A/N: It's been too long since I last wrote anything. This was inspired and heavily based off of a roleplay I'm doing with my friend, Sabrina. IloveyoumydarlingEnj-bunneh.

Review, and tell me if I should continue, and what you think, and all that good stuff!

Darkness was something Eponine had grown used to over the years. Nighttime in the Place Saint Michel was always dark, naturally. She took that time to walk along the river, pulling her worn trench coat tightly around herself to block the wind that whipped carelessly around her.

She could pretend Marius was hers at times like this. And ultimately, that was the goal of her nighttime escapades. She could forget that godforsaken Lark had shown up and ruined her chances. Marius was hers throughout the night.

The Lark was the source of all her problems, or so she perceived. If it wasn't for her, she might've had some sort of chance with Marius. The small part of her that contained reason knew that Marius never would've noticed her. She was nothing but a pawn to retrieve the prize.

And to her horror, that prize was Cosette.

She'd hated Cosette growing up, and now she hated her even more. She'd taken away the one highlight of her miserable life, her Marius. He was her savior in times of trouble, the ray of light on clouded, hopeless days. She needed him beside her like a thirsty man needed water, and without him, she wilted, as if she were a dying flower. He was the sunlight and water in her life that kept her alive. Without Marius, she was dying.

Eponine seated herself carelessly on the river banks, pulling her knees to her chest, and resting her chin on her hands. She watched the eerily dark, swirling water of the river lash out at the banks, churning and clawing without mercy.

Her eyes remained fixated on the water. It had grasped her interest with frightening speed. At any other point in time, she would move away from the river, just to be safe, but what was safety now? What was life without Marius to her? Was there honestly a point, a reason to live, without him?

No.

She stood quickly, thinking if she didn't she would be too much of a coward to do so later. Her gaze never left the river as she advanced toward it. In moments she'd covered the remaining ground to the very edge, which leveled off into the deeper sections of water.

This would take her away from all the pain, all the suffering that Lark had caused. She wouldn't have to live with the fact that Marius could never be hers. She would be at peace at last. All she had to do was jump, and it would all be over.

"Eponine."

She turned on her heel sharply, which nearly resulted in sending her tumbling into the water. But before she could fall backward, a strong arm curled around her and pulled her from the riverbank, from the deathly waters that would save her from her suffering and grief.

"Let go of me!" she demanded, pushing her rescuer away.

A man at least a head taller than her, with dangerously cold blue eyes and sharply defined features was giving her a disapproving look. His blond hair was pulled back most of the way, and his hands gripped her waist firmly. For some reason he was familiar to her, yet it took her a moment to place why.

"You're Marius' friend, aren't you?" she questioned. "Enjolras. The revolutionary."

"I am."

She shoved him away roughly, turning her back to him and glaring at the river. "Get lost."

"Rethink your options, and perhaps I will," was his adamant answer.

She scoffed, seating herself as close to the river as she could without actually touching the water. "What do you care about some gamine you don't even know?"

"I know Marius cares a good deal about you," he tried to reason, though his voice gave away that he was irritated by how stubborn she was, which secretly made her smirk. "Suicide isn't the answer."

"Like hell you know my options!" she snapped, turning her head sharply to glare at him instead. "Get lost."

"Come with me."

She blinked. "What?"

Enjolras sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "A friend whom I share an apartment with is moving into a dorm at a medical school. I have a room to spare."

"Give it to someone who needs it," she muttered."

"That would be you."

Eponine huffed, crossing her arms over her knees. For a moment neither of them spoke, lost in their own thoughts. Why was he trying to save her? And what from? Suicide would save her from the life she was living; he was only trying to drag her back into it. The life that was a constant reminder of her unrequited love for Marius, that's what he wanted to take her back into.

But what if she could improve?

She could learn a few more words from the student, maybe to read as fluently as he did. She could lose the grungy street girl appearance, and maybe, just maybe she could have a second shot at winning Marius. At this point she was beyond desperate for that welcoming ray of sunshine Marius brought about, so desperate she would do anything for him to return to her life.

"If you're really stupid enough to bother asking, why not, I guess."

Enjolras stiffened. "I merely wish to help."

"I don't even know you."

"You follow Marius around like a lost puppy," he retorted, making her flinch. "I was bound to notice you sometime."

"Yeah… well…"

Enjolras sighed irritably, offering his hand to her. "Well?"

"… It's worth a shot." She accepted his hand and stood.