Author's Note: I am so ready to continue on with this plot and have no exciting news as of now: so please enjoy this chapter!

Previously…

"It?"

"Of course 'it'! Stupid girl! What did you think would happen if you kept on the way you and the master have been every night," she scolded in shame.

"Madame am I supposed to refuse Monsieur LaVigne?" Eponine demanded, the severity of the situation beginning to sink in.

"Not unless you want to be whipped," she told her gruffly as she began to yank a brush through her hair.

"Then how am I supposed to-

"Merde! You are more stupid than I thought. Were you raised by idiots?! Didn't your Maman ever warn you!" the older woman ranted. She had little kindness left in her heart after years of working for the corrupt Monsieur LaVigne. She had spent her years of employment desensitizing herself to the abuse he often inflicted about his servants and other young women. It was disgusting of course, but she simply couldn't care for every young girl that fell prey to her master. With this new girl, she was even less so inclined to care. The girl Monsieur LaVigne brought in was clearly a whore from the slums. Her voice was lovely, but her up-close appearance was aged and ordinary. Her words and manners were of low class and she couldn't even make interesting conversation! All she did was stare into the distance and daydream. "No wonder you have your head in the clouds all the time. You haven't any sense to bring you back down!" Something in Eponine burned, something that had been dead for months. She was not stupid and she was more than just a common whore.

"You better watch your mouth you tired old hag," she snapped. The woman, shocked, did not have an immediate reply. "Just because I don't speak doesn't mean I don't have thoughts. I'm not stupid just because I didn't go to school. And just because I was born into a poor family and made more poor by my corrupt parents doesn't mean that you are worth any more than me! God does not judge us by how much money we have. At least I do not go about hurting people like yourself! And I will not get rid of this child. I will not kill an innocent child for my own good! I will find a way to make it work because unlike you I have the ability to love," she proclaimed, surprising herself with her words. She only paused a moment to smile. "A republic is coming, Madame. And when it does you and I will be equals in the eyes of the law, and Monsieur LaVigne will have no power over me, but you will keep yourself at his service until you wither away, forever unhappy!" she took the opportunity to flee the room, running to the only safe place she had stumbled upon.

In one of her nights outside she had found a small grove of trees near the kitchen door which provided a little shelter from the bitter winter night. She fled to that grove, trying to keep her breathing even. What had possessed her to say those things to Monsieur LaVigne's maid (whom had never introduced herself)? She could easily run off to tell Monsieur LaVigne and have Eponine killed. And why would she keep this unborn child? She had spent all her time since blossoming into a woman preventing a child! She never wanted a child. She wouldn't be a good mother, with her head in the clouds and the dangerous life she led. She brushed her hands over her mid-section, which showed no signs of a small human being growing inside of her.

"What are we going to do baby?" she whispered. She folded her knees into her chest and wrapped her arms around herself, letting the tears out the tears that had been hidden deep within her since the moment she left Enjolras' apartment. She only allowed herself a few minutes of self pity and loathing, though, before the old Eponine made a return. She planned frantically in her head, knowing she had to find a way out. Eponine began work on her plan almost immediately. As soon as she returned to the inside of the manor, she slipped into the kitchen and quickly stole a slice of bread. She didn't know anything about bearing a child, but she thought it must be important to eat for the child. Before, eating every few days hadn't been an issue. She would need to be more dilligent. The Madame said nothing after their argument in the kitchen, which Eponine was grateful for. Her life had been set on course once again, but this time she did not live for Marius. She lived for her unborn baby, and for Gavroche and Azelma as well. A large part of her mind still wondered about Enjolras and what things could've been like if she hadn't left and he hadn't been so incredibly hard to get to know. She barely thought about Marius because the image of him she had worshipped had been shattered, replaced with Enjolras' haunting eyes as he said "I'm sorry."

