Sorry for the long wait, but here's the next chapter and thank you to judybear236 for her help. Enjoy!
Eponine froze as she took in the scene around her. Her father, Babet and Clauqesous were standing in the kitchen, Enjolras was being held up by the latter two, his head was slumped forward and Eponine's stomach lurched when she saw a trickle of blood seep from his hair-line.
"My my Eponine you do look pretty in that dress." Montparnasse's voice startled her, and she span round quickly, raising her hand to strike him. Before her hand made contact with his face, Montparnasse caught her wrist.
He shook his head mockingly, before roughly twisting Eponine's arm so it was bent behind her back and pulling her towards him. "Someone needs to teach you some manners."
"Not now 'Parnasse." Thenardier hissed at his young accomplice before looking at his daughter.
"You, my girl, have a lot to answer to. Do you realise how much money I've lost because of you running off." Eponine was prepared for an onslaught of verbal abuse from her father, but his words made her blood boil.
"Is that all you care about? Money? Is that all I'm worth to you? Did you not care when you threw Gavroche out into the cold when he was only 4 years old? Did you not care when 'Zelma ran away? Did you not care the night you plunged a knife into my belly deep enough to kill me?"
"Do not talk to me like that you little slut! Not when you've been living with a rich bourgeoise these past few weeks, warming his bed for nothing!"
"I haven't slept with him! He's just a friend, an honest man who's been looking after me after YOU beat me and left me for dead!"
"As much as I like watching a cat fight with its father, could I make a point?" Montparnasse spoke up, tightening his grip on Eponine when she tried to turn and look at him.
"What is it 'Parnasse?"
"I don't think our little Eponine is telling the truth about this bourgeoise being 'just a friend'. I overheard him and another student talking in the street, something about she needed...what was the word now...comforting. Well, we all know how a man comforts a woman." Montparnasse bent down and whispered into Eponine's ear. "Don't we, 'Ponine?"
"It wasn't like that, he's a gentleman, not like you scumbags." Eponine spat, trying, and failing to get out of Montparnasse's grip.
To her surprise, Eponine's father laughed before turning to were Enjolras was being held up by his fellow gang members. "All men are the same my girl, and the sooner you learn that the better. Isn't that right pretty boy?" Thenardier sneered, lifting Enjolras' head up and looking at him as the rest of the Patron-Minette laughed. Thenardier pulled his knife out from under his jacket, and turned back to face Eponine, one hand still holding Enjolras' head up by his hair.
"He won't be so pretty once I'm done with him."
"PAPA DON'T!" Eponine screamed, praying that her father would listen to her.
"Don't what?"
"Don't hurt him. Please."
"What will you give me to stop me from hurting him?" Eponine looked from her father to Enjolras to the knife and back again.
"I'll go with you. Willingly, no fuss. I'll do as I'm told. As long as you never lay a finger on him. Ever." Eponine hated herself for making a deal with her father, but she knew it was the only way that she could save Enjolras.
"It seems we have a deal. Montparnasse bring her here." Montparnasse pushed Eponine forward, until they were standing right next to her father.
"If you put one toe out of line, you'll regret it for the rest of your life, got it?" Eponine nodded meekly, wanting to leave as soon as possible now that she had guaranteed Enjolras' safety.
"Let's get out of here before we're discovered. Montparnasse you can let her go now." Montparnasse, rather reluctantly, let go of Eponine's arm, and pushed her away from him. She tripped a little as she stumbled forward, before glaring back at Montparnasse as she rubbed her wrist and arm. She turned back to her father.
"We had a deal papa, let him go." She glanced at Enjolras, hoping that his head wouldn't hurt too badly when he woke up.
"Fine. Montparnasse you can rough him up a little if you want, in return for what he did to your nose." Before Eponine could stop him Montparnasse had punched Enjolras hard in the stomach, causing the other man's body to crumple as his face twisted in pain. Enjolras' eyes shot open when the other mans fist collided with his stomach, the pain radiating throughout his abdomen. Enjolras' quickly remembered what had happened before he was knocked out, him walking into the kitchen to see Eponine's father, and men he assumed were members of the infamous Patron-Minette. Before he had been able to warn Eponine he had been hit over the head with something, he didn't know what, and then everything had gone black.
