A/N: Well, Sorry for the wait, but I'm making slow progress with this. I would just like to point out that I have lost two dogs in the making of this novel. And that is just heartbreaking when I think of this. RIP Baron.

For this chapter, my advice is just to pay careful attention to the accents. It will keep you from getting confused. Thank you, and I would appreciate your thoughts as always. This chapter finally brings a bunch of things to light and opens up a whole new set of closed doors.

Enjoy!

Worlds Away

Chapter 35 - Crossed My Path That Day

No sound is around when you sleep, you only dream in wishes of what could have been. Dreams are beautiful wonders that can mean so much to a person. Dreams can reoccur memories of seconds in your day and those seconds can shatter a lifetime.

Eponine jumped to her feet, not even bothering to detangle herself from Enjolras' arm draped around her. The room suddenly felt so much smaller than before. She clutched her chest, squeezing the fabric of the borrowed shirt she was wearing in her fist as she remembered:

This life was her second chance at love. This is why she was here.

Her mind was whirling as she heaved trying to slow her mind down so that she could possibly think straight. Running to the window, she forcefully tried to push it open; she needed air, but the window wouldn't budge. She could see the strips of yellow in the distance across the fields. Dawn was breaking.

"Eponine?" That sleep-soaked voice startled her, making her whip around away from the window and tiptoe closer to him.

"Go back to sleep," she said in the most level voice she could manage.

"C'm…here," he hazily whispered, rubbing the spot on the bed next to him, "what's wrong?"

Should she tell him? She couldn't possibly tell him? 'I just realized destiny has given me a second chance at love, but we're all going to die so I will never attain love after all, it seems. Isn't fate cruel?' Yes, that would certainly go over well. So she couldn't tell him.

She took a few quick strides back to the bed and kneeled on it, leaning closer to Enjolras. She ran her fingers soothingly through his hair, watching his eyelids flutter close. "Go back to sleep," she whispered lowly to him. "I'm just going to go for a walk…I just need some air, alright?"

"Mmm…hmm…" he mumbled as his fluttering eyes closed completely.

She slowly backed herself off the bed, pulled on the pair of discarded jeans from yesterday, and slipped out of the room.

...

The floors creaked as she tried to move silently through the halls, avoiding any loose floorboard to no avail. Eventually, she made it out of the inn without waking Monsieur or Madame Lavigne - which in itself was quite a feat noting how much noise she made. Once outside, she continued on her way, heading down the dirt path that led to the town. She had no plan in mind, because honestly she just needed to get away for a little bit.

Eponine ran her fingers along the wood of the fence to the paddock on her right. But suddenly she stopped as a looming black figure caught her attention out in the field. Bathing in the warm morning glow, was Nobel. A broad smile broke across Eponine's features and she hopped up on the fence and whistled. Sure enough, the horse's ears perked in her direction and soon he was trotting toward her.

"Bonjour, Nobel!" she greeted as she reached up to stroke his muzzle. "It's a good morning, is it not?"

He didn't reply but she cocked her head to the side anyway as if he might answer her.

"A good morning, I do say, but a peculiar one," she continued without an answer. "Would you believe it, Nobel? I think I have realized that I love Enjolras. But do you think he loves me in return? Could that be so? But how odd is it that I realized perhaps fate has given us a chance to be together?"

Nobel nickered to her as she scratched his forehead.

"Yes, very odd," she mused. "But is it true? Do you think that's why I'm here? That we are destined to be together? But if he does not love me, does that make destiny wrong? Can destiny be wrong? It's possible, is it not? Do you think he loves me, Nobel?"

The horse did not respond as she waited for an answer she knew wouldn't come.

She sighed heavily and moved her hand to pet down his neck. "I hope he loves me, for I very much love him. But shhh...you shan't tell him. He might not love me back...and then I would just be a fool again...a fool like I was with Marius." She paused as she remembered her days when her only thoughts revolved around Marius. "Nobel, I don't want to be a fool again," she continued, "I want to be smart, as Enjolras tells me I am. I want to be a good woman, I want to make him proud of me. You know...my stomach hurts sometimes when I look at him - "

She was cut off by a rumbling in her stomach to which she just laughed.

"No, that one was because I'm just hungry. I left without breakfast, you know." She stroked Nobel all over his neck. "You're such a beautiful horse. You know, I've always wanted to ride...you think maybe destiny would let me ride a horse one day? Perhaps a horse as pretty as you?"

She paused again as if waiting for him to answer. In the silence, she stepped off the bottom rung of the fence and landed on the ground. "Well you know, I do think so." Eponine took a step backwards. "Well, thank you for letting me pet you. I must be getting some breakfast now, I'm awfully hungry."

