Hey everyone, sorry for the delay in the update. Everything has been so busy lately and I haven't had the time to write. I hope that this update makes up for the long wait.
I hope you enjoy this.
Innocent, he looked so innocent. The child seemingly asleep cradled in the young man's arms. If it wasn't for the sound of gunfire, the sight of bodies covered in dirty sheets and the blood stained bandage wrapped around the child's thin torso, you could think that was the scene. A child sleeping in his guardians arms. The rise and fall of the small boy's chest was the only comfort to Courfeyrac, Gavroche wasn't gone, there was still breath, there was still life, and there was still hope. And that was all that the young man could hold onto. The child was nine years old and in the silence of this moment, Courfeyrac found himself mentally cursing himself. Why didn't he send Gavroche away? Send him to safety. To Gavroche, the Amis were his heroes and Courfeyrac had simply allowed him to see his heroes, his friends, killed here on this lonely barricade. He allowed this child to be hurt to the point of near death.
"Monsieur Courfeyrac" said a feminine voice from the door, looking straight into Courfeyrac's dark tear filled eyes as the young man looked up. Eponine too had tears streaking down her cheeks as she looked to her hurt little brother, looking so small and so weak. "Is he goin' to be alright?"
It was a question that Courfeyrac had been dreading. If Combeferre, the training doctor, had not been able to give him a straight answer when he had asked the same question, how could Courfeyrac now give Eponine the answer that she so wanted to hear. As much as he wanted to say that little Gavroche would be up and about, racing down the streets of Paris like the free spirit he is in no time at all, that was not the answer he was able to give. Seeing her standing there, hand's clenched and looking down at the ground, he knew that he had to be honest about this even though each and every word was bitter in taste as they poured from his tongue. "He's strong" He said, holding Gavroche tighter to his chest, anxious to feel that breath and that heartbeat. "He's fighting, Eponine, he was and is so brave. He told me he couldn't do it but he did. He stayed strong, allowing Combeferre to do what he had to. He's resting now, his body is resting, he needs to regain his strength, and he needs to rest"
She nodded. "He is one of the strongest people I know, and he is no more than a baby of the streets. He's been strong since the day he was born, he's never stopped fightin'" She replied
"Guards approach, arm's ready" They heard a shout from outside
"The national guard approach Courfeyrac, what if they find him? They will take no mercy on an injured child" Eponine said, the tone of panic laced in her voice.
"If they had any mercy at all, they would not have shot a gun upon a child in the first place" Courfeyrac solemnly. "You need to take him Eponine"
"Take him, where can we go?" She said taking a step closer to him and putting her arms out to take Gavroche.
"Go to mine and Marius home, you know the place. It isn't grand, and not entirely suitable but there is a bed for Gavroche to rest upon" Courfeyrac replied, gently placing the unconscious Gavroche in her out stretched arms. "Hold him close, I want him to feel safe"
"What do I tell him when he wakes and no longer sees you beside him?" Eponine asked, nestling Gavroche against her chest. "You mean everything to him, he doesn't need me, and he needs you"
"Tell him I will see him again soon, when this is over, the end is coming, I will come back for him. I will come and get him and sort the paperwork. He will be my little boy and we can all go out and find that country house he dreams of together" Courfeyrac said softly brushing hair away from Gavroche's head and planting a gentle kiss on the boy's forehead. "No matter what happens here tonight Eponine, I won't leave him, I won't abandon him. I promised him that we will be together after all of this is over. I can't and I won't break that promise to him"
"It's taken nine years but I can see now that Gavroche has finally found a father who loves him" Eponine said watching the young man and the child. "And that means everything to him"
Courfeyrac nodded, taking a last look at Gavroche's little face, so young and innocent. "I do love him, I have since the moment I met him and to be the one who will give him a home and a family who treats him like he deserves means everything to me" He said. "Go now, before the guards see you, get to safety. When he wakes tell him that this wasn't a goodbye, but it was simply an I will see you again soon, mon petit, I will see you again soon"
"I will tell him when he wakes Courfeyrac" Eponine said softly as Courfeyrac wrapped a blanket around Gavroche. "I will do everything in my power to keep him safe, he will wait for the moment you come back"
"Thank you Eponine, go now please" he replied, unable to bear to say farewell once more. "Take the back streets, don't let yourself be seen"
She nodded, holding Gavroche as close to her chest as she could. As she carried the child from the makeshift hospital, she could feel the eyes of everyone on her. She could see Enjolras, Combeferre and Marius preparing the guns at the top of the barricade, taking a moment to look at her. She saw Baharol and Jehan looking to the ground then to Gavroche, she could almost hear their thoughts 'that poor child'. As she sunk into the shadows of the twisted alleyways she knew so well, she spotted Grantaire staring into his bottle, all the belief that the leader Enjolras had given him lost. He was lost, the bottle in his hand acting as the anchor keeping him in place. Before she sunk completely out of their sight, she looked back over her shoulder. Courfeyrac stood in the doorway of the wine shop, leaning on the doorframe. She knew that he was trying to stand strong, be the centre that the group so terribly needed but she could see that his strength was gone. She felt sick to the pit of her stomach as she looked into his hurt filled eyes and saw the tear tracks staining his cheeks. With a sigh that shook her entire body, she took one final look at the dark haired young man. "We will see you again soon Courfeyrac, we will be waiting to see you again"
…
It was a losing battle, the barricade was taken. They were outnumbered; no one had come to support their fight. Enjolras had thought that the city would come to the fight. He had seen the support they had received at the rallies. They all had stood so strong at those rallies, standing on their makeshift stages giving their speeches at the inspiring those that they were fighting for. Now, Enjorlas felt ill. Only three of them remained now.