As time passed slowly, she began to "warm up" to Monsieur LaVigne so that he would not be suspicious. She marveled at his gifts move, put more effort into her performances and charmed his friends with easy smiles. His violence decreased, as did the amount of times he threw her out for the night. For LaVigne, his fantasy was finally coming true. It killed Eponine to give herself willingly to the sick bastard, but she constantly reminded herself it was for her baby (not his). She had already decided it was a girl, though she couldn't say why she knew. She had decided a name too: Mariette which meant 'little rebel'. Eponine could not stop herself from thinking of a small girl with wild black hair and dirt smudged on her face running amongst the legs of Les Amis, helping prepare a revolution.

Each day was a struggle as she began to collect small trinkets and miniscule amount of money to take with her, but she was not the only one struggling. Enjolras had taken her advice to heart, canceling plans for a violence-based rebellion, but all of Les Amis agreed that changes needed to happen. The revolution still needed to occur, but in a more tactful way. Their primary goal was to gain support from one or two of the King's advisors. TO gain that, they attempted to find the two advisors most influenced by the people. One was Monsieur LeMarque, but he was old and frail possibly even sick. The other was Monsieur LaVigne. He was, by the Amis' standards, corrupt and disgusting, but that meant he would be easily manipulated into supporting them. Enjolras put Joly and Courfeyrac in charge of contacting LeMarque and determining whether he was healthy enough or not. He left it to himself and Combeferre approach LaVigne. Feuilly and Jehan were making propaganda for the common people and other bourgeouis to get them to support the chosen advisors during the upcoming parliament meetings. Bossuet and Bahorel delivered these around the university as Marius and Grantaire did so around the slums.

As meticulous as the plan was, it was not going as well as planned. LeMarque was in-fact ill, though agreed to meet with Joly and Courfeyrac to hear their ideas for change. There was a strong possibility he would not be able to attend parliament, though. LaVigne was not as easy to connect with. They couldn't even figure out what he did during his "work hours" of the day to find him. Bahorel and Bosseut were not able to gain much support from the bourgeouis, though Marius and Grantaire surprisingly had luck with the lower class gamines. They found that without the threat of war and with simpler words, the people were willing to lend an ear.

One month later...

After a month of the effort, LeMarque's campaign supported change, though LeMarque himself got sicker everyday. Joly and Courfeyrac began working with his personal doctors to try and look for solutions. Enjolras and Combeferre finally managed to schedule an appointment with LaVigne at his home. Bossuet and Bahorel actually gained a small amount of support from the bourgeois class and were now working on integrating their supporters with Marius and Grantaire's much larger group from the working class.

Enjolras was planning to bring them all to the King's summer home and sit, with no shouting or weapons, and request to be seen and listened to. If he ahd the support of LaVigne and LeMarque he knew the King would have to listen, for fear of a people's uprising. His goal was to threaten a revolution without actually doing it. He kept himself busy, which mostly worked, but at night when he opened his apartment door he left it unlocked, in case she every wanted to come back. As he headed to the cafe on Thursday where he would meet Combeferre before going to LaVigne's home, he could not help but picture her and wonder what she was doing and if she was okay.

Eponine glanced at herself in the mirror that morning as the Madame did her hair. Her cheeks were more gaunt than usual, and every bone in her body jutted out sharply. She had been eating more, but she knew that Mariette was getting most of that. She found herself exhausted and weak, sometimes even sick (though she had that from everyone, knowing it would be a tell-tale sign). In that moment she began to doubt her ability to make an escape. If she was caught, she could not fight her way out. She knew she would have to leave soon; before Monsieur LaVigne called for her she snatched some paper and a pen. She sat in the window sill and scribbled down a short note, trying to remember all Enjolras had taught her.

Gavroche,
I'm comin back to Paris to get you and Zelma. I'm safe for now, but things are complicated. I'll meet you at the elephant at Midday on Sunday. See you soon.
Love,
Ponine

She quickly caught the attention of the stable boy who usually loitered around the yard in the morning.

"Oi you!"

"What you want?" the small boy grinned up at her with a smile.

"Do you know a scrawny little thing from Paris? Goes by Gavroche," she called down, knowing her brother made connections with kids all over France.

"I might. Why?" the boy replied with suspicious eyes.

