It Happened One Night

Eponine Thenardier found herself huddled under a bridge for the night, she didn't wish to face her father that night and decided to tough out the rain under the bridge. Soon her eyelids grew heavy and sleep was upon her as the sound of the rain lulled her to sleep, but not even five minutes later she received a rude awakening.

"'Ey watcha' doin' 'ere?" A girl stood above her, she looked similar to Éponine, but this girl looked even more pitiful than she, if that was even possible. Like Éponine, she had long, matted, brown hair, the chemise she wore barely hung on her thin shoulders, string was tied around her stick thin waist and in her hair. Her voice was as gruff as a sailors and she looked more like a ghost than a human, it truly was an awful sight to behold.

Not that Eponine was much better off herself, like the other girl she  she was thin from lack of food and her hair unkempt. Her clothing consisted of just a chemise and skirt, but she did have a coat she nicked from a drunk working man as well as a cap, and her chemise was belted around the middle with a worn leather belt.

"I asked ya watcha' doin' 'ere," The girl repeated.

"Came 'ere for the night, is sumthin' the matter with that?" Eponine replied with an irritable tone, she was not in the mood to deal with any other poor street urchin other than herself right now.

"This is my place, my place to get away," the girl began, "to get away from them," her tone was bitter.

Now Eponine felt bad, "Parents?"

The girl nodded her head sadly, "Yeah."

"It's why I'm here too," Eponine explained, "my father, Montparnasse too."

"Montparnasse?" The girl raised an eyebrow, "you know 'im?"

Eponine only nodded her reply.

"Whas' yer' name?" The girl cocked her head to the side, there was a childlike curiosity in her tone.

"Eponine Thenardier..." Eponine replied watching the other gamine's eyes go wide.

"Mon Dieu, but tha' don' make sense," the girl shook her head, "na tha' don' make sense."

"Wha' do you mean?" Eponine replied, "it's my name."

"But it's my name too," the girl explained.

"Your name is Eponine?" Eponine had never met another girl who shared her name.

"Non," the girl shook her head, "my name is Éponine Thenardier."

"What?" Eponine stammered, "but how can that be?" she knew of no relatives and the likes of them sharing a name seemed impossible.

The other Éponine shrugged her shoulders.

Eponine's heart beat wildly against her ribs, she must be going mad, or perhaps it was a hallucination? She had barely more than scraps all week, so that must be a hallucination!

Then the other gamine touched her, if she was hallucinating they couldn't touch her, could they? The hairs on the back of Eponine's neck stood on end with fright.

The rain still poured outside of the bridge but Eponine didn't wish to stay there anymore, "I need to find Marius, or someone," she muttered to herself.

"Monsiuer Marius?" The other girl's eyes grew bright.

"Yea?" Eponine replied, she looked out at the torrential ran, "guess I'll make a run for it," she decided as she began to run through the rain Éponine followed her.

"Wait up!" Éponine shouted as the rain soaked through her chemise.

Eponine continued to run down the twisting, winding streets that would take her to the Cafe Musain, which meant Marius. Once she stopped out in front of the old building she ducked into the alley on the right to get out of the rain. She wrung the water out from her cap before placing it back upon her head.

"What are you doing 'ere" Éponine panted, "'e won' be 'ere, an you should know that."


"I know where Marius is, 'e should be 'ere," Eponine nodded, "he always comes 'ere, sometimes I tag along."

The other Éponine's jaw dropped, "What? 'E brings you 'ere?"

"Of course, Monsiuer Marius and I are friends," Eponine replied smiling, she didn't dare bring up the fact that she loved him, but considering how similar they were she wouldn't be surprised if the girl already knew.

"But Monsiuer Marius usually stays up in 'is room with 'is books an' papers," Éponine spoke with confusion.

"We must know two different Marius' I suppose," Eponine spoke with a huff as she opened the door to the Cafe Musain and walked up the stairs to the back room, the other Éponine followed her.

Today their meeting didn't seem serious, in fact Enjolras was conversing with Marius on some matter while everyone else was drinking, playing cards, or dealing with other trivial matters. Strange that there was no talk of liberty or revolution as of that moment.

