Lauren found herself waking again, in the Thénardiers' bed, of course. This time Carlisle wasn't beside her and she was glad for that. She decided she might as well make breakfast. She found Carlisle to be running business, welcoming people to the Inn. How rude of him, accepting guests while she had been asleep. Didn't matter much, though, she had little interest in running the Inn with him. She was impressed with herself when she discovered she could make pie. Since Eponine had liked blackberries, it was a blackberry pie. How that qualified as breakfast, Lauren didn't know, but it would be served as breakfast anyway. In case people also paid for food at the Inn, Lauren made extra. If not, there would be more for them later as a snack.

"Mama?" Eponine came to her side.

"Yes?"

"When can I take these bandages off? They're starting to itch."

"It would be best to leave them there for another day or two. Just to be safe."

Eponine sighed. "Alright." She rose onto her tiptoes. "What're you making?"

"Blackberry pie."

"Sounds good. But why so early?"

"It's going to be breakfast."

Eponine's eyes widened. "Really?!"

"Really."

"You're the best Mama ever!"

Lauren chuckled. "Thank you, Eponine." She patted the top of her head, lightly ruffling her hair.

"Cosette can have some too, can't she?"

"Of course she can. In fact, she's going to have everything we do from now on. No more missed meals."

"Thank you, Mama. She is awfully skinny. I'd… I'd hate for anything to happen to her," the last part was quiet, a whisper. She wasn't sure it was something she should admit to her mother, but she took the risk and said it anyway. She looked up at her hopefully.

"I'll tell you a little secret. I won't let anything happen to her. Not anymore. Things around here are going to change." She finished making the second pie. Into the oven it went.

"Like how, Mama?"

"Like I'll do my best to stop your father from pushing her around, making her work so hard. And she'll be fed more often. And I know you two are friends, you don't have to hide it anymore."

"Daddy doesn't like that, though."

"Well he can't stop it though, can he?" She meant it to be rhetorical.

Tears swam in Eponine's eyes. "Mama."

Lauren glanced down at her and noticed the tears. She knelt down beside her. "What's wrong, sweetheart?"

"Mama…" Eponine threw herself at her, arms wrapping around her neck. She buried her head in her shoulder. She couldn't help it. She had to tell her. "Mama, he – he hits us."

Lauren gasped. "What?"

"He hits us, Mama. I hid it, I didn't want you to know, you seem so happy with him sometimes. I didn't want to ruin it. I didn't even think you'd believe me. I want to just forget about it, myself."

"Oh, honey." Lauren held her close. "It's alright. It'll be alright." Poor Eponine. Poor Ivonne, enduring the same abuse in hopes her daughter would never experience it, when she already does. "I'll make him stop."

"Mama, no! I don't want him hurting you, too! Please, Mama. Please, don't say anything."

"Sweetheart, I have to do something."

"Not that! Don't confront him. He'll get angry. You know how he is when he's angry."

Lauren sighed in defeat. "Okay. I won't say anything. Ssh. Come here." She stroked Eponine's hair and kissed her cheek. She wiped her tears away. "Thank you for telling me." She gently rubbed her back. "I just don't want him to hurt you again. Either of you." She pressed a kiss to her forehead. "I'm so sorry I couldn't protect you, honey." She wouldn't stop trying, though. From now on she'd watch Carlisle like a hawk.

"It's not your fault, Mama. I don't blame you."

Lauren returned to her feet and cut into the first pie. "Here." She handed Eponine a plate with a piece of pie on it. "You get the first slice."

"Thank you."

She handed Eponine a second plate. "Take this to Cosette. And tell her I'm sorry, too. That I couldn't protect her."

Eponine nodded. "Yes, Mama." She went off to do as she was told.

Lauren sighed. Everyone was a victim to Carlisle. Why? What was it about him that made him abuse his wife and daughter, plus Cosette? What horrible, horrible past did he have that made him turn out like that? What kind of future was Ivonne's second child bound to have with a father like that? She cut into the second pie again, taking her own slice. Carlisle could wait for his. She certainly wasn't about to deliver it to him, not after what she'd just learned.

"Cosette?" Eponine asked, entering the bedroom. "I've brought breakfast."

Cosette came out from where she was hiding. "Thank you." She got a good look at her face. "Were you crying?"

Eponine sighed and nodded, handing the plate to her. "I told Mama about Daddy."

"She already knew."

"What?"

"I already told her."

"But I told her about me."

"Oh. I hadn't mentioned that."

"Well, now she knows."

"Why? I thought you were never going to tell her."

"I wasn't. But she started talking about how things would start changing around here and I just lost it. I had to tell her. I felt bad keeping it from her."

"When I told her about me, she was gonna try to report him. I think I talked her out of it."

"No one would believe her."

"That's what I said. This pie is really good."

"Yeah, it is." She sighed. "She said we wouldn't have to hide our friendship any longer. But that was before she knew."

"I don't want to hide it any longer. I want to be able to be as open as we were when we were younger."

"Me too. But this is a start, at least. She seemed ready to tell him he should just let us be. I think she still might. I just hope she doesn't make him angry. I don't want him lashing out at her."

