v. When they were fifteen

In their fifteenth year, a rather large cyclone hit a rather small island in the Caribbean almost tearing it apart. Some American students were given the opportunity to fundraise money themselves to travel to the small nation in an attempt to assist in the rebuilding process. Enjolras immediately jumped at the opportunity to rebuild a country whilst Combeferre thought it would be a great opportunity to see doctors at work as he was now approaching fifteen and trying to figure out if he did want to enter into the medical field or not. Meanwhile Marius went for a combination of reasons, the first being his natural disposition to help those in need and the second being his grandparent's insistence that it would look "just delightful" on his resume.

So the three boys travelled on an old and rickety plane to the tiny little island where they set off not only to help those whose lives had been torn apart but also to discover who they were, and what they wanted to do for the rest of their lives. For example, it was where Combeferre first realised that he was going to prefer dealing with patients when they were under anesthetic and could not yell at him when they felt their needles going in (which he claims is not as terrible as it sounds). Meanwhile Marius discovered his passion for writing, he documented what he saw and the projects he and his friends were involved in and started publishing them in the school newspaper. Not only was it something that would look fantastic on a resume and in his portfolio but most importantly, it was something he was passionate about. For almost a year, his grandfather had been taking him into work at the family business as a prospective investment banker, but it was the opposite of what Marius wanted to do. He hated the idea of gambling for a living (because to him, that was all investment bankers did, gamble with other people's money) and much prefered the idea of bringing to light the critical issues facing today's society, especially those being ignored by the majority. He could already see it, him as the journalist, Jehan as the photojournalist as they would travel and bring to the public's attention the plight of those from underprivileged countries.

Finally it was Enjolras who took the most traditional route when working on the tiny island. He helped with the literal construction effort and within two months had assisted in building three orphanages (which were immediately filled) five schools, a makeshift hospital and several homes for temporary accommodation. The time he spent away from the USA was rewarding, it helped him become more compassionate, more understanding and far more tolerable, however, it was not quite the life changing experience he had hoped for. Whilst Marius and Combeferre returned home excited for what their future held, Enjolras was almost sad that he had missed out on a summer in The Hamilton Islesit was quickly becoming his favourite place on earth, though he had no idea why.

Meanwhile Cosette, Jehan and Courfeyrac, who all made the usual trip up to the seaside for the summer. It was a quiet summer, which was quite strange for all of them really. Generally, their summer's of late had been largely characterised by dangerously diving into the ocean at night and all nighters, but school was just getting harder and harder and all they could do was limp to the summer holidays where all they would do was relax and catch up on some much needed sleep.

That summer Monsieur Fauchelevent bought a yacht, and they would spend days at a time out at sea, just resting away from the land, and all the important things which grounded them to it. Jehan would drive the boat out so far that they could no longer see the shore at it was there where he would sketch the sunsets whilst the girls and Courfeyrac would tan underneath it.

They also started a book club that summer, which failed dismally. The original plan was to read a book a week, each bake cake or cookies and eat them on the yacht. However, a week later when they convened with cake, cookies and Eponine's creme brulee they soon discovered that none of them were even half way though the book. So they met again at the end of the month, with cake, cookies and Eponine's chocolate mousse, only to discover that whilst they were all half way through the book, they were no where near finishing it.

Finally, a month later they reconvened, with cake, cookies and a pasta salad (because Eponine didn't have time to make dessert), no one had read anymore of the book, and they concluded that they should have a baking club rather than a book club - it was far more successful

"Eponine, I have some news" Cosette smiled over breakfast the morning before they all went back to the city. "Well you know Marius?"

"Of course" Eponine replied dumbly.

"Yeah, well, earlier this year, like a few months ago, he asked me out, and, and I said yes so now we are dating" she was practically beaming.

Eponine attempted to smile back, "That's fantastic Cosette, you two are adorable" her voice sounded nothing like her own, it was all too high pitched and sounded like a song, like Cosette's voice but thankfully the other girl did not seem to notice.

It wasn't that Eponine was annoyed at their relationship, it was just that she did not care. There were so many other issues that seemed so much larger than Cosette and Marius' relationship, though she couldn't name any of them, she just felt their pressure all around her all the time and it was inescapable. It was these same unnamed and unknown pressures that had been making it more and more difficult to get out of bed in the morning. It was strange, she knew that, but chose to push the thought out of her mind, attempting to smile happily at the gushing Cosette.

vi. When they were (almost) seventeen

"Fancy seeing you here" Eponine smirked as Enjolras entered the cafe in early January of their seventeenth year.

Enjolras shrugged sitting down at a stool behind the bar while she started making him a coffee "I hope that's an espresso."

