A/N: Hello all! Hope you are enjoying the story so far! From here on out I will start writing longer chapters, but it might take me longer to update.
This scene was a little hard for me to write so if you have any feedback let me know!
Disclaimer - I own nothing except a CD and two DVDS :)
CHAPTER THREE: Red and Black
May 30th, 1832
"The time is near!" cried Enjolras, passionately addressing the crowd of young men that occupied the second floor of Café Musain. "The time for our revolution to take wing is drawing closer, I can feel it in the air!"
All the students cheered, except for a certain someone that was more concerned with his bottle of wine less full than it was before.
"But we must be careful," Enjolras said. "If we do not proceed cautiously, if we let our personal matters get in the way of this revolution, then we could jeopardize it all. We cannot, both figuratively and literally, let the wine go to our brains."
As he said this, he shot Grantaire a meaningful glance. The drunkard caught the look and began gulping down the alcohol in rebellion to Enjolras's statement. Some of the students laughed at this.
Suddenly there was the sounds of footsteps on the stairs; an out-of-breath Marius ascended, earning a disapproving look from Enjolras. "Marius, you're late."
Without saying a word, Marius plopped down into the nearest chair and began staring off into space, a dazed expression crossing his features. Joly ambled over to Marius's table and took the seat next to him "Marius, what's wrong today? You look as if you have seen a ghost!"
There was a loud clank as Grantaire plopped a glass in front of him. He poured some of his own wine into it and slurred happily, "Have some wine and tell us what's going on!"
Marius let out a little laugh, taking a small sip. "A ghost, you say? Well she was certainly like a ghost to me: one minute there and then she was gone! Yet when I saw her I knew that she was the only one for me. She has set my very soul on fire." He chuckled again and asked, "Can people really fall in love so fast?"
The students all exchanged serious looks with one another. Enjolras folded his arms, clearly not happy; Pontmercy was a distracted man enough as it was… but to add love into the equation? Perhaps it was the young gamine looking for him at the rally, Enjolras thought. He strolled over to where Marius sat, towering over him. "Marius, this is no time to get our heads stuck in the clouds. We are about to start a revolution! That is where our minds should be focusing! Not on these insignificant events in our little lives."
Marius gazed up at the leader, the "man of marble". With a shake of his head, he replied, "Had you been in my place, Enjolras, you would be feeling the exact same way. Do you know what it is like to be struck to the bone in a moment of breathless delight?"
It was Enjolras's turn to shake his head. He scoffed and answered, "Of course not, Marius."
Standing up, Marius placed his hand on his friend's shoulder and said quietly, "It will happen for you, Enjolras. One day you will meet a woman that will consume your every thought and become the very reason for living. When that day comes you will understand how I feel."
The room had grown silent, everyone watching the exchange between Enjolras and Marius. Not a soul could tell what Enjolras was feeling because he had become so skilled at hiding his emotions they often wondered if he even had them to begin with. Enjolras took a step back, letting Marius's hand slide from his shoulder and hang limply at his side.
"It is time for us to decide who we are," Enjolras said in a determined voice. The students all noted that he avoided Marius's statement all together. "We have ask ourselves what is the price we might pay? This revolution is not a game!"
With a gleam in his eyes, Enjolras began singing the mantra him and Les Amis had written when the planning of the revolution had just begun:
"Red, the blood of angry men!"
The rest of the men had joined in singing, except for Marius.
"Black, the dark of ages past!
Red, a world about to dawn!
Black, the night that ends at last!"
Even by the end Marius began to sing. Enjolras flashed him a half-smile – the closest expression to happiness that he had ever shown – as a sign of approval. Suddenly a newcomer coming up the stairs caught his eye: it was Marius's friend, the dark-haired girl from the rally. She watched the men disperse into smaller groups, chattering about the revolution. Judging from her nervous expression, Enjolras could tell that this was not the kind of gathering she was used to. He glanced over at Marius and nodded his head in the girl's direction, though he was not happy. This girl could be a serious distraction for Pontmercy…
"Éponine!" exclaimed Marius rushing over to the girl, who blushed at his excitement. "What brings you here?"
Éponine nudged Marius playfully with her elbow. "Maybe I came to see you, monsieur."
His smile broadened. "So you found her for me, then? You found the girl that has captivated my very soul?"
