A/N: Whoa, I asked for five and I got seven ( or was it six?) I love you all so much~! Now to respond with your awesome reviews :)
SusanaLovesRowling: ah you deserve it ma chere! And in Les Miserables, you have to expect the unexpected. Even the pairings ;)
BellePhoenix: It's nice to hear from you too cherie. And as I have promised, an early update just for you :)
PerkyTurkeyBaby: Let's wait and see J Is it a platonic or romantic one? Hmmmm…
PhoenixGirl97: Well thank you for liking the story and I have to admit I incorporated the darker nature of Patron-Minette from the book. Now the fluff thing, hmmm, I don't really follow about how it turned fluffy because it means 'feel good' and some E/E pairings are filled with them. I dunno. Maybe it was the quote, "Broken people are meant to be together" that was to blame xD But I'm not trying to write fluff romance in this story.
crimebuff: Oh thank you thank you! I hope you'll enjoy this one :)
OnginalMaz: I appreciate your honesty. My best friend and mentor already told me that with cited examples but told me that it's also alright to 'quota' reviews because, let's face it, some writers (like me) update faster because we know that people are reading our story and their feedbacks are our guidelines to see if what we were writing was good or getting boring. It would also serve as a great guideline because I would sometimes, unintentionally, write them in OOC which I disliked and they would tell me so I would correct it myself. Thanks for reading :)
Random memes: I asked my friend (after watching Les Mis for the nth time) why Hugo had to kill all my favorite characters (Eponine, Gavroche, the whole Les Amis). And she told me, "Well, it was titled Les Miserables right? Maybe he wants you to be miserable too. Do you think anyone would cry hysterically if Cosette died?" And I my answer was, "... no" (Sorry Cosette fans)
Okay, that's it then. Please leave any comments, questions and suggestions via reviews and they will be noted. Constructive criticisms are welcome but please, no flames. Tune in every two to three days after I have acquired five reviews for an update.
Disclaimer: Any familiar characters and settings belonged to Monsieur Victor Hugo and the film directed by Monsieur Tom Hooper.
From Me, To You
"What happened to you?"
The man's question sliced through the silence of his home as he stoked the fire. Eponine daren't even try to lie to him, he would just catch her on yet another one. Saying something terrible about what she had gone through was not her exact way of passing time with someone she wasn't so close to. The rain pelted the windows and left shadows of droplets that reflected on the floor.
A night like this made her remember the time when she led Marius to the secluded cottage behind the convent of Rue Plummet. His face had lit up like a room filled with candles when he saw Cosette.
The very night that her papa tried to pillage and kill the old man, and the rain that poured over her as she cried for her unrequited love for her best friend. Maybe things would have been different if she had let them go through with their plans- stop! A sudden realization had befallen her as she thought of the gruesome possibility; she was starting to think like her father. If she hadn't met Marius, she would have let them do what they please with the both of them.
In brutal truth, she would have been as cruel and bitter as Thenardier if Marius hadn't shown her a bit of kindness that might have saved whatever shred of humanity and compassion she had left on that fateful day...
"Eponine?"
A voice, so foreign from the flashes of her memories made her blink away from the vague nostalgia and returned to the present. No cold cemented room. No cruel parents and bloodthirsty gang members. No frequent walks with Marius between afternoons. No Marius at all. She found herself within the four walls of a small flat with Enjorlas and bandages all over her body.
"I... must have dozed off. What was it you asked me monsieur?" she asked in a dazed tone.
He looked at her by the corner of his eye; her face was blank of any expression and her eyes were focused on the dripping droplets on the window. He didn't believe a word the girl had said before, he was no fool. She grew up with thieves and a pickpocket herself, it made no sense that she will be a victim of a profession she had from experience. Dodging and changing the subject was a sign that she'd not been very truthful.
Nonetheless, if she didn't want to share, he would let her be. She's her own person and he wouldn't dare press anymore matters if it will cause trouble. "Forget it. You must have a good night's sleep and regain your strength. We should be in the square by noon tomorrow."
