DISCLAIMER: I own nothing!
"I just feel so guilty." Eponine said, bending over and stroking Marius's hair.
"About what?" Grantaire said helping Eponine into her coat.
"Leaving him. Maybe I should tell Louise and Tristen I can't go out… he may need me." She said inching out of her coat.
"Marius will be fine, getting out will be good for you. It'll stop your worrying."
"I don't want him to wake up alone…without a soul there to comfort him…"
"He has his father and the nurse. He'll be perfectly fine."
"Marius will, won't he?" Eponine looked up to Grantaire for more reassurance.
"Of course." He nodded his footsteps becoming more distant.
Eponine kneeled at Marius's side with her elbows pressing into the soft beddings. She settled her hand on his cheek while she mentally counted each freckle resting on his face with sweet eyes, "Eponine.", Grantaire poked his head into the room. "Just a second." Eponine whispered without looking back. She was put into a trance by the way Marius was delicately resting before her. Eponine adoringly stroked his brown tousled locks and her fingers lingered as they tickled his jawline. Leaving him in such a peaceful state troubled her, that peace could be disturbed so easily. She kissed him on the forehead and set off to Grantaire.
Grantaire leaned against the door frame with crossed arms. She really was in love with Marius. Really, truly, in love. The look in her eyes just said it, she must think he's the loveliest person she's ever seen. The way she went about anything that had to do with Marius just made him plain jealous. It made him sick, he shouldn't be jealous…he shouldn't be anything but supportive. Though, that was only if he looked at her as a friend. Then maybe that's what he should start doing. Grantaire shook his head, he was hopelessly indecisive. About as much as Eponine was hopelessly infatuated.
"How about we get going?" Grantaire said offering Eponine his elbow.
"Yeah." Eponine smiled and linked arms with him.
"You're here!" Tristen leaped up sprightly. Eponine looked up and down at him, he was dressed well in a cream shirt with a burnt orange vest over it and warm brown trousers. It brought out his sparkling green eyes and lavish blonde hair. Eponine was genuinely taken by Tristen, he was quite becoming to her. Especially because he was always smiling, it was the hardest thing to do at a time like this. There was something so comforting about Tristen's honest smile. That didn't by any means mean she fancied him, but she couldn't deny his good looks.
"You look stunning in your dress." Tristen said taking Eponine's hand lightly in his.
"T-thank you…" Eponine replied feeling odd about the compliment.
"You're welcome." Louise said parading into the room. "He's right though, you look magnificent in that shade of blue." She said holding the royal colored cloth in her hands.
Eponine wanted to say that Louise looked very beautiful in her dress as well, but decided against it. She was horrible at compliments, she was afraid that it might come out wrong and insulting.
"Eponine, I was thinking we could go out to tea today! I'm sure Louise and Grantaire will do something else." Tristen said swinging Eponine's arm playfully.
"Wait. We aren't going together?" Grantaire asked and placed a protective hand on Eponine's shoulder.
"No. Louise said she wanted to get to know you better." Tristen said.
"I most certainly did not!" Louise said as her fair cheeks burned red.
"It'll be fine Grantaire. I'll see you later." Eponine said brushing his forearm.
"Okay. Be careful…" He said ruffling her hair.
Grantaire watched her leave walking side by side with Tristen.
"So what do you want to do princess?"
"I thought I said to call me mademoiselle." Louise said rather annoyed.
"I prefer princess, mademoiselle. It's fitting" Grantaire teased.
"How so?"
"Because you're a royal pain do deal with, princess."
Louise scoffed then sighed, "I suppose wherever you wish to go is fine."
"…I'll show you a place. But before that we better go to the market."
"Where are we going?" Louise followed Grantaire out the house and down the porch steps.
"You'll just have to find that out princess."
"It's crowded." Louise complained, she was grasping onto Grantaire's shirt to insure that she wouldn't get lost or lose him. Grantaire rolled his eyes, Louise was so used to staying in her fancy little carriages and being surrounded by maids. She's never walked the crowded streets of Paris without her thick barrier of high social status. "You see today, you're just a common street rat like me."
"As if…" Louise sneered.
Grantaire approached a stand selling pretty red apples and bought two, "where'd you get the money for those?" Louise asked
"It was on the house, the owner owes me a few favors."
"Come on this way." Grantaire pulled her through the mass of people.
"Where are we going?" Louise demanded letting go of his shirt sleeve.