"I've got a letter for him. I need you to get it to him today. His friends, the students, will give you a good tip," she enticed him. He nodded and she threw the letter down before watching him scamper off. She heard her name being called and she left quickly, not wanting to be caught. But the letter made it's way to Gavroche quicker than expected (within two hours).

Gavroche ran toward the cafe at top speed, excited to show the letter to Courfeyrac. As he bounded up the stairs, he collided into someone's back. Combeferre turned around to laugh at the small boy.

"Where are you off to in such a rush Gavroche?" he asked in a gentle tone.

"I've got to show Courf this letter! Eponine sent it to me today. She's comin back to get me in a few days," he bragged proudly. Combeferre frowned, thinking about Eponine's sudden departure a few months before. He knew it had torn Enjolras up, but no one knew where she had gone.

"May I see it?" he asked.

"See what?" Grantaire asked as he slipped the note from Gavroche's hands. His eyes scanned before a furious glint caught his eye. "Combeferre did you read this?" he demanded, shoving it in his friend's face. Combeferre sighed before shaking his head and glancing through the letter as well. A troubled look crossed over his face.

"There's no need to overreact Grantaire. I'm sure everything is fine," he insisted.

"She only said she's safe for now Combeferre!"

"Who's safe for now?" Joly asked as he wandered up. Soon all the boys had read the letter and havoc broke out in the room above the cafe. The scene Enjolras found when he opened the door was not one he wished to see.

Combeferre was trying to convince Grantaire and Bahorel not to go find her and beat up whatever was threatening her, Jehan was crying, Courfeyrac was trying to cheer everyone up by telling loud and tacky jokes, Joly was preparing a first aid kit, Bossuet was trying to help but failing while Feuilly was doing his best to reassure Gavroche that Eponine was not in danger.

"Enough!" Enjolras shouted over the clamor. Almost all eyes snapped up to him, frozen in whatever stance they had been in before. "What is going on?" he demanded simply.

"This," Combeferre handed him the letter. "Everyone is a bit put out by it. And a bit put off by the fact that she didn't send anything to let us know what was going on."

"My friends, we promised to respect her privacy and decisions. If she would like to return to see her siblings, we cannot impose ourselves on her life," he sighed, though the words troubled him more than anyone else.

"But Enjolras didn't you read it! She said she's only safe for now and that things are complicated. She's obviously in some kind of danger," Bahorel insisted. He hadn't known Eponine all too well, none of them except Pontmercy and Enjolras had really, but Les Amis stick together especially for Eponine.

"Bahorel be reasonable," Enjolras calmed him, glancing at Combeferre who was looking particularly relieved. "If Eponine was in grave dangers she wouldn't have time to plan or write and send a letter. Plus we have no idea where she is and I doubt the boy who brought the letters could be found again to ask. We will wait until after Sunday when she has said she'll come. If she does not meet Gavroche at that time we'll think of something else, okay?" he gave a wary glance at his friends, who all mumbled and nodded.

"Now Gavroche it's very important that if Eponine comes you insist she let you come tell us that you're both safe. Or we're going to have a riot on our hands," Courfeyrac smiled at his little friend who nodded eagerly. When Enjolras and Combeferre left for the home of LaVigne not twenty minutes later, they were both confident that their friends would not do anything rash while they were away.

"Enjolras you are lying to yourself if you say you are not worried for Eponine's safety. Mon ami I know you better than most and I can tell when someone has broken through that wall you have built around yourself. You love her, don't you?" Combeferre asked quietly as the carriage took them into a smaller town a little out of Paris. Enjolras did not answer, simply tightening his jaw and staring out the window. It was a long five minutes before he turned forward and said.

"It is of no matter. I am not in a place in my life where pursuing a relationship with a lady would be fair to either of us. Besides, I would not force a life on her she did not want," he said with finality. Combeferre surprised him by chuckling.

