a/n. Sorry this took so long. But I really like this chapter.
Warning: Attempted rape and mentions of self harm.
The beast is within. Hidden behind doors and the men that were once trusted and now hated men. When a man saves a woman, things begin to change. The man and woman just do not know how everything in their line of friends will change, because of them.
Nine days. It has been nine days since heroin has been in her fucking system and she hates this feeling. The feeling of always shaking and on edge. She's seen worse days and the scars are reminders on her flesh. Enjolras makes daily visits. She should refuse his company. She's Éponine She doesn't need a guitair player to check on her. But she couldn't refuse. No, she couldn't find the strength to refuse those baby blues.
"Are really going back to work?" He asks as he leans his head on the windowsill.
She sighs and puts on her leopard print coat. "I need money, guitar player."
He nods contently. "That asshole is there."
"And you need to stay out of it."
Enjolras had made it his commitment to keep Montparnasse away from Éponine at her attempted recovery.
"Éponine..."
"I'm a fucking idependent woman, Enjolras! I can take care of myself!" She yelled.
He sighs and begins to climb back up the stairs.
"Enjolras." She groans as she walks after him. "I'm still coming over for breakfast tomorrow!" she yells up the windowsill and walks out of her apartment, grabbing her cigarettes and walking on the streets.
The streets have never been a safe place for Éponine She was a prostitute at a young age to feed her siblings and her father's drinking problem. Her mother took a gun to her head the second Éponine turned sixteen. Right in Éponine's line of fucking vision too.
Her heels click down the damned streets. Chuckles of drunken men make her skin crawl as memories of them fucking her on a brink wall fill her mind. She shakes the feeling off and walks into the club.
There's a sign in the dressing room. Its been there for four months and twelve days. It has been there since Éponine old the girls of her diagnosis. "Ép. AZT or no stage." It read.
The girls all smile once they see her and point to the sign. She smiles and nods as she puts her outfit for the night when a dark chuckle fills them room.
"Miss me?" His old husky voice that use to send sensual shivers down her spine now sends warning flags to her head.
Her back straightens as she turns around. His mop of brown hair and evil smirk says it all. "Montparnasse." She spoke through gritted teeth.
He put his hand on her shoulder and she shakes it off. "Stop." She warns. Oh how she wishes the other girls were back here with her.
He sighs. "You know you want this."
"No I don't." C'mon Éponine You can do it. You can get this scumbag off of you.
His hot breath is on her neck and fear overtakes her body. Her spine relaxes and she leans into his touch. She bites her lip and draws blood to keep herself from crying.
"That's right, you slut." He whispers.
And she whimpers. Fuck. She shouldn't have done that.
In a matter of moments her top was on the floor, the first clasp of her bra was undone. She closed her eyes because she knew it would be over soon.
The door swung open to the dressing room.
"Just calm the fuck down, Enjol-"
Cossette's voice turned into a squeak at the sight of Montparnasse's pants and boxers on the floor and Éponine aid out on the table. A syringe in Montparnasse's hand as the needle was broken in Éponine's kin.
The rest was a blur to Éponine She heard a punch and the syringe broke on the ground. Her clothes were put back on her gingerly. Enjolras told the manager that she wasn't going to be in for the rest of the night. She saw a flash of red and blue and white. She was floating She felt rain fall onto her face once everything became clear once more.
"Put me down, guitar boy!" She squirms in Enjolras's arms the moment she figured that was why she was floating.
"Shh." He says as he climbs up the stairs.
"No. I need money!"
He sets her down and puts his hands on her shoulders. "Éponine! You were almost raped tonight. You're staying in my apartment and you can't say no. Marius is going to be at Cosette's."
She nods slowly and begins to rock back and forth.
No. Not now. Not another damned withdrawal.
Enjolras picks her up once more and treads up the stairs once more. He opens the door to the apartment and lays her on his bed. He walks over to his dresser and pulls her out a shirt. He leaves her alone as she changes.
Époninestares at her body and sees the already forming bruises. Damn fucking pasty skin. She pulls the red sweater over her body and lays down on the cheaply made bed. It's still better than the cot that she owns. She pulls a black quilt up to her chin when Enjolras comes back in.
"Got pain pills and water and some pretzels. If you need anything else, I'm right out side the door." He says as he sets the said items on the nightstand.
She looks up. "Thank you."
He smiles and leaves the room, clicking the door shut.
She stares at the ceiling after an hour. "Enjolras!" She yells.
And just as she predicted, the sorry fool comes running in.
"Is everything okay?" He asked in a panicked voice.
She sits up and pats the bed beside her. "I-" She bit her lip. "Stay with me until I sleep."
He sighs and lays beside her. His body tensed as she laid her head on his chest.
"Sing me that song you've been working on."
He laughs and it sounds like church bells. "Its not done."
She sighs. "Sing a song."
"Éponine."
"Please?"
He looks down at her with a small smile and nods. "Only if you like the Beatles. If not, I'm kicking you out."
She lets out a giggle then her face becomes stoic. Giggling like a school girl with a man in bed that you've known only twelve days, real classy, Éponine.
Enjolras then begins to sing 'Yesterday' by The Beatles and she slowly falls asleep. Enjolras soon follows.
And that is how Marius found them the next morning. Intertwined hands and legs with even breathing and soft snoring. No reminders of AIDS or heroin or AZT or the previous night. Just relaxation.