"When will you stop asking that?"
"When you tell me where we're going!" She crossed her arms.
Louise ran to Grantaire when she saw him slowly walking away, just waiting for her to catch up.
"Fine." Louise let out a dramatic sigh. I'm supposed to be getting to know you, so you can stop with the open-ended statements…
Eponine was a fish fresh out of water. Looking around she saw proper ladies being escorted by their gentlemen husbands or suitors, butlers serving all kinds of luxurious sweets and teas, and Tristen sitting across from her. He brought her here to treat her to something nice out of kindness, but he didn't know how uncomfortable she was. "Relax Eponine…" Tristen said with concern in his eyes. "They're starring." Eponine bit her lip. Tristen gracefully took a sip of his tea, Eponine did as well…only much less gracefully.
"They're starring because you're beautiful." Tristen said grinning at her.
Eponine nearly spewed out her tea, he said it so truthfully and forward. "I doubt it." she said brushing her hair behind her ears.
"All the young girls are jealous because they caught their men stealing glances at you." Tristen said leaning forward.
Eponine cracked a smile, "stop joking around."
"I'm not! Honest. But, really I'd like to know more about you."
"And I'd like to know more about you…" Eponine remembered her and Grantaire's conversation. This might be there perfect opportunity to figure him out.
"Okay, then let's play a game. We each ask each other questions and both answer them and switch off."
"Alright, I'll go first…" Eponine said, "When is your birthday? I don't know mine but you should have record of yours."
"July 24. Tell me about your home life, you obviously know about mine already."
"You mean family?" She regretted that he asked that, now she had to lie."Normal everything, loving mother and father. That's about it…we were poor so of course there were some nights we went without food but, everything was fine."
Tension went downhill for Eponine, no extremely personal questions were asked again, well, none she had to reply with a lie. Tristen really was just a nice guy, nothing more. Nothing suspicious. There was nothing to worry about with him, as far as she was concerned he's just an innocent bystander.
"What about your first kiss?" Eponine raised an eyebrow.
"I…haven't had mine yet…" Tristen said smiling awkwardly, "I suddenly feel emasculated"
Eponine burst out laughing causing heads to turn towards her, "that's adorable!"
"Not exactly the words I was going for…"
"Mine wasn't special at all, I mean, I was five so it couldn't be…"
"Now that's adorable." Tristen chuckled.
"This is gross and dirty…" Louise said carefully stepping in the muddy path Grantaire was taking. "Not to mention-"
Grantaire laughed at her stubbornness, "what? Common?…being common isn't so bad." Grantaire came to the end of the path, dewey leaves from a tree blocked the entrance. "Especially when you have this…" Grantaire pulled back the branches to reveal a lush sunny patch of forrest. Louise's lips parted, she walked through the sun-lit branches.
"I thought places like this only existed in books…" She said wandering around.
A big willow tree blew in the summer breeze and overlooked the clear blue pond. The greenest grass brushed against her skin and left a tingling sensation on her ankles. The perfect amount of sunlight shone through the trees, warming her exposed arms. "This really is a dream." Louise said looking at her reflection in the pond.
"I found this place a while ago…It was separated from the rest of the city and forrest. It was my own sanctuary. I used to sit here for hours reading books an eating apples against the willow tree. " Grantaire tossed Louise and apple.
"Why did you bring me here if it was your secret?" Louise's eyebrows crinkled.
"I felt like you needed it." Grantaire said biting into his apple. "Staying indoors with the safety of your money isn't always the best. Take pleasure in the simple things…like this place."
"So you're giving me permission to come here?"
"As long as you don't get lost on the way here…"
"You know you aren't that bad."
"Huh? You really didn't like me before this?" Grantaire said.
"I don't know…" Louise said laying on her back and looking up to the clouds. "I thought you were just a unworthy pick-pocketer. I probably seem close-minded, to think that you're all thieves and uneducated."
"Hate to burst your bubble, but you are." Grantaire said laying down with her.
"Oh shut up, I was wrong. You aren't. Both you and Eponine are fantastic… So I guess I shouldn't assume things anymore."
"You're getting your dress dirty."
"And?"
"...You aren't that bad either princess. You should be like this more often instead of a stuck up rich girl."
"What you're saying that I should act unmannered and savage?"
"No, I'm just saying be yourself, but don't let your big ego get to you."
"Oh…" Louise said taking a first bite out of her apple. "They taste better this way…"
"What does?" Grantaire said.
