Enjolras never thought that holding someone so close could mean so much. Éponine had wrapped her arms around him, buried her face into his chest. They were inside the sanctuary of his garret, away from eyes and glares and unwanted people. They were safe.

Éponine pulled away from him, looking up to his face. She pressed her palm against his cheek, giving him a sympathetic smile. "I'm going to go and heat some water and clean up your wounds." Hesitantly Éponine rose up on her toes and pressed a soft kiss to his lips. Her every action with Enjolras was still coated with fear of what she was allowing to happen.

"It's alright." Enjolras lied, touching his nose to see that there was still fresh blood.

"I'll be right back." Éponine smiled as she made her way into the kitchen to fill up the tea kettle with water to boil. She could hardly believe that they'd returned to the garret, or at least that she would return. But how could she not admit what she felt when he had fought her battle against Montparnasse, and he was the one this time with wounds to prove it.

Éponine returned to the parlour room with a towel slung over her shoulder and the kettle in her hand. "It might not take the pain away, but it'll keep it clean." Éponine knelt in front of Enjolras, looking up at him. She poured the warm water onto the towel, before leaning up and wiping at the blood stained skin.

"You don't have to." Enjolras smiled at her, catching her hand as she brought the towel past his lips.

"I just want to repay you in some way." Éponine confessed, as she continued to gently wipe the towel across his split lip and broken nose. "He's got a strong arm."

"Has he hit you before?" Enjolras asked in a serious tone as she brushed her thumb across his swollen lower lip.

Éponine shrugged, casting her gaze away from his face. Did she want to say that Montparnasse had been having his way with her for years and if she resisted he would just take her by force.

"Éponine," Enjolras took her hand in his, lacing their fingers. "He's not going to harm you again."

"Enjolras, he's already harmed me in a way that cannot be resolved for another six months. But, even then it won't be over. That's why you don't deserve me. You need a woman who can meet your every need, physically, mentally, and emotionally. That's not me."

Enjolras took her by the arm and tugged her up and onto his lap, letting his arm rest around her waist. "I want to provide for you this life, Éponine. I will claim this child," Enjolras rested his hand on the beginning of her swelling stomach," as my own."

"You don't have to." Éponine placed her hand over where his was on her stomach.

"I don't have to do anything, but I want to." Enjolras brought his free hand up to cup the back of her neck, manoeuvring her towards him. He leaned up to meet her lips, relishing in the fact that she actually kissed him back. He had thought the fight had come earlier than he had expected.

"Why?" Éponine breathed between kisses, wanting answers but not wanting to the kissing to cease.

"Because," Enjolras started, nipping at her lower lip. "when you care for someone," He interlaced his fingers into her hair, keeping her close to him. "you'll do anything for them."

Éponine couldn't deny the feelings that she held for Enjolras. He wasn't like the other men she had been with. He was patient and kind, he wasn't forcing her into anything she didn't, honestly, want. She was hesitant of the relationship he wanted to have with her, but he wasn't forcing her into bed. He wanted to know her as a person first. He was treating her the way she had always longed to be treated.

"I care for you Enjolras," Éponine breathed, giving him a small smile as their eyes met.

"You do?"

Éponine laughed, feeling her cheeks flush red. She clamoured away from him in embarrassment, "Yes. I do."

Enjolras smiled, "Well it's a start." He flexed his hand, feeling the stiffness from punching Montparnasse setting in. "Thank you, again, for washing my face."

"It was honestly the least I could do." Éponine replied, trying to ignore the fluttering feelings that were soaring around her insides. "You should try getting punched more often, it looks very rugged on you." Éponine teased, giving him a playful punch to the arm.

Enjolras laughed, aiming a faux punch back at her. Éponine caught his punch in her hand, twisting his arm around behind his back. "I've got you now!" She let out a giggle that she rarely had a reason to let out.

"Release me cruel girl!" Enjolras shouted, his voice half mocking and half laughing. He grabbed her forearm, twisting her back around in front of him. He caught her other arm, locking her in place in front of him. "I've got you now!"

