let the river run

let all the dreamers

wake the nation

come, the new jerusalem

i.

Finding a job after graduating college was the most impossible task of her life. She knew it would be hard, considering most places didn't hire someone with only a bachelor's in social work, but she thought there was enough demand for her chosen profession in the city that she'd get lucky, anyway.

She was wrong. It was now September and she'd been looking since May, with only two real interviews that entire time. She'd even started graduate classes for her master's degree already, and with no money coming in from a job (besides the shitty pay from being a barista), her loan money was steadily dwindling as she was forced to use it for necessities like rent and food.

But, luckily, her good friend Cosette came to the rescue, or more specifically, Cosette's husband, Marius. Apparently, a friend of his was an up and coming hotshot lawyer in need of an administrative assistant. Considering she was absolutely desperate to make any amount of money above minimum wage, she jumped at the chance for an interview. Obviously, being a glorified secretary wasn't on her lifetime bucket list or anything, but it was better than nothing.

Eponine sort of knew her potential employer, Gabriel Enjolras; they'd met at a few college parties, but not many considering they had gone to different schools (Enjolras, Cosette, and Marius to a prestigious private university and Eponine to a cheaper state school across town), and he had also been a groomsman in Marius and Cosette's wedding. He had barely said three words to her the whole wedding weekend, however, and Eponine hadn't really paid him much attention, though she did remember that the man could wear the hell out of a suit.

Her leg bounced nervously and she sat on her hands to keep herself from biting her nails as she waited in the posh reception area of Enjolras' international law firm. Her knowledge in this area was slim, and she had virtually no experience working in an office environment, but hopefully her status as a friend of Marius and Cosette's would get her somewhere. She had no idea if Enjolras would be interviewing her himself or not, but she hoped it would happen soon because if she had to sit still another minute Eponine thought she might scream. A middle-aged woman sitting behind a desk across the room kept eyeing her with a distinctly judgmental look, as well, and though Eponine tried her best to ignore it, she kept feeling the blonde's gaze on her. Granted, there wasn't a whole lot else to look at in the sparse, modern space, so maybe she just couldn't help but stare.

A door opened down the hall and Eponine recognized Enjolras' voice as he spoke to a colleague; she stood and smoothed her cheap skirt, shifting her purse onto her shoulder. Enjolras appeared a moment later, looking just as good as she remembered in a dark blue suit with a bright red tie. His hair was perfectly coiffed, his eyes as blue as his suit. Eponine smiled, a little surprised when he did nothing more than give her a polite nod.

"Ms. Thenardier?"

"Yes. Uh, hi...how are you?" Eponine got the distinct feeling he didn't remember her at all as she shook his hand, and was a little confused. Seriously? They had seen each other on at least five different occasions, and while they had never really had a proper conversation, they had at least exchanged a few pleasantries.

"I'm doing well. You can come back to my office, it's the second door on the left." Enjolras let her start down the hall ahead of him and gestured her into his office, ever the gentleman. Eponine sat in a comfortable chair and watched him settle himself behind his desk, still giving no indication that he had any idea who she was.

"So how have you been?" she asked pleasantly, taking note of the slightly perplexed look he shot her in regards to her question. She waited a beat for him to respond, then said slowly, "You have no idea who I am, do you?"

"Uh...no. I'm sorry. Should I?" He raised his eyebrows as he studied her, clearly trying to place from where he could possibly know her.

"Well, yes, technically. We've met a few times, I think at your friend Courfeyrac's house once or twice? And I was in Marius and Cosette's wedding as her maid of honor?" Eponine's cheeks colored a bit – it was actually a little embarrassing being completely forgotten after having been in the same wedding party, for Christ's sake!

Enjolras' eyes widened. "Oh! Yeah, no, of course. Yeah, of course I remember you. I'm sorry. That was stupid of me."

Eponine shrugged. "It's okay. We didn't talk very much, and to be honest, I don't remember a whole lot from those parties or the wedding, either, if you know what I mean..." Oh my God. You fucking idiot – it's not smart to allude to being stupidly drunk on a job interview.

Enjolras smiled tightly and cleared his throat, picking up what looked like her resume from his desk. "Yes, well. I remember them all too well, actually."

Since it seemed safer to just be quiet at this point rather than make another asinine comment, Eponine bit her lip and nodded, glancing awkwardly around his sparse office. It was nicely furnished, but there were very few personal touches – no pictures of friends, family, or a girlfriend. She'd always gotten the impression that Enjolras was a bit of a workaholic, and his office only reinforced the notion. He'd always had a serious, Wall Street kind of vibe.

"So, I see you graduated in May with a degree in social work, specifically child welfare. And you've already begun graduate school?"

"Yes. I'm only taking one class a semester right now so I can hopefully work full time, as well. Apparently, not many social work positions are available for people with a lowly bachelor's degree, though! Who knew." She winced at her attempt at humor as Enjolras' eyes never even left her resume, his brow furrowed.

"And you've never had a position like this one before?"

"No..." Eponine admitted, her heart falling at his less than encouraging tone. "But I learn quickly and am extremely reliable. I can handle anything you'll throw at me."

Enjolras finally looked at her, leaning back in his plush chair and sighing. "I'm sure you could handle it, but I really prefer someone who at least has some experience in secretarial or reception work. Someone that knows a bit about law is always a plus, too; however, you have neither of those things. You would be in charge of my entire professional schedule, confidential case files, and in some instances, even helping me do research. Your entire job would basically consist of trying to make my job a bit easier by handling the basics for me. This is at least a forty-five hour a week position, and I expect a certain level of dedication from my employees. With no experience and with you in school, I just don't think..."

