(A/N – Boy do I feel sheepish! I know I've been a while in updating but I just checked and it's been A YEAR! I can only apologise profusely and say (without wanting to go into too much detail) that I have had a bad time of it, life went a bit mental and then I was ill and in and out of hospital! BUT I'm better now, life is better and I never abandoned this story, I've been desperate to get back to it but have either lacked the energy/time. It's been a real encouragement and joy to me that although I have not updated I've still had a steady flow of followers, favourites and reviews that have spurred me to get back to this...it is too all of you and those of you who have stuck with me that I dedicate this chapter…enjoy)

Chapter Twenty One – Silence is Louder than Words

Musichetta had not failed to notice the strange atmosphere between Enjolras and Eponine when they had left Notre Dame but she could be forgiven for the fact that she was too wrapped up in her own concerns at that time to pay it much attention. Not one inclined to be selfish when she returned from work the next day and things were still strange she began to wonder what had happened between them. They had always seemed so in sync with each other it was strange to see the cold distance between them now. Her mind was too full of Joly to ponder the matter any further until that night when she heard the sound of Eponine's soft sobs. Without a second thought she was out of her bed and across the room.

"Eponine, whatever is the matter?" She asked laying a soft pale hand on her friends shoulder.

Eponine sprung up in her bed and turned to her with a sorrowful face, "do not ask me, please because I cannot tell you."

Musichetta grasped her hand "Come now Eponine, it cannot be that bad?"

"Enjolras thinks I have done something terrible and I know he will never forgive me."

"What does he think you have done?"

"I can't tell you because you would only tell me not to do it but I must."

"Eponine dear, you are not making any sense."

"But that's precisely the problem. Everything does make sense to me now, because… because I love him Musichetta and now he will hate me forever and there is nothing I can do about it."

Muschetta's mouth formed a small o as she gasped the magnitude of her friend's revelation. "But surely you can explain it to him. He is reasonable. He spent three years training to be a lawyer he knows to listen to both sides of an argument when they are presented to him."

"But I can't," Eponine cried shaking her head fervently. "If I explain it to him I know I would lose him forever at least this way he will be safe and if his hating me is the price I have to pay for that then I am willing."

"Oh but he does not hate you that I am certain of."

"You have seen the way he has been the last two days Musichetta, you cannot have been blind to the change between us."

Musichetta considered this carefully, she recollected the way the two had been before and the way Enjolras had treated her since the night they had visited Joly. Perhaps he was not showing her the same consideration as he had before. But his eyes were on her just as often if not more, several times he had looked as if he wanted to comfort her but had stopped himself.

"His actions show that he is hurt, maybe disappointed but they absolutely do not reflect any hatred Eponine."

"I wish that I could believe you." Eponine said glancing hopefully across at her, then turning serious she added "Musichetta, you must never tell him what I have told you. You must never tell anyone that I love him. He cannot know."

"If that is what you want then he will never hear a word of it from me. Try to sleep dear, things always seem better in the morning."

~X~

The dawn light was glowing blue across the city of Paris when Eponine had set out early the next day to fetch the note that Montparnasse had promised her. Musichetta, who was usually very wise in her own practical way had been wrong this time, the morning made nothing seem better to Eponine's troubled mind.

The mid-July air was already warm on her skin she could tell that it was going to be hot day, in a few hours the streets would wreak of piss, the gamine's who had no opportunity to wash would smell, the sunshine that the bourgeois loved would only highlight the dankness on this side of town. She tried not to wrinkle her nose as a woman threw the contents of a chamber pot into street, the foul liquid landed just a foot away from Eponine and she pulled back the skirts of the dark brown dress that had been passed to her by Musichetta. She would never have done so in her old clothes, one more rank stain among the many that already littered it would have meant nothing to her. But even the lowest of the three new dresses Musichetta had altered for her was a world above what she was used to.

With every step towards the place she had, until recently, called home her heart sank a little deeper. Before Enjolras had come storming back into her world she had grown to accept the fact that her life would play out on these filthy streets. She would marry a criminal, she would scrape by in a life blighted by poverty, her children would be poor and dirty and she would have no money to feed them. To say she had been content with her lot wouldn't be accurate but she had accepted it and learnt to stomach it. She would have made the best of her bad hand in life because she had no other choice. Now, though, how much darker it would seem, when compared to the shining light that had been the last few weeks spent in Enjolras' company.

Things had been going so well and now her world felt as if it was crumbling around her. She should be used to this sensation by now but it was far harder to deal with this time than it had been before. She had not told Musichetta why Enjolras was upset with her, as much as Musichetta loved Joly Eponine knew that the kind hearted girl would never agree to the payment that Eponine had arranged for Montparnasse's help.

She would never forget the look on Enjolras face when he had heard her lies. She knew that the things she said were painful for him and she would have given anything to have prevented him from hearing it but she did not regret saying it, she had said it to protect him. Montparnasse was famed for his jealousy and his possessiveness, she couldn't risk him realising her true feelings for Enjolras, she had to make him believe she wanted to go with him and that was what she had done.

As she drew near to the pre-arranged tavern Eponine began to hug the shadows that were cast by the early morning sun. She knew the place was frequented by the members of the Patron-Minette and although she doubted any of them would be up this early she was taking no chances.

She sidled up to the building and risked a peek through the dirty windows. No one was inside except for the grouchy owner, a thin wiry man who had aged dramatically since his establishment had become the favourite drinking place of Paris' most notorious gang. He turned his head sharply as Eponine entered.

