A Heart Full of Love

Chapter 19

A/N: I imagine this being the second volume of AHFOL. Keep the comments coming! (Follow me on Instagram @swagger_for_days)

------------Chapter 19--------------

A million pieces, shattered onto the floor. It wasn't worth trying to put them back together or even picking them off the ground. It was broken, and gone, it left Éponine all alone. Not even Marius would help, the fact that Marius was there made everything even worse. Those things on the ground were Éponine's pride, her dignity and her freedom.

"Éponine..."

Nothing but fear raced through Éponine's face and body as she looked at the furious Thénardier standing in the doorway of what used to be her freedom.

"You don't want to see me?" He grinned. "What on earth did you think you could do? Run and hide with this rich student boy and I will never find you?" He laughed and threw his head back in all his power and strength.

Éponine felt as if she could just die in that very spot for her heart was already broken.

"Anything you want to say, ma fille?"

Éponine held in her urge to cry. She looked over to Marius shakily; he was as feared and broken as she was. No freedom, no pride and no dignity.

"How..." Was the only word that Éponine could choke out of her mouth.

It was followed by another laugh. "How did I find you out?" He continued her sentence with intimidation, looking down at her like she was a slave, which was what she was. "Montparnasse."

She had been used, and betrayed. Montparnasse was just a drunk, unkind man who made a promise then broke it. She fought through her resistance, pain and suffering as she laid helpless in that alley way of hell. Betrayed. Éponine couldn't of felt more slaved.

He approached them, rolling his eyes at Marius. "Come with me, your mother will be thrilled to see your skinny ass again."

With Marius doing nothing to save her, Éponine lowered her head and stood up. Look down, look down, don't look him in the eye. She told herself as she walked closer to him. Suddenly, she was stopped by the warm touch of Marius Pontmercy.

"Marius, no." She cautioned softly.

Marius shook his head and stood up. "Don't send Éponine back."

"What makes you think you can tell me what to do?" Thénardier objected.

He looked at Éponine, she was worth the risk and his life needed her. "I will pay, what I must pay to keep Éponine away."

"I do like the money, but that would result in Éponine being happy." Thénardier said. "Give it up, scholar."

"Marius please, I will be fine." Éponine whimpered.

"Fine." He said, feeling himself break into a million pieces. His heart felt as through it was being stabbed with a thousand shards of glass. "I will tell you this: I will not stop fighting for Éponine until she has justice."

Watching her leave with her father was a new kind of pain. She resembled a slave, and that's exactly what she was. Marius pondered of what he had just done. Was it the right thing to do? He found himself asking himself, questioning his rights and responsibilities as her friend. There left no time to regret, no time to mourn. Éponine, his best friend and the most important aspect of his whole life, was taken back to square one which consisted of slavery and beatings. Life couldn't get any worse. Look down, look down, you'll always be a slave.

As she walked with her head down in all her shame and the dignity she pretended to have. Losing power was one thing, losing love was another. Éponine was back to square one. Was it even worth her struggle to survive? How many more beatings before death was even on the line? She was practically already standing in her grave. Could she ever believe in life after this?

Éponine lead herself to the inn, not even collecting her strength and anger to snap at Montparnasse whom she had passed as she stepped inside. Stepping inside the inn was like stepping into a vast, hell of pure emptiness. It reeked of smoke and alcohol, and most likely urine too. As much as Éponine hated it, this hell hole was still so vivid in her mind. Assuming that it was because of her never ending nightmares from the past couple of nights. How dark, how hateful.

"Éponine..." A voice hissed at her.

Despite her weakness and vulnerability, she did however draw a quick smile when she found herself looking at her small brother again. "Gavroche..." She said.

"It is now my turn to protect you."

She looked at him in awe. Éponine knew her reasons for being alive, her purposes. For a grand portion of her short life, Gavroche has been a responsibility to Éponine. Then again, after Gavroche is all grown up, which he always acted as, where was Éponine supposed to stand?

"Will you sleep with me tonight?" She asked in a whisper, knowing her father was most likely staring into her soul.

"I will be there."

Though seeing Gavroche in her hell uplifted her spirits for the smallest of times, she couldn't even keep the thought of survival in her head. She declared that Marius Pontmercy shall be her motivation as she worked for herself.

"Éponine!" Madame Thénardier's voice roared into Éponine's ears. "That stupid little shit will never learn." She muttered to herself in a tone that Éponine could only hear scarcely into her ears. "Take care of this man." She ordered into her ears.

Éponine rolled her eyes over to a man talking to Thénardier. "Must I sleep with that bourgeois?" She asked in fear. She was still an innocent young lady with a loss of purity which, in her mother's yes, meant money.

Madame Thénardier let out a loud, scratchy laugh. "Of course not! You must take his belongings." She ordered. "Besides, Montparnasse gave us not too pleasant remarks. Save your rejoices, Éponine, that doesn't mean you are free from being some bitch. That man didn't pay."

In other words, she was back to the beginning, however this time, an added sense of misfortune that is prostitution.

Éponine was more than thrilled when the day began to dawn and the night was again cold and dark. After customers gradually started to disappear, the day was called night and Thénardiers and the gang were soon to rest. As promised, little Gavroche was there in the corner of the room awaiting for his sister's arrival.

"Happy to see me, Ponine?" He asked.

Ponine, memories of Marius were drawn back to her thoughts.

"Delighted."

---

15 COMMENTS UNTIL CHAPTER 20?!?!