A Final Goodbye.

As Marius and Cosette settled into bed together, Marius began to worry again. In the months since the barricade, each night he had been visited by horrifying images of his friends dead bodies upon the barricade, his friends who he fought beside and who he had left behind for them to die, while he could live his life now. Every night, it was another body, every night more and more horrifying. He dreaded the night he would see his beloved Eponine die in his arms.

He feared these dreams, which disturbed him to the point where he would wake weeping, and it was only Cosette's gentle presence and calming words that could calm him, which filled Marius with guilt, knowing that Cosette had her own troubles with. No matter how capable she seemed to be able to hold her head high.

Marius often asked himself what he would have done differently if he had not been so blind to Eponine's feelings. While he had never felt the same way, he deeply regretted his not at least acknowledging her love for him. Had he known, he would have been far more private about his feelings for Cosette and their blossoming relationship. Looking back, he saw everything he had missed before in Eponine's behavior, and asked himself how he could possibly be so idiotic.

More than anything, Marius regretted making life even harder for Eponine. She never showed him her pain, her suffering or the horrors she knew in her life, but she was strong, far stronger than Marius ever will be. Who was he to make things worse by completely ignoring her feelings, and force Eponine endure him discuss Cosette on and on… Marius cursed himself again and again for this mistake.

Slowly he began to drift off to sleep.

Rain. Wind. Cold.

Marius knew where he was before he even opened his eyes. The night had come at last; the night he had been dreading. He knew he couldn't just remain where he was with his eyes closed, he had tried that in the past, with even more terrifying consequences then what was to come. He opened his eyes to see the barricade, just as it had been on the day he had tried to remove from his mind, and thought of every day.

He looked around, no one was there, which was unusual, he was normally surrounded by bodies. This all felt so different from any other dream he had had. It was… warmer, more comfortable. A dark chuckle came into his mind.

'Well Marius,' he thought, ' after all this time you're used to this scene.' Walking on, he began to see the silhouette he had been searching for, exactly how he remembered her. Eponine looked over as he walked towards him, a rare smile bursting onto her face. Marius suddenly stopped, stepping back in shock.

'Surprised to see me?' Eponine asked, in the playful tone that she often adopted when they saw each other.

'No, you're…' Marius looked up and down her body. There was no trace of blood, no trace of a gun shot, nothing to show that she had been wounded in any sort of way.

'What?'

'Fine. You're perfectly fine. What happened?'

'Oh.' Eponine looked down. 'This is what happens when you die. You heal, all that's left are scars, and I don't mind that.'

'I… see.' And Marius suddenly had incredible joy in seeing his best friend again. He scrambled up the barricade, and they embraced, and it was more meaningful than any embrace they had ever shared before. ' 'Ponine. It's so good to see you.'

'Didn't let it ruin your life too much did you?' Marius shrugged, Eponine sighed, a sympathetic look in her eye. 'Sit down then. I want to talk to you. I need to really' They sat on top of the Barricade looking out over Paris.

'Before you say anything, I want to apologize for completely ignoring-'

'Stop. Don't worry about that. I always knew that it wasn't meant to be. But don't worry, I was happy when I died. And you're happy with Cosette. You are aren't you?'

'I try to be.'

'Marius.' Eponine placed a firm hand against his cheek, turning his head and forcing him to look in her eyes. 'It's time you let this all go. That's why I'm here, I wanted to make sure you were moved on.' Marius had begun to shiver in the rain and cold night air, being only in a thin cotton night shirt. Chuckling, Eponine removed the coat that she always wore and placed it around his shoulders. 'You're such a lady sometimes.' Eponine said, still laughing.

'You were always much stronger than I was.'

'Well… I could have never made it through any day without you with me. Did I ever tell you that?'

'We never really talked about our emotions very much I suppose.'

'You did.' Eponine smirked, that smirk that Marius loved and that always made him burst out laughing.

