A Bunch of Drama

Eponine smoothed out the material of her skirt. Under the lights, it was incredibly uncomfortable and hot. The fact that about 100 people were staring at her did not make Eponine feel better. She felt the cake-like make-up on her face. Beads of sweat started forming on her head. The velvet of the couch became incredibly uncomfortable.

She felt the weight of the couch shift, but Eponine's eyes stayed focused on her shoes and the fake white carpet below.

"Hello," whispered Enjolras next to her. His hands rested near her knee, beckoning her gaze to settle on him.

She tried to control her smile. This was incredibly unlike him. He was so outgoing and straightforward about his affections in this one moment. Looking up from her lashes, she gave Enjolras a bashful grin.

"Hi. Vera Claithorne," Eponine said, sticking her hand out for him to shake. "Private Secretary of Mrs. Owens."

Enjolras's posture never changed, only his demeanor. His usually self-reserved, no-joke attitude, was replaced by the light, jovial one of Captain Lombard. He smiled charmingly at her.

"Captain Lombard," introduced Enjolras. "Pleasure to meet you. I don't believe I've seen a prettier face before."

Eponine looked away, blushing. "Quite the charmer, Captain." She placed a hand on her chest, acting shy.

"Excuse me as I intrude this sweet show to introduce myself, Anthony Marston. Pleasant to meet you miss and sir," Grantaire said, sticking his head between the two young love birds. The audience laughed at his action.

Eponine grinned sweetly at him, repeating her introductions. Enjolras followed suit, but he put on a slight scowl.

"Captain Lombard! Well, my father was once in the army... He was a general... Very, very strong man! Where were you stationed...?" Grantaire dragged Enjolras towards the drink table, pouring some wine in the small glass. Eponine could see from her vantage point on the couch the internal struggle Enjolras was going though. The audience mistook his conflict, and many of them thought he was disappointed about being dragged away from Lombard's new fancy, Vera. Eponine laughed.

By force of the theatre group, Eponine had to mask her hatred for Colette. As the girl walked through the fake door, she held her head high. Eponine concluded Colette didn't need to act for the role. She was already a nasty, bitter old soul. Stifling her laughter, Eponine approached the other girl with what looked like a civil manner, but between the two of them, it was a duel. Eponine set a kind smile on her features, but her eyes were afire with hatred and challenge. Colette was not even acting as she dropped her bag with a boom, examining Eponine. Her disgust was evident on her face, and Eponine dug her left hand's nails into her palm, making a fist.

"Hello," Eponine greeted. "I'm Vera Claithorne, Mrs. Owens's private secretary. Pleasure meeting you." She held out her hand. Colette glanced at it disgustingly, and looked away.

"Bring my bags to my room," Colette ordered. She looked around the stage, her scowl growing as her eyes glanced at all the occupants. "I need some tea. Well don't just stand there, off you go!"

Eponine forced a chuckle. "I'm a secretary, ma'am, not a maid. I don't believe you've introduced yourself."

Colette scoffed. "No respect for your elders I see. I'm Emily Brent, and that's Miss Brent to you."

"I'll ask Mrs. Rodgers to take up your bag, Miss Brent," Eponine whispered. Her cold undertone did not go unnoticed, and she got a warning glance from Mrs. Caballero at the side of the stage.

Colette studied her, circling around her prey. Each glance was full of loathing, and Eponine lifted her head higher. At this point, it did not seem like they were even acting. Eponine's eyes narrowed, and a frightening smirk grew on her face. Colette's face seemed to pale at the powerful younger woman, but she never stopped.

"Your skirt is incredibly kinky, and that shirt… Are you trying to seduce someone, Miss Claithorne? That sickening dip of your blouse… and those heels. How hideous! What has this generation come to? You're a perfect example," Colette said. She licked her lips, lifting the fake glasses farther up her nose. "Disappointing and a failure. My generation was the last of the good. I can't believe we're leaving the world in the hands of… children scum like you."

Musichetta stood to the side, her eyes not believing the scene unfolding. The absence of chemistry between the pair was evident. It seemed like there was more a nuclear reaction between the two. The red head was sure Eponine would claw Colette's eyes out. It was like watching a soap opera.

"I'll take your bags, Ma'am," Musichetta interrupted before the two started an improvised fight.

"Mmm, yes. Go ahead," Colette said, strutting off and grabbing her clutch.

