I DID IT! I apologise in advance for any mistakes but it's three in the morning and my need to sleep is overtaking my desire to double-check and edit more, so if you find anything let me know, and I'll fix it when I can.

Disclaimer: I still don't own Les Mis, but I wish I did.

Enjolras was the last one in the café, as usual. Musichetta had left him to lock up again, leaving hand in hand with Bossuet less than five minutes ago. He could normally keep working for at least another hour after everybody left, but not tonight.

Something wasn't sitting right with him and he couldn't concentrate. First of all, he kept picturing a fight between Éponine and Bahorel, which he couldn't imagine being anything but hilarious. The scene in his mind was different each time, but Éponine was always the victor in the end, just like it would likely happen in real life.

Her eyes had been fiery again when she's been shouting at them. She really had to stop doing that.

Then again, he'd rather she had fire-eyes all the time than another second with the broken, hollow look they'd held when Pontmercy was spouting his rubbish. Even he, the so-called 'marble man' had seen that look and wanted to shake Pontmercy hard. God only knew what someone who actually cared about other people's love-life related feelings, like Courfeyrac, had thought.

Not that he was unfeeling, don't get him wrong. He just didn't want to listen to that stuff. He hadn't been lying to Pontmercy: he really didn't care. As long as he didn't have to see that look in Éponine's eyes again. Or anyone's, for that matter. He was sure he would be equally uncomfortable if anyone looked that way. It wasn't that she was special or anything. Well, he supposed she was special in a lot of ways, but not in that way, that would be ridiculous to even suggest –

His inner monologue was cut off by Marius' entrance. Normally, he wouldn't even have looked up, but Pontmercy immediately asked 'Is Éponine here?'
Oh good Lord was I talking out loud? 'No, why should she be? She left with you.'
'Yeah…' Thank God, it can't have been out loud, he'd have taken the mickey by now. He let out a breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding.
'The thing is, Enjolras, I've been at Cosette's and I want to tell her all about it… Oh Enjolras it was amazing, she loves me too, she really does, and I feel as though I did not live until today and I could never live if we were parted and –' Oh good. Here he goes again. Yes, keep talking. I'm really interested. Pink pyjamas you say? How fascinating. '-and then I heard a scream and sent her inside before driving away.'
'So surely, Éponine was in your car?'
'What? Oh… no, she'd gone.'
'Then it might have been her scream?'
'Well, I suppose so. But, that's not like Éponine. She's tough'
'Exactly, so a scream from HER indicates very serious trouble'
'Yes. Precisely. I had to make sure Cosette was safe.' OH YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME, PONTMERCY
'PONTMERCY, DID YOU THINK OF SOMEONE OTHER THAN YOURSELF FOR HALF A SECOND TODAY?'
'Enjolras, why are you angry?'
'HAVE YOU AT LEAST CALLED ÉPONINE?!'
'Her phone's in my car, she left it. What's your problem?'
'YOU ARE, YOU FUCKING IDIOT!'

Marius's face was a picture: Enjolras just said fuck! He was just as surprised at himself actually, firstly that he was this bothered by the situation, secondly that Pontmercy had been so self-centred, thirdly that he had said fuck, and finally that he was grabbing his car keys and abandoning his books.

'What number Rue Plumet does Cosette live at?'
'55 but why are YOU visiting my girlfriend at this hour?!'
I'm not even dignifying that with an answer. 'Just lock up before you leave, Pontmercy.'

And then he was running down the stairs and out the door into the rain, straight to his car.

It had taken a while and been excruciatingly painful, but she was standing. Well, she was leaning heavily against the wall… but upright nonetheless.

The vulnerability of her position had hit her like a ton of bricks and she was damned if she was waiting for the father to come back and finish her off. So she stood. It was the most pain she had ever endured, but she had done it.

And then slowly, but surely, she made her way along the soaking wet wall and out of the garden, and down the Rue Plumet. She didn't even know where she was going, just that it was as far from 54 Rue Plumet as she could physically get.

She had expected to see the empty space where Marius' car had been, but it didn't make it hurt any less when she saw it, or make her feel any less abandoned. The pain and the loneliness welled up inside her again and she was going to cry and nothing hurts sore ribs like crying, so she sang instead. It hurt like hell, but if it kept her walking, it was worth it.

And now I'm all alone again,
Nowhere to turn, no-one to go to.
Without a home, without a friend, without a face to say hello to.
And now the night is near
Now I can make believe he's here.

Because despite the fact that this whole mess was mostly directly his fault and the rest of the blame lay with her for defending him, she still wanted Marius there. She always wanted Marius there.

Sometimes I walk alone at night when everybody else is sleeping
I think of him and then I'm happy with the company I'm keeping
The city goes to bed: now I can live inside my head

She stopped singing for a second as she turned the corner and nearly fell over. This was clearly all that was keeping her upright. Keep going, Thénardier. I don't care what you sing about, just sing.

So she sang about how she was feeling. About Marius. About everything.

And she kept walking.

He stopped his car outside 55 Rue Plumet and jumped out, not bothering to lock it. He turned in a circle, looking all around for some sign of the tiny girl with the big, expressive eyes.

There was nothing. He stood in the rain, his curls flat against his head and dripping into his eyes; his blue button-down shirt soaked through and sticking to him.

Enjolras you are the dumbest guy in the world. You're dumber than Pontmercy. He knew that Éponine would have taken care of herself, but you had to play the hero and go and look for her. For God's sake, how many times have you heard her insist that she knows her way around and yet STILL –

His inner monologue was cut off for the second time that night. But this time, it was something far better than an entering Pontmercy.

