Hello! Chapter one at last! Not much happening though, unfortunately, except for establishing what's going on in their heads. Particularly Apollo here.

Enjolras: Stop calling me that!

Me: Yeah, yeah, shut up, Enjy.

Enjolras: *Death glare*

Me: So, just read and review please!

Chapter 1

It was two weeks since the fall of the barricade, and Eponine was bored. She was used to being active each day, working incredibly hard for every tiny scrap of bread, not lying around on her back doing nothing.

At first, it had been nice to just lie down and have meals brought to her, but after two or three days, it had gotten annoying. Especially since Enjolras insisted on waking her up each morning, only for her to just sit or lie there, still in bed, bored out of her skull. Why wake her up when she wasn't going to do anything, anyway? Sure, it got rid of the nightmares, but still!

At least in the past week, he had finally relented and allowed her to walk as far as the living room for a change of scenery. She had to admit that it was an improvement, but not a major one. There still wasn't much to do, save for talk to Enjolras, who had decided to dedicate his days to interrogating her.

Today, however, was different. Enjolras had left for the first time since the barricade, and she was alone. Freedom was hers at last. She felt like a bird trapped in a cage, and with Enjolras gone, there was nothing to keep her there.

It was her shoulder that had been shot, after all, not her leg, she reasoned. And the wound was healing well. So why shouldn't she go out for a walk?

The more she thought about it, the better the idea sounded. It was a chance to finally escape! Despite the luxury of a real bed, and decent meals, she missed the streets. True, she had only really spent a few nights out there, on occasions when she hadn't earned enough money and her father had refused to let her inside for the night as punishment, and the night when she had left her father forever, but it was the closest thing to a home she'd had since she was a child.

Living with Enjolras did not feel like a home to her at all. She was too uncomfortable around him after the events of the barricade. He had told her that he loved her, and she had turned him down in a way that she knew was possibly even crueler than anything Marius had ever done to her. And each time she looked at him she would be painfully reminded of it and would feel as though a thousand knives were stabbing her in the heart.

She didn't know why it hurt so much, but it did, and she couldn't live with it. Which was why she was taking this opportunity to leave.

She carefully pulled off the plain green dress she had been given by Joly, choosing instead to wear her boy clothes, which, thankfully, were still there. She once again tucked her long auburn hair, which was a little less tangled and dirty now, up under her cap, then gathered her things. She had no intention of ever returning here. She had no intention of ever seeing Enjolras again, for that matter. It would be too painful.

She opened the door, which, thankfully, had been left unlocked. No doubt he had expected her to just stay put. She stepped outside, and, with a sigh, took one last look back before turning away and leaving.

Enjolras was completely dumbfounded as he walked inside and found his house to be ridiculously quiet. He knew right away that something was wrong.

"Eponine?" he called quietly, but there was no answer. He turned to look at Courfeyrac, Joly, and Grantaire, but they seemed just as confused as he was.

"Maybe she's just sleeping?" Grantaire suggested with a shrug.

Enjolras narrowed his eyes, doubtful. He knew Eponine, and was quite certain that she wouldn't be asleep at three in the afternoon. He crossed the living room, opened the door to the room she'd been staying in, and let out an exasperated sigh.

"She's gone."

"What do you mean, 'she's gone'?" Courfeyrac asked, raising an eyebrow. "How on Earth would she be able to leave? I thought she was injured."

"It was her shoulder that was injured, not her leg," Joly reminded him politely. "And considering that Enjolras clearly left the door unlocked, as he didn't need to unlock it when we arrived here, she therefore rather easily left through the front door."

Enjolras rolled his eyes as Grantaire snickered at him. "It's not funny, Grantaire, she could get herself hurt!"

"If I'm not mistaken, I'd say that you seem to be rather interested in Eponine," Courfeyrac commented, smirking at Enjolras.

Enjolras' jaw dropped, and he tried to ignore the heat that he could feel rushing to his cheeks. "I'm only interested in her safety," he replied, more sharply than he had intended, making Joly raise an eyebrow questioningly.

"Only her safety?" Grantaire asked. "I've never seen you act like this about anyone!"

"Of course you haven't, wine-cask, you're too drunk!" Enjolras snapped.

"I've never seen you like this either, Enjolras, and unlike Grantaire, I actually spend most of my time sober," Courfeyrac said, leaping to Grantaire's defense. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're in love with Eponine."

If looks could kill, Courfeyrac would have died then and there.

"I. Am. Not. In love. With anyone but Patria!" Enjolras said venomously.

"Are you sure about that, 'Ras?" Courfeyrac asked slyly, leaning against the wall. "The fact that your face is almost as red as that beloved vest of yours says otherwise.

Enjolras scowled. "I'm sure that you have something better to do than torment me, and I have a missing girl to find."

"She's not a girl anymore, Enjolras," Joly told him. "She was a girl when we all met her, but she's grown up since then. She's a woman now. And I think you might finally be beginning to realize that. Just make sure you don't hurt her, 'Ras. She's gone through enough in her life."

Enjolras waited until his friends had left, and then slumped against the wall with a sigh. He hated to admit it, but they were right, especially Joly. Eponine had changed drastically in the year or so since he'd met her. Back then, she had just been a scrawny 16 year old girl who spent all her time being blatantly in love with Marius, yet not saying so. Yet somehow during that year, she'd grown up and revealed a captivating personality that had made him decide at some point – he wasn't sure when – that Marius was in idiot for not returning her feelings.

She had still seemed like nothing more than a silly little girl a year ago, but now, he saw her as an amazing young woman. And somehow, that thought terrified him far more than the barricades ever had.