart was breaking once again.
"I saw you waiting and I knew…"
"Waiting for you…"
"At your feet."
"At your call…"
As she listened, they moved away, and subconsciously she made her way towards the gate, wondering if she would see them. She didn't know why she was doing it. All she was doing was causing herself more pain.
And then she heard it, a rustling sound, as if someone was trying to move quietly so that they wouldn't be heard. She turned her head quickly, and glowered.
"'Parnasse, what are you doing so far out of our patch?" she hissed.
"This house, we're going to do it; rich man, plenty of scratch. You remember he's the one who got away the other day. Got a number on his chest, perhaps a fortune put away!" Montparnasse told her before turning away, no doubt wondering where Thenardier and the others were.
Eponine glanced at the gate again. There was no sign of Cosette and Marius. No doubt they were off somewhere in the garden, kissing. She felt her blood run cold. Marius.
"Oh lord, somebody help me!" she whispered as she walked away, back towards her tree. "Dear God, what'll I do? He'll think this is an ambush, he'll think I'm in it too!" She glanced back at where Montparnasse was greeting her father and the others. "What'll I do? What'll I say? I've got to warn them here, I gotta find a way!"
"This is his lair, I've seen the old fox around, he keeps himself to himself, he's staying close to the ground. I smell profit here!" she heard her father tell his gang. "Ten years ago he came and paid for Cosette. I let her go for a song, it's time we settled the debt. This'll cost him dear!"
Brujon broke in. "What do I care who you should rob? Gimme my share, finish the job!" Eponine knew she had to interfere, and soon. She began to walk towards them.
"You shut your mouth!" Thenardier snapped at Brujon. "Give me your hand."
Brujon, however, ignored him, spotting Eponine. "What have we here?"
"Who is this hussy?" Thenardier asked, sounding confused. How typical of her father to not recognize her.
"It's your brat Eponine, don't you know your own kid?" Babet asked him. "Why's she hanging about you?"
Thenardier looked at her, exasperated. "Eponine, get on home, you're not needed in this we're enough here without you!"
Eponine glared at him. "I know this house, I tell you! There's nothing here for you! Just the old man and the girl, they live ordinary lives!" She heard rustling from the other side of the gate, and wondered if Marius and Cosette had overheard the ruckus that she and her father's gang were making. She hoped they did.
"Don't interfere! You've got some gall. Take care young miss, you've got a lot to say," Thenardier snarled at her, advancing with a hand raised, as if he was about to strike her. She simply glared, unfazed.
"She's going soft," Brujon commented.
"Happens to all," Claquesous replied.
"Go home, 'Ponine, go home. You're in the way!" Montparnasse told her, eyes narrowed.
"I'm gonna scream, I'm gonna warn them here!" Eponine threatened, trembling slightly. She hoped that they didn't notice how nervous she was becoming, and that she wouldn't have to carry out her threat.
"One little scream, and you'll regret it for a year," Thenardier snarled, drawing closer, threatening her in return. She lifted her chin, trying to look braver than she felt at that moment. She could smell alcohol on her father's breath. She hated it when he was drinking, he was always worse then.
Claquesous was chuckling slightly to himself. "What a palaver, what an absolute treat, to watch a cat and its father pick a bone in the street!"
"Not a sound out of you," Brujon snapped at him.
"Well, I told you I'd do it, told you I'd do it…" she mustered all of her courage, and let out an ear-splitting shriek. Thenardier looked more furious than she'd ever seen him as he took three steps forward and grabbed her tightly around the waist.
"Make for the sewers, go underground! Leave her to me, don't wait around!" He then glared down at his daughter. "You wait my girl, you'll rue this night. I'll make you scream, you'll scream all right!" With that, he shoved her away from him, hard, making her tumble to the ground, scraping her hands.
She trembled as she heard Marius and Cosette approaching her.
