AN: sorry for the delay I'm in the middle of moving from student accommodation and it's been a bit of a nightmare, thankfully things have settled down a little and I'll be updating more regularly, as always thank you for your continued support and enjoy!

Chapter 21: One-sided

She waited for a constriction in his expression, a flicker of confusion in his eyes, followed by worry or at least anger, but there was nothing, his face was stoically blank.

"Right", he said absently as if she'd just said how nice the weather was, Eponine frowned her grip on his wrist loosening.

"Did you hear what I said...your grandfather is dying" she repeated with an uneasy breath.

"I heard you, he's an old man, it's not that strange, everyone's got to die sometime", it was the casualness of his tone that made Eponine's heart beat uncomfortably in her chest.

"Enjolras...I don't think you understand what I'm saying, he's really sick, the wear out your body, stop your heart beating, eat away at your insides, painful, fading into oblivion kind of dying...do you understand what I'm saying", Eponine's voice had become a little unsteady, slowly Enjolras pulled his wrist out of her small weak hand, standing up he glanced down at her, the mask was back not as solidly as the first time they'd met, but close enough.

"You're sick, I'm going to go buy some medicine", before she could say another word, her bedroom door slammed shut and a couple of seconds later she heard the front door click shut. Eponine stared up at the ceiling, as she drifted into unconsciousness how do I fix this...before you tell me to get lost, how do I even begin Enjolras, when I don't know anything about your pain.

When Enjolras returned to the house, he found it empty the bed crumpled and Eponine's purse missing, he dropped the bag he was holding, as a nervous fearfulness that was knew to him began coursing through his veins. He ran out into road and glanced around frantically, before running up and down the street, eventually he cruised around in his car, but still there was no sign. He hit the steering wheel in frustration before he tried calling her, it went straight to voice-mail, next was the office he called, she wasn't there either. Where...where are you Eponine, it's too soon for you to leave...I don't think I ever want y- he closed his eyes and shook his head putting a stop to the dangerous thought that was so desperate to tumble out of his mind.

Dragging her weary body through the city it took awhile before Eponine finally stumbled into the hospital weakly meandering through the halls. Swaying her skin pale and glistening with sweat, she avoided gazing into the worried eyes of the nurses she came across, quickly staggering into François' room as she soon as she found it. The old man sat up slowly in surprise taking in her pale face stricken with a light flush, the sweat clinging to her forehead and her weary unfocused eyes, and for a crazy second he was sure he had somehow infected her with his illness.

"Eponine..I wasn't expecting you today... you don't look well", he said his frail face contorting with worry, Eponine slumped down silently.

"It's nothing...what did you do to him, what did you do to make him hate you so much", François demeanour darkened, and he looked away.

"You told him ", it wasn't a question but a statement.

"What happened", Eponine breathed tiredly, François glanced at her, taking in her weary fatigued state, before glancing into her eyes which had become focused with an unwavering determination and he decided it was time.

"It all started before Enjolras was even born, his mother my daughter Julia ran away from home when she was 18 , I was very strict and she rebelled, I held it together but it was too much for my sick wife and she died.. a few years later Julia came back, with a 5 year old Enjolras and his father Adam..I hated Adam on sight...they moved in but it was tense, Julia blamed herself for her mothers death, and I blamed everything on Adam, in my grief stricken mind, he had seduced my daughter away from home, killing my wife, if that wasn't enough he'd ruined her by getting her pregnant, in my messed up mind everything was his fault", François paused trying to find the words to continue.

"Things only got worse, it didn't help that Adam had a criminal record, it was only some minor stuff, vandalism, some thievery in his early teenage years, it made it hard for him to get a job, and I humiliated him about it, every chance I got, I even sneered at his plans of going back to school and getting a degree in architecture, told him his dreams of being an architect were stupid and unrealistic...I made him work at the company instead as my PA he hated it and would drink to dull the pain, it caused a strain on his relationship with my daughter who completely ignored Enjolras and focused completely on fixing things with Adam...", he stopped again, seeing the intense pain etched into the old man's frail face, Eponine suddenly felt guilty she'd come here all guns blazing, on Enjolras behalf but the old man was already so broken.

