Revelations

Eponine's features hardened, and she nodded to him. Ben stared at her, amazed to see that she had come home. With wide eyes and a pursed mouth, he nodded back. Eponine watched Ben's countenance stiffen, and he looked around their home, rocking back and forth on his feet.

Behind Eponine, Azelma, who was hyperventilating, opened the door. With her, she brought the cold of the evening and the end of their worries about their safety… for now. Azelma's face was distraught, and there were red markings along her upper arm. It seemed she had seen their father, too. As the younger girl collapsed into her sister's arms, Eponine stroked her hair and kept her up. Eponine attempted to calm the girl's shaking frame.

Her aunt took action suddenly. Signaling for Ben to come towards her, Leanne opened the door to their home. Ben strutted past the girls, seemingly unaffected by the tense ambience. Leanne shut the door without a goodbye, and the family was greeted with silence. The lights in the hallway flickered lightly, and Gavroche's video games could be heard from above. Crickets and cicadas chirped outside the house, living happily and oblivious, never having to deal with the problem they were facing.

A few seconds later, the sound of padding feet came down the stairs and towards them. Gavroche walked hesitantly towards the group, wondering why Azelma was distressed. He rubbed her upper arm, pulling away when she winced slightly.

"Has he left?" Gavroche asked. He peeked out the side window.

"Yeah," whispered Eponine. She felt Azelma shift, and came face to face with her.

"Eponine… I- I saw him," Azelma said. Her eyes were red and puffy, and Eponine's thoughts flew back to when they were children. A similar fear was behind Azelma's eyes when they still lived with their parents. Eponine could feel Azelma's uneven breaths on her skin, and she bit her lip.

Gavroche's eyes widened with hatred and fear, and Leanne rubbed her face with her right hand. She gestured for them to sit around the dining table. Azelma let go of her sister, and they traveled to the next room. Their aunt stood at the front of the mahogany table. She looked more stressed in the light. The bags around her eyes were more prominent, and her brows were always scrunched up.

"Eponine and I should probably tell you two some things," Leanne began. She took a seat with them, and signaled for Eponine to start.

Eponine looked at her nails. She ran her thumb over the pads of her fingers, then the palms of her hands. She clenched her fist like she used to whenever she had to take punishments for her siblings. She dug her nails into her palms, focusing on the pain produced by it. Eponine did not like the idea of causing her siblings pain or fear, but she knew it was necessary. For their safety.

"I thought maybe one of you would have seen something. I thought maybe one of you would suspect, but I guess we kept it well under keeps," Eponine said. She squeezed her fist tighter. "I guess now you guys have figured a piece of it out. Thenardier is out there. Some assholes…"

"Language!" said Leanne.

"Excuse me, buttholes. Some buttholes assisted him and the Patron Minette in escaping. I guess they decided to come back to this town out of everywhere else in the country." Eponine looked at their faces, gauging their reactions so far. Gavroche was fidgeting in his seat. Azelma's face seemed even more distraught than before.

Eponine looked at Leanne with pleading eyes, begging her to continue instead of her. Leanne diverted her gaze, looking at the brightly colored dining room. Eponine looked down, pursing her lips.

"They want us back. I don't know why exactly, but that is not what is important. I have a guess about tonight. They were at the dance to take us. Ben was here with Leanne as a distraction, ready to kill and leave the moment the Patron finished their job." Eponine bit her lip. She hated the frightened looks on their faces. She hated scaring them, even if it was indirectly. "Listen, guys, I know we're in a pretty lose-lose situation, but the best option is to keep our mouths shut. Thenardier has contacts. The moment we're sure of his next move, we'll take action, but we have to keep calm. Stay away from his contacts we're sure about like Ben and Montparnasse. Let Leanne deal with Ben."

"And what if he gets us Ep?" Gavroche asked with a raspy voice. His eyes were wide and worried, and Eponine felt her heart melt. These were the first people she loved.

Eponine reached over the table and shoved his shoulder lightly with a small smile. "Hey, I won't let him get you. Batman didn't let the bad guys win, did he?"

Gavroche scoffed, rolling his eyes. His mind seemed to forget the threat they were under momentarily. "I'm not a kid, anymore, Ep. Cut the superhero stuff."

"You're still our little brother," gushed Azelma. She flashed him a huge smile, understanding that Eponine had been trying to distract him.

"Oh my god!" groaned Gavroche. He got up, shoving his chair back underneath the table. He began stomping over to the stairs. Azelma stood up and followed him, naming all the reasons why he was still young.

The smile fell off of Eponine's face, and she closed her eyes. She was making the right choice, wasn't she? A small hand clasped Eponine's shoulder, and she turned around to see Leanne looking at her admirably. Her aunt nodded, and then placed a small kiss atop her head. Leanne walked away to her study, leaving Eponine alone in her thoughts.

Staring at nothing, Eponine let the silence engulf her. When things had begun looking up, they always unraveled for her. She kept wondering why.

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"Eponine, I don't know if that's the safest option," Cosette said slowly. Eponine had asked her two best friends to meet her in the café and discuss her decision of keeping her mouth shut. Christmas was a week away, and moods seemed to lift up. A feeling of safety and happiness permeated the neighborhood. It was the first week her aunt had deemed it safe to venture out of the house since the dance incident.

"What are the cops gonna do? It took them years to capture him!" Eponine whispered. She looked at them earnestly and then leaned back in her chair. "Each time I found out somebody planned to report them, the only people who were caught were the victims. They were always caught dead."

Her friends didn't speak, and neither did she. They were lost in their thoughts and worries. Patron Minette was like an anvil floating above the community's head. Everyone was under their threat, but nobody was in a worse situation than the Thenardier children. They all knew that.

Musichetta took a sip of her coffee before speaking. "What can we do?"

Eponine shook her head. "I don't expect anything from you guys. Just understand if I ever make any rash decisions."

"What kind of rash decisions?" Cosette asked softly. She looked at Eponine with one eyebrow quirked up.

Eponine licked her lips, thinking of the possibility looming over head ever since the dance. She hated it, but she knew that if the dangers had reached their peak, she would have to carry out the action. It was a mistake she was hoping she would never have to make again, but the universe doesn't always work with someone, does it?

"You guys will understand," Eponine pressed.

Cosette opened her mouth to ask again, but Musichetta stopped her. The pair looked at Eponine with serious expressions, and Eponine felt grateful for them. Any other friends would have claimed she was overdramatic or being irrational and demanding. Cosette and Musichetta were patient with her.

"We understand," Musichetta said, resting her hand on Eponine's.

A/N: Oh my god, I am sooo sorry. I've practically neglected this story ever since I began school again. I've also faced writers block, and lost inspiration every now and then. I've tried getting writing tips on tumblr, but then I would end up reblogging things on my dashboard... In summary, I have not been loyal to my story. I'm so sorry, and my writing is so out of practice.

This is a pretty iffy chapter, like the past few. I'm trying as much as I can right now, hahaha. I also need some enjonine inspiration because I have been insulted for shipping it lately, and it's really discouraging. I'm gonna keep writing because I hope I will improve, and I know there are some people out there who like this. Thank you so much for all the support, it really does make me happy. I hope this chapter was alright at least. Thank you again to every one.

~Franky :)