Éponine's face fell. She had planned not to find Cosette for him, hoping that he would forget about her and finally notice the friend who had always been there. Did he really expect her to be his little errand girl? There was a sound between a cough and a gasp from behind Marius. Éponine peered around him and saw the golden-haired revolutionary from the rally. He was watching the two of them; although he rarely showed emotion, Éponine could see a flash of confusion in the young man's eyes.
"Care to introduce us to your friend, Marius?" asked a boy with a nearly empty bottle of wine dangling loosely in his hand. He smiled at Éponine and winked.
"Ah, yes! Where are my manners? Éponine, this is Grantaire."
Grantaire frowned. "Just Éponine?"
"Um, yes…" answered Marius, slightly confused. He gestured to a tall, thin man with spectacles and introduced him as Joly. The man gave a smile and said, "I am terrible sorry that I have not shaken your hand, but I have a… er… phobia of germs."
"And yet the man still wants to be a doctor!" laughed a young man with dark curly hair. He grinned at Éponine and kissed her hand flirtatiously. "Bonjour. I am Courfeyrac, and this man next to me is Combeferre. He is second-in-command to our esteemed leader, Enjolras."
"Which one of you is Enjolras?" asked Éponine.
"That would be me, mademoiselle," said the golden-haired boy taking a step forward. "I believe we have already met."
Éponine nodded just as the jaws of the Amis dropped simultaneously.
"You actually talked to a woman?" asked Courfeyrac in disbelief. "I never thought I would live to see the day when our leader would notice the opposite sex! Careful, Enjolras, or soon you will become as bad as Jehan…" He gestured to a student that did not look like he was even old enough to attend a university.
Enjolras shook his head. "You act as if I have never seen another woman before."
"But we have never seen you with one," Combeferre pointed out. "We assumed you did not believe in their existence."
"Gentlemen, might I remind you that a woman had given birth to me?"
Courfeyrac smiled. "Yes, well that issue is still in debate among us. Many of us think still that you were born on another planet."
All the students laughed at Enjolras's frown. Even Éponine had to join in on that one. A moment later someone tugged on her arm. Marius leaned closer into Éponine; she thought that her heart would explode at how intimately close they were. "Éponine," he murmured.
Éponine grinned. "Yes, monsieur?"
"Will you please find my love for me?" He squeezed her arm although she did not even notice.
Twice in one day he broke her heart… and it was all because of Cosette. Funny how things turned out. When Éponine was little she had everything she could ever want; Cosette had nothing but a worn-out doll made out of rags. Now Cosette had it all… and life had dropped Éponine and her family at the bottom of the heap. It was bad enough Cosette had beauty and – obviously – money… did she have to take Marius away from her, too?
No, Éponine thought. I refuse to start wallowing in my own pity. I am a Thénardier: we do not allow our emotions to blind us. We are cold-hearted human beings. We do not need love in our lives.
But even as she thought it, Éponine knew not a single word of that was true.
"I will find her for you," Éponine said finally, forcing the smile to remain on her face.
"Thank you, 'Ponine!" He let go of her arm. "This means so much to me. I cannot thank you enough!"
Éponine was about to make a sly remark but he had already turned his back on her and struck up a conversation with the man called Jehan. With a sigh, Éponine turned around to leave; a hand on her elbow pulled her to a stop. At first she thought it might have been Marius, but no… while Marius's hands were soft these were rough and firm. She looked up to meet the eyes of the revolutionary leader staring down at her.
"I could not help overhearing your conversation," explained Enjolras, his face unreadable. "I… I am not very good at this, but for what it is worth, I'm… sorry."
Éponine's brow furrowed in confusion. "I'm afraid I don't know what–"
She stopped mid-sentence as realization dawned on her. He knows.
It was only for a brief moment but Éponine caught a glimmer of sorrow in his eyes. She knew he was not pitying her, rather he was sorry about the situation she was in. Éponine wanted to be mad and tell him that she did not want any sympathy from him but she found his gesture… oddly comforting.
Wordlessly, Éponine nodded her head and descended down the staircase, wondering to herself if this so-called "man of marble" had just revealed to her a small piece of his true self.
A/N: A thousand blessings upon you all for reading my ramblings! If you are interested, I have not one... not two... but THREE ideas for ExE stories! Two of them are one-shots with the possibility of turning into full stories. PM me if you are interested in hearing my ideas and willing to give me feedback!
ALSO, to anyone who follows/reviews/favorites my stories I just want to let you know that I reciprocate! I will read any of your stories and give you feedback! :D