Eponine said nothing as she stood up and slowly went to the room, closing the door as quietly as she could. What was she expecting; he will play the sympathy card on her? Well, she did actually. She had anticipated that he will badger her with questions and even plead her to answer him honestly but he remained silent. On the other hand, she was also grateful that he didn't; she wasn't in the spirit of fending off unwanted questions that might be too close for comfort. Enjolras was the sort of person who wants to be straight to the point and he was focused to one thing and that was the freedom of the people from the economical wall and the corrupt who sought after power and wealth.
Sleep began to come to her as soon as she slipped under the cover. Her eyelids began to flutter and before she knew what was happening, she was already in her safe place where the colors and shapes mixed and there were no tears and anger. Just happiness and contentment.
Gavroche bit through a stale baguette as he settled on top of the head of the elephant statue. He noticed that Inspector Javert had been roaming through the streets even more than usual with a forbidding look on his aging face. His underlings that were usually shadowing him were absent and his usually posh and immaculate uniform was now a bit untidy and he walked around in a rather hunched form, countering his usual poker straight strut.
"Oi Gavroche! They're here!"
One of his friends, Jean Claude, stood in front of the marbled beast's foot and waved his hat to him. The boy slid down the hole and worked his way down to the ground by climbing on the wooden planks that served as the 'skeleton' of the unfinished statue. His sister had warned him about staying in the statue but he said that it made him feel mature, having to live by himself and be resourceful, and at the same time retain his imagination as a child. Whenever he sat on top of the statue, he felt as if he was the unseen protector of the city. He can see almost everything up there, from the baker's shop in Rue Plummet to the gardens of the nuns in Notre Dame, he felt important.
He joined the Les Amis because they listened to him. It was hard to be a child who had no voice in any matter and he reckoned he's twice smarter than most adults, which some will agree. Courfeyrac was his favorite person in the group; he never had an older brother and while he loves Eponine, she can't be a role model he needed and Courfeyrac was the type of person he'll follow.
Jean Claude placed his hat back to his head as Gavroche jumped from the chute and joined his friend. "There's a demonstration near Rue Plummet!" the buck-toothed boy said as they wove through the crowd.
Gavroche frowned a bit, he heard that a new member would be speaking and it didn't take a scholar to know that it was Eponine. He wondered how the people will react. Last time they tried to have a demonstration, several thugs had insulted them and some had even threw fruits at them. It was a good thing though; at least he got free food.
A platform was placed in the middle of the square and several members of the group began handing out patches and pamphlets. People started to gather, their faces mixed with curiosity and amusement; they might have thought that they were staging a show. He saw a flash of dark yellow hair from the huddled heads on the side of the stage and he automatically steered his direction towards the man.
Enjolras bit the edge of his tongue as he listened to the complains of the men, "We will be disgraced!", "We will be mocked," "How do you expect people to listen to a woman?" One more push and he would be at the end of his rope.
"Enjolras-"
"What?!"
Bahorel flinched and placed his hands in his pockets, "The people are waiting and there are no police in sight."
"And what of Eponine?"
Combeferre suddenly appeared with a smile on his face, "She- I mean, he's ready!"
The leader pulled a confused look and Combeferre laughed. The philosophy student stepped aside and there stood a young man wearing a coat and hat that covered the upper part of his face. The 'man' tilted his head a little, pushing the rim out of his face and revealed it was Eponine with a wicked smirk on her face and her bandage was covered by the portion of her hair, "If they won't listen to a woman, surely now they would listen to a man" she stated. He spotted several soot covering her face and her clothes hid her bandages.
"Why do you have to dress like this? We're not doing any theatrics!" Enjolras questioned as he eyed the tattered coat and her soiled skin. Grantaire, along with Joly and Courfeyrac chose that moment to join the conversation; "Hold your horses, we're just trying to get their attention-"
"You're trying to get their pity," the law student grounded out, "We're here to make them see the truth, not play them along like puppets to get their sympathy!"
Eponine bit her lip as she watched them debate against one another; evidently it was more of Enjolras against the other Les Amis.
She cleared her throat rather audibly and placed a hand on Enjolras' arm, "If I go out there as myself, the people won't listen and they might even turn on you. It will be in my conscience if things turned to be the undesired."
"Then you only do this for the comfort of your conscience. Do what you think is right, but don't forget that we're here for the common good."
