Disclaimer: I do not own Les Miserables, the novel or the musical, both of which are amazing.
Title: The Note
Summary: Enjolras has never been fond of the female affection thrown his way. Yet, he finds himself strangely compelled when he discovers an anonymous note in his pocket. Who was the one to put it there? And, when he discovers the truth, will he then be able to convince her that he is indeed the one the note was intended for?
Author's Note: So the next chapter will be the last. This is the second to last then, obviously. I wanted to try to make things right between everyone, but at the same time leave it a bit open-ended. I leave it up to the reader to decide what becomes of Marius and his little plots. Does he keep his friendships? Or does he lose Eponine and Enjolras in the process? I suppose that is not terribly important to this story. But maybe, just maybe, to another.
Chapter 10 – Words
Eponine could always be found wandering the streets of Paris, but when she wanted to disappear, it wasn't difficult. She was basically invisible to begin with. And, at the moment, she really didn't mind. In fact, she would have preferred it if she could have just vanished from the world altogether.
She was confused and angry, but mostly hurt. She felt a betrayal unlike anything she had felt before. It was hard to come to terms with everything having been a lie. All that she had been told was fraudulent. All that she had felt had been empty. It had been fabricated and manipulated by the very people she had put her trust in.
She was still shocked that Marius had helped to orchestrate the whole thing. She had never thought that he would do something of this nature. She had been so devoted to him for so long. She thought that they had at least had a friendship, no matter how strange it might have seemed. But now, she wasn't so sure. Perhaps it had all been her imagination.
Eponine wrapped her arms around her thin body, frowning. She hadn't imagined that kiss, though. Her lips tingled every time she thought about it. And, Enjolras wasn't one to go about these silly games, even under the influence of his friends.
That was what she had been going to speak to Marius about. She had thought over everything he had said and had decided that it didn't seem right. Though it had only been a short time, she thought that she had come to learn more about Enjolras than she ever had before. She had concluded in her mind that he was sincere, or at least she hoped so. Either way, she had gone to the café to tell Marius that she didn't care. She would try to give her heart to Enjolras.
She didn't know why Enjolras had popped into her head. Well, she did. His betrayal had actually hurt her the most. She felt the pang in her heart. It was as if it had shattered to pieces. She felt only coldness and emptiness now. Well, beneath the weight of complete and utter sadness, that is.
"I thought I might find you here."
Eponine tensed at the voice. It had only been earlier that day that she had overheard the conversation between Marius and Enjolras. She wasn't ready to see or speak to either one of them yet. She was still trying to figure things out herself. She was still trying to cope.
"I really don't want to see you right now, Marius," she responded. She stared into the churning waters beneath the bridge they stood on.
"I know. But, I really need to explain everything to you."
Eponine sighed, mustering up her courage. "So you were the one to put my note into Enjolras' pocket," she accused, whirling around.
Marius stood strong. "Yes, you are correct. I knew it was yours. I've been seeing your handwriting for a long time. I slipped it into his coat pocket before I left that night."
She shook her head. "Why? Why would you do such a thing?"
"I wanted to help you."
"Help me?" she said exasperatedly. "How was this supposed to help me? This has all been a lie. I don't even know what is real anymore."
"It was all real," Marius corrected passionately.
"No, it wasn't!" she fired back. "It was some kind of sick play directed by you! This is my life, Marius. I'm not some kind of puppet that will bend to your will."
There was a pause of silence. Then Marius smiled slowly, pleased. It took her aback, but also irked her. She believed that there was no reason he should be smiling like that. Their conversation did not warrant it.
"Why are you smiling like that?"
"That's it," he said quietly.
"That's what? What are you talking about?"
He moved closer to her, and she, in turn, recoiled. "That passion, that fire, that intensity. Your feelings are true, Eponine."
"Well, of course they are. I could never speak to you again, Marius," she insisted rather dumbly. She blinked a couple of times, trying to come to terms with her poor comeback, turning back toward the dark water.
"That's not all, though, Eponine," he told her, sliding up next to her. "You know, deep down, that there is no way I could have forced everything that had happened—that you had felt."
She shook her head, her little hand curling into a fist. "I don't know what to believe anymore. That's the problem. I don't know what was real and what was not. I don't know that I can trust you after this. Or, for that matter, Enjolras."
"You know, he wasn't aware of what I had done," he said quietly.
"But how do I know that? You could be telling me another lie to work things in your favor, Marius. Do you now understand the position you've put me in? Do you now understand how foolish you've made me look?"
He paused. "I-I'm sorry. I really am. I never meant to hurt anyone."
"Well, it's too late." Eponine sighed, looking at the waves, but not actually seeing them.
"You realize now that this is precisely why Enjolras did not want you to find out. He just wanted to protect you from the truth, so that you wouldn't get hurt. He said he had made such progress with you that learning of my involvement would only cause you to regress and to respond, well, just like this."
"Lucky for him it is not his job to protect me," she mumbled coldly.
It was difficult for Marius to think that he was getting anywhere with her. She was so closed off to everything that he had to say. She couldn't even see beyond his involvement to recognize how Enjolras truly felt—how she truly felt. It was frustrating and difficult. But, then again, he knew that it wasn't an easy task he had set up for himself.
"Eponine," Marius began calmly, "think back to that very first night Enjolras had showed up in my place."
"I had been expecting you," she said quietly.
"Exactly. But he showed up instead. This whole thing could have ended there. I merely gave him the invitation, but both you and he initiated the relationship. Both of you allowed it to continue forward. At any time you could have stopped it."
She turned her head away, slightly pouting. He was making sense, but she was so stubborn and so angry that it was difficult for her to think rationally. She simply did not want to give him the benefit of the doubt. She did not want to agree with him or let him off the hook.
"I met with him alone, as I did you," Marius explained, sounding as if he didn't even want to say what he was about to say. "It was tense, to say the least. I thought I might lose my best friend that night. In fact, I'm still not sure what will happen come morning."
"Get on with it, Marius."
"No matter what I said, he defended you to the end. It was quite clear in that moment just how much he cared for you—truly, deeply cared for you. I wish you could have seen it. I needed to make sure that you two were serious, and that both of you were acting of your own accord." He shook his head. "Enjolras has never been the kind to let emotions get the better of him. Yet, have you ever seen him act so scattered, so confused in the past months?"
Eponine hesitated then shrugged. "I suppose not."
"Could it not be because his feelings for you are real?"
She didn't say a word. She wouldn't confirm or deny her thoughts on the topic. It was not Marius' business to know, nor had it ever been.
"Could that mean that whatever you felt for him was real, too? Is real?"
She hated him and his suggestions; and, yet, he was somehow getting through to her. She still couldn't look at him. She didn't know when, if ever, she'd be able to forgive him. But, right now was not that time. Even though she may have softened to his words, her trust in him would take longer to return.
Marius leaned in and whispered in her ear, "He had no part in the note, Eponine. He was merely trying to protect you."
Eponine wasn't sure if seconds had passed or minutes after he had said that, but when she turned toward where Marius had been standing, he was gone. She took a moment, wondering if she had imagined his presence and everything he had said. But then she figured she was just being silly.
Of course he had been there, trying to coerce her and set things right.
And, of course she now had a lot to think about.