Chapter 12:
Marius decided that it would be best if he posed the question and Eponine wasn't about to stop him. It was hard enough having to ask for help, let alone doing it face to face. She knew Cosette would take her in; the girl really did have the biggest heart she had ever witnessed. But now lay a limbo where Eponine didn't have anywhere to go. "I think I'm going to take a walk around town." She said after ten minutes of boredom sat at the Musain. It was difficult to sit still at times like this, when everything was up in the air. To think that just ten hours ago she was asleep at Enjolras' not having thought that the arrangement was anything but permanent.
"I'll come with you." Enjolras said, standing as she walked to the door.
"Oh," She said, surprised. "Don't you have to go back to your parents?" She asked, after all, they'd only come back to town this morning.
"I don't think I'm in the right frame of mind to talk to them yet." He told her. She shrugged accepting his offer and the two of them walked out of the café together. Unbeknownst to them as soon as they left a conversation was struck up between the remaining boys about how peculiar their two friend's relationship was. Grantaire remained silent, confident in his interpretation of the situation but unwilling to shed any light on the matter.
As they walked down the street Enjolras couldn't help but notice how comfortable it was to have her at his side. Their footsteps fell into the same rhythm and the small amount of conversation that was made was easy. A few comments about the people who passed them or an acknowledgment of the weather. He didn't know what effect she was having on him. How he seemed lighter whenever she was with him. The boys had noticed, smiles came more easily to him when the jokes came from her and he never seemed as serious. If the boys had known Eponine for long enough they would have noticed that she was effected too. If not the fact that she was more secure in her life she had also become more confident in her intelligence. Whereas before she had always felt as though she was struggling to prove something, she felt as if she was appreciated by Enjolras without having to try.
Before long Eponine came across a little bookshop and decided that this would be the best way to kill a few hours. Enjolras followed along after her as she traipsed through the isles looking for something to read. "Why not try a classic?" Enjolras asked as she took another lap around the shop.
"No," She protested. "They're all too stuffy and boring. I want something I can read quickly."
"Well what's the point in that?" he asked. "Surely you read to waste time-especially today." She hummed in thought and paused.
"Maybe." She said and Enjolras sighed but conceded. A maybe was as good as he was going to get. "What I really want is a good crime story." She told him as they continued to walk down the cramped aisles. Enjolras sometimes had to duck as the ceiling lowered the further into the shop they got.
"Trying to reconnect with your past?" Enjolras said off-handedly. Eponine suddenly whipped around and Enjolras thought for a second he had offended her.
"Was that a joke?" She said in mock surprise. "A real joke from the great stone Apollo?" her hand held her chest. "I never thought I'd see the day!" She pretended to swoon and faint as he pushed past her, less amused.
"Ha ha." He said and he heard her giggle behind him.
After what felt like hours Eponine finally found a book that she liked and once she'd paid for it they stepped back out into the cold air. It was really coat weather but since she had been in a rush all she was wearing was a thin hoody. She shivered as they walked back down to the Musain.
"Oh hang on just a second." Enjolras said as they went past the pharmacy. "I just need to pick up my prescription I won't be a minute." He dashed into the shop and Eponine decided not to follow him. She was cold but she doubted he'd be too long. Instead she leant against the shop window and looked out at the busy street.
For such a cold day there were rather a lot of people about. She guessed it would be something to do with the build up to Christmas but she was firmly against the idea of buying gifts before the tenth of December. She thought about what her Christmas might be like this year; the boys would surely have some kind of a gathering and she hoped she would be allowed to come along. The idea of spending Christmas Day with Grantaire and Enjolras made her heart swell a little. They would swap presents and sit by the fire and it would be just the way she had always wanted Christmas to be.
Suddenly her warm reverie was broken. She thought she saw… no. It was so unlikely. She looked again. Her heart dropped. Montparnasse was there, just across the street from her. He was coming out of the pub, his usual jacket pulled up to his neck to protect him from the cold. He hadn't seen her. She should move. His jaw was lined with a smattering of hair, a beard if you could even call it that. His hair was now long enough that the wind had picked it up, making it float out behind him. He looked… normal. In fact, she noticed some of the girls stare at him, willing him to look their way. All Eponine could do was hope he didn't.
And then he did.
He stopped still and stared at her. She felt as though her pulse had stopped. She could no longer hear the bustle of the street, the ringing in her ears filled her head with incessant noise as he smiled at her. A smile that covered his whole face. A smile that, if seen out of context, may have been contagious it was so bright. He looked like the cat who had found its prey. He walked towards her and she willed herself to move. She made a couple of stumbling steps as she gripped onto the shop for support. Her legs had given way, were completely numb. She gasped breaths as she tried to run but before the message reached her legs she felt a hand grip her arm.
"Found you." He whispered and she turned to look at him.
"Please?" Was all she said. He just laughed and shook his head.
