One Hundred and Eighty One
Disclaimer: I don't own any of this.
So I've read other stories about the characters coming back in modern times and getting second chances, new lives, etc. So this is a very short, two part take on that idea. Credit to those who can do it better than I can. Hope you enjoy!
Gunshots.
That's generally what his dreams consist of. The loud bangs deafen him, almost drowning out his other senses. Almost.
He can see the outline of a hill of furniture through the smoke and he can smell powder and blood. He can taste blood too; a copper tinge in his mouth. And it's raining. It's always raining in his dreams. He can see only shadows, dancing and running and shouting through the fog. He moves almost like he's floating, as if his body has a destination but he's not fully aware of it. He cuts through the smoke and the unusual amount of fires until he sees someone.
He sees a girl dressed in an over sized coat. She's bleeding and her hair is wet but she's smiling. She smiling at someone who isn't him and this doesn't sit well at all. But she disappears like the smoke and suddenly he's the one who bleeding.
It's as if he's frozen and in that split second he realises that he's been shot. And then time hits him like a tidal wave and barrels him out of the window behind him.
Enjolras wakes up, jumping and breathing like he's just run a marathon. The only sound is of him getting his breath back; his bedroom is silent as well as the apartment that sits behind its door. "They are just dreams," he tells himself, "Just dreams."
He forgets about them in his busy life, juggling university with the charities and organisations that he's trying to set up. His father of course, has a problem with all this but Enjolras hasn't listened to him in years.
But the dreams sneak back in a few weeks later and Enjolras is very afraid, very much afraid, that they are evolving.
This time he sees the person holding the girl. It's a guy his age but he's dressed strangely. Enjolras realise now that both he and the girl are dressed in old fashioned clothes; they kind of look like they're from the 19th century as far as Enjolras' education teaches him. The girl is looking at the boy like he's the answer to all her problem but Enjolras just wants to shout at her.
"You are dying! Why aren't you telling him to get help? Why are you looking at him like that?"
Another time he realises that there's another person standing beside him when he dies. This guy is dressed strange too and looks like he just crawled out a cellar. It takes him a few nights but Enjolras finally sees what he has on in the dream.
The red jacket matches his blood and the flag in his hands.
After another disastrous fight with his father about his "life choices"-which really translate to run the business or leave- Enjolras stormed out of his family home. Not intending to return to his apartment to face the pile of missed calls his mother has probably left him, he roams the city with no real plan in mind. It's only when the sun is setting does he realise that he's gone nearly full circle and is only a few streets away from his apartment. But he's in a certain street that he has never been in before; at least not outside of his dreams.
He is standing at the top of it, staring down at the narrow paved road cutting in between rows of houses and apartments. At the end of the street, there is a building and the roads splits in half to run either side of it. Cafe Musain sits there staring at him, with its large windows and flower boxes sitting in the setting sun. Enjolras can imagine the barricade of objects piled up across that street and when he lifts his eyes above the sign of the cafe, he can see the window that his dream self died at. It doesn't occur to him that he's barley breathing until a hand on his shoulder brings him crashing back to earth.
Enjolras looked over and suddenly see the man standing there. He has black curly hair but this time its cut short and he's dressed in normal jeans and a jumper.
"No offence my friend," the man said, "But anyone who stands in the middle of a street looking like a slapped fish could do with a drink."
Before Enjolras could reply, another scarily familiar voice can be heard from behind him. "You really need to stop freaking out random strangers Grantaire."
Enjolras turns and counts four men, his age and smiling. "Don't mind our friend," one say, "He thinks any occasion is necessary for a drink."
"Well, Combeferre, it's worked out pretty well for me so far!"
Enjolras looks between them all and for some reason, feels like he knows them all. They have been in his dream too yes, but there's something else.
"How about we settle for a late coffee instead," another black haired young man said, "Cafe Musain is still open."
"Like we don't know that Courfeyrac," the last unnamed guy says. He turns to Enjolras and sticks out a hand.
"I'm Joly; you do look like you could do with a coffee."
"With alcohol!" Grantaire adds as he and Courfeyrac head to the cafe, expecting the others to trail behind.
"Sorry," Enjolras says, "But do you normally invite random people to coffee?"
Joly and Combeferre exchange glances before Combeferre says, "Not usually but you look like you need someone to talk to. And the cafe is a great place to talk."
