A/N: Thank you first of all to my Beta, JudyBear236, for your endless patience and help with my mistakes and typo's - I appreciate it!
Thanks for all the reviews too! When I started out this fic, it was for my own entertainment because I have read every single Eponine/Javert fic on here and I needed more. (THANK YOU for causing this addiction, Stechpalme)
I appreciate everyone's reading, following, reviewing and so forth!
DISCLAIMER: Not mine. I want Philip Quast's Javert to be mine right now. I just want to hug him.
CHAPTER 6:
When Eponine crept into the ABC Café minutes after sunset, she could still feel Javert's lips burning on hers, his hands caressing her body. She sagged down onto a chair next to Marius, avoiding his eyes.
"'Ponine? Is something wrong?"
Eponine shook her head fervently, tugging at her ragged shirt.
"No, M'sieur Marius. I'm just… Nothing's wrong."
Marius smiled upon noticing her serious frown.
"Stop looking so worried then."
She turned her head to face him swiftly.
"I'm not worried."
His fingers lightly touched the small crease on her forehead.
"Your frown says otherwise."
She smiled uncomfortably and moved away for him, confusion taunting her. There was a light flutter as Marius touched her skin, but her heart didn't skip a beat; there were no fireworks, she felt no excitement leaving her breathless.
She swore under her breath as her fingers travelled up to her lips.
She could still vividly taste Javert…
He had kissed her. Not only that, his desire for her still burned feverishly in his body. Javert sat down behind his desk rigidly, his eyes glazed over.
She was a filthy whore.
His every fibre protested against that thought and he leaned forward tiredly. Since he had followed her, she had not committed one crime, denying men rather than seducing them. She was by no means innocent; he had heard of sordid things that could be attributed to her. But…
But… The word teased him and Javert groaned. His desire pulsated through him, clouding his thoughts.
He had kissed women before. Of course he had, but then… his work was his life, God his guide. He had yet to desire a woman as much as he did tonight when he kissed her.
He had never before longed to tear the material off someone's body, feel her naked skin under his finger tips, hold her in his arms as she trembled under his touch.
A foul word escaped his lips as he pushed a stack of papers to the side.
She was frail in his arms, flaring up in him an odd need to protect her. Javert stood, his breath racing.
She was probably half his age. It was not proper to desire her in this way, a mere child!
Her dark, expressive eyes seemed to taunt him from every angle and he took his night stick, gripping it until his knuckles turned white.
His office was suddenly unbearably hot, his collar smothering him.
He left hastily; leaving the other officers perplexed at his rattled demeanour.
Where she sat next to Marius, Eponine tried with all her might to get Javert out of her mind. All she could imagine, though, was his rough hands running over her body, his teeth nipping at her shoulder, his lips kissing a path down her neck…
Eponine shuddered, not noticing Marius looking at her strangely. Enjolras' charismatic voice sounded far away.
It was as though Javert's blue eyes stared at her from every angle and she jumped up with a muffled whimper, rushing out before anyone could react.
Marius looked from Enjolras who was frozen mid-speech, his eyes confused, to the door through which Eponine had just run. He mumbled an apology before quietly following her.
"'Ponine?"
She sat with her back against the Café's wall, hugging her knees with closed eyes.
Marius knelt down next to her and put a comforting hand on her back.
"Are you okay?"
She mumbled something which he took as no and he pulled her up by her arms.
"Come, 'Ponine. Let's go for a walk."
"M'sieur Marius…"
His eyes refused to take no for an answer and she relented. Eponine looked at the handsome young man next to her, wishing that he would put his arms around her, tell her that he has always loved her, kiss…
No.
She could not imagine M'sieur Marius' lips on hers the way Inspector Javert's were.
Her face flushed. She could not fathom why she kept thinking of his kiss.
It was not like it was her first kiss – she had kissed many men before, done more to some.
Why was this different?
If there was one thing of which Eugene Javert was sure, it was that his heart was made of stone.
Yet, that could not account for the fact that it now felt as though it was trembling inside his chest.
He scoffed at the black night.
Though he tried to direct the intolerable fury in his heart elsewhere, he could not lie to himself. Though he pretended to be angry with Eponine, for managing to make a crack in his tough exterior, the truth was that the core of his anger was within himself – for allowing it.
