"Please, Eponine, just eat something before you go back out there," Cosette begged her former tormentor. "Bread isn't enough to sustain you and God knows how long the fighting will go on."

Following Cosette and Eponine's recruitment efforts around various neighbourhoods in Paris, they decided to venture back to Rue Plumet for a brief rest. It was difficult work, trying to persuade scared citizens to stand up for a country that had done nothing but beat them and their ancestors down for centuries.

Together, Cosette and Eponine made a convincing pair. They were able to show both sides of poverty, those who grew up in it and those who lost everything. They showed that someone cannot be born into a class, it is all about luck. With a revolution, perhaps that luck could be spread more evenly upon the people of France.

Cosette thought that their efforts were largely successful. Men pledged their allegiance to Les Amis and women ran off in varying directions, promising to do their part in the last-minute recruitment efforts. Eponine was shocked Enjolras and his merry gang of revolutionaries had never thought to use women in their desperate attempt to gain volunteers. It was far harder for a man to look into the face of a woman and admit his reservations and cowardice.

After the bells of Notre Dame signalled that it was six in the morning, Cosette and Eponine had trudged their way back to Cosette's home in order to take a brief rest. The walk itself had taken a fair amount of time. The ventured several neighbourhoods away and their movements had to be slow and cautious, so as to not jar the attention of any member of the police or National Guard.

It had been hard enough for Cosette to convince Eponine to come inside of her house to rest for an hour or two, but trying to force some food into the young brunette was proving to be impossible.

"I suppose I should gather the money for your friend, Montparnasse," Cosette commented as she forced more food on Eponine's plate.

Eponine's eyes shot up to Cosette. "You cannot seriously thing you're going to give him that money."

Cosette shrugged her shoulders. "I gave him my word," Cosette explained softly.

"But Alouette-"

"Stop," Cosette demanded, raising a hand. Even though her word was sharp, her tone remained lyrical and gentle. "I am not just the sheltered princess you and my father believe me to be, Eponine. I can be more than that."

"Montparnasse is dangerous, Cosette. He will take everything from you and not blink an eye," Eponine warned, trying desperately to convince herself that she was not pleading for Cosette's safety.

"And I have very little left. I am no fool, Eponine. With the National Guard acting as mad as they are, the chances may not be good for Papa. I try to remain optimistic but, given the circumstances, I don't believe I'm having much success with that." Cosette paused and picked at the lace on her white gown. "And I lost Marius just when I found him," Cosette said in a broken whisper. Tears began to brim over her eyes and she hastily wiped them away. "I used to just wish for a friend and instead I found love. Now I have neither."

Eponine shifted awkwardly. She really had no words of comfort to offer the other girl. Instead, she took a bite of the food that Cosette had offered, in a vain attempt to make the girl at least mildly happy.

Cosette dragged her eyes back up to Eponine and she smiled slightly as Eponine chewed. "Monsieur Montparnasse has done us a great favour, even if it is in his best interest. The least I can do is follow through with my word."

"You don't know what you're getting into," Eponine sighed before relenting.

Cosette shrugged and wiped the remaining streaks of tears off her face. "I guess I'll find out. I've already experienced what it was like to live in freedom the past few hours. I'm willing to take the dangers as well."

Eponine finished the meal Cosette had laid out for her in silence. The blonde was an odd girl to be sure. Trapped by her loneliness, she had almost seemed to forget about the torment that Eponine and her sister Azelma had inflicted on Cosette when she was forced to live in the Inn. Instead, Cosette treated Eponine like an old friend, trying her hardest to ensure that the gamine was taking care of herself. It was almost like the blonde cared for Eponine, like every bad feeling was swept away in favour of camaraderie and friendship.

Unfortunately, Eponine's jealousy wasn't so easily suppressed.

"Thank you for the food," Eponine said, almost gritting out the words. Though Cosette's gesture was kind, Eponine hated charity. She preferred to earn her money and food herself, even if her methods were illegal. When she pulled a few Francs out of a man's pocket, there was a sense of accomplishment, even if she did try to push down the sinful feeling.

"Anytime," Cosette replied kindly. "I suppose you're going to continue your efforts in helping the revolution?" She asked, though both already knew the answer.

"I really don't have a choice," Eponine responded with a shrug. "It's the least I can do."

Cosette smiled softly at the brunette and shook her head, her golden hair flinging itself around her with the action. "I think that you've already done more than enough, but I admire your dedication to this cause."

Eponine's eyes shot up to meet Cosette's and a slight shock of guilt pulsated within her.

