Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters in her besides Matthius, and he's mine rawr! Les Mis isn't mine either, unfortunately. Enjoy the story!

Eponine had not decided to go back to Marius after delivering the letter to Cosette's father. Her heart was too beaten and battered to face him. So Eponine had found a deserted alley and fallen asleep. It wasn't until morning that she heard what had happened at the Barricade. Worst of all, she had heard "No survivors" uttered from more than one pair of lips. Eponine was stunned, shocked at the news. Her Marius was gone? Eponine walked through the deserted streets, rain was pouring around her. Turning her face up at the sky Eponine allowed the rain to wash away her tears. She felt numb...

Without him
The world around me changes
The trees are bare and everywhere
The streets are full of strangers

"Marius..." her whisper was long in the loud patter of the rain around her. Eponine's stomach made a loud grumble due to a few days without food. Eponine rubbed her cold aching hands together, and then placed them in her coat pockets. Cold metal touched her fingers, causing her to jump slightly. Cosette's father...She remembered the money she had been given for delivering the love letter from Marius. Cosette...even the name was enough to make her blood boil. Her jealousy had cause Eponine to place all the blame on the beautiful sweet girl that had captured her Marius's heart. She failed to notice that it was Marius and herself to blame for the pain she was feeling. Marius for being utterly blind to her obvious affection towards him, and her for loving someone who she could never be with.

'Ponine He used to fondly call her. She was brought back to reality. Her Marius was gone, fallen at the barricade along with countless others. Enjolras, their fearless leaded. No doubt Gavroche was among the dead. Grantaire, that drunken fool, so optimistic and full of life. Courfeyrac, Joly, Combferre, Lesgles, Jean Prouvaire, Feuill, everyone was dead...

Eponine had no idea as she was weeping in the rain that she was being watched from afar. Steel blue gray eyes held fast on her form, following her form as she weakly made her way to the closest inn, no doubt in search of something to break her fast. The form followed her, from a distance. It was a tall man, lean and finely dressed. He was a middle aged gentleman with gray streaked brown hair, short and sweeping away from his face in an elegant fashion. He had a beard that he wore in a neatly trimmed fashion. He was undoubtedly incredible handsome in his youth, even more so than he already was.

Matthius De Sauveterre was grateful when the girl entered the inn, he was getting soaked out in the rain. She was such a sad creature. He had caught a glimpse of her as he was returning home. He had been shocked too see such a young girl out by herself when it was still so dangerous to be out on the streets. Normally he may have passed by her without a thought, but the look of utter agony in her emerald eyes literally caused him to catch his breath and pause. The only conclusion he could come up with was that someone she had known and cared for had fallen at the barricade.

Those foolish boys committed suicide by fighting. They had a cause, and they had made their point, but where had it left them? In their graves, thats what. He himself had seen the battlefield. Matthius had hired a physician and a few handy men to accompany him in search of survivors. He had only just barely saved one. All others were dead. The sole survivor was currently residing in his house being nursed back to health. Matthuis shook his head and sighed softly. Snapping himself out of his thoughts he allowed himself to scan the crowd, he noticed that the young girl had been seated nearly out of sight by most eyes, no doubt it was so her presence did not discourage more genteel customers. Matthius flagged down a waiter and requested that he extend and invitation to dine to the young girl. He slipped a coin into the mans hand to ensure that he would do as asked.

Eponine's head shot up in surprise as one of the serving men came over and relayed the invitation. She gulped and stared at the man dumbly "Why does he want me?" she managed to croak out "Can be sure missus but he be a rich one thats to be sure" the man said in a tone that seemed to say that he thought her dumb if she didn't take up the offer. Curiousity got the better of her and she followed the server over to the gentleman. "I'm no whore Monsieur..." she said in a shaky voice as she took a seat across from him timidly. Normally she would have a lot more spunk, but Eponine never felt more weary in her life.

The man smiled a handsome smile. His smile was not mocking or cruel, and his eyes were kind and gentle, almost fatherly. "What is your name mademoiselle?" he asked in a deep baritone. She was a little skeptical, not knowing if she should trust him or not. "Come now miss, I will not harm you" he said reassuringly. "My name is Eponine Thenardier Monsieur...N-Now I think it proper you tell me your name" she summoned her courage to say. Another gently smile tugged at the corner of his lips "Matthius De Sauveterre at your service mademoiselle" The mans presence was very intimidating.

