Once again, I have to thank my lovely reviewers! Thank you!

-Ophelia

Eponine woke to the faint sound of her alarm coming from a different room. Slowly opening her eyes, she had discovered that she had fallen asleep with Gavroche in her arms. Careful not to wake him, she slide her arms off him and crawled quietly out of the table. She quickly tiptoed to her bedroom to stop her alarm clock with a click of a button.

After taking a shower, she put on her other pair of holed jeans (yes, she only has three pairs of jeans and they all have holes around her knee caps) and her black hoodie over the white tank top. Glancing into the mirror, she immediately saw the black and blue mark that covered her left cheekbone. She can't hide this one...what was the story behind it? She fell? Her face hit a door? Her brother accidentally threw his baseball at her? Yes, she can use that one.

She dabbed it softly and winced at the pain that followed immediately.

Eponine usually never had to practice a story behind her injuries but what if Enjolras asked? Oh, Enjolras, the boy she ditched to save her little brother last night. What if he hated her now? Now she'll never have an escape to get out of the house. She'll never have a purpose to continue throughout the day.

Grabbing her messenger bag, she headed out the door, "Eponine?"

She let out a small yelp and almost fell. Looking up, Enjolras was leaning against the wall right in front of her door...had he been waiting for her?

"Enj-I'm-sorry," She caught her breath, "I'm sorry,"

He gave her a winning smile, "What do you mean?"

Before she could stop herself, she let out the cold tone, "You know exactly what I'm talking about,"

Enjolras jingled his keys and invited her to walk with him, "Your carriage awaits, madame," he said playfully.

She was relieved that he wasn't angry. Eponine laughed all the tension out of her system and walked by his side, "I'm really sorry about last night," she knew she couldn't go in full detail.

Enjolras fumbled with the keys, "What exactly happened?"

Lie, lie, lie, "I-my brother-" she stuttered, she wasn't prepared to answer, "nothing,"

He pulled his eyebrows together, "It didn't sound like nothing,"

Eponine shook her head, "Would respect if I said it's a long story?"

He gave a stifled laugh, "Okay then but you will have to explain where you got that bruise,"

Finally, a lie she could tell, "My brother was tossing his baseball and I got in the way,"

Enjolras glanced at her in disbelief, "Gavroche is a sporty kid, eh?" he asked with a bit of tease in his voice, "I didn't think he was,"

"Oh you know," She trailed off.

He gave a heavy sigh as he opened the passenger door for her. Once he climbed in the car, he seamed a bit annoyed or bothered. He was glaring at the road ahead, "Listen, I heard an awful lot of yelling last night,"

She added quickly, "My mom was watching the football game last night-"

"Which one,"

Damn you, she thought to herself.

Enjolras shook his head, "I do not want to come off rude but I want to know what happened," he waited for a response, "I was a bit concerned when I heard cries and shouts,"

"It's none of your concern, Enjolras,"

"So it is a problem!"

Eponine wasn't ready to do this with someone she had met only days ago but it happened anyway. Soft tears fell out of her eyes before she could even realize they were coming. She did her best to look the other way but the small cry turned into a loud sob. It was as if what happened last night happened all over again. The more she tried to piece herself together, the more she fell apart.

The car was pulled over on the side of the road. Before she could protest against his actions, something unexpected happened. Enjolras had taken his seatbelt off in one swift move and grabbed Eponine. Held her protectively in his embrace, "It's not your fault," he reassured her receptively over her sobs.

She let out everything, past and present into his arms. All the grief that she thought was gone from last night flashed in her mind again. All she could see was her mother hitting her over and over again, "Pathetic, pathetic. pathetic," her mother's voice echoed in her ears again. Reminding Eponine who she really was, pathetic. Her crying in Enjolras' arms was pathetic.

With each old wound that hit her, she gripped on to Enjolras' shirt and clung to him, needing this human comfort she wasn't used to. Eponine had never turned to anyone in times of despair. She had always cried in her room and told herself to get over it but this gave her a feeling of comfort. A feeling that she was safe for the first time in her life. Eponine was used to comforting Gavroche but now she really understood how much she has yearned for such an embrace. She never wanted to leave, she wanted to stay in his embrace forever. As ridiculous as it sounds, it's truly how she felt.

Even though it hurt, she pulled away and kept her head to the ground. Afraid of facing him now that she had just shown how much of a coward she was, "I'm sorry," she mumbled.

There was a long pause before his hand reached under her chin and lightly lifted it so she was now facing into his eyes. Eponine had never seen how gentle his eyes were but at the same time they were full of sadness, "It isn't your fault," he said clearly and slowly. He left his hand under her chin for another long minute. Giving her a moment to look into his eyes that understood her. He understood her, she could see that.

He strapped his seatbelt back on before he started the car up again, leaving much silence between them after the embrace they shared. Enjolras now knew of her suffering, everything now. And for some reason, she was okay with that. The weight that had been on her shoulders all of her life almost felt lifted. It was there, but it seemed...light almost. Glancing up at Enjolras who was now focused on the road now, she wanted to thank him. She gave a smile in a way of saying: 'I know you haven't known me long, but thank you. You did what no one can do, thank you, thank you,'


Eponine and Enjolras snuck in the classroom only a few minutes late but the teacher didn't count it. They hadn't talked about the encounter they had in the car but they didn't act as if it didn't happen either. Every now and then, Eponine felt his eyes on her and she wasn't afraid to return the contact by locking their eyes every now and then. And every time they did, he gave her a small smile. It made her stomach drop every time he did because now he knew...he knew all of it.

It looked like they were going to talk about it soon but she would be ready to give him her story. She trusted Enjolras already, yes, they have only known each other for a few days but there was something about him that drew her closer.

And as she walked in the hallway by herself, Eponine could almost feel his secure arms around her again. The feeling of security and protection. It made the feeling start up again, it was the only thing on her mind. He was the only thing on her mind. The fact that her cared about her...someone cared about her. Better yet he cared about her.

With that thought, the warm feeling grew to her heart and made it race. Eponine's face was flushed. It was official: Eponine had indeed fallen for someone. No other feeling seemed real until now. Eponine never felt so certain, so awakened. The thought of Enjolras gave her a warm heart and hope. What do others do in this situation? How does she approach the matter with him? She knew she can't ignore these feelings anymore. What does she do? She's never felt this way before with anyone. Does she tell him? When? And most importantly, how?

Thinking of her opportunities, she began practicing how she would tell him...but she discovered how stupid it all sounded.

For now, it looked like she would have to wait.