Cosette sighed. "When that man came for me, he said my mother was dead. My real mother."

"Maybe he was lying."

"Maybe. I hope so. I miss her. I want to know why she even left me here. And I want to know how my Daddy is. I don't remember him at all."

"Well, maybe she'll come back one day and you can ask." Eponine secretly hoped her mother wouldn't come back. She didn't want to lose her friend. Sure, she wanted her to be happy, but she selfishly wanted to be happy herself, and Cosette made her happy.

"Maybe." She was half finished with her pie.

"And Mama says she's sorry. That she wouldn't protect us, that is. She wanted me to tell you that."

"Oh. It's not really her fault, though."

"That's what I said. She still feels bad, though. I would, too. If I had a kid and they got hit by their Daddy. I'd feel bad I couldn't stop it."

Cosette nodded. "So would I."

Eponine finished her pie. "That was really good. I hope there's enough left for another."

"I think I'm good with just the one."

"Are you sure? I've noticed how thin you've gotten recently. Surely another wouldn't hurt."

"I suppose it wouldn't. I'm just not used to getting seconds."

"I'm sorry for that, that you'd hardly get any food. But Mama says that's gonna change, too. 'No more missed meals', she said."

"She said something like that yesterday, too."

"That'll be good for you. You said you were tired of being hungry, and now you won't be as hungry." Eponine hugged her friend. "It'll be great!"

Cosette smiled. "What else did she say?"

"That she'll try to get him to stop making you work so hard."

"She really is being nice to me. It's weird."

"But it's good. And if she can get him to be nicer to you, that's good, too."

"Yeah. I don't think it'll be easy getting him to be nice to me, though."

"She'll do her best. That's really all we can ask for."

"I suppose." Cosette sighed and sat on the floor, crossing her legs. "I'm glad she's making an effort at all."

Eponine sat down beside her.

"I wonder what it's like to kiss a boy."

Eponine laughed. "Where did that come from?"

"I was just thinking and it popped into my head. What do you think it's like?"

"Well, I think it gives you butterflies and makes your knees weak. I think it's like sitting on a beach with the water running lightly over your toes, giving you a warm feeling where the water touches before the water leaves and there's just sand."

"That sounds… nice. I just think it'd be kinda wet. Like when a dog licks your face."

"It could very well be like that. But we won't really know 'till we've kissed a boy now, will we?"

"Guess not."

"I'd almost forgotten – it's my birthday tomorrow."

Cosette thought a moment. "So it is."

"Nine. So close to womanhood."

"What age is that?"

"Thirteen, I think."

"That's still four years to go, though. All of nine, then ten, eleven, and twelve."

"I think Mama said she was fifteen when she married Daddy."

Cosette shuddered. "That seems too quick."

"How old do you want to be when you marry?"

"I hope to be around seventeen. Maybe eighteen."

"Why so late?"

"Doesn't seem late to me. Though I do suppose I'd consider younger if I meet the right guy."

"And we'll be at each other's weddings, right?"

"Of course. I couldn't get married without my best friend there."

Eponine smiled and hugged her. "You are my bestest friend ever. You always will be."

Cosette hugged her friend back. "So are you, for always." She thought a moment. "I wonder if we'll actually celebrate my birthday this year, seeing as it's only a few months after yours."

"If you want me to I'll ask Mama about it. Maybe we could get cake."

"That alone would be great. I wonder if there will be cake tomorrow."

"I'm not sure. Honestly, I think Mama may have forgotten about my birthday. Can't really blame her after what I told her. Who could think about birthdays after that? I think I've made her hate Daddy, though."

"Good. He hates us, why shouldn't she hate him?"

"But she loves him, I think, still. I mean, they've been together at least nine or ten years now. After that long, no matter how much you dislike someone, there's still a little love left, isn't there?"

"I wonder if he loves anyone anymore. Maybe all he loves is money, now."

"That'd be sad. I mean, marriage is about loving someone, right? He should still love Mama at least a little bit. If he didn't, why stay with us? He could easily leave, if he wanted to."

"Why leave when you can order everyone around?" Cosette asked. "Maybe it's more fun for him to stay and push us around than leave and find someone else."

Eponine sighed. "This is one twisted family. If nothing else, at least I know Mama loves me. And I love her. And you, of course. How could I not love my best friend?"

Cosette smiled. "Happy early birthday, Eponine."

"Thank you, Cosette."

Ivonne's poodle ran into the room and joined them, curling up at Eponine's feet. She sighed. "The things I went through for you, you silly dog." She patted its head gently.

"I'm sorry about that, that couldn't have been fun."

"It certainly wasn't. Hurt like the worst thing you cam imagine times ten."

"Ouch."

"Yeah."

"Next time he gets out, I'll help you get him. I don't care if it's with you or Madame Thénardier, I'm helping."

"I'm sure that'd be helpful. Just don't get yourself pinned like I did. You don't want to feel that pain."

"Yeah, don't go running under carts, pup," Cosette spoke to the dog. "Lucky you didn't get squished. Next time you probably will."

The dog wagged its tail, having no idea what the words spoken to it had meant.