This is my first Les Mis fic, so I may not get everything right. Please forgive me.
Disclaimer: I don't own Les Miserables
Italics: Eponine
Italics+bold: Enjy
Italics+Underline: Grantire
Italics+Bold+underline: Coufeyac
The broken chairs and broken tables lined the walls, and wood littered the floors. The broken, sorrowful man stared out the window at the blue sky. Nature was happy, but all the man with the cane felt was a terrible sadness. The sole survivor of the barricade, the one with the freckles, stared at everything that had transpired and nothing that was happening. In his eye he saw the rise of the Les Amis, their joyful singing, their good times despite the overwhelming danger that loomed on the horizon. In his eyes, he saw Eponine's eyes lose their light, Gavroche get shot, and the Les Amis fall all around him. In his eyes, he saw their phantom faces staring back at him, Enjolras' signature frown, Joly's nervous grin, Combeferre's knowing gaze, Feuilly's small smile, Coufeyac's large, mischievous grin, Bahorel's simple smile, Bossuet's clumsy smile, Grantire's drunken grin, Gavroche's innocent gaze, Eponine's pain-filled and at the same time happy gaze, all looking right at him with the tiniest hint of pity and sorrow in all.
"My friends, forgive me. I do not know why you died and I lived. I wish...I wish you were here. I wish we were all together. I wish the revolution had never happened. Your sacrifice was for nothing," Marius spat out the words like they filled his mouth with a bitter taste. "Nothing.
"Marius?"Cosette appeared at the top of the stairs. The freckle faced man turned to his lover. "Are you ready to go?" The man gave a small, sad smile and nodded. He got to his feet with the help of his cane. In the corner of his eye, he saw a flash of gold. Curious, he made his way toward the window. He knelt to get a better look at the golden object. It was a button. More importantly, it was Enjolras' button! From his favorite coat! Joy and sorrow flooded Marius' entire being.
"Cosette!
"What is it, mon cheri?
"I found Enjolras' button! A button from his favorite coat!Cosette gave her lover a smile.
"This is surely a sign he is looking out for you." The breeze carried the words Finally! It only took him three weeks! Shut up, Grantire! Meanie...Ow! to Marius ears. He looked around in puzzlement.
"Did you hear that?" Cosette shook her head, looking worried."It must have been the wind." Marius could have sworn he heard a collective groan. The sole survivor got to his feet and made his way to Cosette. He noticed on the railing was a mug, no doubt from the days the cafe was still in use. But the fact that made him look twice was that there was a red ABC on it. Grantire got a mug like that to show his support after Enjolras accused him of only caring for alcohol. Enjolras' face was priceless. Trembling fingers wrapped around the handle of the glass and brought it up to eye level.
"This was Grantire's. He got this specially made. I remember. Enjolras got so mad at him after. It was hilarious." Cosette smiled. In her eyes, Marius needed all the help he could get, and if he couldn't accept it from the living, then he might as well get it from the dead. A whisper flooded Marius' ears. Ha! I told you he would find mine first! Well, yeah. When you make it that obvious! The point was to be discrete! Like Enjy. Thank you. I try. He didn't even realize she called him Enjy. Shh! Marius looked around. That was not the wind.
"Come, love. My father will be concerned if we are not back." The man nodded and brought the button and mug down stairs with him. At the bottom of the stairs, Cosette tripped over her skirt and fell to the floor.
"Cosette!" Marius made his way to her side and helped her up. As she dusted of her skirt, she noticed a thin metal instrument on the floor at her feet. She brought it to her eye level.
"Marius, is this one of your friend's thing?" Marius took the small thing in his free hand. Indeed it was. It was Joly's scalpel, distinguished by the slight bend in the handle from where it had been stepped on by Coufeyac on accident. The freckled man nodded and pocket the item with a sense of nostalgia. Well, Joly, I know you wanted Marius to find it, but did you have to make Cosette fall down in the process? Hmm? A smile twisted Marius' lips. It seemed his friends were in his mind.
When the pair burst into the sunlight of the blue skied day, Marius helped Cosette into her carriage.
"I'll meet you back. I promise. I'll get someone to bring me back. Don't worry, mon cheri. I'll be fine." The carriage pulled away at Marius' lie. He wasn't going to be fine. Not for a long long time. The broken man made his way slowly down the street, remembering days gone by. His heart twisted painfully with each memory of his friends. Then he fell on his face.
The man looked down at his feet to see he had tripped over a hat. Eponine's hat to be exact. A small laugh escaped his lips as Marius picked the brown lump up.
"Come now, Ponine. Surely, there are easier ways of getting me to notice your hat." This time he waited for the wise crack comment that was sure to come. Nope. Deal with it.