She turned away and started walking along the path again. "Au revoir, Nobel," she called out and suddenly she stopped, turning around abruptly, "and remember, don't tell him!"

...

The town was just beginning to bustle to life as dawn crept further over the wakers. She smiled longingly as she observed the citizens running about to start their day. It all reminded her so much of Paris and she actually found herself missing that big city teeming with life in every corner.

Silently humming to herself, Eponine wandered into a bakery. It just happened to be the one her and Enjolras stopped into their first day in town before they found the inn.

"Bonjour," she heard the baker call as she entered.

"Comment allez-vous?" she smiled to him as she approached the counter and peered at all the delectable pastries and treats through the glass counter.

"Très bien, merci," he answered back watching her and waiting for her to decide what she wanted.

Eponine suddenly paled and wondered if she had enough money to buy herself a pastry for breakfast. But as she felt in her back pocket, she thanked her lucky stars that she had left five Euros in her pocket from yesterday. This was the money Enjolras had given her for some of the games at the fair but after everything that had happened, she never ended up spending it.

She pointed her finger against the glass and pointed at one pastry. "Paris-Brest, please," she said, then chuckled silently to herself at what Enjolras would say to her about having a dessert for breakfast. But she didn't mind, he wasn't here to judge her.

The baker handed her the pastry wrapped in paper and she handed him the money. When he brought her change back to her, suddenly his eyes darted to hers and then to the right, then back to hers and to the right again. "Twins?" he asked curiously.

Eponine furrowed her brow. "Huh?" she asked as she turned her head right.

Her eyes widened as she beheld the image of herself next to her. Except this version of herself was a bit different. Her skin was grimy and her hair looked like it hadn't been washed in a few days. Her jeans were torn at the knees and her pale blue t-shirt held a stain on the bottom left side of it. Yet strikingly, her hair was the same color and the features of her face were the exact same; the resemblance was astounding. However this girl was much thinner than Eponine was now but her eyes held a fire, a passion, and an intensity that could not be cooled. Her gaze was fearsome but Eponine could see that the eyes she was looking into widened just as much as hers did. They stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity before the baker's chuckling interrupted them. He gave the girls a friendly smile before turning to help another customer.

Eponine was immobile, clutching her pastry so tightly that the filling was beginning to squish out the sides. "You - You...me?" she stuttered, still in shock that she was staring into her own face.

The girl smiled in a friendly manner, not seeming to be phased by the situation as much now. "I'm Éponine," she said sweetly in a low voice.

"Éponine? I'm Eponine too..." she answered cautiously.

This girl, Éponine, gave an incredulous sigh. "I don't believe it," she breathed. "You look just like me."

Eponine shook her head. "How..." she trailed off.

Éponine shrugged. "Hey," her double perked up and motioned to the pastry in her hand, "are you gonna eat all that?"

As much as Eponine was wary of this new Éponine, she was just as much curious as to why she was staring at herself. What did any of this mean? Was it even possible to meet yourself? But why was she meeting herself? She looked down at her pastry and gave a small smile, "I guess we can share it."

Cautiously, Éponine peered around the bakery and then nodded to the door. "C'mon, let's go for a walk and talk." Her feet began moving before Eponine even had a chance to answer. She was left to follow still holding the smushed pastry in her hand.

"There's too many nosy people in there," Éponine explained once they stepped onto the sidewalk. She picked up her pace and began to walk along the city blocks. "So tell me, who are you?"

"I have already told you, I'm Eponine - "

"So what? There just happens to be another girl that looks like me and has the same name as me running around France?"

Eponine's face broke into a smile and she nearly chuckled. "No, I'm from 1832...I don't really know why I'm here."

The other girl's face paled. "From 1832?" she repeated, needing clarification. "Impossible!"

She creased her brow, "What?"

Éponine shook her head. "I just - That seems hard to believe."

"No, it's true! I swear!"

"Well, if you swear, how in the world did you get here? Why are you even here then?"

Eponine only shuffled her feet as she looked to the ground. "I was shot in 1832," she explained lamely. "I woke up in this time period. As to why, I think we are the same person...just from different times. I think destiny brought me here."

Her double stilled, carefully contemplating her words. But before she could let on to her confusion about being the same person, Éponine diffused the seriousness with a snide remark. "Destiny?" she scoffed. "You really believe in that baloney? What? You also believe in Karma and La Petite souris too?"

Eponine shook her head confused at her words. "I don't know...what is - "

"So how did you really get here?"

