AN: Oui Ve… this chapter took forever. I tried writing it twice and finally just decided to go with it. (It's written in 2 sections, so don't stop at the next note.). I'm sorry to say that I leave to go back to school tomorrow. Like I said I will do my best to keep updating, but I'm not sure how often. Anyway Please Read and Review. Thanx A LOT!!

Chapter 10 A:

"You? What?"

"Marius, lower your voice."

It was a week before Christmas and the Opera House was going to have a gala on that day. Eponine was going to borrow one of Cosette's dresses, so she was at the Potmercy's while Marius and Enjolras were out and about looking for their own things to wear. Enjolras had relayed to Marius the events of the night that he had rushed out of the house to chase after Eponine the night Cosette gave birth.

"Did anything else happen?" Marius asked in a sly sort of way.

Even if Enjolras was not an expert on the topic of love he did not need a translation to understand what Marius was talking about.

"Marius! That is the most…"

"Okay, okay, don't bite my head off, and lower your voice. It's just that, Enje you've been trying to tell her for months. I thought now…"

"That I would take advantage of her? I thought YOU were her best friend Marius, and to quote a friend of mine 'think of the life she's had'. I would never give her the disrespect those…men in her father's gang gave her. "

"Alright, just asking. Hey Enje what do think of this blue?"

He held up a piece of material for Enjolras to see. Marius had always loved the color blue about as much as Enjolras liked red. However when he brought the material up to Enjolras face so he could see it better, Marius noticed that it was the exact shade of blue as Enjolras's eyes.

"You know Enje; this might not be a bad color for you to wear."

Enjolras smiled at his friend and said "Blue is your color Marius, not mine."

"Well maybe you need to change up a bit."

Enjolras took the piece of material from Marius and examined it for a moment before he realized what Marius had noticed.

"How about a compromise?" Enjolras stated. "I'll pick my own outfit, but I will get something in this color to go with it."

"Great! So, where was I? Oh yeah, so what if she has a past? You're not those bastards. You love her. There's a difference."

"Yes I love her. However I don't want to be those bastards." He sighed before continuing, in a much quieted tone, "Do you think this is easy Marius? I want her so much I'm surprised if I don't wake up hard in bed every night from dreaming about her. Do you have any idea what it's like to live in close proximity with someone like that, yet afraid to move for fear of losing them? "

"Um, no I don't. But if you remember I did lose Cosette for a while, before the war ended, before we ended up together."

"Yes but you always had each other in some way. I almost lost her twice within the past two months Marius. I'm not going to do anything that might make me lose her permanently."

AN: Ok in the last chapter I mentioned how Eponine was with Cosette. Well while Marius and Enjolras were doing whatever they were doing this is what the girls were doing.

Chapter 10 B:

If anyone walked into the room their jaw would have dropped. There were dresses and accessories laid out all over the room. Eponine and Cosette and been trying to find something for Eponine to wear the Christmas gala, but with little success. She loved all of Cosette's dresses and just thought them to beautiful for someone like her to be seen in.

"Eponine, stop putting yourself down like that. You have as much right to wear these dresses just as royalty wears a crown."

Eponine continued to stare at herself in the mirror opposite them. she was wearing a corset and some underskirts but nothing else. Actually it was the most amount of clothing that she had worn in a long time and wondered why she just couldn't wear this as an outfit.

"What if someone recognizes me? Then they will be all giddy and excited about how the were right about me, and will ask how many men I slept with to get there."

"Eponine, if they ask you that say… 'How many you sleep with?'"

Eponine's face was attempting to fight a smile but it was no use, and she laughed along with Cosette. They had just clamed down when a cry could be heard from the next room. Cosette exited and went to check on the crying child.

Eponine continued to stare at herself in the mirror and thought of Enjolras. She hoped that he was having a better day than she was. She had never worn a corset before and even though it was (to her) a nice piece of clothing, she was constantly fidgeting to get comfortable in it.

She closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around herself, imagining that Enjolras was there holding her. She was so deep in her thoughts that she didn't hear Cosette re-enter the room.

"Daydreaming?" Cosette asked, and startling Eponine out of her thoughts.

Eponine blushed and looked over at Cosette still standing in the doorway.

"It's nothing to be embarrassed about 'Ponine. It's natural for a woman to daydream about her man when they're apart."

"My man," Eponine sighed "I don't think he knows exactly how he feels about me."

"Of course he does. And so do you." Cosette protested "You Love him, and he loves you, so stop with all this doubting."

She crossed the room and took a dress that was lying on the bed and brought it over to Eponine. Stepping behind her, and holding the dress in front of her (Eponine's) figure they both looked back into the mirror.

"Oh, Eponine I really think this one is the best."

"You say that every time." Eponine smiled, but it soon faded as she thought about Cosette's words. Stop all this doubting…You love him. "You're right Cosette."

"Right about what?"

"I do love him, I love him so much. And he says he loves me, but then why do I get the feeling that he's scared of me?"

Cosette knew the answered to that. Enjolras was afraid of hurting her, causing her pain, and losing her. Most of all reminding her of what her father and his gang had done to her. However Cosette knew that this was a conversation for Eponine to have with Enjolras. Making up her mind, and hoping this was the right decision, she looked at Eponine and gave an answer.

"I don't know. Maybe you should ask him that one?"