"Oh no no no." He told her. "We've been looking for you." He drew her closer to him so that she could feel his breath hit her face. "You've been a very naughty girl haven't you? Daddy is not happy with you." She grimaced. "You can't imagine how worried we've been." His voice was unnaturally high, taunting as he smiled at her. That smile hadn't faltered since the moment he had seen her. But his eyes seemed black. "You left me." He told her and she felt his hands grip her arm tighter. She held back the yelp of pain as she felt his nails bite at her skin. "Why did you do it 'Ponine? You know I loved you and now I have to…" He trailed off as his voice betrayed some sign of emotion. "You're coming home my love."
Enjolras walked out of the shop and immediately stopped when he saw that Eponine had gone. Shit, he thought. He'd lost her again. He scanned the crowd, hoping to see her across the way walking in or out of another shop. If she'd just wandered off, perfect, but his gut told him something else had happened. Suddenly he heard a shout. His head whipped around to the source of the noise.
He had her.
He didn't know how he'd found her. But there he was. Holding her. For a second he thought it had happened again. She'd gone back to him. But then he saw how Montparnasse was holding his nose and Eponine was scrambling to get away. His legs jumped into action. As his feet pounded the pavement he kept his eyes on her. She was now on the floor, Parnasse had done something and it was getting the attention of people around them. A few stopped to watch, a few just carried on. He made it to her in minutes, shouting her name. She turned to look at him, her nose was bloody. He flew to her side and picked her up, holding her at his side. Montparnasse just sneered at him.
"Oh good, posh boy is back." He spat at them. "Sorry mate but she's coming with me."
"No." Was all Enjolras said. His heart was beating wildly and he could feel the blood pumping through his veins clouding his vision. This was the guy who had put the bruises onto Eponine's face.
Montparnasse put his head to the side and clicked his teeth. "Too bad." He launched himself At Enjolras.
Eponine was flung to the side as the two boys fought. The sound of crunching bones and curses filled the street and a crowd had begun to gather. She needed to get her and Enjolras out of their before the police showed up. She could see people on their phones already. As she watched, Parnasse landed a blow to Enjolras' face which made a sickening crack and he was knocked to the floor. Eponine ran to him but he was already pulling himself up. The two boys stood facing each other, unsure of who was going to make the first move. Eponine pulled on Enjolras' arm. "We have to go!" She yelled desperately and suddenly Enjolras was looking at her. His forehead was covered in beads of sweat that now mingled with blood. "We have to go Gabe." She said again and this time he seemed to hear her. Sirens could be heard in the distance and that was all Montparnasse needed. He quickly vanished into the crowd and Eponine took her chance to drag Enjolras behind her.
The crowd that had surrounded the little performance they had put on was thick and people pushed against each other making it almost impossible for the both of them to get through. Eponine could see policemen strolling up to the crowd shouting questions and orders to get through. Eponine's hand gripped Enjolras' tighter as they pushed through, desperate to get out. She could feel the walls close in around her as the blood trickled from her nose. Finally they got through and ran as quick as they could into a side street that led to an alleyway.
They stopped there, their lungs desperately needing air. The two of them leant up against the harsh brick wall and Eponine gasped for air, her chest heaving as she did so. "Are you okay?" Enjolras asked her and she nodded.
"You?" She asked and he returned her nod. They looked at each other then. Both sweating, both looking terrible. "Thanks." She said quietly as her breathing returned to normal.
"It was nothing." He replied and she laughed. He watched as she breathed deeply, looking up to the overcast sky. "'Ponine," He said and she looked at him. "Are you okay?" He repeated. At first she nodded forcing a smile, but as he watched her eyes began to fill with tears and without thinking he quickly pulled her into his arms, resting his head on top of hers.
"He found me." She whispered and he nodded, rubbing her back.
"I know." He felt her body shake and he held her tighter to him. "But you're safe. I'm here."
"You're here." She repeated. The fear that she had suddenly felt started to dissipate with the calming motions his hands made across her back. He felt so warm and being in his arms felt so good. She trusted him when he told her she was safe because she felt it. She felt so completely safe in his arms.
Enjolras wasn't sure why it happened but suddenly they were looking at each other and they were so close that he was sure he could practically count the number of her eyelashes. She peered up at him watching how his Adam's apple bopped as his face moved closer to hers. She closed her eyes as she closed the gap between them and Enjolras let out a small sigh when their lips met. He was surrounded by her, his hands stayed on her waist as if he was worried she might vanish into thin air as she had so often done in his dreams. Her hands flew up into his hair and brushed the sides of his jaw as the kiss deepened. Neither of them had realised how badly they had wanted the other until this moment. They were sweaty and parts of their bodies ached with pain but it felt safe. They saw each other for who they were, none of them ever having let anyone get as close to them as they had let the other. In this moment, everything came together and neither of them wanted it to end.