"The apple…It's better than the baked ones in pastries or the sliced ones drenched in honey. I guess simple things are better." Louise smiled.
"I like you Eponine!" Tristen said sharing laughs with her. They had exited the tea shop and were now roaming the streets arm in arm. "Of course not as a woman, I mean as a friend!" Tristen ensured her.
"Me too." Eponine smiled.
Eponine stopped when she felt a small hand reach into her pockets. She gripped the hand and turned to the culprit, "there will be none of this foolishness young…"
"Eppy!"
Eponine wished she could have been happy to see him, but she was extremely displeased. "Gavroche, what were you doing? You know how dangerous that is!"
"What's going on here?" Tristen said caught in the middle of things.
"Safer than going on jobs with dad…" Gavroche avoided Eponine's stern stare.
"Gavroche you should go home."
"Why should I?"
"Go home Gavroche!"
"Why don't you?"
"Marius…Marius needs me." Eponine loosened her hand.
"What makes you think that I don't need you too!"
"But you don't."
"Eppy just come home where you can act like a real big sister!"
Tristen was trying t0 put the pieces together, but all he came to was that this young boy was Eponine's younger brother… And that he was trying to pickpocket them…
"I will," Eponine said, "soon. Now I want you to be safe, go to school as much as you can, and don't you dare-"
"Yes Eponine. I won't go back…." Gavroche accepted his sisters ruling.
"So you're a big sister… you left that out in our game." Tristen said easing her anger at Gavroche.
"Yeah… sometimes he just… I don't understand him."
"Sometimes younger siblings can be like that." He said frankly. "Here." He paused then swiftly tossed her an apple.
Eponine raised her hand to catch it, "when did you get this?"
"I bought it on the way here."
Eponine laughed, "you are so peculiar."
"How?"
"You take me to the most expensive brunch spot then buy me a ordinary piece of fruit… I'd say that's peculiar."
"I dunno, you and Grantaire are changing me. I'm loosening up, it's like I've just discovered how uptight we are. So prim and proper…and I'd rather be like you."
"Like me?" Eponine said dumbfounded. "Everyone like me wants to be like you."
"Well, I guess we should just be happy with who we are." He said with laughter in his voice.
"Just to make sure you know, I don't fancy you." Louise said still laying back on the grass. They had been there for quite a bit of time, just looking off into the open sky, counting the clouds. It was so peaceful, laying there with so little disturbance and the clarity of thoughts you wonder if you're actually sleeping. The sunlight acted as a wooly blanket on their body and faces warming them as the cool breeze tumbled through the trees, making the flimsy willow branches sweep cross the ground. It was captivating how a place, as magical as it is, could bring them to understand each other.
"What made you believe I thought that?" Grantaire sat up.
"Well, Tristen did leave hints that I did. But he was only doing that to tease his baby sister." She said leaning back on the palm of her hands.
"I'm much too old for you. You could be my baby sister."
"That's exactly what Tristen said! Well kind of." Louise said allowing herself to get excited.
"Do that more often."
"Do what?"
"Let yourself be something other than put together and perfect."
"Oh. That was an accident…"
"Then you should have more of those."
"Why?"
"Because when you're like that I can tolerate you." Grantaire joked.
"You're funny." Louise said unamused.
"Calm down! I was sixty percent kidding!"
"That means you were forty percent serious…"
Grantaire replied with laughter.
"Grantaire can I ask you something?"
"Yeah, what princess?"
"You're in love with Eponine."
Grantaire clear his throat, still absorbing what Louise just said, "That wasn't a question."
"Are you?"
"No."
"Stop lying, don't think I haven't been watching you two."
"If you've been watching you should know my problem." Grantaire retorted.
"That you're a coward and won't tell her?"
"No."
"Then what is it?" She asked impatiently.
"She's in love with your brother. Marius." He spat out the words.
"Marius?"
"Here I have a surprise." Tristen said leading her up a semi-hidden stair case.
"Where are you going?"
"If I tell you it won't be a surprise!"
"Okay. This is it…" Eponine stepped out into the open. Breathtaking. That was the only word that came to mind immediately. She walked to the edge and found herself twenty stories above the city, everything was so small. She could forget about her worries in these moments because they now seemed so tiny and insignificant.
"This is amazing…" Eponine said still absorbed in the view.
"It helps clear your mind. You always leave here a happier person." Tristen said with his elbows on the edge.