"Oh my friend for such a brilliant mind you are almost as dull as Marius. Did you not see the way she clung to you for safety? Or turned to watch you with such respect? It is true perhaps that she is not in love with you, but the best relationships aren't built around the whimsy of being in love. They are built around a common feeling between the two people. A relationship of trust, respect, admiration, and love but not infatuation. You and Eponine had something but neither of you could admit it. You let her leave, though, mon ami. You let her leave because you loved her. You don't need to tell me I'm right because you're probably only lying to yourself," Combeferre sighed as he fixed his glasses. "All any of us want is for you to be happy and Eponine to be safe and happy."

"Combeferre you have been spending too much time with Jean Prouvaire." The words were simple and few. Slowly but surely Enjolras had crawled back into his emotionless shell where nothing could get at his heart to pull it and tug it. The wall had been there since his childhood when his father had made sure it was hardened. The carriage ride was silent after that, but as they neared LaVigne manor the tension rose.

"Whatever we do we will stay calm. Undoubtedly he will say things that upset us but we must stay diplomatic," Combeferre instructed. Enjolras agreed with a nod as they got out of the carriage and made their way up to the front steps. The house was big and dramatic, with unnecessary flourishes and people running around everywhere. Enjolras scoffed. This is how the rich men lived while people like Gavroche had no home at all. The door was opened for them before they even knocked and a stern looking older woman glanced them up and down.

"Bonjour. Monsieur LaVigne is in a bit of a mood about having to stop his work to meet with you so you will make this appointment brief and strictly no-nonsense, do you understand?" she instructed. Enjolras and Combeferre glanced at each other. Like hell we will.

"Oui Madame," Enjolras nodded curtly. She opened the door wider and led them into a sitting room.

"I will go get the Monsieur," she said with a head bow as she left the room. Not two minutes later she returned with a red-faced man who clearly had not wanted to come meet them. In the room beside them a brunette figure cowered in the corner, clutching the small bump on her abdomen fearfully. Eponine had run into a bit of trouble that morning. She had gotten fairly good at hiding her stomach in the blankets, but today Monsieur LaVigne had purchased a new piece of clothing. It was a new fad called lingerie. Eponine was ashamed of her bruises and of her bones sticking out everywhere, but mostly she was terrified he would hurt her little Mariette if he found out she was with child. Lingerie was a shameful piece of clothing, or rather lack of clothing. It was nothing more than a silky slip which barely reached passed her rear end and fell just above her nipples. He had presented it to her and demanded her change into it while he met with some men for his work. Eponine did not know what he did, but she knew that if she did not wear the skimpy cloth he would be furious. But if she wore it, she ran the risk of showing her growing stomach and being found out. If he was upset at her rebelling against him, he would be livid about a child. She slipped out of her dress and into the thin cloth, shivering because the combination of the lack of clothing and her lack of muscle and fat on her body made the chill wind even worse. When she tried to look down at herself she found that the lingerie was skimpy enough that it just barely hid her baby. She breathed a sigh of relief and sat down, letting the sounds from the other room penetrate her ears.

She could only hear muffled voices, though she could distinguish Monsieur LaVigne's. The other two sounded vaguely familiar, but she had met so many of his 'friends' and coworkers that she could not say who they were.

In the other room Enjolras and Combeferre were finally sitting face to face with LaVigne. He was eager to get the meeting over with, as he had special plans for his treasured new toy. In truth she wasn't very new anymore, but her allure was still mostly there for him. He would get bored with her soon enough and return her, demanding his money back as he usually did. For the time being he was eager to get back to her frail body so that he could have his wicked way with her.

"Monsieur?" one of the young students, the one with glasses that didn't quite sit on his nose right, interrupted the silence that had fallen upon the trio.

"So you want me to risk my good standing with his majesty to support those who refuse to work to support themselves?" he scoffed, glaring at the particularly threatening looking one.

"No, we are not asking you to support yourself, though we should be," he fired back quickly. On the other side of the wall Eponine gasped. That voice, that tone, she did recognize. She knew she had been told to stay in the room, but the curiosity won over in the end as she snuck from the room she was in and crawled along the floor, wrapped in a blanket because she was currently so indecent, to the doorway of the sitting room. She could only see the backs of their heads, but she would recognize that mop of blonde curls anywhere. She smiled just knowing he was safe and alive and attempting to pursue his goals in a less violent way. She couldn't reveal herself, not in her current state. Unfortunately for her, facing their backs meant facing Monsieur LaVigne's face. His eyes caught with hers and he stood immediately. She scrambled away from the door and began to run. She went through the house, not sure where to go which would provide her the most protection from what she knew was coming.