Forcing a smile, Eponine walked back to the group of boys- which grew while Colette challenged her- who were now taking their drinks. After studying Enjolras's scowl and sour face, she knew that the man had discovered the alcohol.

Eponine wandered off to stage left where a fire place holding ten soldiers rested. Above the soldiers, a framed version of the poem "10 Little Soldiers" hung on the set's paisley covered walls. After looking it over, she shivered and smiled. Behind her she felt Enjolras looking. Swallowing her embarrassment, she faced him with flirtatiousness.

"Captain, did you ever learn the 'Ten Little Soldiers poem'?" she asked, tilting her head to the side. She examined his handsome face. His eyes were a bright blue under the lights and full of laughter.

"Yes, I remember that quite well," Enjolras answered. He approached her, holding her waist from behind as they looked at the poem together.

"And how funny it is that the Owens have ten matching soldiers."

"Quite a haunting décor in my opinion, but this is not my place to say." Enjolras grabbed her other hand with his, rubbing it with his thumb. She knew he meant to comfort her from her verbal scuffle with Colette, and she felt incredibly grateful for his concern. Squeezing his hand once, she reassured him that she was fine after the fight.

After the tense moments in the censure of Colette, the play seemed to run along smoothly. The actors never missed a line. Grantaire as Marston had died first from poisoning, and the stage hands subtly removed the first soldier from the mantel piece, leaving nine more. Next to die was Mrs. Rodgers. Musichetta found that acting her death was much easier than most. All she had to do was exit off the stage, and she left the acting to Bossuet who would inform the other characters that she had died in her sleep.

Whenever there was a calmer scene in the performance, which was not often, Leanne would whisper to Ben. He was incredibly observant. What he was observing exactly, Leanne did not know, but she did stay cautious.

"Eponine is doing wonderful, isn't she?" Leanne whispered. She sat as far as she could from him in her seat. When he got suspicious, Leanne claimed that she needed space for her purse.

"Yeah," Ben whispered back. "I've heard she's always been a good actor."

Leanne looked at him questioningly. "This is her first year in acting. What are you talking about? Who'd you hear that from?"

Ben paused. "You told me when you were drunk."

"Oh," Leanne said. She looked at his twitching hand. "Must've been a slip up." As she looked back at the performance, she thought about his words. It was obviously a lie, but she tried to look past the lie. Talking with Thenardier about the kids was probably a common thing for Ben, especially if he was sent to spy or do whatever.

"She's very talented. The world could use someone like her," Ben said. Swallowing hard, Leanne mulled over his words. Though it was meant to be a compliment, Leanne felt as if there was a hidden meaning, something more menacing. Before she could start worrying, Leanne put all of her focus on the play ahead.

During intermission, Eponine kept to herself in her dressing room. She felt nervous and thrilled about what was to come. Maybe a kiss from Enjolras was all that she needed to be sure of their feelings. Grabbing a tissue, she wiped off her lipstick. Eponine did not need anything getting in the way of their lips.

A slam of the door brought her back to reality. Colette stormed into the room, her gray wig askew. She pointed her index finger at Eponine which seemed to twitch with anger. "You self absorbed girl! Those scouts are for me!"

Eponine laughed. "What are you talking about? I was not the one who decided to take their true form on stage!"

"You obviously don't know what acting is," Colette said. Huffing at Eponine, she stuck her nose in the air. "You're messing up the play, Eponine. Those scouts will never come back because of you."

"Or they'll realize that you are not as good as an actor as your father said," Eponine shot back. She smiled at the other girl.

Cosette glared at the other girl and left in the same fashion she came.

The auditorium's lights began to dim again, showing that the play was about to resume. Eponine took her place in front of the fireplace with Enjolras next to her. One by one, the people died as the scenes progressed. Many times the people in the audience gasped, amazed at the outcomes each time. Eponine could hear people's whispers about how the students removed the soldiers so stealthily after each death.

As the play reached its highest point, Eponine's heart began fluttering. Everyone had been killed. It was just her and Enjolras left. When he pulled her into a hug, she grabbed the fake gun and pressed it against his chest.

"You- You wench! It's been you killing everyone this time!" Enjolras shouted, pretending to be amazed.

She pushed him around the room, and he backed away slowly until he hit a wall. He ran behind the couch, trying to protect himself. A few feet away from him, Eponine stood, smiling. She cackled. "Surprise!" And Eponine pulled the trigger.