Eponine's eyes widened, she felt like she was being attacked and she didn't even know what she did. "I've already told you. I-I...I got shot on the barricades, during the battle...I woke up here."

"Barricades? What are the barricades? What battle? What are you talking about?"

"Do you not know?" she asked as they rounded the corner and continued down another block. Eponine wasn't too sure where they were walking but she followed diligently behind Éponine with all her trust. "The students arranged a barricade in front of the Musain, they were protesting the King."

"Students? What kind of students?"

Eponine grimaced. "Smart ones," she grinned suddenly, at a loss for any other way to describe them. "They're called Les Amis d'ABC."

Éponine just smiled to her at her factious comment. "Marius was a student when I knew him. You mean students like him? I think he had student friends..."

"You know Marius?" the one from the former time period asked eagerly.

"Oh yes...I think I was in love with him...but I had to leave him." Éponine looked away, thinking of somewhere far off. "I wasn't safe in Paris anymore...I had to leave him."

"You know," Eponine said, trying to smile, "I quite fancied him myself. But I've grown since then...but please tell, why weren't you safe in Paris anymore?"

She closed her eyes for a few moments before answering. "I just had to. My life got too messed up there. I had to leave...it was my only option."

"So then you decided to come to Vézénobres?"

"Well, not directly. I've been traveling all across France for the past two years. I hopped some trains, a few buses, and well I just ended up here. Been living in this town about a month now. What about you? Why aren't you in Paris? If you say you woke up here, why aren't you there, in Paris?"

"Oh," she smiled, thinking of the reason. "Well, yes, I did wake up in Paris. But I'm here in Vézénobres with Enjolras. We've been spreading the word of his revolution."

"Who's Enjolras?" she asked, truly serious.

Eponine was a little taken aback. How did her double not know of the revolutionary who stole her heart? Even in 1832, before Eponine knew she loved, she still at least knew of Enjolras, even if she never talked with him. "Éponine..." Eponine said cautiously, "how much do you know?"

"What?"

"I guess I mean, what has your life been like? Was it similar to mine?"

Éponine stopped walking abruptly and turned to face her double. "Azelma died. My father killed her when I was twelve."

"I know."

"You know?"

"Yes...I remembered. When I ran into Montparnasse...he helped me remember."

"Wait? You remember my memory? How is that even possible?"

"Well, I said that I believe we are the same person - "

"Wait, so, does that mean the dreams I have about cobblestone alleys, freezing nights, bare feet in the snow, and Marius dressed up all nice...does that mean those are your memories? They're - they're not really just dreams?" she waited, gauging Eponine's reaction. "And secondly, why would you let Montparnasse help you with something? He's a bastard!"

Eponine let a smile find her lips as she thought about Montparnasse. "Well, to answer your first question, I guess I suppose so. You must remember my memories as well. And as for Montparnasse, actually, I thought he was a bastard at first too, but I've realized how wrong I was. Really, he is not all that bad...he is my friend now...well," Eponine fell silent. "I am still his friend even if he is not mine," she muttered.

Éponine thought about inquiring further but decided on elaborating about her journeys instead. She nodded to her new friend and smiled as they picked up their pace again and continued walking. "Well, I still hate Montparnasse. He was another reason why I had to leave Paris two years ago. However, when I was 12, that was when I left home because of..."

"Azelma," Eponine finished. "Yes I remember."

"Right," she murmured, looking to the ground and trying not to dwell on the gruesome memory. "So I ran away - "

"For good?"

"Yes, of course 'for good,' why would I go back to my parents?"

Eponine stopped walking abruptly. "But Éponine! Did you not think about how that would change everything? Didn't you realize - " She cut herself off as realization marked her own features. "Oh dear! Éponine! You changed destiny by running away! You never considered what would happen to Gavroche...or to the Patron Minette - "

"Now, just wait a second! You can't tell me that I wasn't thinking when I ran away. You can't possibly have expected me to live with that asshole! He killed me sister, Eponine."

"No, I'm not saying that - "

"I think I'm perfectly justified in running away. And I don't need you to tell me otherwise."

"No, Éponine, just listen. I'm just trying to understand that if our lives are similar, why you don't know everyone who I do. But it makes sense now. Yes, see? This is why you don't know Enjolras, or any of Les Amis, but you know Marius...and oh, you must not have given the letters to Cosette then, and the Rue Plumet - OH!" Eponine gasped.

Éponine now looked a bit frightened by her sudden rambling and her sudden cry with no explanation yet. She gave her a quizzical look, hoping she would elaborate.

Eponine gripped onto Éponine's arm with her free hand. "This is why I'm here," she stated softly.

"What are you talking about?" Éponine responded rather harshly, shaking her arm free.