"That wouldn't matter!" Eponine interjected. "I can absolutely promise that my classes wouldn't interfere with my work. This would be my priority and I would give it my full attention. And like I said, I learn quickly and can promise you I will absolutely dedicate myself to learning every minuscule detail of this job." Come on, come on, come on, Eponine thought. I'm fucking desperate here... She already dreaded another night of sitting in her tiny studio apartment, filling out application after application and e-mailing random contacts hoping they might know someone who knew someone. Her post university life was absolutely pathetic thus far.

"But you have no intention of keeping this position? It's not a career choice for you, as it is for many others. I'd prefer to find someone who sees this..."

Enjolras trailed off as he looked at her, and Eponine paled, realizing her bottom lip was actually trembling. Jesus, she was actually about to cry from disappointment. And now embarrassment. Fuck.

She sucked in a deep breath and straightened, squaring her shoulders to make one final attempt to convince him to take a chance on her.

"Look, I understand your reservations. I really do. But honestly? I'm desperate. I'm spending my loan money like crazy and I can't find a job in my field because everyone either requires a master's degree or experience. But how the hell am I supposed to get experience if no one will hire me? So, yes, I don't want to be a secretary or administrative assistant or whatever the official title of this thing is, for the rest of my life, but I can promise you that for the next three years, or five, or however long it takes me to actually finish my master's degree without going out of my mind, I will be glued to that desk out there whenever you need me just as long as I'm making more than $8.50 an hour and not making shitty coffee drinks for assholes that decide to hit on me at 5:30 in the morning!" Eponine took a deep breath as she finished what she was sure was the most embarrassing and ridiculous speech of her life. Her face was hot, and she was sure, probably an alarming shade of red as she blushed under his surprised stare, but she bravely held his gaze from across the desk.

Enjolras narrowed his eyes at her and Eponine crossed her fingers as she saw the wheels turning in his head. "So you really think you can handle the demands and pressures of this job on top of graduate school?"

Eponine nodded eagerly. "I know I can. I will."

"I'll tell you what – I'll give you a four week trial..."

"Eight weeks," Eponine interrupted, but quickly clamped her mouth shut as she realized that was not the first time she'd interrupted Enjolras during this interview, and she wasn't exactly helping her case by being so rude.

"Are you going to make interrupting me a habit? And five weeks." Enjolras' mouth twitched the tiniest bit, and she wondered if he was fighting a smile.

"Seven. And no...probably not, anyway."

"Six, and that's my final offer. I don't like being interrupted."

"Okay, six weeks. And I'm sorry." Eponine smiled tentatively, not quite sure how to gauge his mood yet. He looked grave, but didn't sound too angry. He had a good poker face, though, and was incredibly hard to read, even for her.

"When can you start?"

"Tomorrow. Today. Whenever! I promise you won't regret this. Thank you," Eponine said sincerely.

Enjolras' mouth finally curved into a small smile. "You can start tomorrow. Come in at eight and you can sign paperwork with our HR representative. Jennifer will train you – she works for my partner, Michael Campbell, and has been here a long time, so she knows the job inside and out. I haven't had very good luck with assistants so far." He frowned at that, and Eponine filed that little fact away in her mind for later. Curious. She wondered if Enjolras was hard to work for, but didn't want to outright ask until she could see through his cool exterior a little better.

"Thank you," she said again. "I really, really mean it. I appreciate it more than you know."

Enjolras stood, and Eponine took that as her cue, as well. She smoothed her skirt again, very aware of how shabby her thrift store outfit looked next to his expensive suit. She would have to do some serious wardrobe magic to look presentable enough for this place...

He opened his office door for her, but, Eponine noted, never touched her as she moved past him. That was a good sign, at least; even a fairly innocent touch, on her back, for instance, would have put her guard up against him. She hated men who felt they had a right to touch her for absolutely no reason and without invitation.

"Oh, I didn't even think to ask. And not that it matters because I definitely want the job either way..." Eponine trailed off, realizing she was rambling needlessly again, and finished lamely, "But what is my salary?"

Enjolras pursed his lips for a moment before responding. "You'll start at $15 an hour, but there will be opportunities to work overtime and earn a raise within a year, if everything works out and you stay. Is that acceptable?"

Eponine nodded enthusiastically. "Yes! Absolutely." It was more than she could ever hope to make at the coffee shop, and she had to keep herself from throwing her arms around him in delight. She'd already made an ass out of herself enough for one day.

Enjolras held out his hand, still the picture of professionalism, and smiled cordially at her in farewell. "Good. See you tomorrow, Ms. Thenardier."

Eponine gave a happy little wave before walking out of the office. She had to stop herself from skipping down the sidewalk back to her car. Maybe things would finally take a turn for the better.

Hello there! I got a prompt in my ask box on tumblr a few weeks ago for a story where Eponine is Enjolras' secretary. It immediately made me think of the movie "Working Girl" with Melanie Griffith and Harrison Ford that is SO ridiculously 80s-tastic...but I really don't know why. She's not a secretary in that movie. I do LOVE the opening scene, however, because it's a really beautiful love letter to NYC and it's possibilities with Carly Simon's song "Let the River Run" playing. So I decided to use that song as inspiration for this. Each part will have a little snippet of the lyrics and it will kind of guide the story. ANYWHO. Hope you enjoy this!

Also, if you're the praying type or just believe in good vibes, please keep me in your thoughts this week. I'm having a tiny health issue that's got me a bit freaked out and am waiting for some test results to come back. I'd appreciate your good energy! THANKS!