It all makes sense now. If he remembered correctly, Enjolras vaguely recalled a man in the café griping about the Patron-Minette, mentioning that Thénardier had a daughter, and a sneaky one at that. Enjolras thought nothing of it, never considering that the friend of Marius could possibly be the daughter of Thénardier. No wonder Eponine gave a false name to Marius; the name Thénardier is as famous as it is feared.
Eponine shakes her head in disgust, as if reading Enjolras' mind. "I'm so sorry," she chokes out, "I've put you all in danger."
"Eponine, your family does not define who you are. I am sure that I'm speaking for all of us when I say that we think no less of you." Enjolras says firmly, but it does little to calm her.
"It's all my fault, you are all in danger if you keep me here! Please, please let me go!" Eponine yells through her tears.
"None of this is your fault, and you aren't going anywhere. It's going to be okay 'Ponine." Marius squeezes her hand and smiles at her. Eponine stops crying, but nothing could mask her fear.
"I would never be able to live with myself if any of you were hurt because of me." Eponine says, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Do not worry about us. We are strong men, we can protect ourselves." Enjolras says with more confidence than he feels. It is very possible that the Patron-Minette is going to be after him and his friends. He's heard stories about them he dare not repeat, and he would be lying if he did not fear for his friends lives. "You should try to rest, if you need anything, anything at all, do not hesitate to ask."
Eponine nods her head, horrified about what they must think of her now. She's the daughter of a thief, a murderer. Not that she's much better. She pickpockets better than anyone in Paris, with Gavroche being her close second. But she would never kill, or even harm anyone, unless it is self defense. That's the difference between her and her father. He is evil because he can be, while she simply does what it takes to stay alive. She closes her eyes as tight as she can as Combeferre shuts the door, wishing she would wake from the nightmare she is living.
The men make their way through the living room as quietly as possible, not wanting to wake the sleeping Gavroche. The file into the kitchen, seating themselves around the small table. None of them can put into words the evening's events. It's is Marius who first speaks. "Her father, how could a father do that to his own daughter!" He cries out. Seeing Eponine in such pain was torture for him, but the most awful part is that she blamed herself. She did nothing to deserve what happened to her. Absolutely nothing.
"Did you forget that her father happens to be Thénardier, one of the most dangerous men in all of Paris?" Combeferre asks. "Although, I must agree. How a father could take part in the near killing of his own daughter is just, sickening." Enjolras sits silently, nearly shaking with anger. This never should have happened, not to Eponine, or to anyone. If it means she won't ever be hurt again, Enjolras will never leave her side. The fear in her eyes when she awoke was the final straw. It could never happen again.
"Listen to me, you should all go home. It has been a long night, get some rest. It is too late of an hour to think clearly. Joly, thank you. Thank you so much." To his horror, Enjolras' voice cracks as he finishes. Everyone looks up in shock. Their leader, made of marble, showing emotion? "Please, everyone go!" Enjolras goes out to the small patio overlooking the streets of Paris. He breathes deeply, trying to get ahold if himself. He needs to be strong right now, for his friends. He needs to be strong, not weak and worried. They all need him to be strong. He wanders back in, unsure of where to go. Grantaire is passed out in his bed, Gavroche is asleep on the coach and Eponine is in his own bed. Obviously, none of those places are options. He decides the floor is as good as its going to get. He tries to direct his mind away from its wandering thoughts of the events of the evening and finally falls into a fitful sleep.
The following morning, Enjolras wakes up to the sun in his eyes, and a stiff neck. From the looks of it, it was still early morning, but Gavroche was already gone. Enjolras could hear Grantaire's snores from down the hall, in his usual drunken slumber. Enjolras opens the door to his own bedroom, checking on Eponine. To his surprise, she was wide awake. She is laying on her side, eyes glazed over, looking a million miles away. "Eponine?" Enjolras asks slowly, not wanting to frighten her.
"Yes?" Eponine responds, not even looking at him. She continues to stare off, looking more sad and lost by the second. It doesn't take a brilliant mind to guess what she's thinking about.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Enjolras asks her cautiously, unsure of how she will react.
She shrugs, or tries to in her condition, and winces as she does so. "Not really. What more is there to say? My father is a bastard, and I'm even bigger trash then you originally thought." She turns her head away in shame.
Enjolras doesn't even respond at first, he's too shocked. He expected her to cry maybe, or tell him to leave her alone. Not this. "You are not trash, Eponine."
"I am. I'm a street urchin, a pickpocket, nothing. I know my place, Monsieur."
"You do not see what I see, then." Enjolras answers.
"And what is it that you see?" She looks him straight in the eye now, her brown eyes boring into his bright blue ones.
"You are determined and strong. I have known you for less than 24 hours, but I can already tell that much. Obviously, you must have at least a few more good points, or their is no way Marius would care about you so much. I have never seen him so concerned last night, if that means anything." At that, Eponine's eyes well up in tears.
