Rain tapped on the window, and another low rumble of thunder was heard. It had been raining all day. Not that Eponine minded, she loved the rain. Had ever since she was a little girl. She would look out the window and imagine her prince running up to her and telling her he realized he was in love with her. As she grew older she realized that it was cheesy and cliché, but she didn't care. She still held on to it, because it was her imagination and she could darn well imagine what she wanted to! She leaned her head against the window. That was all it was – her imagination. She was too old to believe in fairytales, simply because she knew it would not be so. And, she dared not murmur this to a soul, nor even admit it aloud to herself, but under all those layers of sass and only half-real confidence, she was secretly afraid that no one would ever fall in love with her. She knew this was a terrible thought and tried to will the thought away, but try as she might, it was as stubborn as she was.

She was brought out of her thought when it began to rain harder and another clap of thunder sounded. She went back to cleaning the house, chiding herself for getting distracted. Once in a while she would let herself go into daydream mode. She always did it every which right after she got into bed, she would make up little scenes that she knew in the back of her head wouldn't actually happen, but she liked it and soon it was what she looked toward to every day, it was her time. Her favorite part of the day. Nobody could take it away from her, nobody even knew about it. She loved of the feeling of something to wait for, her own little tradition, or secret, if you will. But seldom did she allow this during the day. Only if she was feeling especially down.

She finished cleaning and, having nothing else to do, laid down on the couch and stared up at the ceiling, listening to the rain.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

"Who would come here now? It's pouring!" Eponine thought, getting up to see who it was. She opened the door, surprised at who she saw.

"Hey, 'Ponine!" Marius greeted his best friend, using the nickname he had created.

"Marius, what are you doing here?"

"Well I came to see you, of course!"

"But it's pouring."

"Oh, really? I hadn't noticed." He teased, and before Eponine could respond grabbed her hand and pulled her out into the rain too.

"Hey!" She yelled. "What was that for?"

"I'm sorry. I was just playin' 'Ponine," he said sadly, looking down with his head but with his eyes peeked up at her with a puppy-that-just-got-kicked look.

She smirked as she saw a big puddle right beside her.

"It's OK Marius…" She said slowly before turning around and pushing him in the puddle. She choked with laughter at the look on his freckled face. He recovered and grinned up at her, then pulled her down beside him.

They both looked at each other at the same time, still laughing, and when they turned their heads their faces were just inches away. They sat like that for a few seconds, then looked away to hide their blushing.

"Eponine?" Marius whispered.

"Yes?"

"I…I love you."

Eponine stood up quickly. Was he joking? Had she fallen asleep on the couch and this was a dream? She looked back down and not until then did she notice that they were still holding hands.

"Wake up Eponine! This isn't happening! It's a cruel dream!" She yelled at herself.

"Eponine?!" Marius stood up as well, shocked. "Eponine, you're not dreaming. I'm right here." He spun her around to face him and hugged her tighter than he had ever hugged anybody. He returned to a whisper.

"I'm right here, love," he crooned.

Eponine let out a small sob.

"I'm sorry, Marius! I thought this was a dream because I've wanted someone to say that to me, anyone! But especially you and – "

"Eponine it's ok, I understand, shhh, it's ok." He bent down slightly, looking up at her with those green-gold eyes she loved, and took her chin in his hand. They stayed like that for a second, but soon walked back to her house, as close as two people could be, with Marius' arm around Eponine's shoulders. And they stayed like that for the rest of the day.