If only Cosette knew Eponine's original intention for being at the barricade.

Still, at some point in the night, Eponine's dedication to the revolution transcended above protecting or impressing Marius. Perhaps it was when the light in Marius's eyes faded for the final time. Perhaps it was when she first stitched up a revolutionary who was injured trying to make life easier for others.

Something in Eponine knew that it was when Enjolras told her she was capable of something more than stealing from the wealthy or pining over someone who could never love her.

Eponine watched as Cosette flitted gracefully around the kitchen, placing dishes in cupboards and smoothing down linens. A knot twisted in Eponine's stomach as she thought about Marius. There was no doubt that Cosette, in all her beauty and unwavering kindness, would have made Marius a fine partner.

Though that would never have the chance to transpire now, Eponine felt a familiar surge of jealousy. Though she dreamed that Marius would take her away from the horrific life she had been forced into by poverty and misfortune, there had always been something within Eponine that doubted whether Marius could have loved her even if she had remained well-off.

Eponine pulled her cap back onto her head and tucked any stray pieces of hair away. Cosette watched her former tormentor stand without a word but offered Eponine a supportive smile.

"Hopefully I see you again, Eponine," Cosette said truthfully.

Eponine hesitated and looked over at Cosette before offering a smile of her own. "Hopefully," she echoed, realizing with a start that she meant it.

With a final wave, Eponine made her way to the back door and sneaked out.

After exiting Cosette's garden, Eponine dodged down alleyways on her path towards Saint-Michel. As she turned a corner, she froze in shock as members of the National Guard trotted past her on horseback. She clung to the shadows, adrenaline pumping through her.

Suddenly, Eponine found herself pressed to the wall of the alley. Despite herself, she wished Cosette was still with her.

"What are you doing here?"

"'Parnasse?" Eponine croaked out, the wind taken from her. Montparnasse stepped back slightly and Eponine's eyes widened as she took in his outfit. His fine wares were replaced by the uniform of the National Guard, only instead of their usual expression of blank obedience, Montparnasse was smirking to hide his worry.

"Where are you going? You should find shelter elsewhere," Montparnasse told her, ensuring that his tone was able to convey the fact that he was not requesting this from her, but telling her.

Eponine shook her head. "I need to go back to the barricade, 'Parnasse. They need me," she said passionately, pulling her arm free.

Montparnasse scoffed. "Need you for what, Eponine? What on earth do you have to offer a group of naive bourgeois boys, except perhaps your body," Montparnasse leered, allowing his moss coloured eyes to rake over her form.

Crossing her arms over her bound chest, Eponine glared at Montparnasse. "I'll have you know that I was assisting the medic with the wounded," Eponine declared proudly, raising her chin a little higher. "The medic and the leader of the revolution have both praised me for my good work."

"Yet they sent you away," Montparnasse countered, his plump lip curling into a sneer which did little to detract from his attractive features. "That doesn't seem to me like they have particular need of you."

Eponine remained silent at this, choosing not to reveal the source of her grief and the true reason Enjolras prohibited her from returning to the barricade to Montparnasse. The thief would only use the information against her.

Montparnasse paused and looked around Eponine. "Where is your little blonde friend?"

"She is not my friend," Eponine bit out harshly. "You better not hurt her, 'Parnasse."

"You know, for someone who isn't your friend, you sure seem to care a lot about the delicate flower," Montparnasse commented, checking his well-kept nails.

Eponine's jaw tightened and after a moment of silence, Montparnasse looked back at her. He rolled his eyes and dropped his hand. "I won't hurt her, 'Ponine," he said in an exasperated tone. The tone was familiar, as Montparnasse often made use of it when the two were younger when Eponine would find any way to annoy him that she could, just for fun. "Well, unless she wants me to," he added with a wink. "You know how I like my bourgeois girls."

"You like every girl," Eponine retorted, earning a sharp laugh from Montparnasse.

"Jealous are we, my 'Ponine?" He asked, reaching over to her to grasp her chin.

Eponine jerked away and shook her head. "You wish, 'Parnasse," she snapped. "Now let me pass!"

"Give me one good reason to let you go, ma cherie," Montparnasse requested, tilting his government-issued hat back slightly.

"Gavroche is still there, Montparnasse!" Eponine said in a harsh whisper, effectively quieting the murderer. Eponine knew that Montparnasse harboured a soft spot for the young gamin and would be devastated to see harm come to him, even if he would never admit it. "I have to go to him."

Montparnasse stayed silent, refusing to move but he let Eponine slip past him. She glanced up at him for a moment, almost not believing that he was letting her by. Taking her chance, she dodged past him and began her journey down the alleyway.

