A/N: Sorry I haven't really been updating. I've had so many ideas bouncing around my head that I couldn't put a single chapter down. I hope you enjoy it.
Disclamer: I don't own Les Mis
Eponine began to follow Marius more and more often. She was fascinated by the words of the leader. He talked of equality. The short time that she had spent being oppressed by her father, Eponine had developed a strong opinion that no one should ever be oppressed. Eponine never spoke to any of the les amis and she always left immediately after the leader had finished speaking. Eponine knew that she always had to be home before Marius.
When Eponine got home from the meetings she would swiftly change into one of her dresses and pick up a book. By the time Marius got home, it would appear as if she had been reading for quite some time. Marius being as he was never suspected anything. Marius would sometimes talk to her about his friends, although he would tell her that they had simply been studying. Eponine got a good feel for many of the personalities of the amis. She could not put names and personalities to faces for she kept very detached at all of the meetings.
Eponine began to know her way around Paris very well. Eponine had many shortcuts that she used to get home. Some of her shortcuts went through the slums not that it bothered her. Eponine would sometimes hand a coin or two out to the beggars on the street, it was better she give it to them, than have them steal it from her. Eponine knew from her childhood that many were not above stealing. She also knew that desperation only made it worse.
On some days Marius would not go out to the cafe right away he would talk to Eponine and sometimes they would take a walk. Eponine couldn't help but feel that even though she lived with Marius, that they were growing farther and farther appart. She also felt the overbearing guilt of lying to him. He never asked her if she was following him or if she knew what he was doing in the evenings, but she was hiding something from him. Eponine had never hidden something from Marius except that she was reading his law books. Eponine thought that he would care a lot more if he knew about this for he never wanted her to be in harms way.
Marius did not have class in the morning on a warm September day. Eponine had gotten him to agree to go on a walk with her. Even in the morning the air was warm, but not hot like it would be later in the season. Eponine and Marius walked arm in arm through the streets of Paris. They had decided that it might be nice to go to a garden. Marius always took Eponine to places where she would be safe, that meant that they stayed in the student districts and sometimes went to the gardens in the even nicer parts of Paris. Even though it was still fairly early in the morning there were many people strolling through the gardens. They were most likely taking advantage of the nice weather.
Marius was happily talking to Eponine about one of his law classes. Since he had found her reading his books he had made it a point to talk to her as much as possible about the subjects he was learning. He sometime seemed to get annoyed about certain laws much as she would herself. She knew that his revolutionary friends were probably getting to him. Of course he had probably already believed those sorts of things for he wouldn't be friends with those men if he hadn't.
Out of the corner of her eye Eponine caught sight of a face that she thought seemed familiar . As she looked a little closer she realized that it was the leader of the revolution himself. Marius kept going on as she stared. After about a minute Marius realized that he no longer had her attention. He turned to see that she was watching the leader of the revolution. Marius' face broke into a huge grin and he waved trying to get the attention of his good friend. After about a minute of waving and a little bit of yelling Enjolras looked up to see Marius. Enjolras sighed walking over to his friend failing to notice the lady at his side.
" Bonjour Marius" he said smiling slightly " What are you doing out so early, I thought you said you didn't have any classes this morning." Marius chuckled a little " I don't" he said frankly " 'Ponine got me to come out with her. She says that we hardly spend enough time together" Enjolras glanced over at Eponine. She was pretty he thought, but he hardly had time for ladies not to mention he was sure that Marius must have been courting this girl. He hadn't ever heard Marius say anything about courting a girl.
Eponine shifted uncomfortably as Enjolras looked her over. She was never one to like too much attention, not that she got it often. Although she had been told that she was pretty she had a way of blending into the background. I suited her to go unnoticed, especially when she followed Marius to the cafe musain. Eponine looked at Marius pointedly waiting for him to introduce them. After a few Marius seemed to have the epiphany to introduce the two of them " Enjolras this is Eponine. Eponine this is Enjolras." Eponine smiled and held out her hand. Enjolras took her hand shaking it tentatively " It's a pleasure to meet you." Eponine said. " as it is a pleasure to meet you " Enjolras said his face unreadable.