"Is that true?" She asks, almost not wanting to know the answer.
"Yes. He cares about you very much. And Eponine, you are very pretty." Both look shocked at that. Enjolras for saying it out loud, he had thought it, not meaning to say it. It wasn't like him to go telling every girl he meets that they are pretty. Or any girl at that. Eponine doesn't believe it, and laughs, which actually just makes her look prettier. Enjolras can tell she doesn't believe it, and he desperately wishes that she would. It's true. Even with a layer of dirt, she's still pretty. He has seen eyes light up, particularly when she talks to Marius. She has a lovely smile, and despite everything she has been through, she still has the potential to be the prettiest girl in all of France. Enjolras gulps, stunned as to why he's even thinking this. Never before in his life has a woman ever had this affect in him.
"Monsieur?" Eponine asks, somewhat amused by his obvious discomfort, but also slightly concerned. "I have a question I've been wondering for a while now."
"I hope I have an answer for you." Enjolras asks, leaning slightly closer.
"Where am I?" She asks, and Enjolras laughs.
"This is the flat that I share with Grantaire." Enjolras explains, realizing she must have been more than a little confused at waking up in such an unknown environment.
"I figured as much, I just wanted to make sure. Thank you again. But as you know, I cannot stay long. I need to get home as soon as possible." Her tone is serious now.
"Eponine, you cannot really think that I would ever allow you to go back to your father after this."
"I have no choice. If I do not go there of my own free will, I will be taken by force. They will hurt you and your friends, and I told you before, I will not let that happen. One of your lives are worth hundreds of mine." Eponine tells him, with a stubbornness to her voice that reminds Enjolras a bit of himself.
"We will deal with that when the time comes. What would you like for breakfast?" Enjolras asks, hoping to divert the conversation away from such heavy topics.
"I don't need anything, Monsieur. Really, you have already been so kind, I need nothing more." Eponine tells him, not wanting more charity from him.
"That's ridiculous. You need food. This is not arguable, and please, call me Enjolras." Yet again, he is surprised by Eponine's reaction. Most people in her position would be taking all they could get, while she would not accept even the slightest help. Eponine opens her mouth to protest, but Enjolras cuts her off. "I will go get breakfast. I will be back within the hour, Grantaire probably will not be awake for a few hours, but you can still wake him up if you need anything." She nods, still not wanting pity. He closes the door softly, leaving her alone with nothing but her own thoughts. With nothing to do, Eponine shuts her eyes, in a pitiful attempt to make up for the sleepless night before.
Back at the Thénardier household, there was hell to pay. "Where is the brat? She should have been back hours ago!" Thénardier roared, grabbing the attention of the rest of the gang. All but Montparnasse, who continues cleaning off his knife with a dirty rag. On the inside, he was more furious than Thénardier. He wants Eponine, but she's not there. That's not how it works. If he wants her, he gets her, and nothing gets in the way of that.
"She's probably with those bourgeois students she always hangs around." Montparnasse growls, his blood boiling at the thought.
"Well, go find her then!" Thénardier yells. "Claquesous, go with him."
"Aren't you coming with us? She's your kid!" Claquesous shoots back.
"No I have business to attend to." Thénardier responds. His "business" consisted of thieving and cheating, but no one dared comment. After all, it was their business too.
"Let's go to the market, look for young, rich students. She's particularly hangs about a brown haired student, an inch or two shorter then myself. If you find her, grab her. If you find one of the students, signal me." Montparnasse commands. It isn't like him to be the leader, but since it is Eponine who is involved, Claquesous doesn't argue with him. Montparnasse grips his knife just a little tighter as they head out onto the streets, ready for anything.
Enjolras hurries about the market, wanting to get back to Eponine as soon as possible. Needless to say, Grantaire is not the best caretaker. As he walks to the bakery to pick up a few croissants, Enjolras gets an uneasy feeling of being watched. He turns around, and swears he sees a figure disappear into the shadows. It isn't possible that the Patron-Minette could be after him this quickly. How could they possible know that Eponine is staying with him? While he knows he is most likely being paranoid, a small part of him still feels in danger. He pays for the pastries as quickly as he can. Glancing over his shoulder ever street or two, Enjolras makes his way back to the flat. He couldn't shake the feeling that a pair of eyes were watching each and every step. He doesn't relax until he reaches the flat, locking the door behind him.
Stupid Bourgeois. Montparnasse has to keep himself from laughing at the student's nervous glances. Montparnasse purposely made himself somewhat obvious, just to rile the student up a bit, but hid away before his face was visible. Watching the discomfort of the rich student made it completely worth his while. Montparnasse also knows that the student is up to something. His nervous actions were those of a guilty man, and Montparnasse is going to find out why. If things kept playing into his hands this easily, Eponine would be his by nightfall.
As always thanks for reading and please please please review and fave/follow it makes me the happier than Eponine when she talks to Marius! And thanks to everyone who already has, I really appreciate it.