A/N: Wow! I cannot get over the amount of people who liked this story! I am definitely taking your reviews into consideration. I love all your ideas! Don't be surprised now if I use some of them. Remember this is a story we can build together! So here is the next chapter that came to my head after pondering and listening to some of the ideas.


Worlds Away

Chapter 2 - When the Stars Line Up

Time is the essential essence of all of our lives. You know it is there even though you can't feel it. It exists quietly in our lives, moving us forever forward. Quietly. Quiet. The blissful sound of nothing. But the problem with nothingness is that is never stays quiet forever.

Nothing can be heard in the small flat except the clock slowly ticking on the wall. The room is empty of life and all that remains are the spirits of people who were once there. Interrupting the peacefulness are the muffled sounds and shouts coming from outside the door. Only a few more moments now until the quiet is broken by the door being barged open. The keys jingle loudly as the people hurriedly enter the room not even bothering to take them out of the door knob.

Any silence that was there a moment ago is now only a memory. Silence is like a ghost. There for awhile but once one realizes its presence, it is unwanted.

The boys rush into Enjolras' flat as he half drags and unconscious Eponine in his arms. Turns out the wound was more of a problem than she had noticed. Relying on adrenaline was the only thing that had kept her mobile, but as she walked the few blocks, the adrenaline had worn off and Eponine stumbled to the sidewalk. The boys were there in no time helping her to her feet and half-dragging her as Enjolras persisted going to his flat.

"She needs a hospital!" Joly pointed out. "What are you going to do with her here?"

Enjolras let Combeferre hold Eponine as he wiped his hand across his kitchen table. He cleared the papers, books, pens, and cups from the table with his hand and let them fall to the ground. This was the biggest table he had in his flat and it was the first place he thought of to put her down. He raced back over to Combeferre and lifted Eponine gently onto the table.

"You're going to fix her," Enjolras commanded to Joly. "You're the medical student!"

"But...I just- I don't think I-"

"I have a first aid kit!" Enjolras said with certainty.

"She'll need more than that." Grantaire scoffed as he walked straight passed the table of an unconscious Eponine to the liquor cabinet above the sink. He pulled out a bottle of brandy and sat on the couch to drink it.

Enjolras ran to the bathroom to retrieve any medical supplies he had. Joly had taken a step to the table and looked at the unconscious girl in front of him. He lifted his head up, said a silent prayer, took a deep breath, and began to work on her. He proceeded to take off her blood stained coat as Combeferre and Courfeyrac tried to be of assistance to Joly. Enjolras brought over rags, a large bowl of warm water, and his first aid kit. Combeferre was smart enough to think of bringing over a blanket to cover up the poor girl as Joly needed to take off her bloodied shirt as well.

Joly found were the blood was coming from and gasped.

"What? What is it?" Enjolras pestered.

"Enjolras, you were right," whispered Joly.

"About what? I don't understand."

"You were right, we couldn't have taken her to the hospital. It's a gun shot wound."

"All the more reason to have taken her to one." Piped in Grantaire as he took another swig from the bottle.

"No...Gun shot wounds need to be reported to the police right away." Enjolras confirmed.

Joly continued, "If we'd have taken her, the hospital would've called the police and we all probably would've been taken into custody for the time being until the issue was sorted out." He added silently to himself, "That's the last thing I need."

"How the hell did she get shot?" Enjolras face beamed with anger. He did not know why he was feeling this way. He did not know why he felt he had to take responsibility for the lonesome creature? Whatever the reason, this was a lot more than he could have ever imagined. But right now, all his questions needed to remain unanswered for the only one who could provide him with sufficient answers was currently unconscious.

Joly continued to wipe up the wound that had reopened itself, no doubt when she was thrown to the sidewalk by Enjolras. Enjolras had handed him some white liquor and Joly cleaned the wound out. He had Courfeyrac get his messenger bag which luckily contained some sutures from one of his previous classes early in the day. Joly ripped open the package and began to sew up the wound. The bullet had thankfully gone straight through her shoulder and did not require to be removed.

Once the stitches were applied on the front and back of her shoulder, Joly placed some gauze over it and wrapped up her shoulder and chest with a white bandage.

The presence of silence had crept its way back into the room. Enjolras had brought a pillow to the table and placed Eponine's head on it. Courfeyrac proceeded to wash Eponine's bloodied garments in the bathroom sink. Joly and Combeferre cleaned up and sterilized the kitchen from the mess that had transpired. Grantaire made his way over to the kitchen and took a seat next to Enjolras at the table. Enjolras was staring at the sleeping Eponine in front of him and moving small bits of her tangled, rough hair out of her face.

Grantaire took another swig of the bottle in his hand. "So, what are you going to do with-" He took the neck of the bottle and tapped Eponine's arm with it, "-her?"

Enjolras looked down at the ground. "I don't know," he said with a heavy heart.

"Where's she even from?"

"I don't know."

"How does she know our names?"

"I don't know..."

"Well, mon ami, you seem to have all the answers, don't you?"

Enjolras glared at the drunk sitting next to him. "I guess she can stay here for a while. She can sleep in my bed while she recovers and I'll sleep on the couch for now."

Grantaire gasped. He put the hand holding the bottle to his chest, "I am aghast! What would your parents say?" He mocked. "A woman sleeping in our very own Apollo's bed!"

This remark earned another death glare from Enjolras. But after a few moments, he smirked. "I bet my parents would be thrilled to know I have a girl sleeping in my flat. Lord knows they think I'm gay."

Grantaire let out a loud laugh. "Right you are my friend! Ha! This from the man who has never had a girlfriend, who spends his time either with his nose in books or with us."

Enjolras chuckled slightly. He turned his gaze back to Eponine. "Maybe I'll move her into my room now; she'd probably be more comfortable there." Enjolras stood up from the chair and began to lift her off the table, being as gentle as possible.

"Enjolras, what about your studies?" Piped in Joly as he finished up cleaning his hands off in the sink.

"I promise she won't interfere with my studies. I'm still the same man. I'm just...doing her a favor."

Joly nodded uncertainly, "I'll need to check on her often so the wound doesn't become infected. Right now, I'm going to treat her as an amnesia case. Its possible she remembers some things but not everything."

"But how do you explain the fact that she knows us?" Combeferre asked.

Joly grimaced and looked to the floor. It didn't take long for Grantaire to add in his two-sense, "Maybe she used to stalk us."

Enjolras grunted and walked away with Eponine in his arms. He shortly returned from the room and closed the door quietly behind him. "We'll have to wait until she wakes up to ask her our questions." He whispered.

The boys currently sat around the kitchen table. Grantaire looked up to Enjolras, "What did she say her name was again?"

Enjolras looked back at his bedroom door quickly before retuning his attention to Grantaire. "Eponine."

Grantaire brought the liquor bottle to his lips. He closed his eyes softly and breathed in. Finally he breathed out, "'Ponine."


A/N: So let me know what you some more of your ideas could be! I think I have a little game plan on where to take this. Hopefully the tension is building little by little.