Ten

It didn't take long for Marius to get a good idea of where Eponine had possibly run off to. He remembered where she had grown up and where her sister had been buried. He was willing to bet money that she was there. It was familiar and held memories, even if they were bad ones. Now he just had to wait for a time he could take off work for a bit. Once he got the chance, he would travel there and teach his little wife a lesson once and for all. She would certainly learn that it wasn't okay to run out on him. And she would never run again.

Weeks passed, and Eponine was happy. Ever since she had told Grantaire about her past, of course leaving out the gory details, things between them were less guarded and lighter. She was falling for him, hard. She was pretty certain that he felt the same. They hadn't talked to Enjolras about anything yet because things had finally started to quiet down, and she wanted to keep it that way for a bit.

One afternoon, Grantaire showed up at the library to see Eponine. It had almost become a habit for him. Eponine invited him around the desk, and he kissed her head.

"Are you free Friday night?" he asked, intertwining their fingers.

Eponine knew that he already knew she was free, but figured he wanted to ask anyway.

"I think I can make an exception for you," she smiled.

"Wonderful. The theatre department's opening night for Cats is Friday, and since I have to be there since they are my students, I was wondering if you wanted to come as well? You've mentioned that you like theatre."

"That sounds amazing!"

Grantaire smiled before planting a quick kiss on her lips, "Perfect. It's a bit of a dressy event. Unfortunately I have a class to teach in the next half hour. Until then, mon cheri!" he beamed, walking away.

Eponine laughed out loud.

"Au revoir!" she called after him.

Friday night, Eponine rushed home to get ready. She put on the best dress she had, a royal blue number with a fitted top and a flared out skirt. Her make up was her only accessory since she had pawned all her jewelry, but even then she applied very little to her face. She had never been a fan of the stuff. Her dark hair had a natural wave, so she just let it do as it pleased. Shortly after she had finished getting ready, she heard a knock on the door.

"Coming!" she called as she slipped on her flats and hurried across the house.

She opened the door to Grantaire, who she observed was especially handsome that evening. He was wearing a grey suit and vest with a red button up and black tie. His eyes widened when he took in the sight of her.

"You look...stunning, Ep," he said.

Eponine could feel the blush crawling to her cheeks.

"You don't look too bad yourself, Grant," she giggled.

Grantaire leaned in and stole a kiss before offering his arm to her, "Are we all set?"

Eponine nodded and took his arm, stepping outside and shutting the door behind her. They walked over to his car, and he opened the door for her, something no one, not even Marius, had ever done. As they backed out of the driveway, Grantaire's hand found hers, and they enjoyed the comfortable silence. The ride was only a few minutes long, but being in the silence of the car with Grantaire, Eponine felt more at home that she ever had before. Everything seemed right. They walked together into the theatre and took their seats, which were pretty good, which Eponine guessed was because he was faculty. Eponine thought the show was absolutely amazing, and when it was over, she have the cast a standing ovation with the rest of the audience. As the cast took their final curtain call, Grantaire slipped his arm around her waist, pulling her into his side.

"How about some dinner?" he asked in her ear so she could hear over the chattering of the crowd.

She just smiled and nodded in reply. Grantaire took her hand and pulled her out of a side door to the parking lot, away from the crowd.

"Well, did you like it?" he asked.

"Like it? I loved it! I mean, I know haven't haven't been to a lot if these type of things but I thought it was phenomenal!" she exclaimed.

Grantaire laughed, "You should see one on Broadway."

"You have?"

"Yes, several. It was one of the places I moved before returning here."

Eponine's eyes widened and her dreams took over reality for a moment, causing her to speak before she thought about it.

She gripped his arm, "Would you take me to see one?"

He stopped dead in his tracks and looked at her curiously. Slowly, his curious expression faded and was replaced with one of pure adoration. He didn't shoot her dreams down, tell her that they might not be together long enough for that to happen, or that they might never become that serious.

Instead he replied, "One day, Ep."

She was grateful for that. She needed some hope. Eponine slipped her arm around his waist, and he returned the gesture with an arm around her shoulders. Only a few minutes after getting in the car, they arrived at the restaurant. It was a really nice place, the type of place Eponine would have only dreamed about going since she left Marius. He had taken her to those types of restaurants before, especially for work events.

The food was wonderful, but being across the table from Grantaire was better. Their conversation was easy and light. If Eponine could've stopped time, she would have. When the check was paid and signed, Grantaire turned to her.

"If you aren't too tired, I have a surprise."

"I'm up for anything," Eponine smiled back.

Grantaire beamed, and they left the restaurant. When they pulled up outside the school yet again, Eponine looked at him in confusion.

"What are we doing back here?"

"It's a surprise," he smiled.

He opened her door for her again and took her hand. As they approached the theatre, he covered her eyes, leading her along with an arm around the waist.

"Grant," she laughed.

"Oh just play along," he chuckled.

So she did. And it felt like she was walking forever. She heard doors click open and slam shut. Finally, his hand fell away from her eyes, and she found herself in a large room with theatre props, costumes, and other various equipment.

"Where are we?" she asks.