Dear Jehan, the young softly spoken poet, had been taken hostage by the National Guard. "End this now or we kill him now" They had said. He had been so brave telling them to keep fighting, to not give up just to spare his life. He was so loyal, willing to die so that they could continue with their fight. No it seems that the young poet had given his life to a lost cause. Baharol, the fighter, had been killed climbing the barricade. A Cannon was fired, the fighter who lived only to protect his friends died trying to do just that. Enjolras had seen Marius shot, he had seen him fall. He had seen the volunteer lift him into the safety of his arms. He didn't see where they went, but he hoped that they were safe now.
"You have nowhere to run now, why throw your lives away?" A member of the guard shouted. Enjolras looked back to see Combeferre and Courfeyrac standing beside him, united. The chief, the guide and the centre. Combeferre had always been there right beside Enjolras, through the planning of the revolution and now as they tried to fight. Courfeyrac had always been so willing and so driven in their fight and Enjolras knew why. From the moment Gavroche had shown Courfeyrac where he lived, a rat infested elephant statue in the slums of san Michelle, Courfeyrac had wanted to fight to give the children who had nothing that entire he had been given when he was a young child. He had been given a lovely home, an education, food and love. They didn't have any of that. Babies of the streets, left to fend for themselves when everything was fighting against them. "Why throw your lives away?" The guard repeated.
"Here, this way" said a whispered voice, loud enough to catch the attention of the three young men as they hid in the wine shop standing side by side. As they turned, they came eye to eye with the volunteer. His clothes now were stained in mud and blood, and he appeared out of breath. "I can get you to safety; a fiacre waits with a loyal driver. He needs to get his family out to the country for the health of his children; he is willing to take you also. You can start again.
"You are kind monsieur, but how can we throw the fight away now?" Enjolras asked.
"You can hear the guards, shouting for your blood. They want to see the street we stand upon stained red. The battle is lost, there is no more fighting to be done now. Would your friends who already sit in the garden of the lord wish to see you die or wish to see you go on to continue your work. One day the country to embrace your beliefs. Come now" Valjean stressed. "We have little time"
"He is right, if we go now we can continue our work elsewhere. In the honour of the friends that we have lost" Combeferre said. "We have not abandon this fight; we can done all that we can. Our friends may have lost their lives, but we can continue to fight with words in their memory."
"Come now friends, let us leave this sight and find safety. The fiacre cannot wait, the guard is approaching" Valjean said "Come now"
"If we must, dear Combeferre you speak the truth as usual. We should continue to fight in the honour and in the memory of our friends. Let them know that they did not die in vain." Enjolras nodded, sighing deeply. "Come now, Combeferre, Courfeyrac"
"I can't" Courfeyrac breathed, leaning back against the wall as he listened to the sound of the approaching guard. "I can't leave"
"We have too, time to running out Courfeyrac. Come now and we can fight again elsewhere. Our fallen friends would not want to see us fall now" Combeferre said
"This isn't about the fighting" Courfeyrac said, passion in his words. "I promised Courfeyrac I would go back to him when all of this is over. I told him it wasn't a good bye. I cannot break a promise I made to him, he needs me"
"Courfeyrac" Enjorlas breathed. "I know you made that promise to him, and we can come back. Just not now. If we were to go to him now, we would be found and hung for our crimes to the king."
"If we go now, we can come back when the guard retreat. The police will not search forever. We can come back when it is safe" Combeferre nodded. "Come now Courfeyrac, you can still keep your promise".
"I can't, I will run the back streets to him. I have to go to him" Courfeyrac stressed, pulling away as he felt Enjolras and Combeferre move towards him to direct him in the direction of the fiacre. "I can't leave him!"
And there we go, so please write a review and let me know what you think of this
