ALTERNATE ENDING! This is for those of you who wanted a happy ending. This chapter leads off from chapter nine, and is what would have happened if Enjolras decided to go back for Eponine instead of waiting for her to call him the next day.

He lay in his bed staring at the ceiling. Her face haunted him. Smeared black make-up rimming fearful eyes. Like a rabbit being hunted by a pack of hounds. Just forget about it, he thought. She said she'd be fine. Maybe he should go check up on her just to be safe. He still hadn't undressed since coming back in. Even his shoes were still on. Only an hour had passed, she was probably still awake too. He knew he wouldn't be able to sleep if it had happened to him.

What could he say to her if he went, though? 'Hey, I know you said you didn't want me to stay with you, but I don't care.' What if her boyfriend was back? It would look awfully funny for another man to be coming to her flat at this hour. Screw it. His feet hit the floor. She dragged me into this, I'm taking responsibility. He paused in the kitchen to grab a muffin he was saving. Maybe he could bribe her into letting him stay?

Enjolras took the stairs two at a time. 316C. Her apartment should be right above his, he realized. Odd. Her and her boyfriend were noisy neighbors. It always sounded like someone was rearranging furniture above him. Maybe her boyfriend was some sort of Feng Shui freak.

He hesitated before knocking on the door. It sounded like there was a man in there with her. They were arguing in hushed tones. If he knocked, it could be the worse for her. He swallowed and knocked anyway. No one answered. He tried the knob. It turned in his hand. Why hadn't she locked herself in? Even if her boyfriend was home, it didn't mean she was safe. Though there were no signs of forced entry, he opened it slowly in case it was the men from before rather than her mysterious boyfriend. His heart was jumping in his throat. What would he find? How could he have let her stay by herself? A whimper came from inside, and he decided to forgo stealthiest, instead throwing the door open in and rushing inside.

There, in the corner, practically naked was Eponine. She had her hands up to protect her face, but the man who was cornering her had her by the hair. "Stand up," he hissed, wielding a small knife savagely. Enjolras did the first thing he could think of and threw the muffin at the man's head. All at once, the man dropped Eponine and breathed out deeply, preparing himself.

Shit, shit, shit.

His knuckles were turning white against the handle of his blade. He pivoted on his heel, cracking his neck menacingly as he did so. Montparnasse? That's who Eponine was playing poker with? The old gang leader that used to terrorize their hometown? Enjolras didn't have much time to be surprised, as Montparnasse was now lunging at him, intent on carving out his intestines. Without a moment's hesitation, he pulled the gun from his waistband and fired three shots. Only one found its target, burying itself deep into Montparnasse's shoulder. Montparnasse crumpled to the ground in pain, but Enjolras stood frozen, gun still aimed. Did I just shoot someone?

Eponine was pushing at him "Go! Come on! Let's go!" He lowered his gun, still stunned. When Montparnasse started to get to his feet, the spell was broken. He spun around, pulling Eponine towards the exit. They tore down the hallway, making for the elevator.

"The stairs will be faster!" He opened the door for her, glancing behind to see if they were being followed. No one yet. He took the stairs two at a time, catching up to Eponine easily.

"Are we going to the police?" she asked breathlessly.

"I just shot a guy!"

"Right."

"We get off here. Room 216C." He tossed her his key ring so that she could keep going. Enjolras stayed in the stairwell, gun trained at the floor above. There was still no sign of anyone following. What would he do if theywere being followed? Shoot Montparnasse again? He kind of wanted to. The thought scared him. What was he going to do with Eponine? They were stuck in his apartment unless someone took Montparnasse away. He would be intent on revenge after such a display. Enjolras jogged to his apartment, gun behind him in case he ran into anyone in the hallway. He rapped on his door with his palm. "Eponine?"

There was the sound of the bolt sliding back and the chain being undone. Her pale face peered at him through the crack in the door, a question in her eyes. "He's not here, I think we're okay." She opened the door wide enough to let him in before locking it again and collapsing against the wall. Enjolras knelt before her, taking her face in his hands, inspecting the bruises that were already blossoming across her forehead and cheeks. "What happened?"

"Why-why did you shoot him?" She was on the verge of tears, breathing in shaky gasps.