"Is it you that's got me or me that's got you?" Éponine barked, lifting her arms up and turning towards him. She smirked at him, "I do believe I have out smarted you."

Enjolras returned her haughty smirk, resting his hands on her hips. "But, I have received a prize." He dipped his head down and kissed her with more passion than he could remember kissing her with. He expected her to pull away or half heartedly return the passion but instead he found her hands clutching to his shirt and pulling him closer. Her lips were returning the fierceness of the kiss, her tongue and his tongue meeting in a duel much like their mock fight.

Éponine ran her hands up his chest, sliding her hands up his neck and massaging her fingers against his scalp. I love you. I love you. I love you.

"I can't!" Éponine quickly pushed away from him. Covering her mouth and backing away from him. "Enjolras, I just can't. This isn't me."

Enjolras traced a finger along his lip, "You weren't just kissing me with such breath taking passion? That wasn't you?"

"No, I.. That was me. But," Éponine felt her breath tremble as she sighed, "I am not the kind of girl you're looking for. I can guarantee that."

"What do you think I want?"

Éponine laughed, "Perhaps, for instance, a virgin. Or at least a woman who has not been in the position of selling herself one to two times a night for the past five years. Perhaps that kind of woman, Enjolras."

"And do you think I am some high and mighty man then? I did after all come to that alleyway to buy an evening with some willing whore." Enjolras snapped, rolling his eyes at her. "That's how this arrangement started after all."

"I am well aware that a man can screw as many whores as he'd like and it's still the woman who gets the bad reputation for being a scarlet woman, a shamed woman, a woman without virtue, a whore. How is it possible that you can be accepting of such sin when you uphold the pillar of virtue and respect in the world of scholars and lessons?"

"Éponine must we go through this ridiculous loop of conversation?" Enjolras hissed, sitting down in his chair and leaning back. "You kiss me and then push me away, I kiss you and you give in, but push away. Is there a happy medium where I kiss you and you kiss me and you don't push me away?"

"You don't understand. I was in love with the idea of Marius, I am pregnant with Montparnasse's child, and now to top it all off I'm in lov-" Éponine broke off, her eyes opening wide at her slip.

"You're in love?"

"That's not what I said."

"Yes you did. Who are you in love with?" Enjolras smirked, rising to his feet.

Éponine turned away, cringing as Enjolras laid his hand on her shoulder. "it was a slip of my tongue. I was trying to say loath."

"You are not 'in loath', with someone, it doesn't sound anything like 'in love'." Enjolras stepped around her, his smirking softening to a smile. "It's alright to feel Éponine."

"But I am afraid," Éponine confessed, biting her lip. "I'm afraid to love. I'm afraid to lose."

"I'm not going anywhere."

"Don't say that. After six months, after this baby's born and after I still haven't given into your subtle advances and have ignored my own desires – you will tier of me. You will find someone young, proper, and beautiful and she will make you happy. You will let me go and we will never speak of this arrangement ever again."

"That's not at all what I plan to do, Éponine."

"Then what do you plan to do?"

"Would you marry me?"

Éponine stared at him before bursting into laughter. "What?"

"You have not started to show yet, at least not enough for someone unaware to tell. If we marry, I will be able to claim this child as my own by law. Montparnasse, the son of a bastard, will not be able to interfere. You will be free from having to ever return to selling yourself. You will be comfortable and safe. No one will need to know that we may not actually consummate the bonds."

"Enjolras you are too kind." Éponine grabbed his hands, holding them in her own. "You do not have to do this. Do not get rid of your future because you feel sorry for me."

"I care for you. Dare I admit that I love you with fearing you might attack me?"

Éponine laughed, rolling her eyes. "Well we already heard that my mouth apparently won't let me lie. I suppose I love you too." Éponine took a deep breath and leaned up to press her lips against his. Saying the words to him finally seemed to make some sort of connection. She was afraid to admit it and now that she had she was more afraid about losing him. Each day was just going to have to be taken day by day.