"You believe I am from 1832, yes?" The other girl nodded, a little skeptical, but a nod nonetheless. "And I believe destiny has brought me here for a specific reason. First I thought it was because I missed my chance at love, I thought my destiny was Enjolras. But now I realize, my destiny is to fill in for you."

"What?" Éponine snapped.

"Do you not understand? When you ran away, you changed your destiny, you messed up everything and so to keep things in line, the fates sent me in your place."

"Me? Messed everything up? I'm not the one who killed my sister! It's not me, it's my father. He is the one who messed up everything!"

"Yes, you are right," Eponine acknowledged, calming her growing vexation. "But this explains why I was at the Rue Plumet that night not too long ago. You were not around and so I had to take your place. That is why your - well our - father did not rob Cosette's house. If I wasn't there to stop him, he would have, and everything would have been different. And now this all means," she gulped, "I will be taking your place in the revolution."

Éponine stilled before a broad smile broke across her face. Her double could only stand there confused as to what she could possibly be smiling about. Didn't she understand how grave this situation was? "Eponine, would you listen to yourself? That sounds crazy. Destiny isn't real. There are no fates controlling what you do - "

"Then tell me why I'm here, huh? Please tell me, because I would like to know," Eponine bit out brusquely.

"...well," Éponine paused, averting her gaze and taking a few steps to continue walking. "I don't know!" she snapped. "But destiny is a crazy idea. There is no such thing."

Eponine jogged a few steps to keep pace with her long strides. "There must be. There has to be. I surely believe there is. I cannot explain why else I would be here. And whether you or I like it or not, I am here now, and we are the same person. We share the same memories and the same events of our lives."

Éponine held her breath. How could she possibly refute that notion. Even if destiny could not explain it, the unfathomable was the reality. "We are the same," she repeated slowly.

"I am sure of it," Eponine answered.

The double from the present looked to the floor and the back to her friend - her self. "I guess it makes sense," she muttered. Her eyes wandered to the pastry still securely held in Eponine's hands. "I thought you said we could share that," she laughed as she motioned to it with her finger.

"Oh, yes, we can," Eponine smiled upon remembering. "You look rather starved. Have you eaten recently?"

"…not since yesterday morning."

Eponine nodded in empathy. She had been there too many times before. So she proceeded to break the smushed Paris-Brest in half and give one of the pieces to her new friend. "Life has been difficult recently?" she questioned after taking a bite of her own pastry half.

Éponine nearly inhaled her piece, shoving it into her mouth like an animal and licking her fingers clean of the filling that had seeped out of it. "Try every day of my life. It hasn't gotten any easier," she bit out coldly.

"I understand that…perhaps there is something Enjolras and I can do to help you?"

"I don't need any charity, Eponine. And I especially don't need it from myself." This girl was indignant, Eponine was sure to notice. She was bitter and angry and cruel, but she also understood that the world had shaped her this way. Goodness was a rarity for those on the streets. If it weren't for Enjolras, Eponine would be the very same way.

"Understandable," Eponine muttered.

"So tell me about this Enjolras," Éponine interrupted before her double had a chance to say anything else.

Eponine smiled at the thought of her blonde revolutionary and Éponine was sure to notice her expression. "Oh, he is wonderful. He is more than I could ever ask for. Even more than Marius was for me, because I truly feel that Enjolras cares for me. So much more than Marius ever did."

"Don't speak of Marius like that!"

"But I only speak the truth! Éponine, you must meet Enjolras, you must see why I care for him. He is such a passionate man, and his words ignite something in me…and oh, every time he looks at me, my stomach flutters to the point I think it may fly away from me." Éponine chuckled at her comment. "What? Is something I said funny?"

"Well, if I had any doubt you were from 1832, I fully believe you now."

Eponine scowled at her in a mocking way before she began laughing as well. "But once you meet him, you will surely see what I mean. He is much more than Marius, and I assure you of that."

Éponine shrugged, "I suppose I'll take your word for it."

The girls suddenly stopped walking as they heard someone shouting their name. It was faint, but it was enough for both of them to turn their heads and look around. Where was the noise coming from? Then suddenly, far off, Eponine smiled and pointed, "Look, there is Enjolras!" she smiled. "Oh, he looks worried," she cringed upon noticing his far off distraught features.

Enjolras hadn't noticed the girls up ahead but continued to shout Eponine's name down the block and stop any passerby.

"Oh wow," Éponine muttered. "That's Enjolras? He's a looker for sure."

"Yes, he is quite handsome," she said smiling as she watched him. "Come, I'll introduce you to him." Eponine grabbed Éponine's hand and began to pull her but Éponine stood her ground.

