"And then do you know, Monsieur Marius, I believe I was a little in love with you."

I watched him. I watched Marius kiss my sweaty ice cold forehead. I felt his warm lips against my lifeless and departed skin. Before I could savor it, he pulled back. I was the Earth, I was the sky, and I was the sun. I was everything. I was dead. From the millisecond life was robbed from my weak human body to now felt like years. I was dead; there was a thick barrier between us. Yet still I saw him touch my body and felt his warmth, I saw his sleeve brush past my bloodied face and I smelt the gun powder. I was indefinitely gone, and yet so alive. The feelings were fading. The pain in my back and through my arm was dissolving into the nonexistent. I didn't want to leave him. I didn't want to lose his beautiful face. Would I, without him, become the nonexistent as well? I was crying, I dared not look down to see the tears for fear of losing sight of him, I felt them running down my face, my chin, my arms… But he was disappearing. He was leaving my corpse, I felt him grow more distant as seconds ticked by. I was almost blind when he stopped and opened the dirty note I had died to bring him. And I read it over his shoulder. He fell to his knees and kissed the letter. And somehow I couldn't bring myself to despise what I should have. I wanted him to love. I wanted him to have everything I couldn't and more. And then I grew solemn as I felt his pain and despair. Moments passed. My ignorant brother, foolish with an ardent bravery now held a shred of paper with words scrawled on it, its destination traveling to Cosette. My soul was between the depths of despair and the highest heavens. He was to die. It was his chosen destiny. He would be mine, only mine. To hold me, to kiss me, and love my being. He'd join me. I was sure. And yet, as I reached out my soul to embrace his fate he felt farther than ever. And I was drifting away…away from barricades, and blood, and death. Away. And I couldn't stop myself. I couldn't feel my body anymore. All at once white blinding light encompassed me. And he disappeared. Away from my world. I was in solitude; the world was white and warm. I couldn't bear to think or speak, so I drifted into abhorred and depressed dreamless sleep. I wouldn't let go. I'd wait for him, I wouldn't let go of his world. So I stayed in this nonbeing, still holding on, never would I go forward until he joined my side. I waited. Hours passed, days passed, weeks passed. Time flew by, I waited. There grew a time when I no longer knew how long I had been there. I looked down at my skin expecting it to be bruised, sickly and wrinkled. It was pure and clean. It was then I heard a voice. How musical it sounded, how loud. After time in a sea of silence…

"Eponine."

I turned, it was not Marius. My heart sunk to the deepest pits of sorrow. She was beautiful. Long blond locks fell to her waist and gentle eyes pierced mine.

"Eponine," she said, "Come with me."

She extended a slender hand to me and I embraced it before realizing what I was doing.

"Will you bring me to Marius?" I breathed

"Yes."

I trusted her. That's all I needed to know. The light around us grew darker and the air colder and damp. My vision cleared and I was with the beautiful woman in a black room only lit by two silver candlesticks. An old man sat composing some ancient and sorrowful note at the table. His face was decorated with a gentle kind of time, yet there was inexpressible remorse and sadness. It no longer mattered. Marius was there. He was there with his beautiful eyes, kind and radiant eyes. My whole world dissolved around him, the way he moved, he spoke "Father!" and his face. His beautiful face, his lips trembled and tears formed behind his eyes. Reaching out he grasped the old man's hand. And then Cosette was there, lovely Cosette stroking his hair. I reached out to Marius, the beautiful woman restrained me with gentle hands.

"My daughter, darling beauty." She whispered to Cosette.

Cosette didn't hear her. Marius cried, oh how I yearned to touch his face and soothe him. To tell him I was here to protect him and love him. Did he know I was so close to him? Words passed between the trio.

"…Think of me little. You are blessed creatures…" the old man whispered

Fantine went before him; she laid a soft hand of his shoulder.

"I do not know what is the matter with me, I see a light. Come nearer I die happy."

I went to Marius. My fingers trembled just above his skin. In this moment I had never been happier.

"Let me put my hands upon your dear beloved heads." The old man whispered.

With this last sentence murmured, the beautiful woman bent down and kissed him on the cheek. His eyes died of life and his head fell to the back of the chair. And Marius, beautiful Marius, he was weeping with his head against the old man's departed knees. I saw the old man's golden silhouette rise from his body and form pure and whole next to the beautiful woman. I watched transfixed. He grasped hands with her.

"Fantine." He murmured

"Come Eponine. It's time to return… Come sweet child, it's time to move on." Fantine said to me.

The old man held out his hand. I turned and faced Marius. Fantine nodded once in a subtle and understanding way.

"You can't stay here." She whispered.

"I know," I came closer to Marius.

I reached out to touch Marius, I was careful to stroke his coat and not his flesh. There was still a barrier between us. I wanted to take him with me, it would be so easy to plant a kiss on his flesh. Yet I looked at his hand embraced in Cosette's and knew it could never be. I leaned down and kissed his cravat, my lips pressed against it once feeling the warmth that radiated from him. I placed a hand on the fabric above his heart and felt it beat. Then I turned and took the old man's hand. I left Marius; I know I'll see him again. There was a new world of the unknown ahead of me. White light ran into my veins. I journeyed on with Fantine and the old man.