"Wait, Eponine," Montparnasse sighed, moving so he stood in front of her once again. "It is getting worse out there. The National Guard are shooting anyone that even looks remotely like a revolutionary." Montparnasse reached up and took Eponine's cap off of her before reaching down to the gun holster of his borrowed suit. He shoved it into her hand, keeping a mask of cool indifference on his face.

Somehow Montparnasse was able to make himself sound indifferent as he issued the warning, though both parties knew that the young man cared more than he would ever let on.

Eponine looked up at Montparnasse with wide eyes. "What about you, though?" She asked.

"I have my knife," Montparnasse said with his usual barely-evil grin. "I'll be just fine. It's almost embarrassing how terribly the National Guard are fighting now. They know they're going to die," Montparnasse paused and his grin turned slightly manic. "It's hilarious!"

Scoffing, Eponine dodged past Montparnasse again. "Thanks for the gun," she said as she walked into the eerily empty street.

"Keep your hat off, they probably won't kill a girl!"

Rolling her eyes, Eponine resisted the urge to look back at the criminal. Though there was a time in her life where she would have been clinging to Montparnasse's hand desperately as he led her to safety, Eponine was no longer interested in that. She could take care of herself now.

Eponine stopped in her tracks as she came across an abandoned rosette left on the cobblestone ground. She glanced around herself quickly, checking for any sign of the National Guard. Seeing none, she studied the small badge in her hand. It was a simple enough design, contrasting symbolically with the overwhelming ornate choices of the monarchy. She remembered seeing a pin, similar though streaked with his blood, as it rested proudly on Marius's chest.

Ignoring the warnings of Montparnasse, Eponine fastened the badge to her overcoat. In pinning the rosette to her chest, Eponine felt a calmness she had no recollection of ever having. She felt like she was apart of something.

She was eager to keep the feeling alive.

She slipped through the shadows silently. It was eery how empty the streets were despite the battle raging on just a few blocks away. Eponine could hear the gunshots and screams as she got closer to the barricade.

The rare time that she passed people, the scene was harrowing to say the least. Men limping by on route to hospitals with blood gushing from wounds that Eponine had assumed would kill a man instantly. Every so often, she spotted friends of the deceased sobbing as bodies were carried away by grim-faced men. It made Eponine yearn for the barricade, where she could be some help to her new companions.

Eponine was slightly ashamed of the relief she felt when the wounded in question was clad in a National Guard uniform.

She continued slinking towards the barricade in Saint-Michel. Her movements were slow as she heeded Montparnasse's warning. The last thing she needed was to be caught.

Eponine avoided the shortcut she used to lead Enjolras to Cosette's home only a few hours earlier. She wanted a better vantage point to observe the progression of the revolution. On the slim chance that Montparnasse was telling the truth and the revolutionaries were taking over, Eponine figured that the battle would have spread beyond the barricade. As such, sneaking into the back of the barracks would leave her either among friends or exposed to the barrels of the guns of the obedient slaves of the monarchy.

Suddenly she spotted a terrifying figure in the distance. Covered in muck, a man attempted to go unnoticed as he carried another on his back. A surge of fear washed over Eponine. There was a decent chance that the man in question was her father or a member of Patron-Minette who had not been as susceptible to bribery as Montparnasse.

Despite herself, Eponine walked a little closer to the pair. Through the harsh brown sludge, she could see unconscious figure that the man carried had a head full of golden curls, startling Eponine. There was only one person she could recall with such enviable hair.

Eponine moved a little closer to them, careful to not be seen by the questionable gentleman. Upon closer inspection, a knot formed in her stomach as she realized that her suspicions had been correct.

It was Enjolras.

A/N: So I'm not entirely sure about this chapter, to be honest. I just had to move shit along. It was originally going to be more chapters but this has already been so dragged out that I had to get some plot development done.

As for the next chapter, I'm not completely sure. I have a pretty heavy week so maybe by Thursday or Friday? I feel like it won't take me long but we'll see. I'll have to re-watch Les Miserables because it's been a while. This is going to be much easier after it comes out on DVD.

Real life is beating me down this week but let's see how this goes, shall we?

Apologies for the late responses for chapter nine. Shan't happen this time!

Next chapter is going to be Valjean, Eponine and Enjolras centric (though Enjolras probably won't be doing much of the talking!)

Also, what do you think of Montparnasse? That little psycho's finding his way into my heart. Cosette too. Cosette's ruining my plans with her kindness and new found bravery.