"'Oo are those two?" Éponine asked in a low voice barely above a whisper.

"That's Marius," Eponine pointed to the one with a smiling face and curly hair, "That's Enjolras," she pointed to the brooding blonde.

"That's not Marius," the other Éponine shook her head, "I'd know 'im anywhere and that is not Marius."

"Of course that's Marius!" Eponine argued.

"No it's not."

"'Ponine? What are you doing here?" Marius looked away from Enjolras, "you look whiter than a sheet... Are you alright?" He put his hand on her shoulder, "you're soaked! You've been out in the rain?" He finally noticed the other waif who accompanied her, "who did you bring with you?"

Eponine sighed and slumped her shoulders, "You wouldn' believe it if I told ya."

Marius let out a light chuckle as he looked at the other girl again as she nervously pushed herself up against the wall as if she didn't't want to be seen. "What do you mean I wouldn't believe you? Is she some long lost relative or something."

Eponine nervously twirled a strand of her lanky brown hair around her bony finger, "I suppose you could say that..."

Marius laughed, "So what is her name?"

Eponine inhaled, "Éponine Thenardier."

Marius looked at her in confusion, "Is this another one of your games 'Ponine?"

Eponine shook her head, "No!"

"She shares your name in it's entirety?" Marius spoke incredulously, he then looked at the other gamine again and noticed they looked similar. Besides their dress she had similar hair and eye color, the same small nose. "Is her name really Éponine Thenardier?" He asked his friend.

Eponine nodded, "Yes."

Marius furrowed his eyebrows, "This is the most bizarre thing I have probably ever encountered..."

"I jus' don' know what to do," Eponine sighed, "it's like it's another me, but from the way she's been talkin' there's also another you too."

"What?" Marius asked, "another me? What do you mean another me?"

"Another bleedin' Marius Pontmercy is what I mean!" Eponine replied.

"How is it possible?" Marius scratched his head.

"I dunno," Eponine shrugged.

At that moment the little street  urchin who was always hanging around the students entered the back room.

"Gav? Is tha' you?"  the other Éponine asked the little boy.

"'Oo are you?" Gavroche glanced at her then turned to Eponine, "good evenin' Mamselle 'Ponine!"

"Gav?" Éponine looked at him with a hurt expression, "can't  you remember yer own sister?"

"Sister?" The twelve year old cocked his head, "I ain't gotta a sister, I ain't got no family neither."

"But-"

"He's tellin the truth," Eponine whispered to the other, "that boy has been on his own since 'e could walk."

"Do you have no siblings?" Éponine asked.

"No, do you?" Eponine asked right back.

The other gamine nodded, "'Zelma and Gavroche."

Eponine shook her head in confusion, somehow this waif was related to another Gavroche, this night just continued to get more and more complicated.

Soon there was a loud ruckus down the stairs and getting closer, "what the hell was that?" Courfeyrac muttered, the noise got louder from the stairs, it sounded like shouting.

The students, even Enjolras abandoned what they were doing and rushed down the stairs, maybe it was a raid by the police? Instead they were faced with a large number of men about their age who were arguing with each other.

"Oh no, you mean to tell me there are already others besides this lot who are here?" One of the men grumbled loudly.

"What is the meaning of this?" Enjolras spoke loudly and clearly over the noise of the crowd, "why are you arguing."

"Sorry it is more of a disagreement, not so much an argument, " A handsome young man with dark hair spoke to him, he appeared to be somewhat in charge.

"Do you mind if I ask your name?" Enjolras spoke coolly.

The man gave him a winning smile and held out his hand, "Marius Pontmercy."

There was an audible gasp from everyone in the room, Eponine first glanced at Marius who looked exceedingly pale, it was almost as if he was about to be sick. Then she turned her attention to Éponine, "Is that yer' Marius?" She whispered.

The other girl shook her head, " No, but I know them," she pointed to some of the men that appeared to be a second group. Amongst them there were many who looked similar to the students that Eponine knew, especially the handsome blonde one who looked an awful lot like Enjolras.