"I see death has not dimmed your fire. Good. Keep those boys in check, will you? They are always getting into trouble. Keep them in line for me, Ponine. I know I can count on you." Course you can. What am I? Chopped liver? Nope, just a drunk. Oh my Patria! Enjy cracked a joke! It is the end of the world! Hell must have frozen over. Oh hush it. You know you love it when I tease you. I know, and that will be the end of me. Marius couldn't help but smile at their banter.
"Take care of her, Enjolras. I mean it. If you upset her, I will sic the drunk on you!" Finally! My potential is realized! Does he realize Marius called him a drunk and implied he was a dog? I really have no idea. A laugh burst from the man's lips. Even in death, is friends were still the rag tag group of people they were in life. Only now, they seemed more alive, if it was possible. Then, from seemingly no where, a tricolor pin dropped into Marius' lap. Then he saw them, all of them, clear as day.
Eponine looked healthier, happier, cheeks and eyes aglow. Enjolras stood beside her, arm around her waist. A smile dominated his face despite the failure that resulting in many deaths including his. Coufeyac, Combeferre, and Gavroche all stood next to the couple, smiling at the astonished man. Joly, Barhorel, and Feuilly all waved at the man on the ground in a way of hello. Bossuet and Grantire lifted their glasses to Marius. They were all here. All the Les Amis. Together again.
"Am I dreaming?" Laughter rang from the mouths of his company.
"No, mon amis. We are here," Enjolras replied to his friend's question. Gavroche ran up to Marius.
"In case you didn't know, Mousier, that's my tricolor. I'm giving it to you. Don't lose it. Got it? Do not lose it. If you need us, use the tricolor to summon us. But only do it for important occasions. We are trying to rest in peace, ya know." Eponine called her brother back, then faced her former lover.
"Marius, do not forget us, nor mourn us too long. We are all alright, and we shall meet again." Grantire jumped into the conversation.
"Yeah, they have a Cafe Muslin up in heaven. It is awesome! Exactly like the one on earth but couldn't help but better." Joly couldn't help but add a comment.
"Yeah, Grantire thinks it's great because he can drink all the alcohol he wants. It's good for the rest of us cause he never gets drunk. It is awesome." Laughter burst from the crowd at the normally drunk man's expense. Marius joined in the laughter. It felt like old times. The laughter turned to silence broken by Eponine.
"Well, Marius, we need to go now, but remember, we'll always be with you. Our best wishes to you and Cosette. We will be at the wedding, we promise." The man nodded, sorrowful at the thought of parting.
"We will meet again, mon amis. Good luck, petit frere." Enjolras waved to Marius along with the rest of the Les Amis.
"What are you guys going to do next?" Enjolras repiled to his friend's question.
"I am going to ask Eponine's father for permission to marry her." Marius looked at him astounded.
"Congratulations, but won't you end up giving the man a heart attack?" Eponine shrugged.
"I we do, then we will get to know if Hell really did freeze over." They Les Mais shared one last laugh, then, the man was on his own again. Getting to his feet, he walked all the way back to Cosette and her father's house. When he got there, Valjean noticed the boy was wearing a cap, a tricolor, holding a glass, and out of his pocket stuck a long medical instrument. He would never understand this generation.
Line Break
At the wedding. Marius looked for his friends. Sure enough, they were all hovering around the room, dancing or conversing with each other. Every single one of them waved to him when they caught his eye. But this was only the beginning.
Every time Marius went out, he saw at least one of them. When his children were born, The whole room was filled with his friends, wanting to see the baby. The lot of them turned up at the weddings of his children, and the births of his grandchildren. Sometimes he would see them just hanging around. Sometimes, he even saw Eponine an Enjolras' child, Remi. She was meant to be if they hadn't died at the barricade. She was always around when her parents were around.
It turned out that Marius didn't need the tricolor. The Les Amis showed up whenever they wanted to. It was enough to mend Marius' broken heart. Eventually, it was time for him to permanently join them. All were present when he lay on his death bed, him as an old man, and the rest of the Les Amis looked the same as when they died. Valjean and another woman who looked like Cosette hovered close as well. Marius wasn't afraid to die. Not now that he had all his friends beside him.
"Cosette, do you see them?" Marius had never told Cosette about the ghosts that haunted him per say. Tears fell down her cheeks as she shook her head.
"Who am I to see?"she asked. Her large, blue eyes gazed down at the man she loved. Marius told her. He told her about all the times the Les Amis had been around. He told her about all the times the Les Amis had watched over them.
"And now, I am to join them. Your mother and father are here too. Je t'aime." Then Marius joined his friends. They welcomed him with open arms. His body was restored to how it had been before the barricade, and everyone rejoined in his joining them.
"At last, the Les Amis are together again!"
Will you join in our crusade?
Who will be strong and stand with me?
Somewhere beyond the barricade
Is there a world you long to see?
Do you hear the people sing?
Say do you hear the distant drum?
It is the future that we bring when tomorrow comes!