Enjolras gave her a fleeting look of disappointment before he shrugged her hands off of him and stomped towards Feuilly and Prouvaire. Grantaire rolled his eyes and muttered, "You didn't need to act like a connard about it!" Eponine looked at Combeferre who offered a smile that didn't reach his eyes, "Don't fret about it cheriè, he's just..."
"A connard"
"Stop that Grantaire!" he eyed the other man with a stern face before he then turn to her and sighed, "He has a lot to think about. With the barricades on hold and placing you in front, he's just not in his best mood as of now."
The young Thenardier girl dipped her head low before she stole a glance at the still seething man, barking at several revolutionaries who weren't doing their share of labor.
Eponine swallowed as she saw the number of people who began to crowd around. She had never spoken to such a large number before and now, her heart pounded like it was trying to escape her chest and her palms felt sweaty. She looked up and saw a couple of doves perched on the solitary tree near the convent and hoped it was a sign for something fortunate.
'What do I do, what do I say?' she fretted, mentally panicking as the seconds ticked by. In a flash, she saw Gavroche leaning by the tables of a wood shop and gave her a cheeky grin. Something unfolded in her chest at the sight of her brother. It was courage that she needed, a reassurance that can only be supplied by someone dear to you.
A sudden absence of a person distracted her from Gavroche and looked around the crowd of faces. She turned towards the group but he was still not there. "Marius, where are you?" she whispered to herself. She knew that he might as well be by Cosette's side but surely he wouldn't abandon his friends... would he?
The question made her chest clench a bit before she shook her head and looked forward with determination. She had to think straight and clear her mind from other things, even if that included the handsome man.
The bells of Notre Dame tolled, it was their signal to start the demonstration and with a final deep breath, Enjolras stepped up the stage and yelled out, "People of Paris hear our voices! Let our words reach your hearts and open your eyes to what has to be done! We are here to let the corrupt hear your voices and to let them wallow in shame-"
"You say you speak for the common people but you're just students! You don't know the suffering we had to go through every day! How do we know that you're not just some group who will abandon us in times of hardship?"
A man dressed in rags and an eye-patch over his right eye challenged him. The people around him murmured and nodded in agreement.
"Who are you to say that we can change the law? Our fates had already been written and we were all born into the life of poverty. Not in the same line as privileged ones like you!"
He was about to answer when a new higher pitched voice joined in his proclamation;
"Because I was born in the gutter as well! I know the cruel process of asking alms in the streets and having to beg for crumbs from the tables. I stand before you to say that you can change your fate. Stand with us and we can assure that we are all equals. Students or workers. The poor or the bourgeois, we are all the same!"
The old man stared at her and she felt that she needed to let something out as well;
"We, the citizens of France have been suffering under the rule of those who sat on the throne! While our bellies ache and crime ruled the streets, they sit in their chairs filling their stomachs with food that was for the people! Stand with us mes amis! Fight for our children and for their future!"
They looked at her, not with mockery or to condemn but to hear her-
"Should we stand idly by while those police use their power for their benefit?"
A weak 'Non' had echoed in the audience and within moments, more had begun to listen to them.
Grantaire took this as an opportunity and stepped forward with his head held high, "Will we allow the politicians to step on our dignity, our hope as they leech off the riches that were for the poor?"
"Non!"
Their eyes filled with anticipation and their faces filled with understanding as Eponine trudged forward, her gestures were sure and her voice was clear. Gavroche beamed widely as he saw people began to pin their patches and talked in an animated manner about joining.
"Are we going to allow those monarchs, those people who plastered their names with titles, to push us around like dirt?"
"Non!"
"Then join us! Let us all join arms to revolt against this corrupted government! Let us unite to end all the suffering of the common people, end to the abuse and prompt the equality between the rich and the poor! Liberate Paris, liberate France!" Enjolras ended with his fist raised above to the heavens and the people imitated the gesture with a loud battle cry.
A roar of agreement tore the very heart of Paris; their cries were so loud that one would have assumed that it carried from the gates of Paris to the border of Montfermeil. Eponine smiled as they raised their hands and began to chant "Vive le France! Vive le France!" She turned to Enjolras who just gave her a curt nod and yelled, "Join us in our barricade where we shall see a better tomorrow!"
