Her father grabbed her arm, pulling her in the direction of the apartment, smiling at the passersby who were obviously confused by the events that had just unfolded around them. Once they were a couple of blocks away her father whispered, "don't think I didn't notice the two missing francs." Eponine had expected that the money was the reason he had come hunting for her mid-morning.

"I was just going to get us all some breakfast, I was hungry and thought it might be a nice surprise for you and mama once you got up."

"I'm sure you did." Her father hissed back.

"I did, I promise, even ask the man at the shop, he'll tell you I came in and bought some bread and cheese."

"Breakfast doesn't cost two francs my darling" her father replied quite loudly as some people on the streets looked on with concerned glances. Eponine was sure that her face had a good welt on it by now. Enough time had passed and she could still feel the odd mix of a tingling and throbbing sensation emanating from where Tyce's fist had encountered her face. With all the attention that her injury was getting her father loosened his grip the rest of the walk home. Once they walked in the door her father threw Eponine down on the ground as his wife watched. "Our loving daughter went out to get us some breakfast this morning."

"Did she?" Her mother asked. Eponine looked up and nodded. "Then where's the goods."

"Yeah, where's the food?" her father echoed back.

"It was stolen."

"You expect us to believe that?" asked her mother in a taunting tone.

"Due to the fact that it is true, yes I do." Her father started towards her, such attitude usually brought her a slap or two.

"Wait" her mother said, "I want to hear this."

"Well, like I was telling Papa I got up this morning and you two were still asleep and I was quite hungry so I thought you would like it if I went out and got us breakfast, so I took some money on the table and went out to the store."

"You thought you would take two francs to pay for breakfast?" Her father asked.

"It was still dark when I left and I couldn't quite tell what the coins were and I wanted to make sure I had enough." Eponine tried her hardest to sound as innocent as possible.

"How thoughtful of you" her mother replied. Eponine smiled back before continuing on with her story.

"I wasn't trying to steal, I promise Papa, I would never steal from you. So I took the money down to the shop and bought us a bunch of bread and cheese so we would even have some left for dinner. But when I was leaving and putting the coins away to carry back here a boy came barreling out of nowhere and knocked me down and then another boy grabbed the food and ran off. But I got up and chased after him, some boy wasn't going to beat a Thenardier." Eponine knew her father would like this part.

"But when I finally caught up to them there were even more boys waiting and some of them were very big. They grabbed me, the boys who had stolen the food told them that I had coins so they told me to give them all my money. But I said I couldn't, it was your money, I wasn't going to give them your money. So they punched my face and I fell on the ground. Then they held me and went through my pockets and took the money. I tried to fight back I really did. But by the time I got up they had gone and I didn't see where. And that is when I heard you calling me." Eponine looked up at her parents who were just staring at her. Perhaps she had done it, perhaps they had actually bought her story. She started to cry "I'm sorry I ruined everything". Once she had said it she knew that went too far. Her father slapped her across her injured cheek and Eponine yelped in pain.

"Well now thanks to you we only have enough money for your mother and I to eat."

"Please Papa, I'm hungry, I didn't mean to lose the money."

"You are a liar and a thief Eponine." At this her father smiled, "which is very well but don't you ever try to pull something like this over on us again, we're a team us Thenardiers, if you forget that you are nothing."