A/N: So sorry for the delay as always. But here is a comfort chapter. I just know you will all love this. And isn't it funny how this chapter takes place on Christmas day? and that's today? Go figure.
And check out my little spin off for this story, if you would like called, Coerced. It's Enjonine!
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Of Hockey, Harmonies and Husbands
Chapter 21 - Of Learning the Signs
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With no other words, Enjolras wrapped his warm and strong arms around Éponine and pulled her into a hug. Though she didn't hug him back, she closed her eyes, relishing in his warmth, finding a bit of comfort, and letting the tears freely fall once again. It seemed it would be an impossible task to keep her cheeks dry, but right now, she didn't seem to mind.
Calmly, Enjolras ushered her inside, all the while rubbing her back tenderly and closing out the winter air behind them. In a moment, Éponine was situated on the couch and Enjolras was draping a large blanket around her.
Through her blurry vision, she noticed how Enjolras' apartment was sparse of decorations. It was Christmas Day after all, and he didn't even have a tree. Perhaps he didn't celebrate. Éponine thought about inquiring further on the matter, but her mind was too weighed down with her own problems to ask. Right now, there were more important things to think about than the amount of tinsel he has on his walls.
He sat beside her, never taking his sleepy eyes off of her. But, gradually, as the minutes rolled on, he was waking up more and more. He almost wished he put clothes on to answer the door, but Éponine didn't seem to mind his pajamas - but he also bet she hadn't noticed.
"Éponine, tell me what to do. I'll help you." His voice was no more than a whisper, afraid that any loud voice would startle the frightened young creature.
She shivered, clutching the blanket tightly around her. "I don't know what to do. I just wanted to see you...I just wanted to hear your voice..."
Her words sounded so much like a declaration of love, but Enjolras knew better; he knew the words were far from that. He scooted closer to her and her body stilled so Enjolras did the same. Perhaps a shift toward her was too much? He slowly retracted his body and leaned away from her. "Can you tell me what happened? Éponine, I haven't seen you in so long."
She sucked in a breath. "I know...I tried not to stay away. But he follows me...he watches everything I do - "
"Then how did you get away now?"
"He was sleeping," she breathed, saying the words as if they were a secret.
Enjolras took in a large breath, calming his nerves. "I won't let you go back there. He doesn't know you're here. You'll be safe with me. I'm gonna call the police. We won't let - "
"No, please - "
"But Éponine, you want help, remember? You just asked. This is how I can help, this is what we can do."
"But no. We can't get the police involved. It's not that bad. I-I just...I need a doctor. Yes. Please, I just need to make sure I'm okay."
"Éponine. What happened?" His words came out stern this time and the unintended coldness caused a few more tears to fall from her eyes. Instantly, he regretted the way he said it, wishing he could take the words back. She didn't answer him. "How can you say it's not that bad? Of course it's bad. Please...just tell me."
Again, she didn't speak. Instead, she stared down at her hands, fingers instinctively swirling her wedding band.
"What happened?" he whispered.
Suddenly, a bitter chuckle fell out. The sound was enough to scare Enjolras for a moment, not expecting a noise like that. "Where do you want me to start?"
His stomach lurched. "The morning you left me. When I stupidly let you stay the night. What happened when you got home?"
"I went to work." She said it simply, as if it were obvious. "I couldn't go home. I knew he'd be mad. So, I went right to work. But the day had to end, and I had to go home. 'Parnasse was waiting for me." Then, she stopped speaking, eyes widening and words failing. Should she really be telling Enjolras about her punishment? He was going to judge her. He was going to judge their life. He was going to assume Montparnasse was wrong. He was going to say awful things.
"Éponine?"
She shook her head. "I can't say."
Suddenly, in a motion that surprised even himself, Enjolras grabbed her fidgeting hand and forced her to look at him. "You can tell me."
She whipped her hand from his grasp, anger setting in her features. "No! I can't!" The tears cascaded down her again, her mouth smiling as she folded in on herself. She hunched over, breath at her knees.
