Chapter Twenty Five

A/N: Thank you to OMG-fangirl and MusicalTheatreTrash for reviewing the last chapter.

Marius stared at his beloved in shock as she tried to find her words, her mouth opening and closing silently, like a fish plucked from the water.

"It was the only way." she answered eventually, knowing even before she spoke that he would not accept such a feeble answer. "Marius, I had to get you free, and this was the only way I knew how."

"But you shouldn't have put yourself in harm's way for me!" Marius exclaimed, his frustration getting the better of him. "You've done that far too many times already, 'Ponine. I made my mistake, you shouldn't have involved yourself."

"What, so I should have let you die?!" the brunette cried out, her eyes brimming with tears at the thought. She choked them back quickly enough, but Marius had already seen. "I should have stood there and watched as you mounted the gallows, just as you had to do for me? How can you even stand the thought of that?"

"Well, I can't stand the thought of this!" he cried in response, his eyes fixed on Thénardier. The man- if he could even be called such- seemed thoroughly unfazed by his outburst. "I will not let him bully you back into that horrid gang."

"Uh, I haven't bullied anyone." Thénardier corrected. "She showed up on my doorstep, crying for my help. She was the one who offered to pay the price."

"And if I say I won't let you take that price?" Éponine felt her gut twist. Marius confronting her father was like a ringmaster taunting a hungry tiger. It could not end well.

"I don't think her work is any of your concern now, boy." The gang leader spat the words with venom, his eyes turning to his daughter. "A deal is a deal, my girl. Your love is free, and now you're mine. I've got a job lined up for you already. You're to be down at the docks by nightfall."

Éponine felt bile rising in her throat. Such a task had only been forced upon her when she had truly displeased her father; her mother's whispers in his ear were usually enough to make him stop. But Madame Thénardier was not here now. There was no one to reason with this monster.

When the young brunette turned to face Marius, the man's face bore more horror than her own. She had never told him the ins and outs of the gang's work, not wanting him to fret over her any more than he already did. Still, it did not take a criminal to know the reputations of the docks.

"Éponine." Thénardier's voice was low, a warning. She had heard the same threatening tone too many times before, and the memory of the actions that had followed it still sent a shiver down her spine.

The young woman had only managed three steps forward before a hand caught her arm. It was a familiar gesture from her father, one which usually resulted in her head smacking against the floor or being hurled across the street towards another waiting member of the gang. But this time the grip was gentle, as Marius cautiously pushed the brunette behind him, shielding her body with his own.

"She is not going anywhere with you." Marius stated firmly. He sounded more like a soldier general than a student. Had Thénardier been a weaker man, he might have been afraid; instead, he simply laughed.

"And what are you going to do about it, fancy man?" Thénardier taunted, the way one might do to a child standing in their father's boots. Éponine had heard the same tone herself often throughout her childhood, before the man deemed her old enough to do wrong. "If I want her to take her away, how are you going to stop me?"

To reinforce his point, Thénardier approached his daughter with great hulking strides. The brunette shrunk back from him, curling her arms around herself as if that would protect her. She had long been accustomed to fighting her own battles, however unlikely she was to win.

Marius landed the blow before Thénardier came within reach of his daughter, his fist colliding solidly with the man's nose. Blood sprouted forth from his face like some sort of grotesque fountain, running through his fingers as he clutched at his wound. When he finally looked up, his eyes were ablaze with fury.

"Big mistake, lad." The words were muffled and distorted by his injuries, but the intention behind them was clear. Thénardier leapt at Marius, swinging his arms wildly as he pummelled the younger man to the ground. But Marius would not let himself be beaten. Soon enough, he had somehow summoned the strength to turn the tables, pushing the gang leader off him and beating him until his face was dripping scarlet.

It was only a sharp whistle from inside the prison that brought Marius to his senses. Quickly, the young man jumped to his feet and took off running, dragging Éponine behind him by the hand. They barely managed to dive behind a tree before the policemen emerged from the building, heading straight for Thénardier, who had not yet found the strength to get to his feet. The rest of the gang scattered in the night, their loyalty to their boss far outweighed by their desire to save their own skins.

The pair waited there for almost half an hour, listening to the angry cries of the gang leader as he was carted away to a cell. Marius watched, unblinking, until the man was out of sight; he wanted to be certain that Thénardier was gone forever. With a sigh of relief, he turned to Éponine, a bright smile illuminating his features.

The young woman was staring at the ground just ahead, her eyes glistening in the moonlight. Marius reached out, taking her hand in his and pressing his lips to it.

"It's over, 'Ponine." the young man professed. His love blinked a few times, as if awakening from a dream, before she turned to him, her lips pressed together as tears welled in her eyes. "I swear to you, no one will ever hurt you again. You're free, 'Ponine. You're free."

A/N: One chapter left before the epilogue, but I hope this was a satisfying moment! Please review!