Chapter Ten

Two cases of almost

Eponine couldn't stand that room much longer. Enjolras had managed to keep inside it for almost a week straight and she thought she'd never see the sun again. He'd even hired a little boy, Gavroche to keep an eye on her and Grantaire!

But, she was able to befriend the boy and he let Grantaire carry her outside for an hour or so while keeping an eye out for Enjolras. Gavroche was a lively boy, fancied himself to be a private inspector of the neighborhood. And he was, he knew almost everyone around this place. He always seemed to be in the right place at the right time and enjoyed telling her about all his grand adventureds.

But today was the day that Grantaire was late and she wanted to walk outside on her own for a bit. Gavroche had slipped away to use the outhouse and she'd taken that opportunity to sneak outside. It was a rainy day, but Eponine loved the rain because it always washed away the dirt and grime from all the days before.

She walked slowly along the streets keeping close to the wall. She stumbled but was able to catch herself.

"Easy missy."

Eponine forced a smile as an ill-dressed man helped her gain her balance. "Thank you very much." She didn't like the way he was looking at her so she decided that she shouldn't dally. "Thank you for your assistance."

As she turned to walk away, Eponine felt arms go around her waist. Before she could scream, she found herself being pulled into an alley with a smelly hand over her mouth! She fought and kicked at the disgusting man holding her captive. She could read what was on his mind as he forced her mouth open and viciously assaulted her mouth with his tongue. She gagged and hit him as he smashed her against the wall.

Eponine wasn't going to give up without a fight. She bit down on his tongue and he let out a strangled yell. Eponine released him when blood filled her mouth and she spit back in his face. He angrily grabbed her head and smacked it against the brick wall.

She cried out as stars spun before her eyes. The man grabbed at her dress and tore the front of it open. She thought she was going to be sick as she felt his lips all over her neck. She looked towards the street and people were walking by as if this were a normal occurrence!

His other hand lifted her skirt up around her waist and he pressed himself against her. Eponine let out a cry as she grabbed ahold of his hair. "Stop!" He wrenched his hand back and punched her in the mouth! She let out a piercing scream, which he muffled with his hand.

At that moment, Gavroche burst around the corner with Enjolras right behind him! "There!" he pointed. "Hurry!"

However, Enjolras had all ready jumped into action. Eponine had never felt gladder to see anyone in her life at that moment! Enjolras grabbed the man away from her, anger practically streaming from his hair. Tears threatened to pour down her cheeks but she refused to surrender to the tears. Enjolras hit the man once in the jaw and that was all he got to do. Gavroche grabbed a heavy unbroken bottle and smashed it over the man's head!

Enjolras stood there looking down at the man with his fists doubled. He then turned back to her and concern took over most of the anger. He walked towards her and touched her shoulder. She felt that he half expected her to jerk away in disgust or terror, but she didn't. This was Enjolras. She barely knew his touch, she barely knew him… or so she'd been telling herself this week.

Enjolras pulled her up in his arms and looked towards Gavroche who was kicking the man with all his might in the stomach. "Gavroche, go find Grantaire and Marius at once."

"Right away!" he said as he gave the man one more kick before he ran out of the alley.

Enjolras moved quickly back to the house that she'd been trying to get away from for days. However, it now shown like a beacon of light in the middle of darkness. She wrapped one arm around his neck as he stomped up the stairs, kicked the door open and set her on the bed. She readied herself for the angry rush of words to come out of him. She sat straight up on the bed holding her dress closed, waiting for him to begin making a long speech.

But he did something she wasn't expecting. Enjolras shook her; he was actually shaking her! "Don't you realize what could have happened if I didn't have Gavroche following you?"

Eponine nodded as tears poured down her cheeks. "Yes!" She didn't want to cry but the reality of the situation was beginning to catch up with her. She swatted at him and wrenched her arms free.

"Don't you care about what you do?" He demanded. "I set up these rules not to make you miserable, but to protect you!"

"You sound like my father!"

"Then you better listen!" He snapped. "What if I was too late? Eponine, I've broken up attacks like that often enough and arrived too late! You could have died and what then?"

"I understand that and I'm very grateful to you!" Eponine's emotions broke and she screamed at Enjolras. "I hate you!" Enjolras blinked in astonishment. "I hate that you and I are able to read each other so well at times. I hate that most of the time you're right and I'm wrong about things. Everytime I do something, you're always there to rescue me, making me deeper in debt to you."

"Eponine, calm down."

"Calm down! I can't calm down!" She knew she was spouting nonsense as she crossed her arms around her waist. But these emotions had been bubbling up in her for days and she needed to get them out now. "I hate that the only reason that you have Grantaire and Gavroche watching out for me is for your own personal gain!"

