Forever and Always

Chapter 7: Beautiful

        Eponine's eyelids fluttered open. The first thing she saw was Marius sitting in a chair next to the bed, his warm hand in hers. His chin was resting on his chest, his dark curly hair falling over his closed eyes. His breathing was steady as the rhythm of a drum. He looked so beautiful as he slept. Eponine wished the night had not ended, and that she could have gone on holding his hand for the rest of her life. Eponine lay there for a moment, enjoying the feeling of being in such close proximity to the man she loved.  Finally, she leaned over and poked him in the head, hard.

       "Ouch!" Marius cried, disoriented. When he saw Eponine lying in the bed laughing her heart out, he frowned. "What was that for?"

       "I was just trying to wake you up," she said, trying to sound innocent.

       "That hurt!"

       Eponine giggled. "Well, that's too bad for you!"

    "You are so mature, Eponine," Marius said sarcastically. All the same, he was laughing. "I'm going to go change," he told her, and left the room.

       Once Marius was gone, Eponine slipped out of the white nightgown she had been wearing and put on a green dress Madame Lafaire had laid out for her. Eponine once again wondered where the housekeeper was getting so many dresses her size. Then, Eponine took a hairbrush off the dresser and ran it through her tangled hair. She turned and glanced into the mirror. Her eyes widened at what she saw. She was still much too skinny, but otherwise, she looked like a new person. Her olive skin was free of dirt and grime and her long brown hair was smooth and shiny. It framed her face in wavy locks that brought attention to her eyes. Her lips, no longer chapped, were red and full. She hardly looked like a street rat anymore. In fact, she almost looked...

        "Beautiful," Eponine muttered, shocked. She stood dumbfounded in front of the mirror for a few seconds, then turned away, shaking her head. She was never one to dwell too much on looks. As Eponine turned away, she noticed her brown cap on top of the dresser. It was clean and looked brand-new. Obviously, Madame Lafaire and patched it up overnight. Eponine smiled and placed it on top of her head. Marius had given her the cap for her thirteenth birthday, and it had quickly become one of her most prized possessions. She never went anywhere without it. It gave her comfort, even in the darkest times. It was like a little piece of him that stayed with her everywhere she went.

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        Eponine sat down at the breakfast table, across from Marius. It was the first time in months that she had actually eaten breakfast. In fact, she was used to having only one meal a day, if anything. She tried not to inhale the eggs, meat, and pastries Madame Lafaire placed in front of her, but  she could not help herself. The old housekeeper chortled at Eponine's insatiable appetite.

        "Eat up, dear!" she laughed. "You need to put some meat on those bones."

        "Thank you," Eponine said through a mouthful of bread. "It is delicious!"

        "Oh, it was nothing, dear," Madame Lafaire said, and hurried off to make some more food.

        "I should probably be leaving soon," Eponine told Marius.

        "But why?" Marius asked, surprised. "Your father won't let you back in the house until he has had a few days to calm down. And anyways, you are still very fragile. Your rib is not even close to being healed."

        "But aren't I overstaying my welcome here?" Eponine asked.

        "No, Ponine, you can stay as long as you want. My grandfather won't be back for two weeks, and the house will be ever so lonely if you were not here."

        "Also," Eponine added, "I wanted to check on my sister Azelma. When I am not there, my father sometimes gets bored and picks on her instead of me. And I need to check up on my little brother Gavroche. Now that he has run away and is living on his own, I'm worried sick about him all the time. What if he can't find anything to eat?"

        "Azelma can survive on her own until you recover," Marius assured her. "As for Gavroche, some of the students have taken a liking to him. They give him food and a place to sleep on cold nights."

        Eponine nodded, but she wasn't entirely convinced. She was a very protective sister and wanted only what was best for her siblings. She sighed. Her entire body ached from the beating she had recieved from her father. The bandages around her middle were tight and uncomfortable. She winced at a sudden pain in her broken rib. Marius noticed and looked at her in concern.

        "Stay here until you heal," he told her again.

        Eponine could not help but feel pleased at how concerned he was for her. She smiled.

        "Why Monsieur," she said. "I did not know you cared so much for little old me. I am touched."

        Marius rolled his eyes at her. "Good old Ponine," he sighed. "Always teasing."

        Not always, Marius, Eponine thought silently. Not always.