AN: I was amazed to see that the first chapter got 60 views in the first few days I had it up (last I checked)! That's awesome!

When I awoke in the morning to the sound of rain, I groaned. Not only did I have to go down to the slums today, now I had to go in the rain! Reluctantly, I lifted myself from bed and rang for the maids to dress me.

"What would you like to wear today, mademoiselle?" a dark-haired maid asked me.

"Nothing too bold today, Clara. I have errands to attend to." was my reply, and although her expression was curious, the girl said no more. After I had eaten a measly breakfast of bread and fruit, I was on my way.

"Ah, Lauralette!" Gavroche exclaimed when I met him before the elephant. He eyed my parasol warily, but did not comment on it. Instead he simply said, "I'm glad you could make it!"

"Well, you did seem quite intent on me meeting you here. I would not want to let you down." I replied, smiling down at the gamin. He beamed back at me, and I noticed that he always seemed to be smiling. "Why is it that you are always so cheerful, Gavroche?" I asked with sudden curiosity.

"Well it's like this, Lauralette. I know that soon France will be free, and that makes me 'appy." the young boy replied, with what seemed to be a reasoning far beyond his years. It was all I could do to keep the smile on my face, for I still believed that this revolution would not-could not-succeed.

"So what is it that you want to show me, mon petite ami?" I asked. Gavroche just smiled his sly smile, and I knew that this would be a interesting day, to say the least.

"Well, I can't show you anything when you're dressed like that! First we need to get you some clothes that will fly 'ere!" With that, we were off to a clothing store. I was surprised when, instead of going into the shop, Gavroche led me to an alley behind the building.

"Gavroche, what are we doing back here?" I asked, apprehension rising in my chest. The guttersnipe didn't answer, only started to rummage around in one of the huge rubbish bins that lined the building. He fished out a few tattered articles and tossed them at me. I caught them with ease. What he had picked out for me were obviously male clothes, old and tattered, but not grimy or dirty. When thee boy returned to me, he was smiling.

"I'll give you some privacy, then." he said.

"Wait, you aren't actually expecting me to put these on, are you? Gavroche, these are mens clothes!" I exclaimed, looking at my small friend incredulously.

"Trust me, Lauralette. Put them on, they aren't dirty." he said with sudden seriousness and earnest.

"Oh alright, I trust you. Just turn away until I'm done changing, okay?" I said, turning him away from me. Quickly, I undressed and tugged on the clothes. When I finished I was wearing a pair of brown trousers and a loose white shirt, my hair tucked up into a black newsboys cap. On my feet were a pair of laced brown boots.

"I'm done Gavroche." I sighed. The boy turned and his eyes widened, the smile back on his face. Wordlessly, he took my dress and shoes and stowed them away somewhere.

"Shall we, my lady?" he asked, holding an arm out to me. I smiled and took it, allowing myself to be lead back into the slums. On our way, we ran into someone who seemed to know Gavroche.

"Who is this, mon ami?" the newcomer asked, brushing his bangs out of his eyes.

"Ah Courfeyrac, this is Laurel! He's my new friend!" At first I thought I had heard him wrong. Surely he didn't! I thought, but when the man named Courfeyrac said, "It's good to meet you, Laurel. Are you one of Gavroche's boys?" I could only gape. That little trickster!

"No, he's too old to be one of mine. Laurel takes care of himself, but he likes to visit my boys and I at the elephant." Gavroche said, picking up for me. "We were on our way to the cafe, actually. Are you heading that way too, Courf?"

"Yes, actually." the brunette said, smiling at me. "Would you two boys like to walk with me?" Gavroche nodded and lead me after his friend, unaware of the glare I sent him. If I had known that this was his plan I would never have agreed to come today! However, the damage was done, and there was nothing I could do except follow along. As Courfeyrac lead us to the cafe, he attempted to make small talk with me.

"So Laurel, do you live with your parents?" he asked.

"Yes, but I'm almost never at home." I replied, intentionally lowering my voice to sound more masculine. Courfeyrac seemed to accept it as authentic, only nodding in understanding.

"That's me as well. My parents and I don't exactly see eye to eye about the government, so I usually sleep over with one of the Amis." he told me, and I felt sorry for him. To not be on speaking terms with your own parents...I couldn't imagine.

"It's not that we don't get along, it's just that I've got better things to do than sit at home all day." This-in it's entirety-wasn't exactly a lie. I was rarely at home, constantly running errands so that the maids could stay home. They had too much to do already.

After that, we walked in a comfortable silence. Gavroche eventually let go of my hand, perhaps because he wasn't concerned with me running away. While I walked, I thought. How was it that the students could believe in their cause so completely? Enough to commit treason and disregard their families, it seemed. But why? What was holding them together, motivating them to fight? I would just have to wait and see.

When we arrived at the cafe, it was already bustling with students. Courfeyrac and Gavroche walked straight into the room, but I lingered by the stairs.

"What's wrong?" Gavroche asked me. "They're all really nice. Hardly somethin' to be afraid of."

"They're strangers to me, Gavroche. I have a right to be wary of them." I reminded him, glancing quickly around the room. I saw a flash of red at the edge of my vision, but I already knew who it was. Turning, I saw Enjolras standing over a table, a map laid out before him.

"Ah, so you want to go talk to the fearless leader? Be my guest." Courfeyrac joked, nudging me towards Enjolras. Hesitantly, I made my way over to the blonde, who did not look up upon my approach.

"H-hello, monsieur." I stammered. Only then did he glace up, and I noticed that he was looking at a map of Paris.

"Hello. I don't believe I've seen you around here before. You may call me Enjolras, no monsieur added." he returned my greeting, holding out his hand.

Taking it, I replied, "Laurel. I'm a friend of Gavroche's, he brought me here today." Enjolras simply nodded and returned to his work.

"So Laurel, did Gavroche tell you what we're trying to do?" he asked me, not looking up.

"No, but I've been to one of your rallies. You're trying to overthrow the king, right?" I asked, tilting my head to the side.

"Yes, but there's more to it than that. We are trying to overthrow the king because of the way he trains the wealthy population of France to treat the poor like dogs. We're trying to ensure equal rights for all of France." the revolutionary replied, still not looking up. I wasn't sure if what I said next was out of guilt or sudden madness, but at the moment I didn't care.

"Can I join?" I asked. This caught Enjolras' attention, and he looked up at me.

"Are you sure? It might be dangerous." he said, his gaze level with mine. I didn't look away as I answered, "I am positive."

"Well then Laurel, welcome to the Les Amis de la ABC."