His hands hovered above her before finally, he peeled her shoulders back and pulled her into him. She didn't pull away this time, but she continued crying into him. This time, he didn't press the matter further. If she wasn't pulling away, this was at least a step forward. "I'll call Combeferre," he finally said. "I'll get him to come over and look at you, okay?"
She shook her head, breathing in a sob in order to speak. "I can't let you. It's Christmas. Doesn't he have something better to be doing? He doesn't have time to worry about me."
"Éponine, he'll come, it's not a problem. I'll get him to come look at you."
Again, she shook her head. "I'll have to be heading home soon. I can't stay here long."
"Please, Éponine. You just asked for a doctor, I can get Ferre here. I want to make sure you're okay. I want to help you. Please, just let me help."
She shrugged her shoulders, leaning away from him and righting herself up. "I don't know what to do. I don't know how you can help. Montparnasse has just been..." Her voice trailed off and Enjolras was struggling to hear her. "...lately. It will get better, it always does..." She shook her head again. "...last night...but he'll apologize. I know he will...he didn't mean to - "
"Éponine," Enjolras cut her off. "Would you be willing to do me a favor? It's nothing big. I just want you to read something for me." She lifted her eyes to his and nodded unsurely. "Do you have a computer at home?"
"'Parnasse does. But I don't know the codes to it. I don't know the code to his iPad either."
"You don't have a home computer, a desktop?"
"No, he only has a laptop."
"Okay," he groused, rubbing his chin and standing to his feet. "Then give me a second."
Éponine watched him in bewilderment as he left the room and disappeared around the corner. In the next moment, Enjolras was back carrying his own laptop. He sat back down next to her and put the sliver Macbook on his lap. Flipping open the lid, he waited for the screen to light up and typed in his password. She watched on curiously as he opened up the internet and typed in directly:
"signs of abusive relationship"
Her brow furrowed and she opened her mouth to refute him. But instead, she watched as the the first blue link that appeared, he clicked on and scrolled down the page. He stopped on a box that read:
"SIGNS THAT YOU'RE IN AN ABUSIVE RELATIONSHIP"
He placed the laptop of her lap with a deep breath. "Just read."
"Enjolras, this doesn't have anything to do with - "
"Please, just read."
She sighed as her eyes scanned over the questions that directly asked her about herself, her thoughts and feelings - and her partner, his violent and controlling behavior. It seemed like the world fell still. She gasped, covering her own mouth with her hand as she read. The questions were simple:
Do you:
- feel afraid of your partner?
- feel that you can't do anything right?
- feel worried about angering your partner?
- wonder if you're the one who is crazy?
Éponine's finger trembled as she pointed to the last question. She felt the hot tears coming down her face again. "I am crazy," she whispered to the computer screen.
Enjolras placed a hand on her shoulder, causing her to flinch. He wasn't trying to scare her, just reassure her. But he removed his hand and moved his head closer to her to whisper back, "You're not crazy, Éponine. I promise you that."
"But I am!" she shrieked, whipping her eyes to face him. "I am crazy. He says he didn't hit me, but I felt it! I thought I felt it, but he says he didn't do it. 'Parnasse even said he didn't see anything. He even said he never hit me. I know that...I know I'm crazy...these things just keep happening."
"Éponine, Éponine," he said, trying to calm her down and stop her rambling. "Please, you aren't. This is one of the signs. This happens to women. Abusers do this - "
"He's not an abuser!"
Enjolras took in a large breath, forcing himself not to yell back at her. "Please," he responded calmly. "Just read the next part."
She stared at him skeptical, worried and anxious. She didn't want to, but seeing his dead, serious stare, she slowly brought her eyes back to the computer screen.
Does your partner:
- criticize and yell at you?
- ignore or put down your accomplishments?
- blame you for their outbursts?
- destroy your belongings?
- hurt you, or threaten to hurt or kill you?
- threaten to harm your children or take them away?
- force you to have sex?
- act excessively jealous and possessive?
- see you as property, a possession, rather than a person?
- control where you go or what you do?
- limit your access to money?
- constantly check up on you?
