Clifthangers!? Aren't they just amazing. Sorry for the wait but I've been distracted as of late. This chapter didn't get to where I wanted but it got long enough and i decided you all needed an update before the suspense killed you.

Remember the poll is open for this chapter and the next!

So I'll say this again. While i try to respect the wishes of everyone I'm sorry but I WILL NOT stop with my a/n's. I understand that some may not like them. However many people do like them and are a part of them now. I'll move the crazy (or some say 'annoying') one's to the end of chapters from now on but I won't stop; you can SKIP them if you don't want to read them. I'm sorry but that's how I roll. Again they aren't a direct part of my fanfic so skipping over them won't harm anyone

If that still isn't enough well I have this story posted under "Books" and in that version i don't have my a/n's, so you can look there.

Anyway moving on to happier things, thanks to everyone for reviewing or reading the last chapter! It means so much that you do! Please keep doing so

Eponine found herself looking up at a familiar face. She had been so afraid when she heard her name being called that she didn't think to stop and look to see who it was. Growing up as the daughter of a con she learned to run first ask questions later, it was a lesson she learned the hard way when she was nine after her father's first attempt at pickpocketing went awry but since then it had saved her more times than she could count. For as long as she could remember she had run away because it was the only way to make it out of anything in one piece. The years of her childhood summer days were all a big mix of running through people,, over curbs, across alleys and fighting off anyone who got to close. It seemed as though old habits died hard.

However he second her dark brown eyes met the blues ones staring down at her she felt herself relax. She stopped clawing at her captor's chest and her arm went limp in relief. She expected Enjolras to relax with her but instead he just seemed to stiffen and an expression that Eponine couldn't place spread across his face. His eyes surveyed over with a scrutiny that made her cringe. He looked her up and down and her skin felt hot as his eyes trailed her. His jaw clenched and he brought a hand up to her cheek causing Eponine to flinch slightly as he hovered a thumb from the top of her temple to cheekbone.

"What the hell happened to you?" He asked in a voice filled with pain

Eponine took a moment to process what he said and finally spared a thought for herself as the pain kicked in, the adrenaline reaching it's end. She winced in pain as she felt a strong sting going up and down her leg and a throbbing echo across her stomach and side before automatically bringing her hand up to where Enjolras' previously ghosted over only to be met with something sticky and wet. When she lowered her hand to her face she saw her fingertips streaked with blood. Her breath caught in her throat and she stood frozen for a moment before her legs started to get wobbly and she rested her arm against Enjolras' chest.

"I don't think I can stand up straight at the moment." She muttered softly before completely collapsing against Enjolras and using him for support.

Enjolras automatically wrapped his arm around her waist and a jab of fear stabbed him in the gut as he felt Eponine grip his t-shirt tightly.

"Are you alright?" He asked sincerely even though he knew it was a stupid question; she looked like hell.

She nodded slightly and took a sharp breath as she straightened herself up. Whether she liked it or not she was a Thenardier and she was strong. She wasn't going to get a little pain get in her way, and she certainly wasn't going to let anyone see her so weak in such a state. Enjolras was one of the only people who had a glimpse of what life was like for her yet he never looked down on her or made her feel pitiful, and she certainly wasn't going to let him start now.

She grimaced, "I'm fine."

She attempted to move from him but she winced in pain causing Enjolras to sigh and tightened his arm around her. Eponine didn't protest and the two of them without further instruction the two of them slowly made their way back .

"What the hell happened to you?"

"I don't want to talk about it." She muttered softly

He began to protest, "But Ep-"

She cut him off, "Aiden please! I don't want to discuss what happened. It's not your concern."

Enjolras stopped mid-step and his grip on Eponine tightened even more, "You're hurt 'Ponine, and don't even try to say otherwise!" He looked at her with a serious expression that told Eponine she needed to listen, "When you're hurt 'Ponine I need to know why! You're my girlfriend and I care about you. It's killing me to see you looking like this and it scares me that you aren't telling me how."

Eponine sighed and bit her lip, her eyes meeting Enjolras' with a pained expression. Part of her wanted to tell Enjolras about it. Part of her wanted nothing more than to bury her head in his chest and reveal everything to him- her pain, her fear, everything- but she couldn't, it just wasn't in her nature. She knew if he knew it was her father who did this and that he was going to rob Cosette's house Enjolras would spare no thought before calling the police, that's what any normal person would do, but Eponine couldn't let that happen. If the police were called things would be even worse, the system was not a nice place for people like her and her family, if anything it would ruin her life even more.