"Mademoiselle Eponine, I could not help noticing you weeping out on the street. Perchance was someone dear to you fighting at the barricade?" Eponine's heart made a painful jolt and she looked down at her filthy hands folded in her lap. A brief silence followed this before Matthius broke it "Forgive me for being to bold, but would you come live with me at my house?" Eponine jumped out of her seat and cried out loudly "Monsieur I am no whore!" she had tears in her eyes.

"No no...hush child, please take a seat. You misunderstand me" Matthius gestured for her to sit down, which she did reluctantly. "You are alone in the world are you not?" Eponine nodded, she was alone as far as she was concerned "I am alone as well, my darling wife died a year ago of influenza" he paused, closing his eyes tightly and took a shaky breath. "There is a young man I pulled from the barricade...and I am in need all the help I can get" He took a sip of the port he had ordered and then added afterwards "There is a shortage of help, and you seemed to be familiar with those young revolutionist from the way you gazed so mournfully in that direction"

Eponine's heart raced. Was it Marius? "He is recovering as we speak at my house and I will need help with tending to him. If you are able to identify him as well then we can put a name to his face. He has yet to wake up long enough to gather any information from hi

m." Matthius watched her, awaiting her answer. Eponine licked her chapped lips to moisten them, her mouth all of a sudden felt dry and he seemed to have noticed because he soon had a server bring her a glass of port as well. Eponine had never had port, it wasn't something she could ever even dream of affording. She too a generous sip and gasped out then eyed the gentleman suspiciously "I want your word Monsieur, that if I do not like it there I have the right to leave by my own free will any time"

Matthius just smiled and nodded "But of course my child."

They departed after eating a little supper and returned to the gentleman's manor house. They were met by Agathe, the housekeeper. She was an older lady, plump and but pretty and kind. Matthius instructed her to get Mademoiselle Eponine cleaned up and in fresh clothing before she saw the patient. Needless to say he did not want to spread and of the germs from her dirty and grimy attire to spread to the sick young man.

It took a lot of convincing to get Eponine in the bathtub. Such things were foreign to her, she had used a washing basin when she was a little girl, but the steaming tub of scented water before her was incredible intimidating. After Agathe finally convinced her that they would not drown her Eponine was bathed, groomed, and clothed in a simple gray woolen frock that hung a bit loose on her starved frame. With a good washing Eponine's incredibly fair complexion and auburn locks were revealed. She had rather pretty features, a little fairylike right now due to the lack of nourishment.

Her beauty was not the same as the fair Cosette's but in a way it was quite equal to hers. She was strikingly beautiful. She had large emerald eyes that showed all the emotions she felt even if she tried to hide them, silky dark auburn hair that curled naturally when washed, surprisingly good teeth for a street urchin, full lips rosy lips and good bone structure. She was pale and sickly looking, but with proper nourishment that could be fixed. Eponine however was far too concerned about the young man from the barricade to even look at herself in the mirror.

Marius was all she could think of. Her heart pounded in her chest at the prospect that it may be her sweet Marius. Matthius met her at the foot of the stairs and showed her down the hall to a room where the injured man had been placed. "Miraculously he has survive eight bullet wounds, he was found far away from the others, there was another man with him that was not so lucky." Matthius whispered softly to to her as he opened the door to the room. Eponine tried not to gasp just at the thought of eight bullet wounds. She nervously entered the room, hoping that it was her Marius, only to have her heart drop to her toes. The blond man in the bed was not her Marius. However, even as tears stung her eyes for the loss of her Marius, she could not be entirely sad, for the prince of the revolutionaries had survived...

"Enjolras..." she choked out a whisper. He looked weak, pale as death. Eponine's stomach twisted, the other man that did not make it must have been Grantaire. Her thoughts raced, Enjolras would not be happy when he awoke. He was alive and everyone else including her Marius...was dead.

AN: Thoughts? Should I continue? How do you like it so far? I was going for some along the lines of an change to the end of Les Miserabled with a little Pygmalion mixed in. Review?