A/N This is the previous chapter from Éponine's point of view, so it ends with the same hangar of the cliff
Éponine's hand brushed against the soft fabric of the little brown coat. She couldn't even remember the last time she wore it. Madame Davidson frowned when she was helping Éponine get fitted for the clothes, and when she wrapped the fabric around her chest.
"I don't know why you are doing this." The older women said, sighing. "The Barricade is dangerous, Éponine. What about the baby?"
"You remember that horrid guest, Hélène? You remember the story of Marie and Adrian, right?" Madame Davidson nodded, as she carefully placed the hat onto Éponine's Head. "Her lover was killed by the National Guard. She was forced to watch, and she was left alone and pregnant. Forced into a marriage with an infertile man. I don't want that life, for me or my child." She declared, as she helped Madame Davidson tighten the trousers.
"But what if you and the child are the one who gets killed."
"It's my fight too. This is my cause too." Éponine paused, before pulling Madame Davidson into a hug. The childless women hugged her, smiling. She knew what the outcome would be for the Barricade.
"Ok, Éponine ." She kissed her forehead, smiling as the girl left the shop, dressed as a boy, about to risk her's, and her child's life.
—————————-
"Do you hear the people sing."
Why the hell did Éponine end up next to Grantaire? The man was singing along, but looked a little out of it. Éponine wished he was sober again, but alas, the stress made the need for drinking stronger.
"Are you ready?" Éponine asked. Grantaire looked at him, and he looked scared to death.
"I know it's you, Éponine." He said. He faced the parade, that would soon become a bloodbath. "Why are you even here!" Her friend asked.
Éponine sighed. She took Grantaire's hand, to force him to look at her. "I am not letting all of my friends die." She said. "I want the new world for my child."
"Enjolras is fighting for that new world for you and your child." Grantaire said.
A million dreams for the world we're gonna make....
"And I don't want my child to be-" Gunshot. "it's begun." Éponine said, before breaking free from the chaos. People were screaming, some were chanting. Furniture was crashing down, and Éponine did her best to avoid it. Their Barricade would be at the Musain. Crash. Éponine jumped, but kept on running. Her ankles were swollen as she kept on running. She was breathing heavily as a chair crashed by next to her. She picked it up, along with another chair to help the Barricade.
"Do you need some help?" A boy asked. Éponine shook her head, avoiding eye contact as she attempted to stack the chairs. The leg of the chair scraped her hand, and she knew she got a splinter, but she could deal with it. She just hoped that she could deal with a bullet.
For the next few minutes, she stayed low. She cursed beneath her breathe when Grantaire staggered over. A bottle of wine was in his hand, it's liquid spilling every time he tripped. He sat down in a huff, dust surrounding him. Éponine coughed, her eyes stinging. "What do you want?" She asked in a low whisper. Her friend shrugged, leaning against the Musain's wall as he sipped the bottle.
"Give me some of that." Éponine muttered, trying to take the bottle from her intoxicated friend. Grantaire shook his head.
"Ain't going to help that Baby will it?" He asked, sipping once more. Éponine sighed, stuffing her face into her hands. She took a ragged breathe and didn't realize that her face was wet. Wet with tears. "Oh, no. You, stop that right now." Grantaire said, pulling Éponine into a hug. "The Éponine I know? The one who dealt with my craziness with the rest of Les Amis and is a great friend never cries. She never does. So stop that, right now(A/N Big Brother Grantaire!)" Éponine laughed.
"Thanks Grant."
"Don't worry about it-"
"Do you love him?" Éponine asked, pulling away from the hug. Grantaire just looked down. "Is that the real reason why you stopped drinking? The real reason why you started?"
Grantaire's Head went back as he chugged the content of his bottle. Everyone else rustled around them, and no one decided to question who the drunk was talking to. "Yes, Fine. I love him, I mean who couldn't? I didn't want to tell you, I mean, you are like my little sister. My annoying, drinking buddy, sister." Éponine laughed at that.