Suddenly a sound of a gun being fired cut through their yells; six police officers with their guns on hand appeared from the alleys with Javert on the lead. "In the name of the law, stop this disgraceful act!" he boomed. Eponine froze; she had not seen this coming. The men, however, stood their ground and began to voice their displeasure at his interruption.
"Slave of the law!" Grantaire yelled.
"You're a puppet of the corrupt, a humiliation to your fellow man!" Lesgles fired.
Javert gritted his teeth as his eyes scanned their faces. Mere school boys who have no idea what the real world was, living in their fantasy world where no law means absolute freedom. He snorted at the thought; no law means no order and everything will fall apart. Only those who uphold the law are righteous, those who break it deserved to be punished. He had served his country for almost thirty-years and the only one who managed to slip his iron-clad grasp was prisoner 24601 who called himself Jean Valjean.
This group had been a thorn on his neck when he was transferred in Paris. Their speeches are a form of a public menace and they had threatened a fire of rebellion with the Parisians. His eyes lingered on the new man; he had seen that face before, but where?
One of the gamins had thrown a rock on one of his subordinates; the one who recently graduated from the academy, Émile. The boy, out of anger, fired openly towards the civilians which created an uproar. None was wounded but the idea of a soldier to open fire in the city had caused panic around them. People scattered like ants during a rainfall and some had taken to themselves to gang around the police individually and beat them with whatever they could get their hands on.
Enjolras felt the adrenaline rush in his veins as he ran through the streets together with his friends. "Everyone, back to the café!" he yelled, hoping they heard his call. He saw a back alley that was hidden in the shadows and side-stepped into the narrow passage and watched the civilians flee from the police who had called reinforcements. He poked his head to see the casualty and so far, there were no dire consequences, only broken carts and rocks strewn on the cobbled ground.
He slowly walked out of the alley and ran to the direction of the cafe with a secret smile in his lips. Their message had been heard and some had even joined to battle in the barricades. Everything had gone according to plan after all.
Everything didn't go as Eponine had wanted; she was separated from the group and now a cop had captured her and tied a rope on her hands. She tried to stomp at his feet but he retaliated by cuffing her at the back of her head.
She was brought to the police headquarters and thrown into a vacant cell. 'Not again' she thought. The man scoffed at her before he walked out with a smirk on his face; no doubt he was relishing his first time to capture someone. The bars were eaten by rust and the cell itself smelled awful like it was bathed in urine. Without any choice, she settled on leaning on the bars but still kept her hat. A pair of polished boots entered her vision and she looked up to see the face of Inspector Javert.
"You're the Thenardier girl. There's no use hiding that fact" he said. His hat was removed and she could see his hair turning gray and his face had grown weary with age.
"What if I am? We did nothing wrong" she answered, glaring at him with all her might.
Javert clenched his fist lightly, calling forth several cracks on his hand that made the girl flinch, "You have caused the greatest crime. You are part of the plan to overthrow the government and lay waste on France."
"France was already wasted by the likes of the king and his subjects" she hissed. A fierce emotion erupted from her and it didn't go unnoticed by the old inspector.
"And when did a common thief ever have any compassion for the state of others? You are like your father, maggots of the streets and the scum of society"
*"Je ne suis rien comme lui!" she shouted, slamming her hand against the bars. Her hands throbbed with renewed pain but she didn't pay any thought of it.
Javert grunted as he leaned away from the bars, "People don't change. A con would always be a con and you have lived your life being one. Face the truth thief, you are what you are and no amount of good deeds can undo the crimes that you and your family had done."
Eponine's eyes stung as she felt tears welling around them and his words echoed in her brain. She tried to block them out but it didn't ease the sting that pieced her heart and soul. The truth is what pains her; the truth that she only promised to help Enjolras because she needed a distraction.
'You don't care about anyone but yourself' a sinister voice whispered
'That's not true! I care a great deal about my friends!'
'You only care for Marius because you wanted his love. You only show care for Gavroche because you feel it was your obligation as a sibling, not because you love him. You can't love because you yourself hadn't given love. You are selfish; you deserved to be on the rack. You don't deserve friends. You are your parents' daughter. You only deserve death!'
And with that, Eponine broke down.