"We are in the backstage area of the theatre. I thought we could have some fun back here," Grant smiled.

Before Eponine can say anything in reply, Grantaire turns on a boom box, making old jazzy music fill the space, and he plops a big, southern belle hat on top of her head. Eponine just stares at him with a lopsided grin, wondering what on earth he was doing.

"Well, go on. Try something on!" he laughed.

Eponine's eyes widened, "We can play around with this stuff?"

"I work here. I can do what I want."

Eponine knew that was entirely true, but she trusted him anyway. She turned to the racks of costumes and began combing through them. She pulled out a couple before deciding to try them on. Grantaire pointed her to one of the dressing rooms, and she got to work. After putting on each costume, she came out to show them to Grantaire who was sitting in a stool. When she pranced around in a southern belle dress, she did her best Scarlett O'Hara impersonation, and Grantaire recited Rhett Butler's most famous line back to her before they both erupted into laughter. She tried on costumes from Chicago, Oklahoma, and Hairspray. She put on Elphaba's hat from Wicked, the Phantom's mask from The Phantom of the Opera, and even tried out Mary Poppins's umbrella. After she'd tried on everything she'd picked out, Grantaire pulled something off of a rack and handed it to her. It was an elegant, ball gown from Cinderella, Grantaire informed her. It was the most beautiful thing Eponine had ever seen. She hurried to the dressing room and began the arduous task of putting on the gown. She was in the dressing room for so long, she was certain Grantaire would be bored out of his mind when she emerged. But to her surprise, she found that Grantaire had changed into something just as nice as what she was wearing. She assumed it was Prince Charming's costume from the same show. And she would certainly agree that he looked like Prince Charming standing there with a dazzling smile on his face, his green eyes twinkling. The music had been changed to something softer, more classical.

"You look...wow," he stuttered.

Eponine laughed and looked down, a blush coloring her cheeks.

Grantaire held his hand out to her, "Care to dance?"

"I'd love to."

The last time she'd danced with a man was her wedding day, right before her entire life was turned upside down. Grantaire pulled her to him, resting one hand on her waist. Eponine placed her hand on his shoulder, and they intertwined the fingers of their free hands. They swayed to the music, slowly but steadily. The first song ended, but they continued dancing as a new song began. Eponine rested her head on Grantaire's chest, listening to the strong beating of his hard. When the song ended, Grantaire stepped back just enough so he could see her face, leaning down to press a kiss to her lips. Eponine wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer to her, keeping him from breaking away. When they finally did part, they didn't step away from each other, but kept their foreheads pressed together.

"Grant," Eponine sighed.

Before she knew it, the night was over. She was out of her dreamy Cinderella gown, and they were pulling up outside of her house. Grantaire walked her inside.

"Tonight was amazing," Eponine said.

"I'm glad, and I would have to agree," Grantaire laughed.

Eponine cleared her throat, "So I think I might have realized something tonight, but I don't know if what I feel is okay."

"Oh?" Grantaire asked, taking her hands in his.

"Grant, I think I'm in love with you," Eponine breathed.

She saw a sparkle in his eyes when she said the words.

"And why wouldn't that be okay?" he questioned.

"I'm still married."

"Yes, to an abuse husband that would surely kill you. We'll figure it out, Ep."

"Okay," she replied.

He grinned, "Besides, what if I said I was in love with you as well?"

Eponine's lips spread into a wide smile, "Really?"

"Really," Grantaire replied.

Eponine stood on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to Grantaire's. He wrapped his arms around her, kissing her passionately. Eponine wanted to lose herself in the comforting feeling of his strong arms holding her. He began to back her slowly to the stairs, but they ended up colliding with the wall by the stairs. Eponine was pinned to the wall, one of Grantaire's hands on her waist, the other cupping her cheek. Suddenly, images of Marius danced behind her closed eyelids. Memories of his abuse haunted her. All of a sudden, she was no longer wishing to stay in Grantaire's arms forever, she was trying to fight off Marius. She began to groan and struggle in his arms. She finally broke free and began to shove on his chest, trying to get him as far away from her as possible. She was free from Marius! She couldn't let him abuse her anymore!

"Stop! Please, stop!" she screamed, hot tears stinging her eyes.

Grantaire jerked away, like he'd been stung. The fog cleared from Eponine's mind and vision, making her realize what she'd done. She'd just pushed Grantaire away. Not able to hold it away any longer, she broke down, sobs wracking her body. She would never be free from Marius. He would always haunt her. She sank onto the steps, rocking and putting her head in her hands. She couldn't get control.

Vaguely in the background, she heard Grantaire say, "What did he do to you?"

Then she heard her door click shut. She wanted to crawl into a bawl and cry forever. She'd escaped from her abusive husband, only to have him possibly ruin the one thing good in her life. Her relationship with Grabtaire could be over. Not able to think anymore about her screwed up life, she slunk up the stairs and collapsed into bed, hoping to wake up to everything being fixed.

Author's Note: So, Marius has figured it out, and Eponine had a nervous breakdown with Grantaire...What will happen next? Thanks for reading!

~loislane16