(AN – Hello lovely people! I once again have to apologise for not updating quicker, I've been really sick with the NoroVirus! Not fun! Also sorry it's only a short chapter, again, blame the sickness. Thank you to TcEm who reviewed every chapter of the story so far makes my day when I read peoples reviews. Anyway, on with the story, I hope you enjoy…)

Chapter Ten – The Corinth

She had tired quickly of watching Marius and Cosette but she had only managed to move far enough away that she couldn't see them. Even now she couldn't fully leave Marius. She tried to use her imagination to escape reality but it didn't work the way it usually did so instead she searched back in her mind to happy memories of summers in Montfermeil.

Her attention was brought back to the present by the sound of approaching footsteps. She pressed deeper into the shadows she used like a shield. The face of the man approaching was one she knew, Montparnasse, what was he doing here? She would have simply let him pass but it struck her as strange that he was so far away from his usual patch. Her curiosity got the better of her.

"Montparnasse." She whispered stepping out from the shadows.

"Eponine," he cried. "Thank goodness you spoke, a moment later and I might have slit your throat."

"What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing Eponine." He said, his grey eyes narrowed suspiciously at her, his dark hair hidden under a cap. "Does your bourgeois live around here?"

Eponine didn't answer, she simply stared him levelly in the eye, hopefully if she kept him talking long enough he wouldn't walk round the corner straight into Marius.

"We got a job here Eponine," he conceded. "Your Papa set it up. You know the old man that got away from us yesterday. Apparently your Papa knew who he was, reckons he owes him to so we made a plan to rob his house."

A wave of panic rushed through Eponine. If Montparnasse walked around that corner and into Marius, it didn't bare thinking about, she had to stop him.

"Parnasse-" She began, but it was apparently all the invitation he needed, he pushed her back into the wall she had previously been leaning on and pressed a crushing kiss to her mouth. Marius, the things I do for you, she thought. As if he could sense that her full attention was not on him Montparnasse bit down hard on her lip, she winced as she tasted blood in her mouth.

"Montparnasse." She heard her father's voice hiss. "Who is this hussy?"

"It's Eponine, don't you recognise your own brat." Brujon laughed.

Montparnasse stepped aside and Eponine realised that Claquesous and Babet were following closely behind her father.

"Papa!" she cried, knowing that distracting Montparnasse would not stop anything if the whole Patron-Minette was here.

"Get out of the way Eponine. What has gotten into you tonight?" Her father pushed her roughly aside.

"She's going soft, too much time spent around that student. You're not doing your job properly 'Parnasse, need me to give you a hand." Claquesous laughed, earning him a shove from 'Parnasse. Eponine ignored them both and stood in front of her father.

"I know this house," she said, desperation causing her words to flow a little too quickly. "I know the old man and his daughter that live here, they live simply lives, there is nothing worth stealing here."

Her father struck her across the face sending her head snapping backwards.

"That's enough of your cheek little mademoiselle," her father sneered.

The Patron-Minette continued towards their target, Eponine's head was whirling, she had to think of something or Marius would think she was in on this.

"I'll scream," she shouted, drawing the attention of the five men. "One more step and I'll scream." she threatened again in a lower voice.

"Control the girl Thenardier, we haven't got time for this." Babet snapped.

"If you scream," her father threated, "then I will give you something to scream about."

They were turning away from her again, left with no choice Eponine hurled in a breath and let out an ear piercing scream that shattered the dark night for what seemed like an age before it was cut off by a swift punch to the gut from Montparnasse.

"What did you do that for Eponine?" He screeched, pulling her back into a standing position.

"Montparnasse, leave her for now, we need to split." Babet shouted. The members of the Patron-Minette ran past her. Only her father stopped to grab her by the chin.

"You'll regret this Eponine." He whispered savagely, planting one final blow onto her already sore cheek before running off into the darkness.

She remained where she was for a moment, catching the breath that had been snatched from her body by Montparnasse's blow, her head was dizzy. She wiped her arm across her mouth and saw blood. I've had worse, she thought bitterly. Gingerly she took a few steps forwards so that Cosette's house was in clearer view. Marius was no longer there. Cosette still remained in the garden the old gentleman that had bumped into Eponine the day before approached her.

"Cosette, thank goodness I thought I heard a scream." The man cried.

"I screamed Papa, I thought I saw someone but it was nothing."

The old man put his arm around Cosette and led her back into the house.

Eponine turned her steps away as it began to rain. She had not missed the spooked expression on the man's face and now she thought about it he had run from Javert just as fast as any member of her father's gang the day before. That was not usual behaviour for a victim. Perhaps this man had something to fear. I could scare him away, get Cosette out of the picture and then Marius would….Marius would still never look twice at me she thought. As the rain poured down she wandered the streets of Paris, on her own, like usual, she got as far as the Corinth wine shop before she sat on the floor and finally allowed the tears that had been building all day to flow.

~X~

Enjolras was trying hard to study the map in front of him. He had not said one word to Marius since the young man had re-entered the café. Marius and Eponine were as bad as each other, both fools blinded by love.