(A/N Grantiare: I KNOW MY 'SISTER' like I KNOW MY OWN MIND YOU WILL NEVER FIND ANYONE AS TRUSTING OR AS KIND!)
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be. This is how it's suppose to be anyway. The guy ends up with the girl." With a sigh, he gulped the last bit of wine that was left in the bottle. "But I'm still going to be The Godfather, right?" Éponine laughed, wiping her tears from her eyes.
"Sometimes, if you love someone so much, you do whatever you can to keep them safe, to keep them happy. Enjolras does whatever to save you from everything in the world. Here you are, in the middle of a battle field, trying to keep him alive, keep him safe, even if it means not keeping you and your baby safe. I do whatever I can to make Enjolras happy, but I tend to fail. I support and tease his relations, knowing it annoys him but knowing it makes him happy in a way. To remind him of his love for you."
"I love him so much." Éponine said, staring at the back of a familiar red jacket. "I want to tell him, but I can't. Not right now." Grantaire chuckled dryly. The leader dressed in red walked away, and Éponine sighed.
"Trust me, he loves you too." Éponine pulled Grantiare into another hug. Another stray tear fell, and she hoped that he wouldn't notice. "He loves you more than anyone can comprehend."
"Liar!" A familiar voice shouted. Éponine let go of Grantaire as he went around the corner to see-
"Inspector Javert!" He whispered harshly. Éponine paled, crawling over to take a peek. "A snake in the grass." Grantaire muttered, walking over to all of the commotion. Éponine stayed where she was, but stood up. She must have looked like a little boy who was watching the rebellion unfold.
Enjolras said that the people would decide his fate, and when Javert broke free from Combeferre's grasp, Éponine jumped. If he recognized her, she would be done for. Someone grunted pain, and Éponine covered her mouth when she saw Enjolras brush the blood away from his nose. Javert must have hit him, and Éponine wanted to help him somehow. But she couldn't. She looked away when her husband brought a metal rod down onto the inspector.
———————————
Éponine wandered for a few more minutes. She managed to get a rifle to shoot with. She was never so grateful for that time when Montparssne taught her how to shoot a rifle and a pistol.
She waited for a fight, back pressed against a shattered piano. Éponine presses a broken key. She was surprised when it made a sound. It wasn't the sound it was suppose to make, but it was still beautiful in it's own strange life. "Hello, Monsieur." She heard a familiar voice said. Éponine turned around, looking at the ground. She didn't want Enjolras to recognize her. She nodded.
"I-I've never been in the presence of someone with such passion and leadership." Éponine said, trying to look like a nervous boy who was struggling with the idea of fighting in a war. She heard Enjolras sit down next to her. Éponine just wanted to tell him everything right there, but bit her lip.
"And compassion. The inspector Javert, you could have killed him, but you decided against it. Decided to let the people decide. How do you even make that kind of choice?" Éponine asked, looking up at the horizon of the Barricade, smiling to himself.
"I think about my wife. What she would want me to do, what she would think is the best choice, and do the complete opposite of that. To be honest, my wife, Éponine, would have killed Javert on the spot, or attempted to." Éponine chuckled, throwing a rock into a small puddle. "But If she wasn't blinded by anger, she would have done the same thing. Kept him alive, and let the people, her people, the people from the gutters, people from poverty, decided on what to do with the man who arrested their family members for petty crimes." Enjolras explained. He talked about her with such admiration. He talked about her, Éponine, with such... love.
"She always acts so tough, but trust me, she's been through hell and back and still remains to be this beautiful, stubborn, brave, caring women." Enjolras continued. His eyes were shining. Éponine only saw him talk like this when he was describing his Patria.
"You should have seen her, Éppy! The statue was beautiful!" A young Enjolras explained to his eleven year old friend.
