Here's the next chapter. This chapter will also be quite dark, but after this (well actually towards the end of this chapter) it will get lighter... well, kind of...

Disclaimer: I don't own Les Misérables or the characters, I just torture them :P

Eponine layed on the ground for a while after Montparnasse had left her. She wept bitterly as she thought of what she had let him do to her, in a moment of weakness. I'm no better than a whore... she thought, I can't believe that I let him... But everything he said was true, every word... She wiped away some of her tears. Some people are meant to be alone, some people don't deserve happiness, some people live their lives unloved by anybody... I'm one of those people. Oh God! How I yearn to be loved! But no one could love somebody as pathetic as me. What is life without love? Hardly anything. Eponine stood, wiping away her tears. Then, almost as if in a trance, she found herself walking the familiar path down to the Seine. I see no reason to live.

...

Now Marius, though he was truly very happy with Cosette, had not completely forgotten about the girl he called his best friend. Though, it should be noted, he actually tried not to think of her. He did this for reasons that were confusing even to himself. When he thought of the gamine, he thought of how he'd felt towards her when he'd almost kissed her. Those feelings would resurface and he would have to push them away. He was with Cosette. He couldn't think of Eponine like that, he just couldn't. He loved Cosette, didn't he? Cosette. Beautiful, gentle, and kind Cosette. When she had left him he had wanted to kill himself, so much did he love her. But in her absence, he had grown even closer to Eponine... he had almost kissed her! But then Cosette had returned, his beautiful lark had come back to him. But he hadn't even noticed how this had crushed Eponine. He hadn't realised how much happiness he brought her by merely talking to her. Marius was blind in more ways than one; he was blind to the fact that Eponine loved him, he was blind to the fact that she needed him, and lastly, and perhaps the most important, he was blind to the fact that he, Marius, loved her. He had not realised this as he was almost certain that he loved Cosette. But then, Marius would think, why do I keep thinking of how I felt about Eponine when we almost kissed... No, stop that. I can't think about that. And he would then distract himself with whatever he could.

On occasion, Marius dreamed of the night he had almost kissed Eponine. He would then wake and, more often than not, he would consider going in search of her. But then he would think of Cosette, the memories would temporarily vanish, and he would not seek her out. He did, even if he himself did not realise it, love Eponine, but he also loved Cosette. Cosette, whom he had only known for a short amount of time; Cosette, who was purity in it's very essence; Cosette, who gave to the poor, just like her father; Cosette, who was the epitome of beauty. He loved her, yes. Well, that's what he thought anyway.

Marius, with thoughts of Eponine refusing to leave him alone, decided to go for a walk, hoping that, perhaps, the cool night air would help him to clear his thoughts. And so, he took to the narrow streets of Paris. He didn't really pay attention to where he was walking, nor did he have a destination. He walked without much thought on the matter, his mind occupied by thoughts of Eponine. He felt kind of guilty for thinking about her in the way that he was. He was, of course, thinking about how deep his feelings were for her, though even he did not know their full depth.

Without really knowing how he got there, Marius found himself nearing the Seine. That's when he saw her. She was about to jump. He was too far away to see her face, but he recognised her all the same. He ran forward and caught her by the waist right before she was about to jump. She turned to look at him. Marius could tell that she'd been crying, but also that she no longer was.

"Eponine, have you gone mad!?" he exclaimed. "Why would you even consider... how could you even... why would you do this?" he asked her. For a moment, she didn't answer, she just seemed to study him. And then,

"Oh how alone I've been!" she exclaimed, "I've been friendless, homeless, I've not even had someone to talk to! No one looked for me, no one cared about me. No one wanted me... but he did, Montparnasse... At least, he said he did and I... well I... I let him..." she paused for a moment before continuing, "I've hated many things in my life, Monsieur Marius, but I never thought myself would be one of them."

It was in that moment that Marius realised just how much he'd been neglecting Eponine. He was the reason that she was so broken right now. He'd been so focused on Cosette... Maybe if he hadn't been then she wouldn't have let Montparnasse do anything to her... It was also in that moment that Marius' thoughts turned, once again, to how he'd felt when he'd almost kissed her. That had been the real reason he hadn't thought of her. He'd been trying not to because he knew he would remember that and how close they'd been. It would have been infidelity to Cosette. He had almost kissed her...

"Eponine, I'm so sorry... I've been so focused on Cosette that I–"

"Completely forgot about me." Eponine finished for him.

"No, I–"

"You don't need to come up with some lie. I know it's true. You forgot about me."

"Eponine, I'm sorry..."

"Don't be. You're happy with her, I can tell..." Her voice had become very quiet and very sad. Marius noticed a tear roll down her cheek. He gently wiped it away. Eponine flinched at his touch and took several steps back.

"What's wrong?" he softly asked.

"Do you even care?"

"Of course I care!"

"I find that hard to believe seeing as you forgot about me, your 'friend'"

"It's not that I forgot about you, I–"

"You what?" Eponine snapped.

"I was trying not to think about you," Marius confessed. Eponine winced. That stung. Tears formed in her eyes, but she blinked them back. She had to be strong, or at least try to be.

"Why?" she asked, her voice very small.

"Because when I think about you... when I see you, I..." Marius hesitated, and then, taking a few steps towards Eponine, closing the gap between them, he went on, "When I see you, I want to do this," And he kissed her. Eponine froze. She most definitely had not been expecting that. After a moment, she kissed him back, wrapping her arms around his neck. She was filled with such great happiness and, for one fleeting moment, all of the misery in her life seemed to disappear. And then that moment was over and Marius realised what he was doing and pulled away from her. "I... I shouldn't have done that." he said, "I have Cosette, I shouldn't have... I'm sorry 'Ponine." And, with that, Marius ran off. Eponine was alone once more.

Alright, show of hands... who hates Marius right now? Come on, be honest...