"Marius Pontmercy?" Enjolras folded his arms across his chest.

"Yes," the other Marius replied, all the while the other men where whispering in confusion.

"Pontmercy?" Enjolras turned his attention to where Marius was standing.

Nervously Marius approached his friend, " Do you know him?" Enjolras asked.

"No, Enjolras," Marius replied, when he spoke his friends name another bout of whispering began, this was frustrating Enjolras.

" I would like to know what is so interesting about my name that it causes you to whisper?" Enjolras' blue eyes shocked everyone to the core except for one man who didn't look much different from himself.

" I believe I can explain that," the man spoke, his tone was even and calm, similar to the way Enjolras would speak when not impassioned by a subject.

"Very well," Enjolras gave him a curt nod, "please explain."

"It appears that besides the Messiuers Pontmercy, you and I share a surname," The other Enjolras replied.

" I too share that name," A man with dark skin and dark hair from the other group called out.

"We share a surname? Is that all?" Enjolras sighed.

"Would it be impolite to ask your Christian name?" The other blonde Enjolras asked.

"Alexandre, I am Alexandre Enjolras."

The other Enjolras nodded, "I see, allow me to introduce myself properly, I am also Alexandre Enjolras."

Eponine wasn't sure how much more of this she could take, what was happening? She looked at Éponine and a knot formed in her stomach, how was it that there was another girl who was almost like she? From her looks, behavior and interests... But there was also (if the other Éponine was correct) at least two other Marius Pontmercy's besides the one she loved.  It also seemed that there was also more than one Enjolras, it was a frightening thought. She began to push her way through the crowd and out the door and back into the rain that continued to fall. She took off running through the streets and finally she stopped in front of an old and dilapidated building not too different from the one her family lived in. Out in front a girl about her age was crouched against a wall and was gently touching a tiny marigold that was growing.

Eponine watched her for a moment, her curly brown hair was tied back with a strip of fabric, her thin clothing was soaked through and there was a tear in the shoulder of her blouse. Her features were angular, not just because she was thin, more like a drawing then an actual person. Her brilliant green eyes were dulled with sadness, "Monsiuer Marius," the girl muttered.

Eponine felt her heart stop as she continued to watch the girl.

"EPONINE!" A rat like man with red-brown hair and moustache snapped at her, he was small and thin but there was an evil glint in his eye. "Upstairs now! We need you..." he chuckled.

The girl glared at him, "I won't go! I won't be a part of your stupid scheme!"

Eponine had seen enough, she continued to run until she found herself back near the Seine where she took refuge under another bridge, was she going mad? That had to be it! That was the only answer! She continued to huddle against the wall tightly thinking that she was slowly going mad. Soon it was late into the night but you could hardly tell the hour due to the thick rain clouds, Éponine's eyes grew heavy  once again and finally she got the rest she craved.

"Oi! Wake up!"

Something small and hard was thrown at her, Eponine groaned as she opened her eyes expecting to see either of the other Éponine's she had seen the night before. Instead it was the friendly and mischievous face of the street urchin Gavroche, what had been thrown at her was a piece of black bread. She smiled at him gratefully, "Thank you." She could also see that she was under the bridge that she had originally decided to sleep under last night.

"You looked like you were ready to disappear wiv' 'unger," Gavroche replied.

Eponine ate the bread, "I certainly 'ad one 'ell of a dream last night,” she told him as she thought about everything that had happened the night before, considering where she was it must have only been a dream.

"You too?" Gavroche raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean, 'you too'?" Eponine asked.

"Is jus' that me an some o' the students did too," Gavroche shrugged.

"What kind a dream?" Eponine asked with wonder.

"Real strange, there were more then one of a lot of us, of you, Enjolras, Marius..." Gavroche crumbled his noes, "real weird... You Don't think it's possible, do you?"

"No Gav," Eponine shook her head even though her thoughts were whirring, "it's not." But secretly in her heart she did wonder, what if it was possible?