"If you'll excuse me gentlemen I have urgent business," he glared at Combeferre and Enjolras before leaving the room. The two younger boys glanced at each other, neither satisfied with the answer, before getting up to follow. An ear piercing shriek stopped them for only a moment before they rushed off in the direction LaVigne had gone in.

Eponine did not make it far before LaVigne had caught up to her. He grabbed her by the neck, pulling her face close to his.

"Why'd you have to go and do that my pet? Now what am I to do with those young men? Kill them or have them arrested I suppose," he muttered.

"You will not harm them!" Eponine shouted, the first rebellious words she had said in a month. She added a spit in his face for good measure. However she didn't see his fist come flying at her stomach. In a flash she was on the ground, unable to stop the scream that came pouring out of her.

Enjolras and Combeferre caught up to LaVigne only to see a young girl, nothing but bones and skin from what they could see was huddled on the floor, arms wrapped around her legs which were tucked into her stomach. She was wearing almost no clothing and her hair covered her face, but they could easily see she was in pain.

"What have you done?" Combeferre demanded, rushing over to help the girl whose cries were softer.

"None of your business boy, now get off my property before I have you both executed for intrusion," LaVigne growled aiming another kick at Eponine who could hear almost nothing through the sound of blood rushing in her ears.

"STOP IT," Enjolras commanded, advancing toward the group on the other side of the room.

"You have no right. I own her. She is my property."

"Perhaps you hadn't heard that in your absence the other parliament members passed a new law that bans the purchasing and selling of human beings. But I'm going to give you two options," he began as he saw the carpet beneath the girl begin to stain red. He thought quickly, knowing he needed to get her out. Combeferre hovered near her, desperate to help but unsure of how LaVigne would react. "You can either give her her freedom and us your support and we will tell no one. Or you can refuse both and we can take her from you and then bring you to the King for breaking the law."

"Idiotic boy," LaVigne laughed, his head tossing back. "You think a little blackmail would convince me? I am one of the King's most trusted advisors. The only one above me is lying on his death bed. You have no power here," he seethed. Enjolras gave him a wicked smile then.

"I'm afraid you're wrong Monsieur," he sneered. "Because Monsieur LeMarque has been making remarkable improvements under his new doctor's treatments. And he has already agreed to give us his support. I will ask you once more: which do you choose?" LaVigne faultered and he thought for a moment. He was going to get bored with her eventually and she was staining his carpet. He could promise his support now and never give it as he often did.

"Fine take her then. Just get off my property and don't come back," he pushed her with his foot before turning and storming down the hallway. Combeferre quickly scooped the girl up, moving quickly through the big estate and finding his way, with Enjolras in tow, to their waiting carriage. As they climbed in he finally brushed the hair from his patient's face.

"Enjolras!" he gasped. "It's Eponine, and she's...she's bleeding very profusely." Enjolras froze. His heart felt like it had placed into a fire. He felt all the stone melting away as he stared down at what could only be a withered version of what used to be Eponine.

"Where is she hurt?" were the only words he could manage out of his mouth without breaking.

"I'm not sure, but Enjolras, feel here," he placed his hand on her abdomen. As Enjolras mimicked his friend, a feeling of shock and dread and fear washed over him. "We need to get her into the hospital. Now," he all-but-shouted at the driver who whipped the horses into action. "We'll make it better Ponine," he muttered, placing a hand on her head and gently brushing her forehead with his fingers.

But she did not hear him and she did not stir.

Author's Note: AH! I'm so insanely sorry that life got in the way. This is the best I can offer you right now. I know it's really shitty. I'm so sorry. It sounded so good in my head...Anyway college is so busy and I'm not doing too hot in my classes right now so I won't be updating very often. Sorry guys but thanks for the continued support!