"No, it's alright. I better be on my way, anyway. I've got some things to take care of."

"It'll only take a moment," she pleaded.

"No, it's alright," she gulped at a loss. "You're right, he does look awfully worried for you. It looks like he cares a lot about you as well. I'd probably just scare him off…and besides, don't you think he would just freak out at seeing two Éponine's next to each other?"

"But he knows I am from 1832 - "

"But he doesn't know there are two Éponine's so…you get it. It'll only freak him out. Go to him, he's looking for you."

Eponine nodded. "I guess so. But Éponine, I'd love to see you again sometime soon. Perhaps you'll come to one of our rallies? Meet Les Amis?"

"…perhaps," she said as she began to walk away. But suddenly, her feet stopped and she leaped forward and flung herself into Eponine's arms, giving her a strong hug. "Perhaps I'll see you around," she smiled as she pulled back.

She took a few steps away and began to head down the block in the other direction. When she was a good distance away, Eponine suddenly remembered something. "Éponine! Éponine!" she cried.

Éponine stopped mid-stride and turned back, "What?" she called.

"How's Rue?"

Éponine gazed to the ground and her bottom lip looked as if it were trembling. The mere mention of the word began to stir up something inside of her before she cast a teary glance back up to Eponine and said, "Gone."

Without another word, she turned on her heal and continued walking away.

Eponine stood motionless, her heart could not take the grief of feeling and knowing what Éponine just imposed on her with that single word. It was enough to bore a hole through her heart and cause her world to halt.

Though she stood frozen in place, she felt her body moved as it was crushed into a hug. "Eponine," Enjolras smooth voice came as he released her, but still held her tightly in his arms. "Where have you been? I've been worried sick."

"Oh, I'm sorry, Enjolras, I was only going for a walk because I needed some air, and I got myself some breakfast."

"You can't just go running off like that! I woke up and you weren't there. Eponine, I thought something happened to you, or I thought you ran off for good."

"No, I'm sorry for making you worry. But I told you I was going out before I left."

"And did I answer you?"

Eponine thought about it for a moment. "I believe your words were, 'Mmm...hmm...'"

He smiled for a brief second before it disappeared into seriousness again. "Well, obviously I wasn't fully awake when you told me. I'd appreciate if you didn't do that again."

"I'm sorry, Enj," she whimpered.

A large smile crossed his face as he realized this was the first time she called him a nickname. Surprisingly, it softened his heart when she said it, feeling like she was finally comfortable around, like she had finally let him in, accepted him into her life. And that was more than he could ever ask for.

"It's alright, ma chèrie," he smiled as he placed a kiss to the top of her head.

Her radiant eyes gazed up to him and her smile warmed his heart. She looked at him with so much adoration in that one moment he almost believed she truly loved him. But she had never said it to him, so he knew it could not be love in her eyes.

"You know, I met someone while I was getting breakfast."

His face paled alarmingly. "I don't want to hear that - "

Realization dawned on her, "No, it wasn't someone like yesterday. It was - " She cut herself off, thinking how he would surely freak out as Éponine predicted her would. "It was a beggar girl."

"A beggar?" he questioned, raising his eyebrow and smirking at her choice of words.

"Yes, you know. She was starved and very thin. I shared with her part of my breakfast and she thanked me. And I made sure to tell her about all the things you plan to do for France and how you are going to help the people, even the beggars."

He slid his hands down her back and clasped them together right above her hips. "Now, I hope you didn't call her a 'beggar' to her face," he chided lightly. Eponine smiled, noticing how he did. "But you make me proud, Eponine. It's nice to hear how you're helping to spread the word with me."

"I'm on your side, or did you forget, Monsieur."

He frowned a bit at her formality, and she noticed. But to show she was only teasing him, she reached up and pressed her lips to his. He smiled against her lips before he kissed her back fervently, tugging her hips in close to his.

Suddenly, he pulled back but kept her firmly pressed against him. "Let's not do this in public," he realized out loud, sparing the citizens from their public display of affection. "What do you say? Let's go home."

"Back to the inn?"

"No, back to Paris."

"But what about heading further south into the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region?"

Enjolras grimaced as he remembered his words from earlier before they left for the trip. "I think we have reached plenty of people in our time here."

Eponine nodded fondly and he pulled her into his chest, wrapping an arm around her shoulders as they began to walk. She sighed, content to just stay safe in his embrace as they glided down the sidewalk.

But neither of them knew of the set of teary brown eyes watching them longingly as they walked away.

* La Petite souris - The French form of the Tooth Fairy.