This time, it was not only tears that fell upon her cheeks, now it was full blown sobbing. She could barely even see the words of the computer screen anymore. But it was a good thing, the words hurt too much to even look at.
"I'm sorry," Enjolras breathed. "I'm just trying to make you understand...I - " He paused watching Éponine's finger lift to the computer screen again. She tried to cover her sob with her hand, but it was in vain. She touched one particular sentence with another sob. Her finger hovered the sentence: force you to have sex?
She nodded, keeping her hand over her mouth.
Enjolras felt his heart crack. The weight of her motions colliding over his world, forcing him to really see the depravity of the situation. "Éponine," he began tentatively and gently, "did he force you?"
Slowly and trembling, she lowered her hand to speak. "Yes. Last night."
"Éponine, I swear, you have to understand, this isn't okay. This is not okay. This is a real issue. There are so many women, just like you who go through this. You aren't alone. I'm going to help you. I'm going to make sure he never touches you again."
"But...he loves me," her voice cracked over the words.
He fell silent. How could he refute that? And more importantly, how could he refute that without angering her? He decided to continue as if he never heard those words. "We're going to make a plan. Okay? We're going to get you out of there. Look."
He took the computer from her lap and put it on his own. He scrolled down the page as her eyes followed. He stopped on a link saying: Taking the steps to leave and clicked it. Quickly, he skimmed the page, having read it all before, and turned his eyes to Éponine.
"We're going to make an escape plan for you. The first thing to do will be to pack a bag. Grab everything you want and keep it hidden. You're gonna rehearse your escape plan so when it really goes into action, you'll know what to do. Next, you'll memorize my number. Once you leave, find a pay phone and call me - " He paused, seeing the reaction on her face. Her eyes were wide, turning redder with each passing moment. "What?"
Her eyes were fully glazed over, her mouth trembling with the hint of another sob. "I can't just leave him, Enjolras. I love him."
"But he hurts you, Éponine. Constantly. This isn't a one time thing, from what I gather. And if you stay, you may just end up getting yourself killed."
"This is too much," she muttered, looking away again, wrapping her arms tighter around herself. "He needs me. If I'm not there, he is only going to get angrier. I have to stay with him. Remember? As long as he needs me. As. Long. As. He. Needs. Me. And I know he needs me."
"How many times can I say this? You're not safe with him. He is going to keep hurting you."
"Stop saying things like that!"
"Éponine, it's true and you know it's true." He didn't want to get mad. He couldn't get mad at her, but he couldn't help it; she refused to understand. He exhaled longingly. "I saw Azelma the other day and she - "
"You saw Azelma?" She stared at him, perplexed. "How do you know Azelma?"
"She came into the bar." He rubbed behind his neck with his hand. "I didn't know it was her. But we started talking and when I found out her name, it made sense. She's been worried for weeks about you. Apparently, Montparnasse called her asking to speak to you...?"
She took a deep breath. "I know, that's how he found out I wasn't at Azelma's house the night we had dinner here. He found out I've been lying to him. But...I didn't tell him about you. If he found out about you..." She gulped. "...you wouldn't be safe."
He stilled, letting her words sink in fully. But choosing not to comment further, he said, "Azelma can help too. We can set something up with her. Maybe you can stay with her for awhile."
Éponine only shrugged.
"But I really think we should call the police - " Her eyes widened. "When your ready," he finished. "But they should know, they could really help you."
"Okay," she whispered. "But not right now."
Éponine stood up from the couch, dropping the blanket where she was just sitting. Enjolras scrambled to his feet. "Wait, where are you going?"
"This is too much to think about. I should be going home. I feel...better...after talking to you. That was all I wanted."
"But Éponine, we haven't even planned anything yet. We need to have a plan if you're going to go home. I have to be able to contact you. We should call your sister. I can have Combeferre come over to look at you - "
"Please, it's alright. You've given me enough to think about right now." She took a step away from the couch.
He was beginning to panic. "Please, wait. D-do you have your own money? Y-your...your work checks? You get those right?"