"We can stop...and try again later" she said softly.

"No I want to keep going... Adam hated being in the house, I made his life hell, Julia didn't help either she went from overtly affectionate and clingy to cold to blindly angry, in truth I think she was mad at herself and she took it out on Adam and sometimes on Enjolras...eventually Adam had an affair, I wanted to kick him out, but Julia told me she'd kill herself, I was too scared to call her bluff...so the cycle continued I bullied Adam he drank and cheated..Julia would cry herself to sleep every night, Enjolras simply watched, he never cried or complained", François sighed there were tears in his eyes, and his hands were shaking uncontrollably.

"We can stop", Eponine tried again, François shook his head.

"One morning we wake up and Adam isn't in his usual place, but there's a note on the kitchen table saying he went for a drive he'll be back in a couple of hours... not long after there's a call from the police, there's been an accident, and the body needs to be identified, all the way there Julia doesn't believe a word of it until we see the body, it's mangled and bruised but it's him, he'd been drunk when he'd crashed into the fence, that night he had left because we had argued again, after the body was covered, my daughter looked at me like I was the devil himself...after the accident she would stay in her room all day just crying, Enjolras slept in the room next door, I offered him another room, but he never moved", there was a along pause, the old man looked like he was ready to collapse.

"lets stop" Eponine said, she was a little frightened that the stress would cause him to have another attack.

"No I have to finish this...after a few months of incessant crying things calmed down a little she even started paying attention to Enjolras..she still cried but less and quietly...and then one night she just left the house, I don't know why or how but Enjolras had followed her, in her delirious state she accidentally stumbled into the road and died right in front of Enjolras...I remember watching Enjolras calmly telling the officers what had happened, before walking up to me am I next granddad he asked next I had asked am I going to die next, grandma, dad and now mum they're all dead...I'm next right?, I don't to be last, his eyes were so accepting, pain and death had become so everyday to that child, he was ruined and it was all my fault...", and then François fell apart completely and began sobbing, Eponine turned away tears streaming down her face.

It was through sheer willpower that Eponine made it back to her building, when she finally stumbled up the street she found Enjolras sitting at the bottom of her stairs. Hearing the faint sound of shoes gently hitting the pavement, he glanced up, his body slowly rising as he took her in and in a single heartbeat he'd closed the space between them his blues eyes flickering between relief, anger and confusion.

"Where the hell have you been", he asked, his voice cold and rough " I've been going crazy looking for you...running around the city like a headless chicken... all because of you", his voice was rising in anger his hand reaching out and grabbing her shoulders, Eponine simply gazed at him and then slowly her eyes started to glaze over before large droplets of tears began rolling down her pale cheeks, in constant lines. Enjolras eyes immediately softened his hands falling away from her shoulders, she continued staring at him with those doe brown eyes overflowing with tears, she looked so weak and tired, and an immediate stab of guilt began gnawing at his insides.

"I'm sorry...don't cry, please don't cry...I was just worried...I came back and you were gone and...and it's not the first time...", he didn't get to the last words because Eponine stumbled forward and pressed her head against his chest.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I didn't know, I...I'm so sorry", she murmured through her tears.

"You know", he said more to himself then to her. Eponine said nothing and buried her face further into his chest, her warm tears wetting his shirt, his arms gently grasped her shoulders and he pulled her back, she glanced away avoiding his piercing gaze. His hand reached up and rested under her chin raising it up so she could look at him directly.

"I'm sorry", she murmured again her tears glistening under the night sky.

"Are you crying...because you feel sorry for me" he asked his eyes unsure, his voice wavering.