"Look your secrets are your burden, mine are mine. Just leave it at that."

Enjolras looked deeply into her eyes, trying to see if he could will he that way but he knew it was a lost cause. Eponine was nothing if not stubborn.

"Fine I'll drop it for now but we need to get you home, or at least somewhere to clean up."

She snorted, "Yeah home is the exact opposite of where I want to go I mean- oh crap..."

"Ep what is it?" Enjolras asked as Eponine froze and her eyes grew to the eyes of saucers. "Eponine what's wrong?"

"Give me your phone." She said in an urgent tone that confused Enjolras. There was no malice in her voice but it seemed as if time stopped for her at that moment and nothing else was touching her.

"What?" He asked in confusion

"Give me your phone!" She repeated, her tone even more serious

Without another thought, and slightly due to fear, Enjolras took out his phone and handed it to Eponine. She automatically punched in his password, Patria, and began furiously pushing buttons like there was no tomorrow. She stepped out of Enjolras' grasp and separated herself from his as she pressed the phone against her ear and turned so her back was to Azelma. In the silent night he could hear the soft ringing coming from the phone accompanied by the tapping of Eponine's foot.

"Come on, come on." Eponine muttered excessively while waiting for the person on the other end to answer her call. She bit down hard on her bottom lip and brushed her hair back in impatience. The wait was killing her and every second the dread in her stomach was growing.

Finally the line clicked, signalling pick up from the other end.

"Hello?" Answered a tired voice

"Azelma!" Eponine all but yelped, "Where are you?"

"Home...why?"

Eponine didn't answer her question, "You need to get out of there now!"

"Why?"

"Because I just did something really stupid and you need to get out of there now! Please Azelma just leave. Pack a change of clothes and all the money in the can. Trust me on this!"

"Eponine you're scaring me..."

"I'm sorry, I'll explain later. Can Grantaire get you?"

"Yea, he just left but I'm sure he isn't too far away."

"Great! Have him pick you up and get somewhere safe. The cafe is good, or even his house for a bit."

"You trust me at his house at night?" Azelma teased

Eponine rolled her eyes, "I'm not in the mood for this Azelma, just get out of there ok? And do it quickly."

"Alright." Azelma answered

With that the line went dead and Eponine handed the phone back to Enjolras. He took it cautiously and slipped it back into his pocket without taking his eyes off of Eponine. That entire exchanged confused him. He knew he promised not to push her to answer his previous question and tell him what happened but now that promise was getting harder and harder to keep. He opened his mouth to ask but Eponine only snatched his hand and commenced dragging him back to his car. The walk was awkward. Enjolras was trying to wrap his head around everything- confusion, anger, worry, concern, and fear running around his mind- while Eponine was just trying to make it to his car with a determined look on her face. She was in what she had deemed 'stone-mode'. Whenever she wanted to block everything out and get by she would force everything out of her mind and turn to stone. If Enjolras was the marble statue she was the stone soldier, and no one ever messed with her when she was like that.

They were about twenty feet from his car when they heard someone call. Eponine spun around on her heel to see Marius running toward them with Cosette in tow.

They approached the couple with worried expression and Marius instantly began blabbering.

"Oh my God Eponine! Are you alright? Oh of course you are not! We heard a scream coming from outside and it chilled us to the bone. Enjolras automatically sprinted out here to see what happened and we followed him but by the time we got there he was long gone. But are you ok? Speak to me 'Ponine!"

Eponine caught sight of Cosette from the corner of her eye and gulped, "Yeah I'm f-"

Enjolras cut her off, "No she needs some attention. She is scraped up pretty badly and we need to get her cleaned up. Can she use your bathroom?

"Of course" Cosette answered softly

Eponine felt stuck to the ground and it took Enjolras pushing her to finally get her to move her feet and make her way toward the house. They all stepped into the front foyer of the house and in the light of the chandler more of Eponine's wounds were clearly visible. She had stopped bleeding but dried blooded still trailed down her face from a cut on her temple, her left cheek was red while small cuts and scrapes seemed to sprinkle across her entire face. Her arms also had purple bruises forming around one elbow and a large cut going from her elbow to shoulder on the other. From the holes in her jeans small peaks of scrapes and bruises were also prevalent on her knees and thighs. Overall it looked like she had just come out of a bar fight. Cosette took one look at her and let out a gasp, without even uttering a word she grabbed Eponine's hand and lead her away to the bathroom.

