A Stolen Heart

Chapter 11

Chapter 11 -

"Eponine, what the hell are you doing?"

Eponine jumped right out of her skin upon hearing the voice, skittering back into the shadows of the cellar. She looked up warily at the open hatch, just making out in the moonlight Courfeyrac's curls framing his face.

"What are you doing here?" She hissed back, after having recovered from the initial shock.

"I followed you, obviously. Now get out here and talk to me." Courfeyrac barked the order, impatiently flinging open the hatch fully so it lay across the grass. Eponine flinched at the crack of the hinge, fearing it to be broken, then moved slowly to climb the ladder up to a seemingly very angry man. She had never seen Courfeyrac so much as glare at someone before, the thought of him enraged was a terrifying thought indeed. Emerging from the hole presented her with two very broken hinges and one seething Courfeyrac holding the gate open into the alley. Eponine wrapped her arms around her stomach and hurried past him, not daring to look him in the eyes. He yanked the door shut behind them, Took a deep breath, then turned to the girl shrunk back against a wall.

"Explain yourself." He ordered in a restrained undertone.

"I- I didn't want to go home after Enjolras treated me like he did. You wouldn't understand."

"Oh please, I know what happened." Eponine gaped at him.

"I went to get my jacket, which I would really like returned, and Enjolras was in a state so we talked. His behaviour, however, does not excuse yours."

"I was returning it." Eponine mumbled, tugging the garment off her shoulders to return it but Courfeyrac stopped her, pulling it back over her exposed skin.

"Don't be ridiculous, you'll freeze." He muttered before continuing his scolding.

"How could you do this to us? What if you were taken again? Do you have any idea how scared I was that I might've lost you forever. All the others too, Jesus, even Musichetta was cut up about it and she's only met you once." He let out a sigh and when he resumed, his voice was much softer than before.

"You forget how you're not alone anymore, Eponine. You have so many people who care about you, you can't just go disappearing like you used to." He reached out to cup her face in his hands and tilted it up so that she was looking him in the eyes.

"If you won't go home to Enjolras then you also have a home with me. Okay?"

"Okay." Eponine submitted, too exhausted from the confrontation to protest. It felt rather cyclical, having Courfeyrac take her from the streets just like Enjolras had before. However, she could not help but think how she wished it were Enjolras's hand in hers now instead of Courfeyrac's.

When the heavens opened and rain began to pour down upon them it alleviated the mood considerably. Eponine squealed as Courfeyrac laughed in delight, beaming back at her as droplets splashed onto his face. Eponine grinned in return and they both began to run. The pair sprinted across the shining cobblestones all the way home to Courfeyrac's. They let out peals of laughter as they pushed through the door into the dry and yanked off their jackets.

"You can have this back now." Eponine joked, handing a sodden coat back to her friend who chuckled and threw it over the back of a chair.

"Drink?" He offered, retrieving glasses from the cupboard. Eponine nodded and Courfeyrac splashed an amber rum into the tumblers and handed one to her.

"I didn't think of you as someone to like rum." Eponine noted as she took a swig.

"I didn't think of you as someone to handle it as you just did." Courfeyrac laughed, impressed that she had not spluttered at the taste as most girls did. Eponine grinned smugly in return and took another gulp. Seeing this as a challenge, Courfeyrac tipped his down his throat and splashed out another round.