"Your coffee preference gets more and more pretentious each year."

"Whatever."

Enjolras had just gotten his license and with his new R8, he had made his first solo drive over to the The Hamilton was still a little pedantic when it came to his driving - the radio could not be too loud and she could most definitely not bring her food into the car or put her feet onto the dash, but she felt that a few years of "accidentally" bringing her food into his car and he would give up.

She directed him through the small town and up one of the many mountains which loomed in the distance. For the past few months, Eponine had been on a health kick, and it had been her goal to climb that mountain because it was probably the steepest she had seen and looked to be impossible. It took her three weeks of constant training to make it all the way up the hill before she was required to be at work, the view was breath-taking, and Enjolras deserved to see it.

"It's incredible" he smiled, climbing over the fence to sit with Eponine on the railing.

"I think it's become my favourite place in the world" she beamed "Once, I couldn't sleep so I went out to run a little earlier, I got here in time for the sunrise, it was the best. You should run it with me tomorrow."

"God no, I'm on school holidays, I want to sleep in."

"Lazy"

He laughed quietly "How does this sound - you get up and go for your run, when you reach the top give me a call. I'll visit your mom, grab some breakfast that we will eat when we get there?"

"It sounds good."

And it is just so easy for the two of them to fall into this pattern, every morning she would complete her run and he would bring her breakfast, just because he could. He's learnt that she hates spinach and mushrooms but loves tomatoes and much prefers eggs and bacon breakfast to pancakes. After breakfast, he dropped her off at the diner where she starts her shift and returned soon after with his books in hand. It was winter so there was only a few regulars in the diner, so when there was nothing to do she would join him, and catch up on some of her work.

He didn't stay long, leaving to return to the city after just over two weeks, and she missed him when he was no longer there.

However, it was not too long until he was back at by the seaside. One morning just as she was reaching the summit of Mt. Morton, she saw the familiar black R8 parked on the side of the road. Enjolras was already sitting up the railings with what looked to be croissants.

"Did you make it in time to see the sunset?" Eponine smiled as Enjolras pulled her into a warm hug.

"Saw it in the rear window as I was leaving the city, it was pretty amazing, but not as amazing as an extra half hour of sleep would have been" he passed her an apricot jam filled doughnut.

"I can't believe you don't get up from the sunrise."

"I can't believe you do."

The truth is that people from the city run on a different schedule than those who lived rurally, life was slower by the seaside and in turn, so were the people. They were slow to rise, slow to sleep, they would talk slowly, walk slowly and nothing ever seemed to be in a rush. It was as if time slowed down outside of the city. It was all too obvious when someone from the city was in town, they would rush down the streets, overtaking the slow locals, they would quickly order their food, quickly eat it and then quickly leave. Eponine wondered if they could recall how their food tasted, for they had too quickly to remember.

"Why are you back here again?" Eponine asked between bites. "Seriously, you've come here once a year for sixteen years and now three times in just one?"

Enjolras took a while to reply, his eyes watching the waves as they crashed into the rocks below them "We should be getting back, the diner opens soon, I'll give you a lift."

He glared at her as she took another doughnut out of the bag whilst waiting for him to start the car "or you can walk". She rolled her eyes, but put the doughnut away.

They started studying together again, because it just seemed so natural to do so. She learned that his favourite subject was maths, and chemistry, because they were important whilst she preferred art and music, because they made her feel alive. The town was slightly busier than usual as apparently "sea changes" were popular amongst the rich and elderly as they "swapped the hustle and bustle of city life for a relaxing retirement by the beach" she was quoting the commercial now, it was always on TV. But there were more than just the elderly purchasing the vacant lots which dotted the hills. There were families moving into the area, there was talk of opening up a school and a chain store supermarket. Eponine and her mother welcomed the changes, they were the only "eatery" in the area and all the extra people were fantastic for business.

Enjolras came back a few hours later, without a car but with his books "You guys need help here?" he asked as he took a spare spot near the bar.

Eponine shook her head as she finished making a coffee, ran it out to a table and then doubled back to collect food from the pass, before meeting Enjolras at the bar where she got started on more coffee. "What can we say, business has been great."

"I think you need more staff."

"So do I, but mum is crazy, she only wants family working in the family restaurant."

He stared at her incredulously "that makes no sense."

"I know" and she's was off running again, collecting money from customers who are leaving, taking coffee out and clearing tables.