She paused, turning to face him and looked to the ground. "My checks are direct deposit into my checking account. But I'm not allowed to know the pass codes for the account. Montparnasse usually gives me an allowance though. But recently, he's been forgetting...and I don't like to bring it up."
Enjolras inwardly groaned, suppressing the urge to roll his eyes. But he shouldn't be surprised, he knew financial abuse was just as common as physical abuse. "Okay...well, whatever money you can get, start saving it. Steal some of his if you have to, but only if it's safe. Only if he realizes it won't be missing. Don't put yourself at unnecessary risk. And when he gets angry, find safe areas. You know, stay away from the kitchen, the bathroom...do what you can to protect yourself." Enjolras racked his brain, thinking of more tips and knowing he didn't have long to keep talking. "Do you know your neighbors?"
"No, we live pretty secluded."
"Okay...but before you go, can you write me down your address, just in case you need me, okay? Just in case something happens, you can call, and I'll come. I promise." He scrabbled to the kitchen, pulling a pad from a drawer and searching about for a pen. When he finally located one, he tossed them both on the counter.
Gracefully, she wrote her address on the little white pad of paper.
"And Éponine, what's your last name?" He felt like an imbecile asking that, thinking he should already know it, but it was imperative.
"Moreaux."
He smiled kindly, even though she didn't return it. "Great," he breathed. "I'm going to contact your sister and just let her know I saw you, okay? I'll see about getting you a prepaid phone or something. And I'm going to call one of these hotlines and a divorce lawyer - "
"Divorce!?" Her eyes bulged. "Enjolras, no one said anything about divorce!"
He held his hands up in defense. "Alright...alright. But it's an option, Éponine. A good one to keep on the table."
She turned around again, heading for the door.
"Can I walk you to your car?"
She shook her head. "I can go alone. It'll be fine, it's not far."
"I really don't mind," he insisted. "Please let me."
She sighed deeply and nodded. Quickly, she heard the shuffle of Enjolras scramble for his coat and get it on. He grabbed his keys from the hook and closed the door behind them.
"Éponine." He paused, waiting to see if she would respond, waiting to see if she'd look at him. But her eyes only stared at the ground as they walked. "When can I see you again? I need to see you soon."
"I'll come by the bar," she said quietly.
"We'll get coffee."
She closed her eyes in a silent protest, but opened them and nodded. She never lifted her head up. "I'll come to the bar when I can, and then we can get coffee."
"Okay, that's reasonable."
They walked quietly together, Éponine leading the way, lost in her own thoughts.
But the more she walked, the more she felt like she would kiel over at any moment. She stared at the ground as she walked mindlessly. Her mind was on overload thinking of everything she just learned, replaying everything Enjolras has just said to her. Was this really what her marriage had come to? Abuse? Sure she had known of his violent tendencies, she knew of the beatings, she understood how frequent it happened sometimes, but an abusive relationship?
Yet, the website knew exactly what was happening in her marriage? How could it possibly have known? Enjolras said it happened to other women too, he said she wasn't alone. Was that true? Did other women receive punishments by their husbands? Were other women...abused?
All of a sudden, she lifted her eyes to see her car while fishing for her keys in her pocket. Perched up coolly against her passenger door, arms folded across his chest and smug smile on his lips, was Montparnasse.
She froze.
The world fell still and she stood there immobilized by fear, trying to adjust to the figure of him standing before her.
"Éponine, Éponine, Éponine," he taunted, pushing himself upright and sauntering over to her. His eyes darted quickly to Enjolras beside her. "My, my, what have we here?"
Enjolras' eyes hardened and he couldn't help it. The second Montparnasse latched onto Éponine's upper arm, he let his fist fly forward, straight into her husband's cheek. "Don't you fucking touch her!"
A/N: Well…where did that come from? That wasn't in the outline.
I completely completely apologize for the curse at the end. I don't curse at all. And I hate this word. But I wrote this sentence a million ways and none had as much as an impact as this. So…I kept it. But..it's not me cursing, it's Enjolras. At least, I'm trying to tell myself that. And I have a precarious feeling that I'm gonna have to have these characters curse more now that things are coming to a head. I apologize in advance.