A/N: I want to thank all of you so much for the amazing support on my first chapter! It was such a nice welcome. Shoot me a review and I'll gladly reply :) Some of you picked up on it as well I forgot to mention it last chapter, but the premise of this story is indeed inspired by Moulin Rouge but the plot is original, I promise.

P.S. Les Mis fans=the best people in the world!

Eponine decided to stay at the Gorbeau house instead of leaving after the "rich customer" left. She found her way up to the roof, ignoring the searing pain she felt in her abdomen. She sat near the edge, glancing down at the slums of Paris. There had been many times where she'd stood on the edge of that very roof, pondering how easy it would be just to jump. So few people would care. Her parents wouldn't blink an eye. Azelma and Gavroche would cry a few tears at first, but they would pick themselves up and keep living, just as she would if one of them died. The Thenardiers weren't a very emotional bunch by nature; they lived every man for himself, but when Marius came into Eponine's life she was given new purpose. She stayed, hoping that one day he would see her...really see her, and then he would have to love her.

To keep herself occupied, and to keep her mind of her pain, she tucked her knees to her chest and watched the people below her. Most were just blurs and dots of browns and greys, but one man in a vibrant red coat who stuck out. His clothing made him obvious to the eye, combined with the mop of blonde curls atop his head. Eponine had seen him before from that very spot she sat in, though she didn't know who he was. He walked the same route every time she saw him, from a building on the very edge of Saint Michel (not quite in the slum itself) to a cafe...the Cafe Musain she recognized. To bide her time she often came up with stories about him. Why did he wear such a godly coat? Perhaps he was very rich and in love with himself. Or he might be a con-man, selling phony elixirs and ideas. Perhaps the coat had some deep metaphorical meaning like the blood that covered the city of Paris during the Revolution not too long ago...Eponine doubted it was that one. It could quite possibly be sentimental, perhaps an heirloom or a family gift. Eponine's favorite story was that perhaps the gentleman's favorite color was red because his long lost love had worn a red dress and he had given her red roses. She shook her head; Marius had turned her into a hopeless romantic, but she knew the world was not as beautiful as Marius Pontmercy saw it. When she grew tired of her stories, she groaned and laid on her back. She wasn't left in peace for long as Azelma joined her.

"Eponine I overheard what that man and Papa were saying, before they went upstairs in private," she muttered in a hushed tone, sitting next to her older sister.

"Yeah, another night in the elephant room for me," Eponine rolled her eyes, not moving from her position.

"No, that man was asking Papa what price he would pay to buy you forever," Azelma confessed, eyes wide with shock. At this, Eponine's brow furrowed in confusion. She was a novelty act; a treasure not to be kept. Of course she was trapped in the glass case, la vitrine, her father had created, but at least she had the illusion of freedom everyday. "At first Papa refused, but the man said he'd be willing to pay any price imaginable. He said he'd been fascinated by you for a long time. He wants you to belong to him alone. He said he was an Archduke or something, but Papa took him upstairs before I could hear what price and conditions. I'm sorry Ponine," her lower lip stuck out as she hung her head in shame.

"It's alright Zelma, you did your best," Eponine said soothingly, though her thoughts were distracting. She would not be caged. She couldn't be caged. She would run if she had to, but she couldn't be owned by someone and locked away. It was already passed midday, her window of escape was shrinking rapidly. "I've got to leave," she said quietly after a few minutes of silence, staring at the horizon in deep thought.

"But where would you go Eppy? Out of Paris?"

"I couldn't leave right away. As soon as they find me gone the gang will be out patrolling. I'll have to hide out and lay low, off the streets for a few days and then I have to get out. Azelma you should come with me. It's not safe for you-

"No."

"What?"

"No," the younger girl shook her head adamantly. "If we both go, they'll find us. No, I can't leave. Papa would be so angry when he found me. You can't protect me forever Ponine," she insisted. Eponine took a long look at her baby sister. Her brown hair was caked with oil and dirt and lay limp on her head. Her skin was gray and dry, her eyes sunken and darkened. You could tell she lived a life of neglect, and yet somehow she was different. The little mouse that had once existed was gone and there was a new fire in her dull brown eyes, just as as it was there in Eponine's. Eponine knew then, staring at her sister, that she would survive.