Enjolras studied at the restaurant until closing and as soon as the last customer he got up to assist with the cleaning process. He felt bad, he had literally spent the day watching Eponine run around the restaurant and her and her mother looked exhausted. So he attempted to wash the dishes, and ended up dripping from head to toe. Needless to say, washing dishes was not his strong point, however, whilst he was in the kitchens, washing up he couldn't help but think back to when he was young and Eponine's mother would let him run the pass alongside her. They needed help in this restaurant, it was going to fail as it was. Meals were taking too long to come out, too long to be cleared and people could only be patient for so long.

"You didn't have to do this" Eponine smiled as he walked out of the kitchen, water stains all over his shirt.

He shrugged his shoulders "I wanted to give you something, and I thought it was going to be a quiet night but anyway" he rushed over to his bag rummaging for something in one of his papers "Remember how we were talking about Keats last time I was here?" Eponine nodded slipping into a chair next to him "well, Jehan takes literature, and he said that there was one of the oldest editions of Keats' full compilation in the library" he finished rummaging around in his bag "ah, here it is, for you" he pushed the book into her hands.

"Oh wow," Eponine's eyes widened as she turned the book over, it's covers were all torn and retaped, she loved it "how long until you have to bring it back?"

"I-I was just thinking it could be yours"

"What?"

"Yeah" Enjolras fidgeted with the bottom of his wet shirt "I just thought that you could keep it, I threw it out of the window of the library so they don't know."

"Oh my god" Eponine started laughing "you're a criminal, you stole from the library!"

"I wouldn't call it stealing"

Eponine was doubled over, holding onto him to stop her from sliding of the chair "there is nothing else to call it! You're officially on the run from the library, this is fantastic!" because that was how Eponine's sense of humour worked.

"I really don't think this is that funny, you should be thankful tha-"

"Oh no, I am thankful" she was still laughing "it is just the most hilarious story I've ever heard - you stole from the library! Wait until I tell everyone!"

"Please don't"

"But it's so funny" she whined.

"Now you're making it embarrassing."

"Sorry" she said once she had managed to compose herself "this is really nice of you, thank you, really."

Enjolras' face broke out into a lopsided grin "thanks, anyway, I better head back."

She walked with him outside and watched as he began walking down the street "Wait, where is the car?"

"I left it at home."

"What? Why?" Everyone knew that walking through a dark, and dimly lit town in the middle of the night was never a good idea. A few years ago they believe that someone fell off a cliff trying to walk home at three in the morning.

"Come on Eponine, I always-"

"No, not anymore" she ushered him inside "you're taking the couch, it's actually really comfy." Enjolras followed her upstairs.

The couch as not "comfy" it was cold and noisy pretend leather which would make the most horrible sounds when he turned around, it was far too small and had these high armrests which were impossible to rest his pillow against. It was by far the worst sleep he had ever experienced, yes, even worse than when the school forced them to go camping because it was apparently highly likely that they were going to end up stranded in the middle of a forest with no way of escaping.

Though when Eponine asked how he slept, he somehow managed to paste a smile on his face "Fine", he even shocked himself with how well he had lied to her. Once again, they fall into a pattern together, because it just seems so easy for them to do so. They were two people who seemed to be at that time on the same wave length, they didn't have to speak to understand, they just did.

Since the first night, Enjolras had set aside his books over the dinner rush and worked in the restaurant alongside Eponine and her worked slightly better now with Eponine's mother cooking, Eponine making drinks and running items out while Enjolras just took care of basic was there that it dawned on Enjolras that the diner did not make that much money, food and drink took forever to come out and therefore it always looked full, but they couldn't be making that much money, something in him felt guilty for realising this.

There was only a few nights left before he was meant to drive back to the city when something inside of him just snapped. His whole body ached, more than it had ever before, he was sure that couch was going to kill him. "I'm sorry but I am walking home."

"No you're not because you'll die" Eponine rolled her eyes following him out of the diner.

"Seriously, do you have any idea how irrational that is?"

"Why won't you just stay here like you always do?"

"Because your couch is killing me" he didn't even realise he was yelling "It is worse than the ground!"

Eponine just rolled her eyes again "Fine, just take the bed then."

"What?" He followed her upstairs, wondering if she was planning on taking the couch instead, but he really doubted it.

She started getting changed in front of him and he follows suit, trying his best to keep his eyes off her tanned body, which he had seen so many times but it was as if the implication of being in a bedroom changes everything, well it does for him at least, though by the looks of it not to her.

"Okay" she looked up at him while pulling down the covers "just letting you know, I am a kicker, a puncher, sorry in advance."

Enjolras sighed loudly, pretending to be annoyed but climbed into bed anyway. It was after just a few minutes of silence that he felt Eponine turn towards him "Hey, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure" Enjolras replied.