Enjolras tried to block Montparnasse's next blow, but he couldn't, realising that he was being held back by two men, collectively stronger than he was. Montparnasse next hit was aimed at Enjolras' face, and when his fist collided with the other mans nose there was a sickening crack, a sharp stab of pain and Enjolras could feel the coppery taste of blood in his mouth.
"That was for what you did to my nose, pretty boy. And this..." Montparnasse snarled before kneeing Enjolras hard between the legs, as Babet and Clauqesous dropped him unceremoniously on the floor.
"...is for keeping Eponine from me." Enjolras' vision span as he tried to listen to what Montparnasse and the others were saying.
"C'mon 'Parnasse, we got what we came for, let's go before some student walks in on us."
Montparnasse smiled wickedly, not wanting to leave before giving one more snide remark. He bent down to Enjolras' level.
"Thanks for feeding her up though, she's going to be a lot more fun now that she's not all skin and bones." Montparnasse stood up and left quickly as Enjolras' world went black again.
After Montparnasse had laid the first blow onto Enjolras, Thenardier had dragged Eponine outside, and held his knife up to her throat to stop her from screaming.
"We had a deal papa!" Eponine hissed, not daring to raise her voice.
"I promised that I wouldn't lay a finger on him, and I haven't. You never said anything about one of the boys giving him a once over." Thenardier sneered, he could always find a way to get what he wanted, there was always a loophole in any deal that he could use to his advantage.
"Boss? You there?" A voice called out from the shadows.
"Yeah, I've got 'Ponine here, bring the Boy out."
Burjon appeared out the shadows, dragging Gavroche along with him. Upon seeing her little brother, Eponine pushed passed her father and ran up to Gavroche. Thenardier nodded at Burjon to let Gavroche go before slinking back into the house. Eponine pulled Gavroche into a hug before bending down to his level and checking him over for any sign of a cut or a bruise.
"Are you alright? He hasn't hurt you has he?"
"Nah I'm alright, he just grabbed me and told me to keep my mouth shut or he'd throw me in the river, and frankly I don't want to learn to swim." Gavroche joked, before he noticed the slowing darkening bruises on Eponine's arm where Montparnasse had grabbed her.
"What about you?"
"I'm fine, you better go before dad gets back, he might not be happy to see you hanging about."
"But you're not going back with them are you? I thought you were happy with Enjolras?"
"It's not as easy as that 'Vroche, please just go." As Eponine said this Babet and Clauqesous came out of the house, and Eponine knew that her father wouldn't be far behind.
"Please, go Gavroche. Please." Gavroche could see tears building up in his sister's eyes, so he gave her a quick hug before running off. Just as Eponine saw him turn the corner and disappear down the street her father appeared behind her, followed by Montparnasse.
"Where did the Boy go?" Thenardier asked.
"I let him go, I know you were just keeping him here as insurance, but since I've already made a deal with you I didn't think there was any reason for him to stay, especially as it's dark out now." Eponine replied, before looking at her father. "Are we going or not?"
"I'm going to the Tavern with Burjon, Clauqesous and Babet, we have some business to attend to with the owner. Montparnasse, make sure Eponine hasn't lost her talents at pick-pocketing and picking locks while living the high life, I want you both to meet me in the square at noon tomorrow with at least double the usual fare." Thenardier set off with the others in tow, leaving Eponine alone with Montparnasse.
"After you." Montparnasse stretched his arm out in mock chivalry, bowing slightly. Eponine just rolled her eyes at him before walking down the street, Montparnasse quickly following her, walking so close to her that they were almost touching.
It's going to be a long night.
Eponine thought as she and Montparnasse slipped into the back streets of Paris.
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