"Bonjour" she greeted him.

"Back again?" He said cynically.

"Yes."

"Looking for your father?"

"No"

"Well, if you were he wouldn't be here, hasn't been here in months. They've gone to ground your parents. Rumour is they've done a runner whilst all they're kids are off their hands."

"Really," Eponine said, it didn't surprise her and truthfully she wasn't bothered, she had a more important task in hand. "Has Montparnasse left anything here for me?"

The old gentleman gave it some thought before replying "Ah, yes he did. Said I was to give it to no one but you." The old man made his way behind the bar and fetched what was a surprisingly bulky package.

Eponine reached out for it but he moved it out of her grasp. "Listen to me missy, I'm well aware what trouble I could get in for saying this but I always did have a soft spot for you, ever since you were a little lass sitting outside whilst your father drank himself stupid. So I'll say this once and hope I don't live to regret it. Whatever is going on between you and Montparnasse get out of it whilst you still can. You've got a good heart girl, his is black. I know he has the looks and the charms but I've heard him brag of the things he has done. You would do well to get yourself away from him."

Eponine nodded but reached out for her package anyway and the poor old man gave it to her with a sigh and a shake of his head

"Life's too short to make yourself miserable girl. Life is too precious to waste on a man like that."

His words echoed in her ears as she rushed out into the dawning day.

Her feet moved fast but her heart was heavy. If getting away from Montparnasse became an option she would have grasped it with both hands but she couldn't see that happening. Even if he hadn't heard her words she knew that she had lost Enjolras' respect when he had seen her with Montparnasse, she had seen it in his face that she knew so well.

She was sure that seeing her like that with Montparnasse all over her must have reminded him what she truly was. No longer the little girl he had known but the street rat. If their last couple of weeks together had helped him forget that he remembered now. He had said very little too her since. With a heavy heart she remembered that just a few nights ago she had sat up with him, drinking hot milk late at night. She had been so happy, if she could live her entire life in a moment it would be that one, she would sit and drink with him forever.

~X~

Enjolras had been waiting for Eponine's return since he had heard her creep out early that morning. Foolish as he knew that it was since she was obviously comfortable with Montparnasse he felt on edge knowing that she had gone to collect his note. His heart gave a peculiar little jump when she returned obviously safe although she looked troubled- he did not ask her why as he would have before, her secrets were not his concern anymore, that much was clear.

She looked at him hesitantly, obviously surprised to find him waiting for her as he had spent the whole of yesterday in his room till Musichetta came had returned from work. She pulled out an envelope from the bundle she was clutching and handed it to him.

He took the paper, unfolded it and frowned as he tried to make out the scrawl before him. The spelling was not bad, Montparnasse must have been taught to write. But his handwriting was atrocious suggesting that he had not spent a lot of time practicing the art. He read it twice through before he turned to Eponine.

"Have you read this?" He asked curtly.

"No"

He handed the letter to her and watched her face intently as she made a slow progress through the letter. Her saw her eyes widen as she got towards the end of the letter which discussed her part in the plan. He scrutinized expression, she looked genuinely surprised, but could he trust it? He had believed her before and been wrong.

Her eyes meet his as if she expected him to say something but he did not. He said nothing that was not necessary to her, it was too painful to be reminded off what he had lost in her friendship.

"Do you think it will work?" She asked.

"It's much more elaborate than I had expected."

"Isn't it, well, a bit risky." Her eyes never left his face. If he hadn't known better he would have thought that she needed his reassurance.

"A lot depends on your acting skills. So we should have no problem you are an excellent liar." He said coolly.

She winced slightly and Enjolras regretted his harsh words. Inside him a battle against his better judgement was being fought, he kept telling himself that he should not care about her when she did not care about him. But somehow losing her was making him realise how much she meant to him, as a friend, he told himself. It was this side of him that won the argument. "Are you comfortable with your part in this, it puts a lot of pressure on you?"

"Yes. If anything my part is safer than yours and Musichetta's. Are you comfortable? You are the ones at greatest risk of being caught."

Her fake concern irritated and hurt him, though he was loath to admit it, so he brushed it aside "I will do what it takes to help Joly. I don't leave my friends just because it suits me."

There is was again, the look of hurt in her face. Why did she have to be such a good actress? Did she know how confused she was making him. Her words had cut him, her lies had hurt him and he was angry yes. But much worse than that, he was scared, scared of how much he realised he didn't want her to go. Suddenly the room felt far too small. The heat of the day seemed to oppress him and his head hurt from trying to make sense of everything that had happened in the last forty eight hours. He felt suffocated, he needed air.

"I'm going out." He said striding past Eponine.

Her lips parted but no sound came out.

As soon as he was outside he breathed in deep calming breaths. The sooner she was gone the better. It hurt to look at her knowing that her friendship had been a lie. By tomorrow night it would all be over, he thought, Joly would be free and she would be gone. The less he saw of her till then the less the parting would hurt.

He wandered round the streets, but he could make no more sense of his jumbled emotions, he spent hours pursing the book shops but found no solace in books. He stayed out all day and part of the night, by the time he returned Eponine and Musichetta had retired to bed and Enjolras retreated to his own trying to ignore the fact that in a few more hours she would be out of his life again- forever.

(So there you have it, if you're still with me it would mean the world to me if you left a short review to show that you're here. The next chapter is almost complete and will be up in the next 48 hours and is the start of Joly's rescue)