A/N: Hello! I was so excited to write this chapter, because after this chapter the action really stars picking up (hint hint: barricade). Now originally, I was planning on killing Eponine, but now I'm just far too attached to her, so I'm unsure. REVIEW IF YOU WANT THE NEXT CHAPTER! (Oh and I found out that the revoultion was in June not July)
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After dashing like a mad woman back to Café Musain, Eponine halted at the door. From the ruckus coming from inside the café, she could tell something important was happening. She didn't want to interrupt their meeting, especially when she knew the revolution wouldn't be long off.
As she internally battled with herself, she felt a tug on the hem of her skirt. She looked down and couldn't help but smile at the small child that stood before her. She could tell that the small girl was one of Gavroche's friends.
"Excuse me, but I reckon you're 'Roche's sister 'Ponine, right?" The little girl pondered.
Eponine knelt down so she was at eye level with the girl, "Why yes I am, and who are you?"
The girl smiled sweetly, "I'm Nicolette. I'm pretty sure that I'm eight years old, but I'm not that good with numbers. Gavroche's in there." Nicolette said as she pointed to the café. "He told me to tell you that General Lamarque died last night. I 'aint sure why, but it sounded quite important." The girl added.
Eponine froze. If Lamarque was dead that meant that the revolution would begin very soon. She knew Enjolras wasn't one known for his patience. He would see Lamarque's death as the perfect time to strike. Oh how wrong he was. While Eponine knew the people would be angry, they would also feel even more hopeless now that their only ally had died. The people would certainly not join some silly revolution that was doomed to fail. All of the students in the café would be dead in two days tops if they decided to revolt now. Of course she could never tell them that. They would never listen to a girl like her.
She felt the tugging on her skirt again and realized she must've stood up at some point during her musings.
"Are you alright Miss? Ya' don't look too good." Nicolette asked obviously worried.
"Of course, I'm fine. Here you take this; you need it more than I." Eponine replied as she handed Nicolette the last bit of bread.
With that, the little girl was off, and Eponine decided to enter the café. The owner greeted her amiably, and Eponine cautiously walked up the stairs. Upon her entering, a few of the students ceased their chattering to look at her, but once they realized it was just her they resumed in their banter. Eponine scanned the room until she found Marius. She gestured over to him and immediately he came over to her.
"Eponine! Did you find her for me?" Marius asked excitedly.
Eponine nodded her head yes and took his hand. The minute their hand touched Eponine could feel her cheeks turning crimson. She looked back at him and the look in his eyes was magical. She had never seen him so happy. His smile stretched from ear to ear and his eyes were alight with joy. Although Eponine knew that he wasn't happy because of her, she liked to pretend that he was. She liked to pretend a lot. It was much better than her reality.
Marius released her hand as he began to walk faster, practically leaping across the cobblestone street. Eponine laughed at his display of boyish elation. He was usually so composed, and rarely showed so much excitement. Eponine jogged to catch up with him.
"Eponine thank you. I don't know how on earth to repay you! You are an angel, a messiah, a savior!" Marius rambled as he glided along.
"You don't even know where you're going foolish boy! Slow down!" Eponine teased still trying to catch up to him.
At that moment, Eponine and Marius were in the area where Eponine had been accosted earlier, but she hadn't even noticed until Marius mentioned it.
"Does my love live on Rue Lemain? Oh how fitting! It is beautiful like her!" Marius inquired as he stopped walking.
"No she lives on Rue Plumet. We shouldn't stand here long." Eponine replied nervously.
While on normal circumstances, Marius would ask what was wrong, he was too enveloped in contentment to even notice her discomfort. Without question the two continued on.
Once they reached Rue Plumet, Marius began his ramblings again. "Oh Eponine, she has burst like the music of angels the light of the sun!" he exclaimed as he spun her around by the waist, causing her to laugh with him. All of her discomfort from moments ago was virtually nonexistent.
Eponine pointed to Cosette's house. "That's the house."
Marius stood in amazement for a beat, before springing eagerly towards the door. "And my life seems to stop as if something is over and something has scarcely begun!"
Eponine observed him as he stood by the gate. She prayed that perhaps Cosette wouldn't still be out in her garden, but on the other hand, maybe if Marius saw Cosette he would choose not to fight in the revolution. She didn't know what was worse, Marius dying or him living but loving another. At that last though Eponine scolded herself. Wishing Marius to die was a truly cynical thing.
Her conflicting feelings paralyzed her. When Cosette approached the gate, Eponine wasn't sure whether to be happy or full of despair. She watched from behind a bush as Marius and Cosette professed their love to each other. She knew it was wrong to watch them considering professing one's love to another is a very private thing, Eponine couldn't help herself. She needed to see for herself if Marius truly loved Cosette like he said.
"He was never mine to lose." Eponine muttered to herself. "Why regret what cannot be?" she said trying to comfort herself.
Suddenly she saw Marius move from the gate behind on of the walls that closed in the garden. She saw the man who must've been Cosette's father lead Cosette back inside. Once Marius was sure Cosette's father was gone he left. In his euphoria he completely forgot Eponine who was standing right in front of him.
"Who is this hussy?!" she heard a very familiar voice bellow.
When she turned around she saw her father and the rest of the Patron- Minette advancing towards her.
"It's Eponine, don't you know your own kid?" one of the gang members replied.
Monsieur Thenardier's expression hardened when he recognized her. "Eponine go on home. You're not needed in this. We're enough here without you." He sneered.
Once Eponine grasped that her father's gang planned to rob Cossette's home, she panicked. If Cosette was hurt and Marius caught word that it was the Patron- Minette's fault, he would want nothing to do with her.
"I know this I tell you. There's nothing here for you, just the old man and the girl. They live ordinary lives." Eponine pleaded.
As she expected her efforts were futile and her father continued to advance towards the home. Eponine had no choice. Although she knew the consequences, Eponine knew that if she didn't take drastic measures, there would be no stopping her father.
"I'm gonna scream! I'm gonna warn them here!" Eponine cried.
"If you scream you'll regret it!" Thenardier replied as he stopped the gang's movements.
Eponine let out an ear piercing scream as her father waked towards the door of Cosette's house. She was sure the shriek could've been heard miles away. Her father skulked towards her with an angry gleam in his eyes.
"You'll rue this night! I'll make you scream!" yelled Thenardier. Eponine refused to be afraid of him, and spat in his face. "You'll scream alright!" he added.
Before Eponine knew what was happening, her father slapped her across the face causing her to keel over. A stinging pain coursed through her, but she was used to it, so it hardly fazed her.
She heard her father curse and mutter something about the police, and she couldn't help but smirk. The police had heard her cry for help. Cosette was safe. Still, she knew that the police didn't like her family, and even though she had done nothing wrong, she would still be blamed.
Quickly, Eponine took refuge behind a shrub. She saw her father's gang scramble towards the sewers.
The sun had set. Marius was gone, and so was the sun. In that moment, she felt as if the sun may never rise again. How had she come to so much pain? Marius was supposed to be the one thing in her life that wasn't painful. Look where that had gotten her; clutching her stinging cheek, sitting behind a shrub, on her own.
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A/N 2: So should Eponine live or die? REVIEW AND TELL ME!