"Plus," Joly says as he walks backwards towards the cafe, "You don't want to hang around this street for too long."
"Why?" Enjolras asks as he follows him, "It doesn't look like a bad neighbourhood."
"It's not but there's an air to this place that doesn't sit right with anyone."
Combeferre rolls his eyes and explains, "Joly may be a medical student but he's a hypochondriac as well very superstitious."
"So would you!" Joly says, "This is the street that hosted the June Revolution all those years ago."
It's not long before these strangers become good friends and the cafe becomes a regular thing. Others join them; some of them Enjolras even recognises from university. They usually meet up every day and stay late in the cafe. Sometimes they go to bars together and it's now pretty common for them all to crash at Enjolras' place because it's the biggest.
They've made a tight group for themselves. It feels strange; like they've known each other for years. He wants to say that it's the dream making him biased but that's not true deep down. They all understand each other; they get how he wants to make his way in the world by helping others. They don't judge him for being quiet or stoic; it's a nice change to have people like you they way you are.
Enjolras does his research on the June Revolution; he reads the names and places. There are no pictures but he can see it all. The dreams have stopped and he takes that as a sign. Of what, he isn't sure but those dreams have lead him to the best friends he could ever want.
They meet Marius one day in August and Enjolras can already tell that they're not going to be great friends.
And it's not just because he is one holding the girl in his dream.
He doesn't hate him at all; Marius is a good guy. But his head is constantly up in the clouds and Enjolras suspects that he prefers it up there. But he has seen the poverty in this city and he has seen reality. His father threatened to cut him off but thankfully his inheritance came in. This meant he could invest as much money as he could in his charities without the disapproving glare from his family. It does mean that he takes a job at the local bar near the cafe but hard work has never scared Enjolras and Grantaire thinks he's hit the jackpot by having a friend who a bartender.
Marius however, likes to spend his time either studying or wooing girls. He and Jehan talk for hours about love poetry so much so that Enjolras wants to bang a coffee pot over his own head.
He is actually the first person to meet Cosette. She moves into the apartment across from him and brings over freshly made scones because she wants to make a good impression on the neighbours. She's chatty and bubbly and so sweet he can feel his teeth rotting but there's something oddly charming about her.
Enjolras sees her as this innocent little thing going out into the big wide world and that protective streak he usually has for the poor and the downtrodden comes out for her. So when he introduces her to his friends, he immediately gives Grantaire a warning look over Cosette's blonde hair. But they welcome her with open arms and welcoming her baking with gusto.
The dream came back. Just once and once only.
It's short this time and there is more smoke and confusion. He looks around for the others, now knowing that they are here somewhere. Instead he sees a shadow. The shadow moves through smoke and he can barely make it out. It suddenly comes forward and he can see her face. It's the girl; the first girl he ever saw in his dream from months ago.
Her shirt is stained red and dirt mars her feature but she takes his breath away. Her hands-surprisingly warm- come to rest on his face. "You are so close," she whispers and its music to his ears, making him forget the sounds of war.
"You've brought us all together again. But where am I?" She suddenly looks lost even though he is clutching at her stained coat. "Where am I? Where's my second chance? Where is our second chance?"
She's starts to slip away from him and he tries to hold on. He tries to tell her that he'll find her but she's like a shadow that can't be caught and disappears.
He doesn't sleep well for a week.
Marius has been talking to Cosette ever since they found out how much they both love old movies. Enjolras keeps an eye on him but he's pretty sure Marius is harmless. He's the right sort of harmless for Cosette.
So he is very much surprised when one day, when he is engrossed in a book, Joly exclaims that Marius had just walked into the cafe with a girl. Enjolras looks to Cosette first and sees her heart break a little as she looks over at the front door. He is fully prepared to bite Marius' head for being so obvious but when he turns around all words fail him.
She's there; the girl from the dream.
Her brown hair is tied up in a messy bun and she's wearing a black and white jumper over jeans and boots. Her face is full and healthy in contrast to the dream and when she smiles in the general direction of the group, Enjolras breaths out a little shakily. Her smile drops slightly when she meets his gaze, along with Enjolras' stomach. He manages to compose himself in time for Marius to introduce all his friends. They wave and grin at her, even Cosette.
But when Marius says her name is Eponine and she is his girlfriend, Enjolras is pretty sure he's having a heart attack.
The next part will probably be from Eponine's point of view.