"I'm crying because it's so unfair...because I'm angry, and frustrated, the world is so unfair, there are people who go through their whole lives without experiencing any major hiccups... and then there are those who experience it all at once... it's too ridiculous...how much pain is one person supposed to handle?", Eponine asked her voice shaky, in that moment Enjolras realised that she was crying on his behalf, angry on his behalf, it wasn't pity she felt for him but anger at the hand he'd been dealt in life. Gently his hand moved from her chin tracing softly against her jaw, rising to her cheeks and gently wiping away her tears, she watched him with bated breath he had now idea the instant and overwhelmingly effect the cold touch of his fingers had on her. His fingers weaved themselves into her hair and he gently pulled her back into his chest, his arms encircling her in a tight embrace. The last drop of energy drifted from her body and Eponine's body sagged against Enjolras' her eyes flickering to a close as she swayed on the thin line between consciousness and unconsciousness.

Don't go anywhere, even if I tell you to get lost don't go anywhere please, please don't listen to me when I say you mean nothing, I'm a coward that won't admit how important you are to me, because you'll disappear, everyone important to me leaves and always without goodbyes...I'm so scared Eponine that you'll fade into the oblivion and I won't be able to find you. Those were the words that Enjolras wanted to say to Eponine, however they remained in his head simply milling around his mind with nowhere to go.

"Stop worrying about other people and worry about yourself a little...you idiot", is what he said instead.

Enjolras carried Eponine back to her bed and laid her down gently, taking out a cooling strip he laid it across her forehead, before making her take some cold medication. As she drifted to sleep he headed into the the kitchen, and made porridge which he gently fed to her, before cocooning her in blankets. It was getting late but instead of leaving he pulled up a chair and stayed by her bed, giving her water when she needed it, changing the cooling strips, and keeping an eye on her temperature, maybe it was too much, all she had was the flu and some general fatigue, but for some reason he couldn't bear to leave.

The next morning the sun streamed through the window, waking up Eponine she opened her eyes hazily feeling much better and a little lighter. She turned to find the chair by her bed empty, and a sudden bout of emptiness bounded through her, she glanced at the side draw there was note on it, gently she picked it up.

Don't come to work! Or I will carry you back through the lobby.

I've restocked your kitchen and prepared breakfast, take your medicine,

I'll be calling to check in, you're not allowed to come in for at least three days,

in fact take the whole week off, just get better

Enjolras.

Eponine smiled at the note lying back on the bed she pressed it to her chest and drifted back to sleep. Around 3 pm Enjolras called.

"Hey Eponine, how are you feeling", he asked.

"I'm okay...thanks to you", Enjolras cleared his throat feeling heat rise to his cheeks.

"Right erm, just get better okay", he said quickly, Eponine smiled.

"Enjolras", she asked tentatively,

"Yes", he asked .

"About your grandfather-", the line went dead, she stared down at the phone and sighed. This was going to be tough, she would try again tomorrow, even though it was more than likely that he would not answer. As she was getting ready to sleep he called again, she was so surprised she stuttered when he asked if she had taken her medicine. For three days this cycle continued he would call and check on her health, and she would try to bring up his grandfather and he would hung up.

After resting up for three days Eponine finally made it in, Enjolras was off site but would be in soon. In a hurry to get to the café Eponine ran through the lobby, apparently one of the contracts had fallen through and the contractors had stopped working, she barely made it to the door when she was cut off by Cosette.

"What the hell did you do to him" asked Cosette her grey eyes blazing as she grabbed the side of Eponine's blazer.

"What?", Eponine raised her arm to pull Cosette's hand away but she held fast.

"Don't play dumb...are you trying to turn Enjolras against me", her eyes narrowed, her voice becoming dangerously low.

"I don't know what you're talking about" Eponine replied an edge to her voice.

"He's on my side...he's always been on my side... until you came along that is", the grip on the blazer tightened.

"What exactly are you getting at ", Eponine asked.

"You're so good at playing innocent, stealing my finance wasn't enough now you're trying to turn Enjolras against me", Eponine took a deep breath she'd had enough, she grasped Cosette's wrist and gave it a hard twist, and her hand released it's grip, Eponine stepped back and evened out her blazer.

"Are you a child?", asked Eponine her eyebrows twitching with frustration.

"What" Cosette tensed.

