She looked around in the apartment, wanting to tear down every photo she saw hanging on the wall. Just when she was about to tear the entire room apart she caught herself looking at a photo of her, him and Gavroche. It had been taken quite recently, all of them were smiling and his hands were around her waist and he was looking down at her with a look that radiated of love and lust. It was the last picture that was taken on the three of them and now there wouldn't be any new pictures to hang on the wall. Her entire world had collapsed in just one evening and when she felt a hand on her shoulder she desperately wished it was his touch but when she looked up all she could see was Grantaires sad and tear stricken face. That's when she finally realized, he was never coming back, and she was never going to see him again.
She didn't know when she had started to fall for him, neither did he, it just happened for some reason. She had started to stay late at the café, at first trying to avoid going home but after some time she found herself wanting to stay. They never did anything special, they talked about politics, books or sometimes they would just sit quiet and enjoy each others company. One night instead of driving the normal route to her place he drove to his apartment and when the car stopped she followed him up without asking why they were there. As soon as the front door closed their mouths were on each others, at first the kiss was gentle but quickly became hungry and soon their clothes were scattered around the floor. After that night there was an unspoken commitment between them, none of them thought it was necessary to make a big deal out of them being together. When the ABC boys found out about them, they were shocked to say the least, but accepted it after a few days of teasing. The months that followed flew by, she had practically moved it and pictures of them had started to fill up his apartment. If it hadn't been for Gavroche she would almost have repressed the memories of her old life. They had started to make new happy memories together.
One day Gavroche turned up with several bruises all over his body and that was the day she promised him that he would have to go back to the people they once called parents. The couple got married a few days later, they didn't make a fuss about it. They just went down to city hall and basically filled out a few papers and that was it, there was never a reception and they never wore any sort of rings. To them it was as simple as a better way to fight for custody over Gavroche, because they didn't need the paper to know how they felt for each other. After only a few weeks they were granted temporary custody over Gavroche and after a few months they had permanent custody and a restraining order had been issued towards their parents.
One day while she was making dinner and Enjolras was sitting at the dinner table looking through his last school essay trying to make it even more perfect than it already were Gavroche slowly walked in. He had just turned 11 and started to adjust living with the couple and really realising that it was his new home.
"How come you guys don't wear any rings, aren't married people supposed to do that?" Eponine stopped stirring the stew and Enjolras looked up from his paper, they looked at each other before she answered.
"I would just misplace it and Enj would probably do the same and not all married couples need rings. I know that he loves me and he knows that I love him and that's all that matters" Gavroche nodded and skipped into the living room and soon they could hear that the TV had been turned on, he was apparently content with her answer.
"Did you want a ring? It all happened so fast and I know you said that it didn't matter when Jehan asked but if you want a ring then we'll get a ring" She looked at Enjolras who had completely abandoned his papers and stood by the table instead of sitting down. She still didn't know what he saw in her but she was glad that he did, both of them had flaws but it was something that they accepted and embraced. She walked over to him and put her arms around his waist while his were around her shoulders.
"No, I don't need a ring. You're here and you love me, that's all I want and need" She leaned up and their lips meet in a gentle kiss full of love.
A few weeks later Enjolras graduated at the top of his class and with a job at one of the best firms in town. Eponine had found her dream job at a museum and the three of them had settled into a routine. Some weeks were harder than others especially when Enjolras was working on a big case. They argued sometimes mostly about him working too much and spending so little time at home. They never argued in front of Gavroche and they wouldn't stay mad at each other for long, they just needed to clear the air sometimes.
"Come on Enj, it's 02:00, you need to sleep" Eponine looked at him with concern, he was working on his biggest case so far and she knew for a fact that he hadn't slept more than 2-3 hours per night for the past 2 weeks. There were dark circles beneath his eyes and his temper had been awful the past few days.
"I'll be there soon, I just need to finish this" He replied without taking his eyes of the paper in front of him and that's when she snapped. She tore paper from his hands which forced him to look at her.