'Yes well… that's what I'm trying to apologize for, I must have made life so much harder for you by talking about Cosette so mu-'

'Stop it!' Eponine was laughing again. 'Can't you understand I just wanted you happy. And seeing you that happy made my life wonderful. All I wanted was you in my life, as happy as you could be. If Cosette was what that took, I accepted it. It took time, but I did,'

'So… if that's true… when why did you put yourself in danger that day?'

'I was scared for you. I thought I could protect you, and I would have done whatever it took to do so.'

Marius was now beginning to understand everything, and it made him admire her even more. She really was the strongest person he had ever known, and will ever know. Almost unconsciously, Marius examined over Eponine, not for attraction but simply because he could hardly recall a time that he had seen her without her coat. She was clearly healthy, the afterlife was clearly doing her good, however she was covered in scars that had no stories that he knew of. Eponine saw him staring.

'Mmm. These were my father's doing. He was rather rough with me when he didn't get his way, or when he got his drink. I never really talked about that did I?'

'You never talked your home at all.'

'It was always just a place to sleep, really.'

'My god…' Marius reached out and touched the largest scar.

'That was my father's belt buckle.

'Looks new.' Marius said as he ran his hand over it.

'The night they tried to raid Cosette's home.' Eponine

'Why didn't you mention it, I would have gotten you help, I would have helped you myself if I could.'

'I didn't want you worried.' Eponine replied, a small smile emerging on her face again, she took Marius's hand. 'You were the only one who was ever kind to me. Do you understand what that means? You brought warmth into my heart, you thought of me when no one else did, and that saved my life many times.'

'Well, I'm glad I could do something.'

'You did everything. ' Eponine replied. That led to another long silence. These were very common between Eponine and Marius, they didn't have to talk, they simply enjoyed each other's company. Then suddenly Eponine remembered. 'Oh, I have something for you. Look in the side pocket.' Marius reached into the pockets of Eponines coat, which he still wore, now drenched from the rain. In one was… some thing round. A pebble? he thought? But brining it out, he realized it was a musket ball. 'It's one of the only things I have left. And I want you to keep it.' Eponine told him.

'Is this the one?'

'Yes, it's the one that killed me.'

'Thank you.' Marius said, setting it back in the pocket. It was very unlike Eponine to give a gift, let alone one so meaningful.

'And no one blames you.'

'What?' Marius asked, incredibly confused by this comment.

'None of your friends blame you for living while they're gone. They died for the cause. You live on to continue.' Eponine replied, squeezing the hand slightly to reassure him. As Marius processed this idea, they fell into silence again, for the longest time yet; two lifelong friends together for one final moment.

Finally Eponine spoke.

'Time for me to go.'

'No.' Marius said. 'Not yet.'

'I have to, I'm sorry. You can keep my coat too, to remember me, I don't need it now.'

'Please don't go yet.'

'Marius.' Eponine said as she stood and began backing away… 'Marius… Marius…'

'Wait… please..!'

'Marius.' Cosette's voice called. She was shaking him gently and Marius felt a gentle kiss on his cheek. 'Wake up.' No. Marius thought. Let me go back, back to Eponine and her coat, to the barricade… Marius's eyes slowly slid open to see his beloved Cosette before him, with an enormous smile on her face. . 'Happy birthday.' She said softly.

In his recent sadness, he had forgotten that today was indeed his birthday. Cosette produced a tray of breakfast.

'Good morning. Oh. Thank you.' He sat up, kissing her on the cheek. She set the tray on his lap and skipped over to their wardrobe rather excitedly.

'I can't save this, I'm far too excited excited.' She opened it's doors and pulled out… Eponine's coat, with no traces of blood, just like in the dream. Marius was shocked.

'I got it before they buried her, and had it cleaned. Happy?'

'My god… Yes, yes, absolutely!'

Cosette made her way over to his side, and they kissed again. 'I knew you would be.'

They talked all through breakfast, and it was the first time Marius had been truly happy in a very long time, but there was one thing that was on his mind throughout their conversation. Once their conversation had ended and Cosette had left the room, he reached into the pocket, and miraculously the ball was there, just as it had been. Marius smiled. 'Thank You 'Ponine'