"What was the statue called?" Éponine asked, curiosity dancing in her eyes. Enjolras chuckled, looking at the setting sun. He took his friend's hands, whispering the second most beautiful word he ever heard. The first one? Well we would keep that to himself.
"Patria. It means 'fatherland'. The statue had curled hair, it was like your's a bit. It had big, round eyes. If I had to give them a color, it would be this warm brown. The hair too." His eyes were shining as he talked.
"Your wife... she sounds pretty amazing."
"I love her with every bone in my body. I wish I got to tell her bef-" Gunshot. Éponine jumped up, her hand curled into fist around her rifle, and grabbed a nearby pistol. Enjolras muttered a curse but Éponine ran when he turned around.
Bullets were flying everywhere, smoke exploding from the guns. Groans of pain and cries were drowned out by the sound of raining bullets. Éponine held up a gun, climbing the barricade. There was a little hole so she began shooting. Smoke clouded her vision and adrenaline filled her veins. She saw Enjolras's mop of hair through the polluted air. A small smile formed on her lips, and she saw a solider aim a gun towards Enjolras. Éponine aimed her gun at the solider, her bullet grazing his shoulder.
A sharp pang went through her chest. It was a bullet. "Damnit, Damnit, Damnit." She muttered, trying to keep an eye on Enjolras. Thankfully, the fabric wrapped around her chest blocked the impact from hitting too deep. Éponine lifted her pistol, shooting through a small crack in the Barricade. Bullets wheezed by, the air reeked with smoke. His curls bounced as he loaded his gun. His golden hair had some gun powder sprinkled on it, and his nose trickled with blood from where he was previously punched. Her chest stung, and she felt a small drop of blood. Her hand went beneath the fabric, to find a bullet. The bullet pricked her skin, thankfully, not doing any real damage. Éponine wiped a bead of sweat from her forehead as she pulled the trigger of her gun once more. Her throat burned, and she wanted to scream.
"Let go of me! Help, Damnit!" Glass shattered and Éponine turned her head to see two guardsman holding Grantaire. "Let go of me!" Éponine took a deep breathe, her fingertips gracing the cold trigger. She jumped down from her spot. Pain exploded in her ankle, but she didn't care about it too much. Éponine held up her pistol, at the back of the guardsman. She applied pressure to the trigger, and smoke exploded from the gun. The guardsman fell to the ground, groaning.
"Grant! Come on!" Éponine said, running forward to take his arm. He had a bruised eye, and blood was oozing from his busted lip, making Éponine cringe. "Let's get you out of- ah!" She said as someone hit her back. The other guardsman pressed a gun's cold barrel to Éponine's forehead. She began to breathe deeply, trying to stay calm. Her adrenaline rush was coming to an end, the pain becoming more vibrant. Grantaire fell to the ground, groaning as he hit a piece of wood from the Barricade.
"Well, we do need a hostage." The Guardsman hissed, his breathe reeking of tobacco. Éponine scrunched her nose. "Come on, boy!" He said, lifting the the gun's ice cold touch away from her forehead. Éponine felt pressure being applied to her back. The gun. She didn't dare shiver as the Guardsman pushed her forward, even though she tripped on a stray leg from an old table.
"Éponine! No!" Grantaire shouted. Éponine tried to look back at her friend, but the Guardsman slapped her when she tried to turn her head. "Éponine, please, Enjolras will kill me if you get taken! Take me instead... uh.. Mr.National Guard!" The Guardsman chucked.
"Isn't Enjolras the name of the one in the Red coat? The leader, if I'm not mistaken?" Éponine closed her eyes as he whispered into her ear. "Now what's so special about you?" Éponine hand went to the knife that was in her large pocket. The blade was cold and sharp. The hilt was black and simple and Éponine smiled to herself as her fingers found it. "What's so special about the boy? Brother? Son?" Éponine chuckled about the whole 'son' thing. She did carry Enjolras's child, after all.