" would you like to walk with us for a while mon ami?" Marius asked his eyebrows raised. Enjolras shook his head " No I'm afraid that I must be headed back to my flat I have a speech to write." Enjolras hurried away in the opposite direction not even saying goodbye. " I'll see you later mon ami" Marius called over his shoulder to the quickly retreating man. Marius had never seen the marble statue that was the leader of the revolution act so strangely. Marius figured that Enjolras was just stressed about the speech he would be giving at the cafe that night. Eponine wanted to get to know Enjolras better, although she doubted she would ever find the chance. She certainly could not reveal herself to him at the meetings for she was not supposed to be there.
Eponine still went to the cafe that night even after having encountered the leader earlier that day. She doubted he noticed the gamine in the background who always stuck to the shadows.
That night Enjolras decided that maybe he would question Marius about Eponine. He pulled Marius aside, the boy did not need all of the other les amis teasing him about some girl. " Marius who was that girl you were with this morning." Marius laughed " That was Eponine I did introduce you to her." Enjolras nodded. " I know, but what does she mean to you? Are you courting her?" Enjolras asked in hushed tones. Marius let out a loud laugh " Heavens no 'Jolras. She's like a sister to me I've known her since we were children. My mother took her in when her father beat her. She was to afraid to go home." He smiled " She followed me when I moved out of my grandfathers house, although I didn't want her to. She told me she felt out of place. Why do you ask mon ami has she actually caught the attention of the marble statue?" Enjolras huffed exasperatedly returning to the table with the rest of the amis.
Enjolras gave his speech soon after. His eyes searched the crowd and they landed on a small figure in the corner. He thought that it might be a youn street urchin. Maybe it was one of Gavroches friends, the boy certainly looked the part. Enjolras found that his eyes kept traveling to that figure in the shadows. As soon as he had finished his speech he began to make his way over to the corner where he thought he saw the boy. Enjolras hurriedly accepted praise from his fellow revolutionaries making steady progress towards the corner.
When Enjolras reached the corner there was no one there anymore. He heard the door close and knew that whoever had been in the corner had just left the cafe. On an impulse Enjolras quickly followed the person outside. It was raining, very different from what the wheather had been like that morning. Enjolras had given very little thought to that morning other than the fact that he had spent te day beleiving that Marius was courting someone when in fact he wasn't.
Enjolras almost missed the small figure that was moving down the street towards the rich part of town away from the slums. He wondered what a little urchin could possibly be doing going that direction. He tried to make his footsteps soft so that the urchin would not be scared and run away. He tailed them through a few alleys before he finally caught up. He grabbed the wrist which was really qite thin. The person immediately whirled around a look a fear in their eyes. Enjolras realized that the person was in fact a girl, and not just any girl it seemed that it was Eponine the girl who had been with Marius that morning.
" Hello monsieur" she said her voice shaking a little bit. She had been caught and she had no clue of if Enjolras might be angry or not. Enjolras looked at her gaping. He had not expected the person in the corner to be her. She seemed somewhat frightened. " I'm sorry did I scare you." he askes releasing her wrist. She backed away from him almost imediatly. She shook her head, but he knew that she had been frightened. " No monsieur I'm really fine." she looked at him worried " please don't tell Marius all he wants is for me to be safe. He doesn't like it when I'm in the streets alone." Enjolras smiled kindly at her " I won't if you don't wish me to." he said kindly. " have you been to any of our other meetings?" he asked her curious. It would have been easy for him to miss her. She nodded " Many. I started following Marius once I noticed he wasn't coming home as early as usual." She looked around worriedly " I really must be going. Until next time." she said before running off down the alley. Enjolras made to follow her, but quickly lost sight. He instead returned to the cafe going back to his books.