"It was your cry sent them away!" Marius exclaimed, offering Eponine his hand to help her up, which she accepted gratefully with a small smile, ignoring the way her heart leaped at his touch. "Once more 'Ponine, saving the day!" He turned to Cosette, obviously preparing to quickly introduce them. Eponine felt a brief moment of gratitude towards the blonde for keeping her secret. "Dearest Cosette – my friend 'Ponine, brought me to you, showed me the way!" They all heard the sound of a door opening, and Cosette turned her head back towards her home.
"Cosette?" came a voice, and Cosette bit her lip as she glanced at Marius.
Marius' eyes widened. "Someone is near, let's not be seen, somebody's here!" He glanced at Eponine, wondering which way to go, and Eponine rolled her eyes before grabbing his hand and practically dragging him away.
"You haven't met her father yet, have you?" Eponine asked him, annoyed, as Cosette rushed off back inside the gate.
"No, not yet," Marius replied. "But I will eventually!"
"Come on, we should go," Eponine said, beginning to walk away.
"No, I'm going to stay for a bit," Marius replied. "I need to say goodbye, it would be rude to leave so suddenly!"
"All right then, but I'm leaving," Eponine replied before running off. She decided to try to find Joly. She could really use his company now.
Cosette was horrified. Leave? She had to leave?! What would she do without Marius!? She felt a tear slip down her cheek as her father went back inside. This was all Eponine's fault.
Eponine. Why had she done that? While it was her fault she had to leave, things would have been a lot worse if she hadn't screamed…
*flashback*
She and Marius were kissing as they heard a commotion.
"I know this house, I tell you! There's nothing here for you! Just the old man and the girl, they live ordinary lives!"
"What was that?" Marius wondered aloud as he and Cosette broke apart.
"I've no idea," Cosette replied, looking concerned. Together they slipped quietly through the bushes, and knelt just inches away from the fence, staying as quiet as they could as they watched the scene unfolding before their eyes.
"Don't interfere! You've got some gall. Take care young miss, you've got a lot to say," a man snarled at a scrawny dark haired girl, who looked very furious. Cosette recognized her as Eponine, and Marius seemed to recognize her as well. She then recalled Eponine's words, and realized that the two were definitely good friends.
"She's going soft," a man commented.
"Happens to all," another replied.
"Go home, 'Ponine, go home. You're in the way!" someone else told Eponine with narrowedeyes.
"I'm gonna scream, I'm gonna warn them here!" Eponine threatened, trembling slightly. She looked just the least bit nervous, but there was a fiery determination in her eyes
"One little scream, and you'll regret it for a year," the man in charge told her, and Cosette realized that it must be Eponine's father. She wondered when Thenardier had started treating his own children the way he had once treated herself.
One of the men was chuckling slightly to himself. "What a palaver, what an absolute treat, to watch a cat and its father pick a bone in the street!"
"Not a sound out of you," another snapped at him.
"Well, I told you I'd do it, told you I'd do it!" It was then that Eponine had let out the ear-splitting scream that made her father grab her tightly around the waist, snarling.
"Make for the sewers, go underground! Leave her to me, don't wait around!" He then glared down at his daughter. "You wait my girl, you'll rue this night. I'll make you scream, you'll scream all right!" With that, he shoved her away from him, hard, making her tumble to the ground roughly just before Cosette and Marius hurried towards her…
*End Flashback*
Cosette was trembling now. Eponine could have allowed her father and his men to rob them, or do something worse, but she hadn't. Was it because Marius had been with her, or had she been genuinely trying to protect Cosette and her father? What had Eponine's motives been? Her eyes narrowed. Either way, it was too late to do anything about it.
"Cosette?" she jumped slightly at the sound of her name, but relaxed as she recognized the voice.
"Marius!" she gasped before jumping into his arms.
Great. Now I have to do One Day More. That will be either a walk through Hell or incredibly fun, what with all the viewpoint switches. Definitely going to do some Eponine and Joly brother/sister interactions first though, just to postpone that torture. Hope you enjoyed! REview please!