"When did you grow up?" she asked, a ghost of a smile playing on her lips.

"It's doesn't matter. You'd better leave now," Azelma stood, being gruff and unemotional as usual.

"Take care of yourself here, Zelma," Eponine nodded, standing as well. The sisters then parted, Azelma going back down the main stairs to finish her chores and Eponine down the ladder she had placed at the elephant suite's window for quick morning escapes. Though the goodbye was likely permanent, neither sister shed a tear/ Eponine only had love in her heart for Marius, though Gavroche was finding his way in as well. She and Azelma had never been close and hadn't changed as they grew older.

Eponine's progress was slower, the pain radiating from the elixir made her move cautiously, blending into the crowds instead of taking the back alleys as she usually would. She could only think of one place to go in her desperation. No area within the slums would be safe from the Patron Minette, so she headed to the Cafe Musain to find Marius. He had always gone to her in times of need; now she would go to him. SHe remembered the man in the red coat and wondered if he would be there as well. The sun was almost out of the sky, the crowds thin and Eponine's time running short. She quickened her pace, the ache in her abdomen protesting but she knew it would begin to fade in an hour or so. Finally she made it, just as Marius was opening the door to enter.

"Monsieur Marius!" she called, catching up with him, but he didn't respond. She followed him up the stairs to the private room anyway, where a large group of young men-students like Marius probably-stood and sat, listening to a man in a bright red coat. Eponine smiled a bit at herself as she faded into the shadows, watching Marius with curiosity and hope.

"Marius! You're late," the man in the red coat, Enjolras was his name, called out. He had never been particularly fond of Marius, who was well-off and not always focused on the revolution. His eyes also found the shadow of a woman who trailed in behind him, clearly associated with Marius.

"What's wrong today? You look as if you've seen a ghost," Joly questioned, worrying if Marius had caught a rare disease that might be contagious.

"Have some wine," Graintaire announced as he poured a glass. "And then say what's going on in that pretty little head of yours," he smirked. As Marius rambled about some girl, the others teased him but Enjolras was occupied watching the mademoiselle who clearly thought she was hidden in the shadows. Judging by the look of grief on her face it was obvious that her only intention at the meeting was to follow Pontmercy and that she was ignored. It was also very obvious the girl was a gamine. Her bones jutted out sharply, her ribs visible even through her chemise. Grime covered every surface of her body and her clothing was only tattered rags held together by an aged rope. Enjolras was completely unsure of how to proceed.

Eponine did not see his eyes on her. She did not see or hear anything after Marius admitted that he was in love, but not with Eponine. He was in love with a stranger he had bumped into on the street, a stranger Eponine could have pushed away had she not been summoned home by her father. Her heart was shattered, her dreams crushed, and her hope smashed in a single moment. The pain was almost too much for her, but she would not let Marius see her struggle. She was too strong. She was light-hearted, always teasing Eponine. He would not ever love her. She was below him. As the pain in her heart and in her abdomen pierced her, she stumbled further into the shadows, hitting the wall and sinking slowly to the ground. No one had noticed her anyway.

"Enough!" Enjolras shouted sharply. He decided it was time to set his meeting on track first. The other members of Les Amis de ABC looked up at him. "Nobody cares about your lonely soul Pontmercy," he frowned. "We have more important matters at hand: the betterment of France for one," he tightened his jaw. "It's time for all of you to decide. Are you here to fight or to play a rich boy's game?" he scoffed. "La Marque is the only people's man left in this blasted government, but he is old and frail. He will die within the year, most likely, and then the people will have no one but themselves...and us," he lectured sternly.

"Of course the Man of Marble has eyes for only Patria and a heart made of stone," Grantaire sneered.

"That's enough R," Combeferre gave him a wary glance.

"Meeting adjourned for this evening. Only return tomorrow if you are dedicated and ready to focus. We have no room for this nonsense," Enjolras sighed, giving up hope of a productive evening.