"Why are you here?" she asked in a voice that was curious more than anything "You never used to come up here in the winter but now-"

"My mom's dying" he said quickly, before going quiet, allowing Eponine to process the information "She's been dying for most of my life really, I don't know how she is still alive, if you want to call it living."

"Oh Enjolras I am so sorry-"

"It's okay, it's been like this for as long as I remember, it really isn't that sad anymore" he felt like such a horrible person saying that out loud, but for some reason though that Eponine could understand, she too had lost a parent after all "Dad says I was only three when she was diagnosed" he continued "we've had the beach house for years and mom started saying that the fresh air out here made her feel better, so we started taking her up here every weekend. And then one day she decided she didn't want to go back to the city anymore, she decided she wants to die here. Do you know which one my house is?" it was so easy talking when he could not see her reaction.

"No, I've never been there."

"You know main beach, how there's that private property on the hill, the brown one, and it overlooks the ocean?"

"Yeah I know the one" Eponine replied, everyone knew that house, it was stunning.

"Yeah, well in the room which looks out over the water, we keep all of her medical stuff, you know, breathing machines, her bed, and there's a nurse that lives there too."

"So you've been coming up here to visit her."

"I guess," he paused "but I'm spending more time with you, because she can barely talk anymore, and I hate seeing her like that."

"You should be spending time with her though, and where's your Dad?"

Enjolras laughed "Really Eponine, don't you know that men from the city are completely incapable of remaining faithful. He's got some lady, I don't know, I left Marius' house one morning and she was still there so I just left. I wandered around the city for a while then came up here, I just couldn't be bothered with any awkward introductions."

"That's horrible Enjolras" Eponine said quietly.

"Not really" Enjolras did not sound bothered by his family's predicament "It could be worse." Though Eponine could not imagine how.

That year, when summer finally rolled around, things had changed between them, well, at least for Enjolras they had, and Eponine was too hard to read for anyone to be able to tell. But it was obvious to everyone that something had changed between the two of them, he just seemed to gravitate towards her. If they were watching a movie, he was next to her, when they were driving up the hills, she was always in his car, they also continued having breakfast together every morning and that made everyone even more suspicious.

It got to the point where Courfeyrac and Jehan could not handle it anymore, the question had been eating at them for three days, and they just could not handle it for another second so the convinced Cosette into hosting an exclusive book/ bake club reunion on her father's yacht.

They all brought their favourite foods, steaming apple crumble, panna cotta, custard and chocolate cake and as soon as the boat had pulled out of the docks Eponine was bombarded with questions.

"Okay, I feel like I am getting attacked here" Eponine laughed as soon as there was a break in all the questions.

"Oh, no Eponine, we aren't attacking you, we're just curious" Jehan smiled excitedly.

"I need to know what's going on" Courfeyrac cried dramatically.

Eponine glared at Cosette "They were annoying me, I couldn't handle their nagging anymore. And if you want my opinion, the two of you would be adorable."

"Very cute" Jehand added.

"And your kids would be hot"

"You're all crazy, seriously you need your heads checked" Eponine glanced around the yacht, looking for an escape, she thought a swim in the ocean would be better than hanging around with them.

Her denials and protestations however fell on deaf ears, and Eponine would just roll her eyes whenever she was with Enjolras and Jehan and Courfeyrac had noticed, casting her shiteating grins from across the room. Enjolras didn't notice.

The truth is that Eponine wasn't quite sure how she felt about Enjolras, sure, she liked him, and she liked spending time with him, and perhaps she wouldn't mind spending more time with him. But he wasn't always by the seaside with her, and she was never in the city with him.

They are having breakfast one morning when she ends up getting hot jam all over her cheeks. He starts wiping it off for her - he doesn't even know why - when soon enough, there was no more jam left on and his thumb is running gently over her cheek, feeling it's rise and fall. For a moment there, everything stops, Eponine has no idea where she is, she can't hear anything other than the sound of her heart racing and she is sure Enjolras can hear it too. All she can see is his eyes, shining bright blue and their pupils so wide darting from her eyes, down to her lips and back up again. It feels as if they stay like that forever, but then his lips are on hers and his eyes are closed and she finds herself responding, running her hands through his blonde hair as she tried to pull him closer. His lips feel incredible against hers and he breaks the kiss only long enough to pull her from the fence and towards the car.

They crash down onto hot leather seats, hearts racing, blood rushing and hands fumbling to remove the clothes between them. She can't explain how or why it was happening but as he his body moved with hers, it just felt so, so right.

AN: Sorry for the clichés, but I love them : ) thank you to everyone that read, followed or favourited this story and a special thank you to those who commented. Please remember that comments and constructive criticism are always appreciated.