"Please, just tell me what happened," he begged.

Eponine shook him off, hiding her face in her knees. "I don't know, he came home and I tried to talk to him, and-and-"

"He came home? As in he lives with you?" Enjolras was starting to piece it together.

"I'm sorry. I didn't want to lie to you, I just-I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Tears were running down her cheeks now, but she didn't bother to wipe them away. There was no sobbing; only the slight tremble of her chin.

He looked her over. She wasn't wearing much, making older wounds obvious to him. How could he have not noticed them earlier? Her fresh wounds were mostly on her face, but there were a few red cuts on her shoulders and thighs as well. "Did he do this?" He touched where he meant. They weren't bleeding, but they couldn't be more than a few days old. He talked to her two days ago. Why hadn't she told him then? "When was this?"

Eponine pulled at her hair in distress. "No, no, no, nononono"

Evidently she was incapable of speaking clearly. Enjolras shrugged off his sweatshirt and wrapped it around her shoulders. She pulled on it, feeling the fabric as if she'd never touched anything so important. "Come on." He helped her up and led her to his bedroom. "Just, uh- sit over there. I need to make some phone calls," He said, pointing to his bed.

"Who?"

"Joly, Combeferre, maybe Marius. I just shot a guy. You're in shock. We need help."

"He was my boyfriend," she blurted out. Enjolras tried to hide his surprise and sat down next to her. "We went to a party, he lost all his money at poker, and then he bet me. It was my fault. I knew he would lose, but I didn't stop him from playing."

He pushed his hair back and tried to think of something appropriate to say. Why couldn't she have just accepted his offer? She lived with the guy; of course he would come back for her. Maybe that was the point though? He looked at the scars that littered her skin. She knew this would happen. It's happened so many times before that expected it of him. She was used to it and blamed herself for his violence. He put an uncertain arm around her. What more could he do? The only other person who ever cried in front of him was Grantaire. Grantaire never needed comfort though, he needed to go home and stop drinking.

Eponine didn't seem to notice his discomfort, choosing instead to bury her face in his neck. "Why does this always happen?" She murmured, her voice quivering like a candle that might go out. "I'm so stupid, all the time. I just want it to stop. I just want to be someone else."

"Do you want some ice for your face?" She looked up at him, blinking slowly so her tears wouldn't spill over onto her cheeks again. She kissed him chastely on the lips and then laid down, pulling her knees to her chest. He felt himself blush; he knew that he shouldn't feel anything from the action, but he did. "You're okay," he said when her breathing turned irregular again. She moaned and shook her head in response. "Maybe not right now, but you will be okay. It's going to take a while, but things will change. Everything is going to turn out fine."

"How do you know?"

"Because things always do."

"You don't believe that."

"Right now I do." He stretched out next to her, pulling his phone out to text his friends.

She uncovered her face to look at him. "You always say the right things. How do you do that? Everyone loves you because you're always doing the right thing and giving good advice, and I just want to be you for a day to see what it's like to be all knowing."

Enjolras smiled sadly. Is that how she saw him? Of course, he had to portray himself as sure-footed and confident. That's how leaders are. He didn't know anyone actually bought the act though. Shooting Montparnasse for example: was that the 'right' thing to do? He wasn't sure. He was going to pretend that it was for her sake though. "I just do whatever comes to my mind first."

"Me too. It's what gets me in trouble." She reached out and played with one of the buttons on his shirt; her knuckles scraped his chest. "I'm sorry I was born," she whispered. He wasn't sure if he was meant to hear it.

He touched her chapped fingers. "Someday you'll regret saying that."

"Not today."

"Maybe. But someday. I'll see to it."

A/N: Thank you so much for your continued support and kind words. Caligirls99 helped me sort through my ideas for the ending, and a special thanks to Crazy Cherries for always letting me talk to her and not minding when I went on for too long. This is the first story that I've ever finished, so I hope you all aren't too disappointed in my ending(s). I even begin to express to you how much every comment and favorite and follow has meant to me throughout this entire thing. Knowing that someone else is reading this has been a huge motivator for me to keep pushing on, even when I felt like quitting. If it weren't for you, I don't think I could have done this (even if some of you wish I never had ;) ) You're the best sort of people, and I love you!