"THAT'S WHAT YOU'VE SAID FOR THE PAST WEEK! YOU ARE WORKING YOURSELF TO DEATH AND I'M NOT GOING TO JUST STAND BY AND WATCH IT HAPPEN." Her voice cracked at the end of the sentence but her eyes never left his and she could see him getting angrier by the second.
"Ep, are you insane? Gav's asleep in the next room and how I work is none of your concern, it's mine!" He looked at her with a look she had never seen before, he was angrier than she had ever seen him. It scared her for some reason even though she knew that he would never lay a hand on her.
"Gav is at Courfs place, which you would have noticed if you had looked up from you damn papers for a minute when he said goodbye! And it is my business how you do your work since it's affecting me and Gav, but if you want to be an ass then you can sleep on the couch!" She threw the paper at the desk and stormed into their bedroom and locked the door. The next day he apologized and made an effort to get some more sleep and tried to be nice and that was good enough for her.
He was late, she wasn't that surprised, and she knew that he had to wrap up the latest case. He had taken the time to text her to let her know that he would be leaving the office soon and that he was sorry for being late. It was their anniversary, they had been together for 5 years and if it hadn't been for Gavroche they wouldn't have made a big deal out of it. He had insisted that it was a big deal and that they deserved a night off from everything and just be with each other. That's how she had ended up in the kitchen making dinner and Enjolras trying to get home on time, which he obviously wasn't. She was lost in deep thoughts so when her phone ringed she jumped out her seat. Enjolras name flashed across the screen and she smiled.
"Hey are you on your way?" She really hoped that he was because even though she cared little for the whole anniversary thing she had other news that she needed to tell him.
"Yeah I'm on my way, I'm really sorry that I'm late, it took longer than I thought." She could her him sigh on the other end, she knew he felt bad for neglecting her the past few weeks. It wasn't something he did on purpose but when working on bigger cases he stayed longer at the office since they had made a rule about not bringing any work home with them.
"It's okay, you are just really lucky that I love you otherwise you would have been out on the streets by now" She joked, she could her him chuckle lightly and she could almost see his smile in front of her.
"I'm the luckiest man alive, seriously Ep I really don't know what I would do without you, I love you" If he had been standing next to her in that moment she would have probably have jumped him, not even caring about the dinner or her news. They were never the couple that had to tell each other how much they meant to one another every day, they just knew.,
"If you're going to keep saying things like that you really need to get home or-" Suddenly she could hear a loud crash and the line went dead. She panicked, she tried to phone him up but came straight to his voicemail, and she tried at least 10 times before calling Courf.
"COURF, WE WERE ON THE PHONE, THE LINE JUST WENT DEAD AND I CAN'T REACH HIM, COURF WHAT DO I DO? COURF?" She started pacing through the apartment and she could a panic attack coming.
"Ep, calm down! We're on our way, tell me what happened slowly okay?" She didn't know how to be calm, that's when she realized that Enjolras wouldn't be able to reach her if she was already on the phone. So without a word she hung up and every time it started ringing and it wasn't his name she rejected the call. She started at the clock, it couldn't take him more than 30 minutes to get home if he had just left the office, so she counted the minutes and a surge relief came through her when she heard keys in the door. The relief that went away as fast as it came when she saw Courf, Gav and R coming through it. Courf was at her side in a matter of seconds and just then her phone started ringing and Enjolras name flashed across the screen. She answered it quickly but before she could say anything a woman started to speak.
"Hello, is this Eponine Jondrette?" Eponine voiced trembled when she confirmed who she was.
"Yes, this is Eponine" The boys were staring at her and that was something she couldn't handle so she turned her back to them.
"I'm calling from Broussais University Hospital, you are listed as the next to kin for a mister Sebastien Enjolras, do you know him?" Her throat tightened and it was getting harder to breath.
"He's my husband, why?" She already feared the answer and tears were making their way down on her cheeks.
"There was a car accident, the paramedics did everything they could but they couldn't save him, I am so sorry." That's when she broke down, she dropped her phone on the floor and collapsed. He was dead, she would never see him again. 5 years that felt like a few days and yet somehow felt like forever, 5 years that only remained in different kind of memories.