His feet moved to the River Seine without him even realising it.
A young couple stood a few metres away, the man's arms holding the woman closely to his chest.
He suddenly felt alone and moved forward, staring at his reflection in the water.
There was a permanent frown between his brows; his hair was graying at the temples. He looked tired and worn.
He was far too old and too busy to allow a girl Eponine's age – any girl, in fact – to mess with his mind.
A movement to his right caught his eye and he froze, anger boiling in him when he recognized the girl in the young man's arms.
Eponine.
Neither Eponine, nor Marius, saw Javert as they stood, Marius unable to find a way to comfort his shaken friend – perplexed as to the cause of her state.
He had asked her several times what had happened, yet she stubbornly refused to say anything, simply folding her arms and staring out at the river.
Marius pulled her closer, his hands stroking over her back soothingly. He was not naïve. He knew what his young friend had been forced to do by her father. He was certain that her troubled demeanour was caused by something she was forced to do.
He jumped as a harsh voice spoke behind him, turning to see Inspector Javert, his arms folded across his chest angrily.
Eponine pulled from Marius' arms, her eyes wide with fear and he stepped in front of her, facing the man bravely.
"Inspector. Can I help you with something?"
Javert grimaced at the young man's pretended bravery.
"You may go. It is the young lady that I wish to speak to."
Eponine whimpered softly. Fear that his friend had done something that could land her in prison caused Marius to stay in his spot, bent on protecting her.
"Perhaps you've got the wrong girl, Inspector."
Javert laughed, waving Marius away like an irksome fly.
"If you run 'round the corner, Monsieur, you will no doubt find another girl to warm your bed. This one, however, has been caught and unless you want to face arrest with her you can go."
Marius' face flushed at Javert's obvious estimation and he shook his head quickly.
"Inspector, it is not like that! 'Ponine is my friend, we've always been friends, I would never…"
Embarrassment filled Eponine's stomach at those words.
He would never what? Find her attractive, be interested in her in any other way? Of course he wouldn't.
"You can go, M'sieur. I will talk to the inspector."
Marius hesitated, but Eponine stared at him stubbornly, until he slowly crept away.
Only when Marius was out of earshot did Eponine turn to Javert, her eyes aflame.
Javert's gaze on her was unapologetic.
"Sorry if I cost you a sou or two, Mademoiselle."
Eponine bit down on her lower lip, willing herself to calm down and not say something she would regret.
"If you really think I've done something criminal, arrest me, M'sieur."
Javert smirked. It pleased him to know that he had the ability to make her nervous.
"How do I know that man was not a customer?"
"You know well that ever since you started following me, you're the only man I have even kissed!"
The words slipped out before she could think and they both froze; their fiery kiss immediately in both their minds.
Javert moved forward at once, cupping her face with his hands.
Eponine swallowed nervously, her eyes fluttering in anticipation.
"Inspector…"
Javert shook his head at once.
"Call me Eugene."
They name sounded strange to her ears and she nodded, cautiously.
Javert leaned forward and rested his forehead against hers, muttering a soft prayer, "God… this woman must be from heaven. She feels like paradise in my arms. But she must be from hell, for she torments me endlessly."
He took a step back as voices approached, avoiding her eyes. Two officers walked into sight and Javert moved to stand in front of Eponine, shielding her from their eyes.
The younger one greeted Javert with a smile.
"Inspector Javert! I hope everything is well?"
Javert grimaced.
"Yes, thank you, Officer Belivieu."
The young man nodded with a curious glance at Eponine and her face flushed.
Javert noticed the man's eyes, his own narrowing.
"The lady was attacked. I was simply ensuring that she did not need any medical attention."
Irritation flushed within Eponine at this lie and she looked at Javert accusingly.
"Yes, thank you Inspector. I am fine now. I will be going."
She disappeared before he could stop her and Javert groaned inwardly, frustrated at the officers for interrupting them.
He turned to face the River, his eyes troubled.
He had lived his entire life by the law, by common sense and logic. How could a kiss from one woman… one young girl… make him doubt everything that he had ever believed?