Chapter Twenty One

A/N: Thank you to Lylex96 for reviewing the last chapter.

Eponine kicked her dress away from her feet, her weight having fallen too heavily on her legs to keep the hem above the ground. She had been walking for a dozen minutes now, but it may as well have been hours. It would not be long before she fell to the cobbles; at this rate, it was unlikely she would get up again.

In times like this, the young woman could not help but curse her stubborn nature. Any sensible girl would have waited a while at least before leaving, knowing that less than a day had passed since she was teetering on the cusp of death, but she had allowed her anger to cloud her judgement, as she often did. Now look where that had gotten her.

Her head was still clouded, a thousand thoughts buzzing around like a swarm of bees. It was lucky enough that her feet knew the way, tracing the path to a small apartment on the edge of the 'thieving district', far enough away to be somewhat safe, but not far enough to have to pay a decent rent. It was not a pretty apartment, functional and barely clean, but it came with a friend, someone 'Ponine could trust. They were few and far between now, it seemed.

By the time the door was opened, Éponine was barely on her feet, swaying violently and lurching towards the filthy wall as she fell. She was barely aware of being lifted into a man's arms, carried inside of the door. She had been sat on the uneven settee for a minute or so before her eyes finally came into focus, revealing the kindly face of her old friend.

"Where have you been running from?" Montparnasse asked, his conversational tone barely hiding his concern. "I thought you had your heart set on finding Marius and living out the rest of your life in educated luxury."

Éponine ignored the twinge in her chest at the thought of the student. "My plans changed. Things got in the way."

"What kind of things?" he pressed further, almost laughing, before his smile fell flat. Éponine frowned in confusion, before she realised. Marius had not had a chance to see her bruises, but they must have blossomed dark by now. The girl brought her hand to her neck, pressing lightly against the tender skin.

"The police got me." she explained, unable to wait long enough for her friend to ask her. "They said I stole some bourgeois woman's jewels, didn't even give me a chance to deny it. I was half-dead by the time Marius got to me. A few seconds longer…"

She could not complete the thought, the memory far too fresh in her mind. Judging by 'Parnasse's face, it was for the best that she had not. The young man was white as a sheet, his mouth wide open with shock. If the timing had been better, 'Ponine would have laughed, a man who had inflicted countless crippling injuries struck dumb by a police hanging, but she could not summon the strength to make a joke of it so soon.

"If he saved your life, then why did you leave him?" It took a minute or so for Montparnasse to find the words to speak. Éponine could not help but be frustrated at his pragmatism- he was always one to concentrate more on the future than the past, one of the qualities the young woman valued so much in his friendship- but she could hardly begrudge it. She did not want to talk about Marius' brushes with danger, but they were still far easier to discuss than her own.

"He's on the run from the police." Éponine explained, clinging to the slim hope that the man would not ask her to elaborate. The hope was dashed within a few moments, but it was worth it for that moment of peace. "The woman who accused me of stealing her jewels, he went to confront her. He… he killed her."

Montparnasse's eyebrows raised so far they almost disappeared off the top of his forehead. He blinked a few times, trying to absorb the news. "He murdered a bourgeois? Marius? Are you sure?"

"He came running into the apartment, his shirt sleeves covered in blood." Éponine shuddered at the memory, the faintest trace of red still visible on her own hands. "I asked him what happened, he told me. He didn't try to keep it secret."

"He didn't want to hurt you by lying." Montparnasse reasoned. He did not realise how foolish a move it had been until Éponine whipped her head round, ignoring the burning ache in her muscles as she did so.

"If he didn't want to hurt me, he shouldn't have done it!" she exclaimed, her arms flailing in her fury. "He'll be hung when they find him, 'Parnasse. I'll have to live without him for the rest of my life, knowing he died for me. While he was avenging my honour, he didn't stop to think that watching him hang would be the greatest hurt he could possibly do to me!"

Montparnasse wrapped his arms around his friend, tenderly pulling his head to rest on her chest. He had known Éponine long enough to know how much Marius meant to her. Since she was a girl, the young man had held her heart, even if he had not known it, and that was not the kind of flame that could be extinguished by a small gust of wind.

"You can't let the police get to him." Montparnasse murmured into her hair. "If you don't want to see him die, you need to make sure they never get him."

"How?" Éponine whispered, wiping the tears from her cheeks. "They know it was him that killed her."

"They know it was you and your father who were in the Patron-Minette." the young man shot back, garnering a small smile from his friend. "You still managed to get away. You just need to find Marius and take him somewhere they won't find you. Leave the city if you have to. You'll be leaving everything behind, but it'll be worth it if you're together, won't it?"

Éponine paused for a moment, then nodded. "Anything's worth it if we're together."

Montparnasse smiled widely, pulling the young woman's head to his shoulder once again, relieved when he felt her body go slack in sleep. There would be time for them to search in the morning, when she had rested and regained her strength. The man could only hope they found Marius before the police did. If not, Éponine's world would come crashing down about her ears. Montparnasse watched the brunette's sleeping face, a frown furrowing his brow. Éponine was a strong woman, that much was undeniable, but to have her world ripped away once again; he was not sure she would survive it.

Montparnasse watched as the sun rose over the horizon, the golden light offering a glimmer of optimism. He could only hope that the light was not a ruse, another cruel trick of the world that seemed to want so much to hurt them. He could only hope that their search would not be too late.

A/N: Hope you enjoyed. Please review!