AN: I apologise in advance for this rather short and pretty badly written installment to the series :L Once again, it hasn't been proof-read, so apologies for any typos.. This really didn't turn out how I thought it would (in fact, it's as far from my original ending idea as it's possible to be), so I hope you like it :P
Prompt: What if Enjolras and Éponine were struggling after Éponine's attack, and so the Amis decided to help? Enjoy!
Enjolras stroked Éponine's hair, murmuring soothing words to her as she sobbed into his chest. It had been almost two months since the Thénardier incident and Éponine had almost recovered completely... physically that is. Emotionally on the other hand, this was far from true.
Every night for the last six weeks, Éponine had woken up screaming after having yet another nightmare about her father. Enjolras was doing his best to comfort her and assure her that she was safe, but Éponine still refused to leave the apartment alone, and if she stayed behind when Enjolras went out, she made sure that the door was locked after him.
Éponine didn't appear at the Musain for so long that the Amis were beginning to worry. Despite Enjolras' attempted to assure them that she was quite safe and that her recovery was going from strength to strength, they all made a point of going to see her.
It had been Courfeyrac who had gone to visit her first, dragged along by Gavroche who had gotten bored of visiting by himself.
"'Ponine needs to see other people as well!" Gavroche had insisted, dragging his friend all the way from his flat. Courfeyrac, knowing better than to argue with the stubborn gamin, let him lead the way, and grinned when he found Enjolras sitting with Éponine, both of them laughing.
"What's so funny?" Gavroche asked, frowning.
"Nothing, nothing," Éponine giggled, "Enjolras was just telling me about the... incident when Grantaire was drunk the other night." Courfeyrac laughed.
"Yes, you should be sorry that you missed it." He winked at her, grabbing a chair from the corner of the room and coming to sit by her bedside.
"Oh, I am," she said, grimacing jokily, "But someone-" she looked pointedly at Enjolras, "Is insisting that I remain in bed until Joly or Combeferre say that I'm allowed to do otherwise."
"Well, maybe he speaks some common sense then!" Courfeyrac said, "Something he seems to have gained since his beloved revolution was achieved..."
"It hasn't been achieved just yet, Courfeyrac," Enjolras shrugged, "I haven't received a reply from anyone at the government and I have yet to see any of our suggestions-"
"They were more like demands than suggestions." Éponine interrupted him.
"Whatever they are... none of them have been implemented." Enjolras finished.
They then had got onto the topic of the revolution and how Enjolras was considering going to the government buildings in central Paris and building a barricade there to see if he could get the notice required for change.
"Well, that proves it," Courfeyrac exclaimed, "You're well and truly mental. There's no denying it."
Soon after, Courfeyrac and Gavroche had left, the former insisting that the latter needed to eat.
"Bye, 'Ponine," Gavroche said grudgingly, giving his sister a hug.
"Bye, 'Vroche." Éponine smiled.
"Get well soon, Éponine," Courfeyrac smiles, also giving her a hug. Éponine smiled her thanks to him as he left the room.
Over the coming days, all of the Amis dropped in at some point, some more frequently than others, but all with messages for Éponine to get well soon.
After the first week, Combeferre and Joly both declared Éponine well enough to get out of bed, something that, at first, she seemed more than grateful for. When Enjolras suggested that they go out for dinner that night, however, she stood staring at the front door for a full fifteen minutes, not able to move a step closer.
"'Ponine?" Enjolras had looked at her questioningly, "Are you under the impression that you can open the door by merely looking at it?" she shook her head, not making a sound, her fists clenched at her sides.
"Éponine?" Enjolras had approached her, "What's wrong?" he rested his hand on her arm which seemed to bring her out of whatever daze she had been in.
"Sorry, I..." she shuddered, "I don't think I want to go out just yet." Enjolras had frowned, but nodded understandingly.
Now, as Enjolras hummed a lullaby to a still crying Éponine, he couldn't help but think that where some things had gotten better, others had just gotten worse...