Javert left the crying girl on her cell. Had he stoop so low that he will make a woman cry? No, he hadn't. No one is above the law, whether it was a man or a woman, a child or an elder; the law was to be followed. He was brought up by a policeman who took pity on him and gave him a home. But it changed when a mugger, the very person who he had shown mercy, stabbed him in the side and left him for dead.
Something inside him changed after that. He shed his old name and fostered the name Javert from his surrogate father and studied under the most revered police academy. He graduated on the top of his class and yet, that prisoner had evaded him for almost twenty years and still insisted he had done nothing wrong except steal a loaf of bread.
"Inspector, there's someone who wanted to pay for parole" Émile announced with a young man behind him. Javert faced the stranger with a blank stare, "And what is your business here monsieur?"
"I'm here to pay for the parole of the captured revolutionary."
"And why do you think you can just pay?"
"Because you have no evidence that he had done anything wrong so it's against the law."
Javert felt his lips twitch at the sight of the man. But he was right about the holding of a suspect. He turned to Émile and ordered him to release the prisoner. Émile looked as if he wanted to object but held his tongue and opened the cell.
Eponine scrambled to get up and gently stroked the area where the rope chaffed her wrists. "Why...?"
"Silence vermin! Your parole's been paid" the man sneered and pushed her forward to the man who rescued her. Her eyes widened at the sight of the man.
-x-
"You mean she still hasn't return?" Enjolras asked in an incredulous tone as he sat on the chair. Courfeyrac nodded slowly while Grantaire drank, miraculously, water that was offered by Combeferre. He was the last to return to the café and already, most of the audience have supported their movement. Everyone was there but Eponine. No one had seen her since the raid and it made him worried that she might be in trouble yet again.
"Do you think she'll be alright?" Joly inquired in a worried voice, "She's still recovering from her wounds. Do you think she'd been caught?"
"Non-sens!" Feuilly countered, "Eponine knows Paris more than anyone I know. She might be hiding somewhere and waiting for the right opportunity to return."
Enjolras sighed as he eased back on the chair. Feuilly might be right; she could just be hiding in the shadows and would return with the hat in her pocket and a grin on her face. Joly climbed back up with a wide grin on his face, "The blacksmith has agreed to supply us with weapons that we needed!" Cheers flooded the room and they finally saw the light of hope in the endless tunnel of doubt and fear. Another set of footsteps lingered on the staircase and it revealed Gavroche whose face was red from all his running, "Is 'Ponine here?"
They all looked around and Courfeyrac answered, "She just might be hiding somewhere jeune, perhaps she will come by when the sun had set?" he tried to console the street urchin. He made a face before he walked down and called out, "Alright, thanks…" Feuilly and Lesgles counted the spare patches and reported that only ten were left undelivered.
"We must make sure that they will join us at the barricades" Enjolras said, "Out of all the able bodied men, only thirteen had given their pledge to fight with us." They now have extra men and weapons but they still need medical supplies and cartridges. He was now worried that the men might lie around too much since they think they've secured the needed proceedings. It was far from over and now was not the time to be resting. They were lucky that it was only the foot soldiers that came to Javert's aid. If it had been the royal guards, they might all be hanged for treason.
Out of character, he hit on his thumbnail and continued to leaf through his mind about anything they still needed to do. The mortality rate had gone down but they also needed more supplies to help them carry on for more than a week. The getaway passage was already secured thanks to Bahorel and Feuilly while only Joly protest against it because it went through the open sewers. Cholera had been rampant these days and they sought protection against it if they were to travel through the water. And he still hadn't told them about Marius.
Courfeyrac voiced out his thoughts, much to his dismay; "Has anyone seen Marius? He was gone for three days now and it's unlike him to leave without any word." The law student took a deep breath to prepare himself, now was the time for him to tell the truth. He stood up with his palms open at the table, "Listen everyone, I have something to tell you…"
A/N: Awwww a cliffhanger… I regret nothing xD A story is always better when there's a bit of suspense in the end. Had anyone else noticed that I used Eponine's awkwardness and self-doubt from the book? Not much of E\E action sorry about that but there will be in future chapters! I promise! Anyways, read and review dear people. And remember, NO FLAMES.
-Connard : Bastard, a**hole
* "I am nothing like him!"