On my own
Pretending he's beside me
All alone
I'll walk with him 'till morning

It was her. Where was she?

Without him, I feel his arms around me
And when I lose my way I close my eyes…

GOD, she had a beautiful voice.

…and he has found me.

Enjolras snapped back to reality. Not yet I haven't, but I will.

He started walking, blindly following the angelic voice that filled his head. He barely noticed the rain. I just need to find you.

It was getting harder and harder to keep walking, but she was almost around the second corner, quite a way from Rue Plumet. She had to keep going. What else could she sing about? The rain. You love the rain, walking along the river in it.

In the rain
the pavement shines like silver
All the lights are misty in the river
In the darkness
the trees are full of starlight
and all I see is him and me forever and forever!

But that's not what she saw. She saw a battered, skinny little corpse, trudging her way round the corner to Rue de la Quintinie. She felt anger join the pain and heartbreak in the pit of her stomach.

And I know it's only in my mind
That I'm talking to myself, and not to him.

But she could always hope!

And although, I know that he is BLIND
STILL I say: there's a way for us.

Her ribs were hurting again. Don't you dare cry!

I love him, but when the night is over
he is gone: the river's just a river.
Without him, the world around me changes
the trees are bare and everywhere the streets are full of strangers!

I love him, but every day I'm learning
All my life, I've only been pretending!

The anger and the frustration and the hurt were building again. Pretending was right: what did she have to show for 19 years of fighting endlessly to exist?!

Without me, his world will go on turning
A world that's full of happiness that I have NEVER KNOWN!

With the big, emotion-draining power note, her strength ran out and she broke down in tears, despite the screams of pain from her ribs and the continuing agony of her leg and her head and her face. She was going down in a second, she knew it.

She'd gotten as far as she could.

A world that's full of happiness that I have NEVER KNOWN!

As she belted out a pitch-perfect note that expressed more emotions than he'd felt his whole life, he saw her.

And then her saw her shoulders shake.

And then he saw her crumple to the floor.

And then he began to run like his life depended on it. Through the rushing in his ears of the wind and the rain, he heard her finish her song, so fragile and so broken, but so determined that he felt it in his very soul.

I love him.
I LOVE HIM.
I LOVE HIM.
But only…

He was almost there.

On
my
own...

He was there. He knelt down on the soaked pavement by her head, not giving a shit about the pavement and his already soaked chinos. Very gently, he picked her head off the pavement and turned it to face him, placing it in his lap.

Fucking hell.

Her eyes were both closed, but the left one was so swollen it looked like it might never open again. Her face was covered in blood, the source of which was either the cut above her eye, or her clearly broken nose.

'Shit, Éponine? Éponine, can you hear me?' he asked desperately. Her right eyelid quivered. 'Éponine, you're safe, it's Enjolras, can you hear me?' To his intense relief, her eye fluttered open, filling with confusion and surprise as it met his. She opened her mouth to speak, dribbling blood and water down onto his legs, but only managed a raspy whisper of 'E-Enjolras?'

The bewildered disbelief in her voice caused the voice of his usual disciplined, marble personality to snarkily whisper in his ear 'of course she's not expecting you, you aren't even friends. She'd rather it was anyone but you.' But he ignored it. Because it didn't matter who she wanted there, he was the one who had come, and she needed his help.

'I'm going to pick you up, Éponine; I'll carry you to my car. Is that alright?' He took the infinitesimal movement of her head as a yes, because frankly, he was going to do it anyway, and as gently as he possibly could, placed her arm over his shoulder and picked her up. The motion caused her to cry out in pain and the sound cut right through him. 'I'm sorry, Éponine, I'm so sorry.'

Keeping his precious cargo as level as possible, he made his way to the car. Her eye was shut again, but she was awake, and he found the anger building inside him. Who could do this to a tiny, funny, sparky little girl like Éponine? To anyone, for that matter?! How can such soulless, evil monsters be allowed to roam the Earth?'

He was at the car. He placed her gently on the passenger seat, grabbing a few shirts and sweaters from the boot once she was in. He bunched up one and wedged it between her head and the door as a pillow, then placed the rest over her like a blanket to try and keep her warm, before fastening her seatbelt. He needed to get her dried off and some medical attention as soon as possible. 'I'm going to take you to hospital, all right, Éponine?'

Suddenly her eye snapped open and she tried to bolt upright, only succeeding in a slight twitch then falling back into the seat. 'NO!' she croaked out.
'No? Why not? Éponine, you need a doctor, fast.'
'Not hospital... bad place... records.' He didn't pretend for a second to understand any of that but he didn't want her any more distressed than necessary so he said 'Fine, I'll take you to Joly. Is that allowed?'
'Yes'
'Right, fine.' He darted around the car and jumped into the driver's seat, setting off for Joly's apartment like a man possessed.

Courfeyrac was used to strange callers in the night: it came with the territory when he and Grantaire shared an apartment. Poor Joly put up with a lot. But one thing he never expected to open the door to at eleven at night was a dripping wet Enjolras holding a similarly soaked, battered, unconscious Éponine in his arms, a look of pure desperation on his face.

'JOLY!'

I hope the switching perspectives aren't too confusing. Please let me know what you think, I'll get back to you as soon as I can! :D

the A/N at the end of the last chapter is for realsies now, so I might not be back for a few days.

I LOVE YOU ALL