Enjolras grabbed her and spun her around. "My personal gain?"

"Re-educating someone of the higher class to that of your own!" She said. "Quite an experiment. That's what you are! You're like a scientist and I'm a bug under your microscope!"

"Oh for God's sake Eponine, we are nothing like that and you know it!"

"No I don't!" She said. "How am I to know? That's how you treat me, like a bug! If not like a bug, then you treat me like a child! I'm a woman!" She shouted at him. "A woman! And I want to be treated like one!"

Eponine began to cry and she leaned her head into Enjolras's chest. He wrapped his arms around her tightly and rocked her as she cried. He said nothing, merely waited for her tears to lessen and for her to pull away from him. She was loathe to do so, she'd hadn't felt so safe and secure in his arms. She'd never had anyone hold her in such a manner and she loved it. She could have stayed like that forever, but it was improper and improper thoughts she was having.

When she pulled away, he wiped her eyes gently. "We shall disregard all words that passed between us. Agreed?" She nodded and turned to walk away but Enjolras grabbed her arm and guided her towards the sink. "Come. You need to get your face cleaned."

"I can do it myself."

"I know, but let me do it instead." Enjolras lifted her up onto the sink and began dabbing at her mouth with a wet cloth. She let out a hiss. "Sorry."

"It's all right. It's not like you did it to me." He let out a quiet snort and she caught a faint glimpse of Enjolras actually smiling. She studied him closely, she liked his smile. She smiled at him as he washed the mud from her face.

He smiled back at her briefly before asking. "What are you thinking about that's causing you to smile like that?"

"You."

The word came out before she could stop it and her heart pounded as Enjolras stopped what he was doing to study her face. His gazed flickered to her mouth and she inhaled sharply. The thought of a kiss teased her and she leaned forward slightly but stopped herself in time. But when she felt his hand on her shoulder, she realized that he felt it too. She trembled as his hand touched her neck; then his long fingers began stroking her cheek.

Her heart pounded and she almost brought her hand up to try to will it to calm down. They both leaned forward to kiss and then moved away slightly before drawing closer again, only to pause again. She knew they played this game for inside from the moment they met. They knew full well that the moment they did kiss everything between them would change.

The door burst open and they jerked back as Marius ran in the room with Grantaire. "Enjolras!"

"What?" He snapped angrily as he pulled her off the counter. If she had to guess, she'd guess that he was either angry about being interrupted, which was unlikely, so he had to be putting on an anger act.

"It's General Lamarque." He said. "I just found out that he has contracted a very bad case of cholera." Eponine felt Enjolras's fingers dig tighter into her shoulders before he released her to turn towards them. His face was set in stone and his expression dark and calculating. "They say he won't live out the week."

Enjolras stood there for a moment, before coming alive. "Get everyone ready! We meet at the café now." He turned to her. "You will stay in here!"

"I'll stay with her." Grantaire said as he approached her. "What happened to you?"

"I'm all right now." She sighed and wiped her face as she drew her torn dress around her, covering her up.

"Who did this?" Grantaire asked.

"Grantaire, you're coming with us." Enjolras snapped. "The bastard who did that is still lying in the alley and will wake up with a huge headache, complete with broken ribs and glass in his head. Compliments of Gavroche."

"I said," Grantaire repeated. "that I'm staying with her."

Enjolras's eyes grew dark and he drew himself up taller. "Grantaire…you are coming with us…now!"

"No."

"Enjolras," she said as exasperation filled her. "get out of here!"

"Stay out of this!"

"You're the one always talking about equality and freedom. Doesn't that extend to free choice?" She demanded. "Grantaire chose to stay here with me, just as you chose to go and arrange another one of your political meetings. Now go! Do what you both chose to do. Go!"

"Eponine," he growled. "you are-"

"Come on." Marius said cutting Enjolras off and giving him a push towards the door. "We don't have time for this. There are more important things to do. If Lamarque dies, what then? Who will look after the people? We need you Enjolras."

Enjolras's glower slipped from his face as he took in Marius's words. She half expected pride to fill Enjolras's face, but it didn't. Instead, she saw the acceptance of a heavy burden as he turned and walked out of the door.

Grantaire watched them depart before turning to her. "Let me know when you've changed and I'll come back in."

"All right."

He cleared his throat. "There's something I want to talk about with you."

Eponine felt dread fill her heart as she nodded. "All right." Grantaire walked outside and Eponine's heart did a summersault as she began to ponder what he wanted to say to her. Then, Enjolras's warnings earlier began to make sense to her head and she began kicking herself for not listening to him again.