"I met him first, so he's mine...don't steal what's mine, don't turn what's mine against me...is Enjolras an accessory a passive doll you can use, maybe you think he is incapable of making his own decisions, choices, I really don't understand...you're his friend ...no, you're the woman he's loved longer then he can even remember, he treats you like you're the most precious thing in the world, why can't you extend him the same courtesy, why do you play him like fool?" Eponine asked.

"You don't know what the hell you're talking about...you can never understand", Cosette was physically shaking.

"I understand more than you know, that look you have in your eyes I had it once, it's really vile and pathetic, you should hurry up and throw it away before it destroys you", Eponine replied evenly Cosette looked like she was about to explode.

" And what does this so called look in my eyes say", asked Cosette with a sneer.

"It tells me that you've been ruined...completely" Eponine said simply, there was no warning before Cosette's small but incredibly sharp hands collided with her cheek her ring catching on her soft skin leaving a mark, Eponine reeled back momentarily before raising her hand and delivering Cosette the same swift courtesy, Cosette's eyes widened in disbelief. She raised her hand to strike again but her tiny wrist was caught mid raise by Enjolras' hand.

"Enough both of you, this is a work environment", he said looking pleadingly at Cosette before letting go of her arm where it dropped back to her side.

"You've hired a highly volatile employee", Cosette said folding her arms and turning slightly so that Enjolras got a good look at her red cheek.

"You have to control your temper as my secretary th-", his words got cut at the base of his throat as he finally turned to face Eponine, catching sight of her injured cheek, his blue eyes rose and flickered across the resigned expression in her tired brown eyes she's not expecting me to take her side, he thought, he looked away suddenly feeling frustrated and angry try being a little selfish Eponine, ask me to choose, ask me to take your side, stop being so pathetic, you idiot.

"Sorry but I have to go...you can reprimand me later", Eponine said looking away .

"How can you ask to leave..your bos-", began Cosette.

"Go", interrupted Enjolras, and she did without so much as glance in his direction.

The late warm afternoon sun descended and was replaced by a cool darkness, as the last few workmen packed and filtered out, Eponine sighed before turning to leave, her heart was stopped by sight of Enjolras standing by the door. Slowly she walked up him, he glanced at her nervously, before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a plaster, wordlessly he unraveled it before reaching out and gently laying it across the scratch, tenderly smoothing the surface with his cool fingers. Eponine stood perfectly still, until he was done, his fingers lingered on her cheek before pulling back.

"Why are you here", Eponine finally asked after a long silence.

"I came to see you", he said softly.

"Do you have something to say to me", she asked glancing at him gently.

"I'm a just a little curious about why you treat me so well, but expect nothing in return...I've been going crazy wondering why you're so accepting of everything, it's as if you're waiting for everything to fall apart, waiting to have your heart broken...why are you like this, answer me so I can understand", Enjolras' face was furrowed with frustration and curiosity.

"The answer isn't that complicated...it's because I like you, so I don't really have the right to get angry, if you don't take my side, because I decided to like you, all on my own, I don't expect anything from you, because you've never given me reason to... but it's okay I just want to be near you" he glanced over the apprehension speckled across her face, took in the way her eyes were gazing at him, like he was something delicate and precious, and in response his heart began beating almost feverishly against his ribcage.

"So are you saying you have no expectations from the person you like", he asked disbelief edging its way into his voice.

"Do you really want to know, the only thing I want from the person I like", Eponine asked.

"Yes...I want to know" he asked, inhaling deeply.

"All I want is someone who won't leave me, someone who can stay with me for a long, long time, the thing I hate most in this world, is being abandoned...but I don't have the right to ask that, because my love is one-sided", the word love somehow fell out from between Eponine's lips, the weight of that utterance hung in the air heavily, Enjolras took a deep breath feeling as if all the air had been punched out of his lungs, but as he gazed into Eponine's eyes swirling with panic and fear, she looked so vulnerable and exposed, he decided to take a chance.

"What if it's not one-sided...what then", he asked steadily holding her gaze.