A/N: Hi, thank you for taking the time to read this, or actually even click on it. I appreciate it all the same.

Disclaimer: I do not own Les Miserables, that honor goes to Hugo.

Worlds Away

Chapter 1 - Timing is Everything

Time works in mysterious ways that are otherwise incomprehensible to humans. As much as we try to make sense of time, it is almost always to no avail. But without the ignorance to time's peculiar ways, our story could not take place.

The last thing Eponine could remember was getting shot on the barricade and drifting to sleep in Marius' arms. But now here she was again. Her eyes were open and she felt the light rise and fall of her chest. Her vision slowly adjusted to the light and she could just make out her surroundings.

She was laying flat on her back on a cold cement ground. The walls of buildings stretched up high next to her. She was laying in an alley amongst the light of day. But this new picture did not match the alley ways she was used to. For a girl who spent so much time in the alleys of Paris, she could tell these ones were different.

Eponine began to sit up but her body screamed in pain. Fighting against it, she stumbled to her feet. Her head was pounding with a massive headache but she continued to walk to the end of the alley way regardless. With each step, Eponine all but screamed in pain. Upon reaching the end of the gray alley, the streets opened up to her. It was very unusual. The streets no longer had cobblestones in them, but instead were replaced with a black tar. The buildings were made of a gray stone and stood very straight. There was not one oddly placed line and they did not appear as if they would topple over by the slightest breeze. There was very minimal signs of wear on them, and each building had fresh new glass panes to accompany them.

Eponine walked down the center of the street. There was not a soul in sight. But she had spent so much time on her own, that she did not even notice. She walked with her head held high gawking at the beautiful city she once called Paris. But the most intriguing part of this new city was the street lights. No longer did they have candles in them only turned on at night, but now they held a strange object placed in the center of them. It was a white object, shaped like an egg.

She stood there for a few moments gaping at this newly found object. Her mind swirled with thought, most of confusion. She still could not make sense of this new place. Where were her friends? Where was her brother? How did she get here? Why was she here?

In the midst of pondering these questions, Eponine failed to acknowledge the loud honking and yelling coming from the left of her. She finally lifted her head just in time to see another strange object hurdling towards her. Her eyes widened with wonder. It looked like a steel animal that moved on wheels. What was this thing? However, the object was moving rather fast and headed for her. Eponine could only gawk at it.

Just as the metal object on wheels was approaching her rapidly, she felt her body thrown with much force to the side. Eponine was not quite certain what had just happened. Her head hit the side of the building with a thud as she made impact. The next thing she knew what that she was laying on the sidewalk with a curly haired, blonde boy laying next to her. He was out of breath and ready to stand to his feet. Eponine was still dazed from everything she had just encountered.

The boy turned his head and looked down at her. "Are you alright, Mademoiselle?" Eponine did not respond. "Don't you know any better than to walk in the middle of the street? You would've been flattened if I didn't push you out of the way." The boy reached his hand down to her and helped her up. She winced a little as she moved suddenly, but stood to her feet anyway.

Eponine was staring at the boy with wide eyes. A smile broke across her face and she couldn't help it. "Enjolras!" She almost yelled. She immediately wrapped her arms around his neck and embraced him but he did not return the hug, instead he peeled her off of him.

By this time, the other boys he had been walking with had made their way across the street and walked over to the two of them.

"I'm sorry, Mademoiselle, I don't know you-" The boy began.

"Enjolras, please? Don't you remember me? You have to! Please?"

The boy just gave her a puzzled expression. He stood in shock. How did this girl know his name? Why was she so happy to see him? This girl was filthy, with tattered male burlap trousers, a worn brown jacket that barely gave protection, old work boots on her feet, and a dirty brown hat to top it off. Her hair was a complete mess of brown tangles. The dirt and grime of the street covered her face, yet she stared at him with wide brown eyes and Enjolras could not help but see beauty in this small creature standing in front of him.

Eponine finally moved her gaze from Enjolras and looked at his friends. Her eyes lit up with the same wonder she had previously. "Joly! Combeferre! Courfeyrac! Grantaire!" She nearly yelled. The boys cocked their heads to the side and stood with the same puzzled expression Enjolras had.

"What is going on?" Joly asked very confused.

Eponine's excited expression was wiped off her face and replaced with distress. "What?" She choked out. "Please, do you not know me? It's me! Eponine!" Her voice cracked when she said her name. She could feel the lump swelling up in her throat. The thud of her heartbeat was the only thing she could hear. Her pulse raced, her eyes glassed over, and her hands started shaking. At that point, Eponine was so overcome with her emotions, and she did something she swore she would never do in the presence of anyone. But she could not stop it, tears poured from her eyes and she cried.

As much as her body ached, as much as she could barely step without wincing, as much as her head throbbed; that fact that her friends could not remember her, was worse than any physical pain she could feel. Her heart burned as if it were on fire.

The boys exchanged glances at one another and neither one knew what to do. They did not know who this girl was but obviously she knew them. Enjolras' face filled with sympathy for the now sobbing girl in front of him. She burrowed her face in her hands.

Enjolras took a step toward her and wrapped his arm around her. His friends stared in disbelief of his actions. Then in a soft voice, Enjolras said, "Come with me. I think you hit your head pretty hard. Let's get back to my flat, we'll clean you up and we'll figure this whole thing out, okay?"

Eponine nodded through her tears. The water relentlessly flowed from her eyes as they startled walking. She could not feel safe wrapped in Enjolras' arm, for he did not remember her. She was a stranger him.

"Enjolras?" He turned his head to see Joly looking questionably at him. "May I talk to you quickly?" Enjolras slipped his arm off of Eponine and walked a few paces behind her.

Joly spoke soft enough so Eponine could not hear them. "I don't think I completely approve of you bringing her to your flat, but...in any case, I think we may have bigger problems to deal with than just her tears." Enjolras furrowed his brow. Joly then pointed to Eponine's back and then pointed to the ground. Her back was stained thick with blood and she left a trail of droplets on the sidewalk.

Enjolras' face paled.

A/N: So, I have a problem with this story. This is as far as I've gotten with it. I believe it has potential but I have absolutely no idea where to take it, how to build the story, how to reach the climax... So, if you could do me a favor and you think this story may even be worth continuing, let me know. Or even better send me an idea, PM me, review, whatever. And maybe we can all build a story with this.

I sincerely appreciate it. Thank you, thank you, thank you.