So, I was listening to one of my favourite songs by one of my favourite bands: The Tide by The Spill Canvas, and for some bizarre reason I though 'this is perfect for Les Mis', because recently my brain has been Les Mis-centric, and with my foot being badly sprained I'm not thinking straight, so yeah. I thought acting on this idea was a good idea. So this story is entirely inspired by that song, and others later on as well perhaps, as I may add more if this goes over well. Enjoy!

*Edit*: Thanks to judybear236 for the editing! I promise to (try to) pay extra attention to what I'm writing when tired from now on.

The Tide

And there's three, count 'em three, children playing on the beach. They were eager to learn, to be taught and to teach.

The three children laughed as they played together. Life had been harder since Cosette had left, and money had become tight. But things weren't too bad, they could certainly be a lot worse. They all knew it. But such moments of joy were rare now, and they were determined to take advantage of this one.

There's Veronica. She's biting her lip as she watches the waves turn white at the tip.

Eponine was the oldest, and at eleven, it was already clear that she was going to be very beautiful with thick chestnut hair and dark eyes. She loved her younger siblings deeply, and did all of their chores for them, making her been stronger than she appeared. Unlike her siblings, whom she protected as fiercely as she could, she knew just how bad the situation was, and that things were likely to get far worse sooner than anticipated.

True, the prospect of going to Paris, which they would be doing soon, was exciting, but it also meant that the family had almost no money left – the main reason that their parents now practically loathed each other – and if they didn't leave then, they were likely to die.

And there's Vada, radiating with joy and luckily she still can't stand the sight of a boy.

Next was Azelma, who was nearly ten. Her hair was more of a dirty blonde, and her lively eyes were a mysterious gray. Because of Eponine's stubborn protection, Azelma knew nearly nothing of the family issues. She knew they were going to Paris, and that their parents fought, but Eponine would usher her and Gav into her room and keep them there until the sounds of fighting would end. Such fights would consist of shouts and the occasional thuds and sounds of glass shattering. But Eponine would never let them see the fights, she would simply try to distract them and keep them happily oblivious.

Azelma didn't know why Eponine would do that, but it worked, and she rarely thought about the fights for more than five minutes. She was happy with her life, and was certain that travelling to Paris would be an adventure.

And lastly there's Dade. His hair dances in the wind and he's wondering what love is, and why it has to end.

Gavroche was the youngest at eight years old. But while he was the youngest, he knew more than Azelma did, as Azelma was happy to go along with Eponine's attempts at sheltering them. But Gavroche knew something was wrong, and had managed to find ways to find out about the fights from right under Eponine's nose. Their parents hated each other. And soon they would probably hate them.

And he can't understand how everyone goes on breathing when true love ends.
His mother whispers quietly...
Heaven's not a place that you go when you die, it's that moment in life when you actually feel alive. So live for the moment. And take this advice, live by every word: Love is just a hoax so forget anything that you have heard. And live for the moment now

Two years passed, and the Thenardier children grew. Their family was in Paris now, and nothing had changed for the better.

And there's three, count 'em three children growing on the beach. They were eager to learn, to be taught and to teach

Their parents had been fighting again, so Eponine had brought her younger siblings to the gardens. It was a popular place during the summer, but it was clearly a place frequented primarily by the bourgoisie, which she and her siblings clearly weren't. But Gavroche and Azelma were happy, and that was what was important to her.

There's Veronica, she's licking her lips as she waits for her real, first passionate kiss.

At thirteen, Eponine had hit puberty, but she was a bit thinner than she should have been. But despite that, she held her head high and couldn't help but dream of falling in love. She had already met a boy – Marius – and thought he was the kindest, most handsome person she had ever met. She had only known him for a few days and already dreamt of marrying him and having children with him.

And there's Vada. She can't admit her jealousy of her sister Veronica, and how she's so pretty.

Azelma was twelve now, and her biggest concern was a fear that she would never be like Eponine. In her eyes, Eponine was perfect with her long, wavy chestnut hair, and her beautiful dark eyes. Even though she was a tiny bit underweight, she was beautiful, and Azelma envied her.

She had ridiculous pin-straight dirty-blonde hair and round gray eyes. She was plain looking, Eponine was stunning. She wanted to be loved, but felt that with her appearance, no one would give her a second glance.

Lastly there's Dade. Still sitting on the dock. Ponders his life, and he skips his rocks. And he wonders when his father will return. But he's not coming back...

Gavroche was ten, and while he looked happy, the smiles were mostly forced. Eponine had begun to live in a dream world, Azelma was certain that everything would be normal again soon, but he knew that nothing would ever be the way it had been before. Eponine didn't know it, but she had failed at protecting him from that reality. Every now and then, he found himself wondering if the father they had once had would ever return. But that man was gone now, replaced by a cold, cruel criminal who didn't care about them at all.

And he can't understand how everyone goes on breathing when true love ends. His mother whispers quietly...
Heaven's not a place that you go when you die
It's that moment in life when you actually feel alive
So live for the moment
And take this advice, live by every word
Love is just a hoax so forget everything that you have heard

Fourteen year old Eponine crumpled to the floor, reeling from the shock of the slap. Her father had never raised a hand at any of them before, only their mother. But never them. She heard Gavroche gasp, and Azelma begin to cry. She had failed them. She shut her eyes, willing herself to her dream world with Marius.

Forget everything...

She was fifteen, and Montparnasse's hands were wandering over her skin. She shuddered, supressing the tears that threatened to fall, wishing that it were Marius instead. He was her best friend, and the only person in the world other than Azelma and Gavroche that she still loved. They were the only three that mattered.

Then his lips brushed her neck, and a single tear rolled down her cheek. The life she had dreamed of was gone, and would never happen.

And there's three, count 'em three children missing from the beach. They were eager to learn, to be taught and to teach

Her life was ruined. Her father had destroyed everything with his words. There was nothing left for her.

But the sad thing is that they never lived passed the age of fifteen due to neglect from their mother, who was bed ridden by her ex-lover, their father.

Eponine was fifteen, and running through Paris, wishing she could keep running, away from Paris, from France, to anywhere. Anywhere was better than the Hell that she was now living in.

Their mother had done nothing to help them. She had simply let their father do as he wished to them, and Eponine had practically raise Azelma and Gavroche herself.

Now Gavroche was gone, living on the streets. All of his innocence was gone. He was an adult in a child's body.

She still saw him occasionally, to her delight, but Azelma had vanished. Neither one had heard from her in months, and Eponine feared that her sister was dead.

And she herself may as well be dead. She had nothing left to live for, only dreams that would never be a reality.

She didn't even notice, or pay much attention as the tide came in and swept her three into the ocean. Now all her advice, it seems useless.

Their mother had told them to just do as their father said, and look at where that had gotten them. Azelma was probably dead, Gavroche's childhood was ruined, and her life was a giant mess.No, heaven's not a place that you go when you die, it's that moment in life when you touch her and you feel alive. So live for the moment.

As she ran down the streets of Paris, not caring what others thought of her, she wanted to scream, or cry, or both. Anything to get rid of the frustration and anger and sadness that she felt.

And take this advice, live by every word
Love's completely real, so forget anything that you've heard.

She found herself by the Seine. The river was wonderfully beautiful, yet dark and foreboding at the same time. It would just be so simple to just jump in and let everything end, yet something was holding her back.

Marius' smiling face flashed before her eyes. She loved him. She could still live for him. For the hope that maybe, someday, he would see her and understand. She stepped away. There was still something to live for.

And live for the moment now