"Try wife." She said, taking the knife and engulfing it into the Guardsman's back. Blood began to spread, staining his dark blue coat. She twirled the knife, making his groan in pain. A few strands of her hair were now falling from her hat, making the Guardsman realized that she was in fact a girl.
"Bitch." He spat out, blood spitting out with every word. Éponine yanked the knife out, not even trying to be gentle. Grantaire was smiling widely. As he rushed over. Éponine threw her knife to the ground, Blood vibrant against the silver blade.
"Éponine! That was amaz-" Grantaire didn't get to finish his sentence, cut off by a blood curling scream from Éponine. She looked at her shoulder, which was bleeding. Another solider shot her, and she felt hands snake around her waist.
"Come on! I got the hostage, let's go."
"Let go of me."'Éponine growled, her hat beginning to fall off of her head. By then, she was officially on the other side of the Barricade. She was surrounded by smoke and could feel the soldier's nails digging into her skin.
"That's not a boy. The leader's wife." The stabbed solider said, getting up, trying to stop his bloodstream. He failed, as he collapsed from his blood lost. He held up a hand, before shouting weakly, "Back! Back!" The shooting stopped after Éponine screamed, but she struggled from the man's grip. She heard the rustling Of soldiers moving back and heard the confused explanations from her friends. The stabbed solider took a deep breathe, before his chest stopped moving up and down. His brown eyes stayed open, staring at the polluted air.
"No! No!" Grantaire shouted, but two other soldiers pushed him back, his back hitting the ground on the other side of the Barricade. Jehan found him, his eyes wide when he saw what Grantaire was staring at, his eyes wide and face pale.
"Oh my god." Jehan whispered, as he propped Grantaire up, throwing his arm over his shoulder. "This isn't how the poem is suppose to end!" He started to say. " The poem ends with the new world dawning. Right before the damsel dies, little they know, little they see!" He shouted. Éponine didn't look back, the pain in her shoulder becoming unbearable.
"Wait for the smoke to clear."
"Why?"
"We can make a deal."
"I am a person, not an object." Éponine said. That made her get a busted lip, as a solider punched her. She groaned in pain, her vision blurring. She could barley see the silhouette of the Barricade through the thick cloud of smoke. Tears welled in her eyes, but she willed them not to come out. The smoke pricked her throat and her mouth was dry. She didn't know if she would even be able to speak with her burning throat.
"Wait! What's that!" Courfeyrac yelled, as the smoke began to get thinner. And thinner. Éponine saw the shadow of the Barricade. All of the chairs, shards of wood, and disfigured furniture sticking out. A solider brought a gun up to her head. The gun kissed her temple coldly, and the other solider smiled.
"A pregnant wife of the leader, now that is a great hostage." He said, loading his gun, aiming it towards Éponine's stomach.
"No..." her voice shook, and she bit back a cry of pin as the solider behind her pressed onto her shoulder wound. "No, please. Please, not the baby." She said, no begged.
"If you die," Solider number one whispered, "The baby does too. But don't worry, you pretty little thing, your husband will soon follow you after." His hand wrapped around her waist, making sure that she can't move. "How unfortunate. Such a pretty, young, thing getting messed up with the wrong kind of people." She spit at him. Solider number one chuckled dryly, putting his hand on her wound.
Éponine faced the Barricade, the shadow becoming much clearer. She saw Combeferre and Courfeyrac on the top. Combeferre gasped. "Oh my god..." He said. Solider number two smiled devilishly his gun hovering inches above Éponine's stomach. Éponine didn't see Enjolras, And was thankful. But she did see a hand on top of the Barricade. A strong figure pulled them self up as they climbed the Barricade, before being placed in between Combeferre and Courfeyrac.
"Enjy.." Éponine whispered. His face paled as he saw what was before him. Éponine, with a busted lip, a bleeding shoulder, and two guns aimed at her.
"Enjy..."