Yes, his beloved was now fine going out of the apartment, as long as she was accompanied by someone. However, she would never go out after dark, for the fear that her father and his gang might just ambush her again. On top of that, she was plagued by nightmares, and Enjolras was plagued by them too, not daring to let himself sleep properly in case Éponine was in need of comfort in the night.
This was also something that had not failed to be noticed by the Amis. The constantly tired look on his face, the way his voice was always quiet, the way he left to go home after a night out long before anyone else did.
In short: the group was worried for both their leader and his love. And they were determined to do something about it.
Enjolras had managed to persuade Éponine to come to the Musain with him one Wednesday, and she gripped his arm tightly as they walked through the streets. Enjolras' anger and hate towards Thénardier was only ever increased when walking out with Éponine; she who had once been so strong, so capable of living out on the streets, now reduced to clinging to him for fear she might be attacked. There was so much wrong with that that it made the revolutionary seethe.
But what annoyed him most was the fact that Éponine kept apologising! She said she was sorry if she woke him up with a nightmare, she said she was sorry if she didn't feel like going out. she had even said she was sorry for being attacked in the first place! Enjolras had wasted no time in making sure that she knew that she wasn't to blame for anything that had happened.
When they reached the Musain, Éponine was in slightly higher spirits, being surrounded by her friends who were all laughing merrily and getting well and truly drunk. Even Enjolras forgot his tiredness as Grantaire slammed some ale in front of them. Little did either of them know that the Amis were about to put their plan of action in place.
"You two... you two should go away for a few days," Grantaire slurred, already drunk beyond belief, despite it only being early evening.
Enjolras frowned, "What, now?" he questioned sceptically, "What with all of the... things that have happened recently?"
"Sooner the better, I say!" Courfeyrac joined in, "You two need a break away from here."
"You know, I'm really not-" Éponine began, before being interrupted by Combeferre.
"Oh, Marius! What's that you've got in your pocket?!"
"Oh, you mean this mysterious envelope?" Marius said, smiling mysteriously, "These are reservations for a hotel in the South of France for two people... but wait! What with all the wedding planning, I haven't got time to go on holiday!" he handed the envelope to Enjolras, who stared at it confusedly.
"Well, you're in luck!" Combeferre grinned, "Because Enjolras and Éponine's schedules have just been cleared for the next ten days," Grantaire reached under the table and picked up two bags.
"Here you go you two," he said, handing them to Enjolras and Éponine, "Everything you need for a two week holiday in the South of France. There's a carriage waiting outside for you."
Enjolras and Éponine looked at each other disbelievingly.
"Part of me's saying 'don't let them have the privilege of getting us out of here'," Enjolras muttered, "But the other half is saying-"
"Goodbye everyone!" Éponine finished for him, grabbing a bag in one hand and Enjolras' hand with the other. He grinned, picking up the other bag. He attempted to wave goodbye to them as Éponine pulled him out of the cafe, mouthing 'Thank You!' as he did so. The rest of the Amis just laughed, waving the two of them off.
Enjolras pulled the door of the carriage shut behind him, sliding next to Éponine on the seat. She wrapped her arms round his neck, kissing him without warning. He smiled slightly before kissing her back, feeling for the first time in weeks, that he had his 'Ponine back again.
"I'm sorry," Éponine said, pressing a finger to Enjolras' lips as she saw that he was once again going to protest, "I know that they last few weeks have been hard for you, and that if I had tried to get over... what happened then it would have been easier on both of us." Enjolras kissed her again.
"You have nothing to be sorry for, because none of this was your fault," he told her when they broke apart, "But we do need a break. I hate to say it, but... for once, the Amis were completely right."
The spent the journey to their hotel in each other's embrace, talking, laughing and just sitting, care-free for the first time in what felt like forever.
Prompts are still very much welcomed if you wish to leave one, or just drop me a review if you loved/hated it (or if you were in the middle!). Thanks for reading!