Marius was currently extoling the virtues of Cosette to anyone who would listen. He was being encouraged by Jean Prouvaire who every now and again paused to jot some expression that Marius used down in his notebook, no doubt to be later used in one of his poems.

Ignoring the impulse to ask Marius why Eponine did not return with him he turned his eyes back to the map before him.

"The Corinth will be the best place for the barricade, what do you think?"

Combeferre and Courfeyrac looked down at the circle he had drawn.

"Not the Café?" Courfeyrac asked.

"It is a good 3 miles away from the path the funeral procession is most likely to take." Enjolras answered indicating the line he had drawn on the map, "Once we start the spark of revolution we need to move quickly, we will only have a limited amount of time to build the barricade before the National Guard are alerted."

"Speed is of the essence" Combeferre agreed "We need as much of a head start as we can get."

A buzz of excitement filled the air of the café Musain. Enjolras was in his element scarcely able to believe that the time for revolution had finally come. He was so caught up in his preparations that he didn't notice that he was the last one in the café until he was struck by the sudden silence. The owners lived below and often left Enjolras to himself rather than attempt to interrupt him when he was in the middle of his 'studying'. He gathered the papers and books that were scattered about the table around him shoving them into his leather satchel. It was late, and there was much to do in the next few days the most sensible thing would be to go home and get some sleep but Enjolras found himself in the grip of an enthusiasm which refused to contemplate resting. Instead he made up his mind to first take a look around the Corinth wine shop, concluding that it would be less conspicuous to do so now than in the middle of the day.

The Corinth was a cream coloured three story building with pale green wooden shutters. It was situated in what appeared to be the middle of the road on first inspection, but was actually the beginning of a fork for two separate roads. We will have to build the barricade directly in front of the shop to prevent attacks from behind he thought. He continued to walk around the area making mental notes. That alley will be good to store ammunition, Joly can use that building for a hospital, that will be a good spot to place a look out.

Something in the corner of his eye caught his attention drawing his mind away from his plans. He thought he had seen someone moving in the shadows. He turned his eyes to the movement.

"Who's there?" He said taking a step forwards. The shadow in the darkness skirted along the wall moving away rather than advancing towards him. At least the figure wasn't planning to attempt to rob him. It would have been the end of the incident if the figure had not had to dart into a patch of moonlight to continue their flight. He recognised her immediately.

"Eponine."

She was wiping something from her face as she continued to move away, she had been crying. He sighed, she was taking this harder than he thought and even if it was over a fop like Marius he couldn't just ignore that she was upset.

"Eponine." He caught up with her in a few steps. He reached out to touch her arm but thought better of it. She tried to keep her head down but he was standing in front of her now, his breath caught in his throat as he noticed the red welt under her right eye, just as he had seen once before. But this time it was accompanied by a swollen lip. An unexpected rage rippled through him.

"What happened? Was it the men from the other night?" He asked trying to keep his voice calm.

"No," she began to laugh bitterly but the movement must have hurt as she flinched. "They were just fools not capable of any real harm."

"And the person who did this was?"

She shrugged and placed her hand under her eye "I am used to it. This will be gone by morning."

"You didn't fall did you?" He asked, the only question he wanted to know the answer to at that moment.

"Fall?" She looked confused.

"The last day in Montfermeil, you said you fell but you didn't, did you?"

"No."

"Who was it?"

"My father."

"Why didn't you tell me?" He asked, inwardly cross at his younger self for not realising at the time.

She shrugged again "Would it have made any difference."

"Yes," he saw the way her eyes widened at his response. "I don't know how but it would have. I wouldn't have left you if I had known."

Considering it was the first conversation they had managed to have as adults that hadn't resulted in some sort of argument or accusation being thrown he felt incredibly awkward. Like he was far too aware of his own limbs and how they just hung loosely at his side not really being of any use to anyone. The silence between them was so obvious that it seemed to coat the air itself.

For once, the great orator wasn't exactly sure what to say. Her behaviour when she was a child made more sense now but if that was the case why had she still abandoned him? Did she really think it would have made no difference, is that why she ignored his letter?

"What are you doing here?" She asked in an obvious attempt to change the subject.

"Walking" he replied.

"Obviously" she laughed at him rolling her eyes, reminding him for the first time of the little girl he had known.

"This is a potential site for our barricade."

"You really plan to go through with it?" She asked her head slightly tilted.

"Yes, nothing is more important than the freedom of France" he said proudly.

She sighed "You always have been far too serious, serious boy."

"Perhaps, I have been told that before." He half smiled at her.

"I should be going." She started her usual trick of backing into the shadows.

"Would you like me to walk you?" He asked, not wanting to leave her out alone but at the same time not really wanting her to go home now he knew the truth.

"No, thank you." She smiled at him as she walked away.

Perhaps he should have followed her, but she had not asked him too. He turned his mind back to the matter at hand, revolution and continued his walk around the Corinth.