Marius got the timing of the gunshot on time, and the crowd gasped with horror. Eponine stood as Vera, amazed at what she had done. The gun dropped from her hand, and she fell with it. Sobs escaped her throat, and she covered her face, crying. Having her emotions under control was incredibly useful when she was acting.

She heard the actor of Judge Wargrave approach her. Her sobbing quieted, but when she looked up, she screeched. Eponine followed the stage directions, crawling away from Wargrave and crying when he began wrapping the noose around her neck. Whispering in her ear, he explained why he killed each one of the people. Eponine couldn't stand the close proximity of the man, and she started screeching with real horror, which went unnoticed due to the situation. It reminded her too much of the horrifying encounters with the men from before, the men like her father.

After a few more seconds of their cat and mouse game. She heard Enjolras shuffle from behind the couch to aim at Wargrave, and she saw Marius fix the shotgun noise again.

Eponine's eyes widened, pretending to be terrified. She felt the rope's loop loosen, and threw it from her neck. She and Enjolras rushed to each other, throwing their arms around the other. Immediately, a rush of paper and ink filled her nose from his body. She closed her eyes, savoring his strong arms enveloping her small frame. They hugged longer than necessary, but they parted soon after.

Eponine looked at him, her eyes still filled with terror. "I thought I shot you…?"

Wiping her fake tears, Enjolras examined her face. He knew she was feeling troubled, but he wondered why. He smiled at her mischievously. "Thank god you can't shoot straight."

She laughed lightly, thankful for his change of the sexist phrase. After she stopped, she looked at him questioningly. "Well, what do we do now?"

Blood pumped throughout her body, and she felt herself flush. She pursed her lips to hide her smile. The time was coming.

"One little soldier, left all alone," Enjolras said. He brought her to the door of the set. One hand held hers, and the other held her waist. She laughed lightly. Using her opportunity, she held his wrist, searching for a strong pulse. Eponine knew the science of attraction, and she would apply it at the very moment.

Her smile was still plastered on her face as her heart fell. His pulse: normal. Nothing extraordinary. Nothing beating erratically. She thought the fire in his eyes whenever he saw her meant something. She thought all the things he did only for her were because he liked her back. Why wasn't his pulse beating like hers?

Maybe it was not as romantic to have a forced kiss on stage with a hundred people watching you, she thought. How is that something to be proud of? Maybe he just wanted to kiss her at a more private and appropriate time. Maybe he did not want to kiss her.

"He took the hand of his soldier love, and together they went happily home." Leaning down, he was about to capture her lips. Eponine's mind was still running over his heart beat and place for the kiss.

Before their lips connected, she let go of his hands and held his face. Eponine angled her head to cover what the crowd would see and slipped her thumb between their lips. She felt his mouth cover one side, and hers cover the others. People in the audience cheered, clapping their hands and whooping. The seniors? They were wondering what was happening. Their kiss was intervened again!

Eponine opened one eyes slightly, and she saw his eyebrows draw in confusion. The sound of the crowd's cheers were drowned slightly by the heavy velvet fabric closing around them, and the two parted. Enjolras looked at her incredulously, and she looked to the side, not willing to look him in the eye.

"What happened? I thought we were okay with this?" he asked as they rushed to the side of the stage, waiting for their bows.

"I wasn't. Not at that moment," Eponine said, walking to her side. Enjolras stood in his place, looking at her dejectedly. His eyes darkened, and not just because of the dim-lit backstage.

A/N: Heyo! I'm so sorry I literally have not updated in a month. My apologies! I had to take one week for finals though, so I hope you guys understand that. I also wanted to give you guys my best, and not just update with a horrible chapter. On this summer break, I will try to update as best as I can. I've updated just to keep on time, but those chapters never turned out quite as well as I had hoped. I'll update when i think they're at least okay.

I want to thank everyone, especially all the guests, who reviewed last chapter/update! There was just a flood of them! Thank you! It made my month! (Again, I'm sorry!)

I hope that chapter was okay. I had a lot of trouble writing this one because people were acting as people, and there was a bunch of complicated theatre stuff that I found hard to explain.

I don't own Les Mis! Please review/favorite/follow! It always makes me happy :) I hope you guys have a great beginning of summer!

~Franky