Enjolras and Marius were left there standing together awkwardly and watching as the blonde dragged the brunette away. Enjolras stood still for one moment contemplating his next decision before sighing and taking out his phone. There was one more call he needed to make.

Meanwhile just down the hall Eponine didn't even have time to process what was going on before she was seated on the toilet and watching Cosette flip through the medicine cabinet. No words were exchanged between the two girls, making the sound of the running water from the sink and crickets outside the window seem like an orchestra. A tangible tension filled the air, it was so thick they almost choked on it.

It wasn't until Cosette was pouring some hydrogen peroxide onto a rag that they finally spoke.

"What happened to you?" Cosette asked in a cautious voice as she handed Eponine a wet rag.

Eponine shrugged, "I'd rather not talk about it."

Cosette chuckled softly, almost too softly for Eponine to hear, "Well as your nurse I would prefer if I knew what I was dealing with."

Eponine looked up at the blonde with dull eyes not really sure how to take that. Had Cosette forgiven her? Were they back to being friends or was she just being nice because she was hurt?

"Let's just say I didn't go down without a fight." She replied as she wiped the rag on her face to get rid of the dried blood that was already getting crusty. The warm water felt nice on her face, especially since her parents had decided against paying the gas bill for the past three months and they were stuck with nothing but ice cold water coming out of every faucet.

"Well don't leave it there!" stressed Cosette as she took a seat on the edge of the bathtub

Eponine licked her lips before continuing, "I get very defensive and I have a need to protect what's important to me."

Cosette looked at her with a pained expression. Whatever Eponine was hiding was hurting her immensely yet she wouldn't share it. Silence filled the room again and neither girl could look the other in the eye. It was almost as if they were two strangers stuck in a room together. Eponine began working diligently, putting all her attention on her injuries and taking care of them. Cosette handed her band-aids absent mildly and Eponine gave her a small nod in thanks, the only thing her mind would allow her to do. When they were finished and Eponine sat there all bandaged up neither knew what to say so Cosette pursed her lips and stared at some cracks in the ceiling while Eponine's gaze went to her folded hands on her lap.

Finally Eponine couldn't handle the silence.

"I'm sorry." She said bluntly without looking up

Cosette nodded but didn't turn toward her, "I...I know."

Eponine gulped, "I'm sorry for everything I did to you as a kid. I didn't know any better. I'm sorry for not telling you either. I swear Cosette I never meant to hurt you further! I just..."

Cosette snapped her head down and her lip quivered as she looked at Eponine, "I'm sorry too!" She cried, "I shouldn't have reacted like that! I'm so sorry Eppie! It was mean of me to jump to conclusions like that."

Eponine nodded and bit down on her lip, "What I did was no better, I was a brat as a kid and I didn't even have the guts to tell you the truth."

Cosette nodded and threw her arms around Eponine for an apology hug. It was a nice gesture but due to the fresh cuts that littered Eponine's skin it stung, badly, and Eponine winced in pain.

"Oh I'm sorry Eppie...again." She stuttered as she let her go

Eponine dismissed it with a wave of her hand while her other arm wrapped around her stomach.

"So does this mean you're not mad at me anymore?"

Cosette shook her head, "No, I can't believe I ever was. I mean after everything you did for me."

Eponine shrugged, "It was nothing."

"Oh yes it was! You became my friend when I first moved here. You showed me around school and town. You even helped Marius and I get together."

"Yeah I know... I felt that you two deserved each other." Eponine replied as she cleaned up the medical supplies.

"It must have been so hard since you liked him too."

Eponine stiffened and almost dropped the bottle of peroxide on her hand. "What?"

"I said it must have been so hard getting me with Marius since you like him too." She repeated innocently.

Eponine gulped before scrunching her nose and gripping the edge of the sink. "Who told you that?"

Cosette could sense she put her foot in her mouth and tried to think of a way to fix her mistake, "What? Oh no one...t-told me I um, just, have great intuition!"

"Cosette you are a shitty liar. Who told you!?"

She looked down so not to meet Eponine's eyes. "Enjolras," She replied timidly, "he did when he came in before."

Cosette heard some rustling and looked up only to see Eponine gone and the bathroom door thrown open. In a heartbeat she was on her feet and scurrying down the hall only to reach the foyer and see Eponine march up to Enjolras so angrily that rage was radiating off of her.

