The Barricade Girl (A Les Miserables FanFiction)

Chapter Sixteen

I stand and look down the street in horror. The gang that Eponine had disappeared with spill from an abandoned building and into the street. Eponine runs from the scene and hides behind a wall so she can't be seen by Inspector Javert and the other policemen. The blonde girl that Marius had been watching with great fascination for the last few minutes stands close-by as the older man that had been accompanying her down the street comes out of the building too, flying to her side to protect her from the gang. Gavroche runs from our group towards the kerfuffle in the street.

"Gavroche!" I try to run after him. "Come back here!"

"Where do you think you're going?" Enjolras grabs my arm and pulls me back.

"I don't want him to get lost!" The worry comes out in my voice.

"He'll come back..." Enjolras assures me, keeping his hand on my shoulder in a way that is strangely calming. "He always does", he smiles. Suddenly, Marius disappears from my side and towards the confrontation in the street.

"Marius!" Enjolras calls after him. Marius ignores him. "Marius!"

"He'll come back", I smirk, mimicking the way that Enjolras had just said it to me. "He always does!"

"He better come back..." Enjolras starts. "I swear, if he becomes distracted by some girl –"

"Would it really be the end of the world if one of you boys got a girlfriend?" I raise an eyebrow.

"Well...no...but..." Enjorlas stumbles over his words. I smirk and shift my gaze back towards Marius and the scene that is playing out in front of us just in time to see Javert lift Gavroche off the floor, holding him only by the collar on the clothing around his neck.

"Put him down!" I cut Enjolras off, distracted by Javert handling Gavroche in this manner. I charge forward, but Enjolras pulls me back again, but this time he places his arm around my waist, grabbing me from behind as he drags me back to join him and the rest of our boys. Javert drops Gavroche to the ground, and another policeman takes hold of him, holding him by the ear as Javert addresses the situation before him. Enjolras hold on to me tightly to make sure that I don't go running off and getting myself into trouble. Marius stands staring at the blonde girl, completely dumbstruck. From listening to Javert shouting in the middle of the street, I have picked up enough of the dialogue to figure out that the gang affiliated with Eponine have tried to pickpocket the man that accompanies the blonde girl. My heart sinks that Eponine has to live that way, forced to assist criminals in order to survive. I look at my surroundings, hoping to see where Eponine has disappeared to, but she is nowhere in sight. When I fix my gaze back on Javert and the gang, who are now on their knees in the middle of the street, I see that the man and the blonde girl have disappeared.

"Everyone about your business! Clear this garbage off the street!" Inspector Javert shouts at the top of his lungs before departing from the scene with the rest of the policemen. The gang scatter and scarper from the street. Gavroche comes bounding towards us, and I wrap my arms around him, ruffling his hair.

"Gavroche! Are you okay? They didn't hurt you, did they?" I ask him, checking his face and arms for any marks they might have left.

"You talk as if you're his Mother..." Enjolras murmurs in my ear, a smirk wiped across his face. I elbow him in the side.

"I'm fine", Gavroche beams up at me as if nothing has happened. I let him go, and the rest of the boys take charge of him, playing with him while we wait for my brother. I look up and see that Marius is still standing in the middle of the street, a stupid look on his face.

"What is he doing?" Enjolras looks at him in disbelief.

"I have no idea..." I answer as we both stare at him, the rest of the boys still playing with Gavroche to keep him occupied. Enjolras starts to walk towards my brother, and I'm quick off my mark to follow him.

"What are you doing?" I try to keep up with him.

"Marius!" Enjolras calls him. Just as we almost get to where Marius is, Eponine emerges from a small gap in a wall and makes her way towards him. "Marius!" Enjolras says again. Without thinking, I push Enjolras into an alleyway before Marius has a chance to see us in an attempt to give Eponine a moment alone with my brother.

"Juliette!" Enjolras shouts as I push him. "What are you doing?"

"I'm giving her a moment alone with my brother!" I answer, before turning my back to him and straining to see if I can hear what Eponine is saying to Marius.

"And there's me thinking you wanted a moment alone with me", Enjolras says sarcastically.

"Don't flatter yourself!" I snort, my back still facing him. "Now, shut up, I want to hear them talking!"

"I don't think he'll appreciate you listening in –"

"Shut up, Enjolras!" I turn my head slightly to look at him.

"Make me!" He taunts me. Before he can say anything else, I kiss him.

"See...that shut you up..." I say as I step back to retake my position so I can hear. Enjolras stands in stunned silence before coming and standing behind me so he can hear too.

"Eponine! Who was that girl?" We hear Marius ask.

"That bourgeois two-a-penny thing?!" Eponine jokes, but I know that it's just masking the hurt in her heart.

"Eponine, find her for me!" Marius says eagerly. I roll my eyes at how blind he is to Eponine's advances, and I have to hold back the urge to slap some sense into him.

"What will you give me?" Eponine replies light-heartedly.

"Anything!" Marius answers almost too quickly.

"Got you all excited now, but goodness knows what you see in her. Aren't you all delighted now?" She taunts him, and then stops. The silence worries me, and so I lean forward a little to take a peek around the wall while trying to keep myself hidden. I see Marius standing there with some money in his hand, holding it out to her. "No...I don't want your money, Sir..." Eponine goes to walk away, but Marius grabs her hand to stop her. Eponine's face lights up at this moment of intimacy with Marius, and I feel sorry for her.

"Eponine, do this for me, discover where she lives", he says, taking both of her hands in his and smiling warmly at her. "But careful how you go – Don't let your father know. 'Ponine! I'm lost until she's found..." He smiles at her again, and squeezes her hand. "I have to go..." He lets go of her hands and walks away. After a few steps, he turns back to look at her. "Thank you, 'Ponine..." And then he walks away to rejoin the rest of our boys, leaving Eponine looking disheartened as she walks off in the opposite direction. I take a step back so as not to be seen my Marius as he passes by the alleyway and accidentally stand on Enjolras' foot.

"I'm so sorry! Are you okay?" I gasp, turning around to face him. Instead of answering, as I turn around, I'm greeted by Enjolras' lips placing themselves on mine. "Uhm...what?" I say as we break apart.

"Uhm...I...uh..." Enjolras struggles to speak, placing one hand on his hip and one hand through his blonde curls. "...I thought I saw your Grandfather..."