Forever and Always

Chapter 5: Eponine's Confession

        Eponine sat on the bed as Madame Lafaire prepared a bath for her. Every breath she took was painful, but she had never been happier in her life. It warmed her heart that Marius was so concerned about her. Don't get too happy, she told herself. He will hate you when he finds out you robbed his friends. 

        Madame Lafaire showed her to the bath. "I'll wash and patch up your clothes while you clean up," she told Eponine.

        "Thank you," Eponine said. "You don't know how much this means to me."

        "Oh, it's no problem, dear. The house was getting lonely without Marius' grandfather around. I'm happy to have you."

        Eponine thanked her again and sunk into the bath. She almost purred with pleasure. The water was warm and soothing. She began to scrub off the dirt the caked her body, leaving her skin pink and raw. The water turned brown. Eponine washed her matted hair, and the water turned almost black. She had never felt cleaner in her life. Finally, after she had scrubbed the last bit of dirt off, she stepped out of the bath and dried herself with a fluffy white towel. Madame Lafaire had left her a blue dress to wear that was almost exactly her size. Eponine frowned, wondering whose dress it was. Besides the old woman, there were no other females in the house.

        Eponine stepped out into the hallway. Her entire body screamed in pain. She placed one hand on the wall to steady herself and began to limp down the hall. Madame Lafaire stopped her.

        "Come dear," she said. "Let me patch up those wounds."

        Madame Lafaire cleaned Eponine's cuts and bandaged her. When she was finished, Eponine was surprised to find that the pain had lessened. Madame Lafaire took a comb through Eponine's tangled hair, then led her to the dining room, where Marius sat waiting for her. Eponine's jaw dropped. A plate of delicious food was waiting for her. Her stomach growled. She dropped into the chair and began to eat ravenously.

        "Well someone is hungry," Marius laughed. Eponine shot him a look.

        "I'm always hungry, she said through a mouthful of food.

        Marius laughed again, but then his expression became serious.

        "Ponine," he said softly.

        Eponine's heart fluttered. She loved it when he said her name.

        "Yes?"

        "What happened to you?"

        Eponine put her fork down, her appetite gone. "I am afraid, Monsieur, that I have done some terrible things in my past. You know of my father's gang, non?" she asked. Marius nodded. "Well, before I met you, I helped them steal things. Most of the time I watched for the law, but other times, I was the one stealing. I did not like it, but I thought it was necessary. If I stole enough, my father was happy and rewarded me with a meal. If not, then I went to bed hungry, and let's just say my father was less than happy. Because of this, I never refused my father when he asked me to steal. When I met you though... I suppose you showed me that you don't have to steal to survive. You showed me love and understanding and the beauty of knowledge. I began to despise myself everytime I stole. I was always too afraid to refuse my father until..."

        "Until what?" Marius urged.

        Eponine put her head in her hands. "I've been doing his dirty work all this time without telling you, Marius. I'm sorry." Eponine took a breath. "Today, my father asked me to do something horrible. He made me pickpocket your friends Enjolras and Grantaire. I said no, but he told me he would kill them if I didn't do it. When we got home, he beat me for saying 'no' to him." Eponine blinked back the tears that threatened to spill from her eyes. "I took their wallets and Grantaire's pocketwatch! I'm so sorry Marius! I understand if you hate me now." She wiped away a tear that was trickling down her face. "Look at me, blubbering away like a little child."

        Marius put his hand on Eponine's shoulder. Despite her despondent feelings, her heart did a little backflip at his touch. "I do not hate you, Ponine," he said fiercely. "I think what your father puts you through is awful, and I admire you for wanting to defy him. And, to be honest, I think it is hilarious that you robbed those two. Especially Grantaire. I can't believe you took his pocketwatch!" Marius laughed heartily.

        "Marius!" Eponine protested. "This isn't a joke."

        "I know, Ponine. If it makes you feel better, I will pay them back for everything you took."

        Eponine sighed. "No, Marius, you've done enough already."

        "I insist," Marius told her.

        "I feel terrible about what I've done."

        "Don't. It's your father who should feel terrible, not you. I cannot believe he hit you like that." Marius put his hand over hers. Her entire body tingled at his touch. "I promise you Ponine, I will never, ever hurt you the way he does."

        "Thank you, Marius," Eponine said. "That means more to me than you could possibly imagine.

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        Eponine lay curled up in a warm, soft bed. It was a huge improvement over the filthy mattress she shared with her sister Azelma back at home. She drew the sheets around herself, grateful for the warmth. She cursed herself for crying in front of Marius. Every time she was around him, he seemed to change her. He clouded her senses and broke through her tough outer shell. He was the one thing in her life that made her feel happy and safe. She didn't know when she had first realized it, but she loved him more than she had ever loved anything. She fell asleep, imagining his smiling face...

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        In the dream, Eponine was roaming the streets of Paris. Suddenly, she heard a man's voice call out to her. "Eponine!" the voice cried. "Marius?" Eponine called back, uncertain. The voice continued to call her name. Eponine searched and searched until finally, she found the source of the voice. Her heart dropped like a stone. It was not Marius at all. It was her father. Eponine tried to run, but her feet refused to move. Her father walked up to her and started to hit her. She tried to raise her arms to defend herself, but she seemed to be paralyzed. All she could do was scream. Her father hit her over and over again, laughing as he did it. Suddenly, Thenardier's laughing face began to transform. His eyes turned blue and his hair darkened. Eponine cried out. It was no longer Thenardier hitting her. It was Marius. The blows grew harder. Eponine screamed and screamed until there was nothing left in her...