Oh crap...

Enjolras had his back turned to them and only noticed them when Eponine pulled the back of his shirt harshly and yanked him back to face her. Her expression alone scared him. She looked angry, hurt, betrayed and pained all at once.

"What the hell man!?" She yelled in a voice he hardly ever heard, "You told them!"

Enjolras didn't need any further explanation, he knew exactly what she was talking about. He had regretted saying it the moment the words slipped out of his mouth. "Ep I'm-"

"Don't you 'Ep' me! How could you?"

He looked at her with regret in his eyes, "I didn't mean to. It just slipped out."

"Oh it just slipped out?" She taunted him, "That's bull! Of all people to let this spill to you tell it to them?! I trusted you Enjolras! In my world letting anyone know your secrets is like playing Russian Roulette, you take a chance but if the odds aren't in your favor you don't get another chance. What next you will just 'spill' all the other things I revealed to you? Will you finally call the cops? Are you going to let them ruin my life too?!"

Marius took it upon himself to step in, "'Ponine relax. It wasn't his fault."

Eponine took one look at Marius before she was flooded with a whirlwind of emotions that she couldn't handle. Her heart sped up to the speed of racecars and she felt like she was going to be sick. It was finally out in the open and at a horrible time too.

She shook her head as if trying to block everything out before pivoting on her heel and running out the door, "I can't handle this!"

And like that she was gone.

Enjolras stood there frozen as he watched her run away. He knew he screwed up big time, this time it wasn't even the other guys fault, this was all on him. The feeling in his gut was worse than anything else he had ever experienced. Guilt was a very powerful thing.

Marius gave him a light shove, "Well go after her!"

Enjolras shook his head, "No I can't. She needs to cool off."

Besides she's right, I did call them.

Me: so guess what?

Enjolras: We have yet another visitor

Me: yep. This time from twitter!

Danielle9Rachel: Yep! I'm come in tweet...I mean peace...I mean, I'm here to annoy the hell outta you...

Enjolras: Are you kidding me? Why is every guest against me?!

Me: *shrug* You're just fun to tease

Danielle9Rachel: Luckily, I'm not that crazy because- OH MY GOD! I SEE THE VEST! I SEE IT I SEE IT I SEE IT!

Me: *moves behind Enjolras*

Enjolras: I'm guessing you like the best...

Danielle9Rachel: Yeah, just a little bit...but the vest is amazing! It's my tech project for school!

Me: Ill admit it is amazing

Enjolras: of course you would think that. You rigged the bet to get it

Me: Oh get over it already!

Danielle9Rachel: Hmm, perhaps I'm a little crazy...Oh hi chair! wait, I'm talking to an inanimate object...is that weird?

Me: well considering we are currently in an a barricade built in the 1800's... No

Danielle9Rachel: Okay! Enjolras, I have an important question for you... Why is your hair so curly? Do you use a special hair gel? Do you use L'Oreal Paris? My aunt does...

Enjolras: Excuse me? This is natural! I take pride in that

Me: *sarcastically* oh yea that's what you take pride in!

Grantaire: Tho most people haven't seen him in the mornings

Me: True, he is a frizz head then

Enjolras: am not!

Danielle9Rachel: Hey! I have a cousin called Patria! She's obsessed with you...

Enjolras: What? Why do I get a bad feeling about this...

Me: *cough* She said Patria

Enjolras: *sighs* hop on

Me; yea Piggy back ride!

Danielle9Rachel: Haha! What happens if I say it 74 times in a row?

Enjolras: *eyes narrow* You wouldn't!

Danielle9Rachel: Well, perhaps I wouldn't if...

Enjolras: I don't like where this is heading...

Danielle9Rachel: If you stand over there and sing a song. Taylor Swift: We Are Never Ever Getting back together. Or else 74 becomes 74000000. Or you could call yourself a doodyhead 60 times in a row... either is fine...

Enjolras: Oh you are kidding me!

Danielle9Rachel: If not its 74000 Patrias

Enjolras: fine ill sing!

Danielle9Rachel: Score!

Enjolras; I'm gonna regret this... Remind me again why i allow you people here?

Danielle9Rachel: *most serious face ever in the history of serious faces* because you love us with all you heart even if you don't admit it

Me: She has a point! Now lets enjoy awesome Enjy's performance!