"The sun set is so beautiful today."
"It's so lavender, not orange how it usually is." Tristen said, "you know whats the best though?"
"What?"
"Laying and watching the stars... from up here it's almost as if you can reach out and touch them."
"That sounds wonderful."
"It's better than that. It's magical."
"Let's do it…"
"Gladly."
Eponine questioned if she was even in the dirty city she came to know. It was a fairy tale from up there, she would't be surprised if five minutes from now she flew off on Pegasus with Tristen. How he came across this place was a mystery, but she was so happy that he shared this place with her. This fairytale with her.
"So you and Grantaire…"
"Yes?" Eponine gulped fearing his next question.
"He's either related to you or you like each other." Tristen leaned against the main tower structure.
"We're friends."
"If you say so."
"We are!"
"I heard you." Tristen said crossing his arms and smiling.
"What a good liar you are." She said sarcastically.
"I- wait Eponine…" Tristen said with his face to the sky, "look."
"Huh?"
Then Eponine saw the sky. A million diamonds were scattered over a pile of sapphires. It was a bright clear night and she had the perfect place to lay and gaze at the stars. She had never noticed the sparkling dusty sky that was lit by the gems of the night. Iridescent swirling patterns caught her eye as she found herself sighing at the marvelous night's sky. Nothing foreign distorted the perfect image and she was transported. Even though she knew the sky was so far away she felt it get nearer and nearer until it was inches from her face. She reached up to the sky's blue pond and imaginarily moved around the diamonds and sapphires that acted as the rock bed. They twirled around and sparkled twice as bright then settled back into their original pattern.
"You look like a child." Tristen said turning his head to her.
"I feel like a child. But, it's a good feeling."
"Thank you." She added.
"For what?"
"Making me feel like a child again."
Tristen chuckled, "you're welcome."
"The stars are pretty." Louise said with heavy eye-lids.
"They are." Grantaire said with his head resting on his arms.
"Do you know any consolations?" Louise yawned.
"No, do you?"
"That one, right there," Louise pointed to the sky, "is called Draco."
"Yeah." Grantaire smiled as she yawned between phrases.
"And that one is Hercules, and that one over there is the little dipper." Louise's words began to slow down.
"And." Louise started, "that…"
All Grantaire head after that was loud inhales and exhales beside him.
"Monsieur, Mademoiselle. Wake up." A voice shoved Tristen and Eponine's shoulders.
Eponine forced her eyes open. Once they were open they widened. The man who woke then up was the one and only Inspector Javert.
"Monsieur Pontmercy, it's been a while since I've woken you up in this spot." Javert said to him with his hands respectfully placed behind his back.
Tristen stood up and stretched, "I'm sorry Inspector. I'll try not to fall asleep again."
Javert's gape wandered to Eponine, she felt her insides tighten up inside. "And who's this young lady?"
"A good friend of mine. We…go to school together." Tristen lead the attention back to him.
Eponine panicked on the inside, was this some kind of trick? Javert should recognize her, she'd been caught in the act dozens of times since she was able to walk. He knew her father and his business, but Javert knew the dirty Eponine. The disgusting thief and criminal, not the girl washed up and put into fancy dresses and shoes. This girl was unrecognizable.
"Yes Inspector, I'm sorry. This won't happen again." Eponine innocently said.
"Indeed Mademoiselle. Now off with you two." He said smiling earnestly at the teenage troublemaker and the unknown criminal.
"Eponine are you alright? You looked scared to death when we saw the inspector…We weren't in any trouble you know." Tristen said straightening out his messy hair.
"I was just nervous…"
"About what?"
"I don't know…nothing." Eponine said getting ahead of Tristen on the trail back to the estate.
When they returned Monsieur Pontmercy was waiting at the doorstep for them, "I was wondering when you two would show up."
"Father?" Tristen asked curious with his father's tone.
"Marius is awake."
Eponine dropped all her current thoughts in the bin, "where is he? I need to see him!"
"Resting Eponine. He's asleep right now, let him sleep." Monsieur Pontmercy calmed Eponine.
"When will he wake up again?" Eponine was led into the house by both Tristen and Monsieur Pontmercy.
"Soon. But I promise, he will wake up." Pontmercy said. "Now how about breakfast?"
A/N: Hey guysss! This was a really fun chapter to write!~ Give me feedback on it please because involving so many original characters makes me nervous. Thanks and keep reading as always:)