"Is everything alright Mon ami?" Combeferre approached him cautiously. For all intents and purposes, Combeferre was the second in command and Enjolras' greatest friend.

"Yes, my friend, but my patience is dwindling with the Baron Monsieur Pontmercy," he gritted his teeth. "Now he has the nerve to bring a woman, who has paid no attention to our cause!"

"Enjolras are you angry that a person of the female gender is in the same room as you?" his friend teased lightly. "Confront her then, perhaps she is more interested in the revolution than you realize."

For a moment, Enjolras was going to refuse. He was not afraid of woman, but he did not like their vanity, nor did he enjoy their presence. He had had one too many encounters with swooning girls. He was well aware that he was considered...attractive, but he was far too absorbed in planning a revolution and studying law to ever pay attention to something as trivial as love or marriage. His own happiness was of no matter, in any case, even if he went home alone to an empty flat. Of course, he was supposed to share a flat with Grantaire, but the drunkard was rarely home. After a quick evaluation of his thoughts, Enjolras nodded and began walking towards the gamine who had previously been standing, though he saw her sitting against the wall, eyes cast down.

"Pardon Mademoiselle," the leader in the red coat-who stood about four inches above Eponine-glanced at her. "Did Monsieur Pontmercy invite you here because you are interested in joining the cause?" he asked, the words coming out sharper than he'd meant them to. The girl blinked for a moment before glaring back and standing sharply, despite the pain she was currently in.

"Do you own the building, Monsieur?" she spat.

"Well no, but-

"Then you really have no business telling me where I am welcome," she retorted. "Though for what it's worth, you no nothing of your so called cause. I suppose I am your the very image of your cause, am I not? And yet you do not wish to help me. You wish to kick me out because I do not belong in a room full of naive students with dreams of a world that will never be! You are a fool Monsieur, and I am glad that I am not part of your revolution," she ranted, taking her anger and pain out on the stranger in the red coat. Enjolras was angered, but kept his calm as he was quite interested in the opinions of the spirited young woman.

"I am sorry that you feel that way, but perhaps-

"Eponine!" Marius joined them, a joyful look on his face.

"Bonjour Monsieur Marius," Eponine nodded her head, trying her best to smile for him.

"I didn't know you were coming. I thought you had work," he embraced her, not noticing her pained wince. Enjolras however, who stood to the side, did not miss it.

"I...I left that job," she admitted, eyeing Enjolras suspiciously. She did not like to have private conversations around strangers.

"Oh then I am glad you came! I need to ask a favor of you Eponine. You know so much of France, I am sure if anyone can find the home of my love it is you! She is a blond Aphrodite, and lives with an older brunette gentleman...her father I assume. I ran into her in the main square, not too far from here. I'm sure she must be here again and then you could find her for me," he grabbed Eponine's arms pleadingly.

"And what would you do for me?" Eponine gave him a coy smile, masking her despair expertly. He reached into her pocket and she frowned. "No, I don't want your money Marius," she refused.

"What then Eponine? What must I do for you to help me!" he pleaded. Eponine rolled her eyes and ignored the plea, ruffling his hair.

"I like the way you grow your hair," she smiled.

"I like the way you always tease, but please Eponine do this for me," he held her hands together and she sighed before nodding.

"Oui. I will do that for you Monsieur, but not for a few days. I...I cannot for now," she grimaced, but Marius was not watching.

"Oh thank you Eponine, you are the greatest friend! I will see you tomorrow!" he gave her a peck on the forehead before dashing down the stairs. Eponine stared off past him, forgetting Enjolras.

"He is not worth an ounce of anyone's time," the man in red interrupted her thoughts. She looked up, startled.

"You know nothing," she insisted.

"I have known him for long enough to know that. I am called Enjolras, by the way," he stuck his hand out firmly. Eponine glanced at it for a few moments before pressing her lips together.

"Eponine," she placed her hand in his. She didn't understand why at that moment, her hand fit well in his.

A/N: I know it's a bit of an awkward ending, but if I don't stop now I won't have anything for chapter 3! So Enjolras has made his appearance and it doesn't look like they're getting along just yet… In case you haven't noticed the timeline has been altered because I need more time.