Enjolras left the room once he had put Cea to bed properly. Eponine was now asleep again and Monsieur Joly had informed them that she had stitches at the base of her skull and probably concussion from her beating.

"She can't stay at home, or on the streets." Enjolras said.

"I can assure you she won't be going anywhere soon." Monsieur Joly had insisted that for her protection, she stayed with him as Joly was given students quarters at the university until he finished his studies. That would be a long time as they were only 13.

But Eponine being Eponine, as soon as the idea was proposed the very next morning, she outright refused.

"I know my way around." She protested, swinging her legs out of the bed she was on and making a beeline for the door to the bedroom. Grantaire slammed it and stood in front of it, crossing his arms and looking down at her. She huffed and turned to Marius who ran his fingers through his hair. "You can't keep me here forever."

"We can damn well try." Courfeyrac muttered under his breath, earning and glare from Marius as he knew he wasn't helping in the slightest.

"Please 'Ponine." Marius pleaded with her. "You can stay with me."

He took her hand and she fought to keep the smile from her face as his touch sent a tingle through her body and made her stomach lurch and heart beat faster. "No."

"It's the concussion speaking." Grantaire concluded.

"'Ponine, please." Marius was getting more forceful. "Your father is just going to hurt you more."

"What do you know about it Marius? When I first met you, you were singing songs and praises about my father, saying how he's a hero, a great man for saving your fathers life. Oh, I must be so honoured to be his daughter! Is this what a 'great man' who's worth 'honouring' does?" She yelled at him.

"Eponine." Marius raised his voice also. She was in trouble now. He called her Eponine. "We're all looking out for you. We're your friends. I'm sorry my first impression was wrong, but excuse me when I say your father is a little deceptive."

Courfeyrac took Cea up as she began to cry from the shouting. He rocked her and shushed her but she could somehow sense Eponine was upset and it made her cry more. Grantaire opened the door and Courfeyrac took Cea outside where hopefully Enjolras could sooth her and comfort her.

"I do not need looking after Marius! I look after my younger brother, he's been ill, I cannot and will not leave him at the mercy of my family, there is none! He needs me and I intend to be there until he gets better. He's but that high." She motioned with her hand to just below a metre. "If I run away he'll die."

The thought of losing Gavroche made Eponine's head spin and from the shouting gave her a bad headache. Her eyes couldn't keep in contact with Marius' and Grantaire could see that. He went over to Eponine and led her to the bed and helped her sit down.

"I think you should rest. We'll sort something out." Grantaire said, making her lie down and soon enough she was asleep again. He pulled a blanket over her and moved her hair from her face as he sat on the edge of her bed. He looked to Marius who was staring at Eponine and sighed. "Come on, she needs to sleep it off."

He got up and they both headed to the door. Grantaire held it open and Marius slipped out. "I know what'll cheer you up, if you can hold Cea without her crying!"

Marius glared at Grantaire as they shut the door behind them and then both smirked at each other. They joined the Amis who were sat around in Joly's sitting room. Marius sat cross legged on the and Grantaire flopped onto his back on the floor.

"I take it she still refused?" Joly asked Grantaire who groaned in response. They had all tried and now their mission to get Eponine to stay with one of them was a total and utter failure.

"Enjolras has tried as well, he even used Cea to persuade her but she still said no." Feuilly added, emerging from the kitchen. They all sighed. They had truly given up on Eponine. She was a handful. "I only hope Cea doesn't turn out like her."

"God help us if she does. One Eponine is a handful, but two would mean the end of the world as we know it!" Courfeyrac exclaimed. He was slightly exaggerating but everyone agreed.

"Nah, she's not that much of a handful." Prouvaire said, rocking Cea gently in his arms as she was fascinated by the colour of his hair. Her huge blue eyes gazed at him smiling and then smiled back at him, making his grin wider.

"Of course not, she's a baby!" Grantaire pointed out. "Duh."

"Annie." Prouvaire whispered. He looked up to see the Amis staring at him as if he had grown another head. "It means blessed. It suits her."

"Then it shall be her middle name." Enjolras said, the Amis smiled. Cea was becoming one of the family. "Consider her the youngest ami."

X

Once again, it was early morning a few days later, and only Joly, Courfeyrac, Monsieur Joly, Enjolras, Cea and Eponine were in the house.

They were sat in kitchen and Enjolras was hunched over papers and books that he spread over the table, asleep. Monsieur Joly was fixing some breakfast for them before he had to attend some house calls on his morning rounds. Joly was changing the bandages on Cea's tiny wrist, checking the stitches that would form a a nasty scar when she was older. Courfeyrac, was attempting to feed Cea some bread soaked in milk and honey to soften it. She couldn't be breast fed because there was none. So soft bread and normal milk was what she was eating. Monsieur Joly, or his son were present, so they made sure she didn't choke.

Yet again, Courfeyrac had managed to get her food on her cheeks.

"You're meant to put it in her mouth, not all over her face." Joly said, taking the cloth and wiping Cea's face for what seemed like the twentieth time in two minutes. "She's not going to bit your hand off."

"And how do you know that?" Courfeyrac raised a quizzical eyebrow at his friend who sighed and looked up from checking the baby's arm. He just stared at Courfeyrac because the answer was obvious.

"She doesn't have any teeth you muppet."

Courfeyrac smirked at Joly not hinting at his sarcasm and went back to his poor attempt at feeding her. Joly finally re bandaged her stitches and gave her hand a little tickle which she squealed at, making him smile. When Courfeyrac was finally done, and Cea had refused to eat any more, Monsieur Joly handed him a small bottle full of warm milk he had heated in the pan. Luckily, Courfeyrac was better with the milk as she seemed to grasp hold of the bottle as she gulped it all down.

"Huh?" Enjolras' head snapped up as he rubbed his eyes, peeling the paper off his face.

"I think you need to go home and sleep properly, Enjolras." Monsieur Joly said collecting his medical equipment from his son.

"I was up with Cea." He protested.

"You and I both know full well, as well as everyone else who stayed the night, that Cea slept all through the night. You were just watching her sleep." Monsieur Joly retorted, throwing Enjolras' coat at him as he himself clicked his briefcase shut. "Pack your things Enjolras, I'm walking you back to your halls of residence where you will rest and not overwork yourself on your days off from studies.

Enjolras groaned and went to turn down his order but the look of Cea being perfectly happy with Courfeyrac, and then the look on Monsieur Joly's face, he thought against it and grumbled as he packed up his papers and books, put his coat on and headed out into the particularly windy summer morning with Monsieur Joly.

X

Grantaire was on his was to Joly's house, with some things he had picked up from his father. When he had told him about Cea, his father bought out a box full of baby things. His mother had saved all the blanket and clothes and carrier and bottles for Grantaire when he started a family of his own someday. His father gladly gave it to him and knew his wife would want Cea to have. He was now humming to himself as he walked the Parisian streets with his bag slung over his shoulder. He was walking through the market place when a hand dipped into his pocket and removed some of his coins. As he was always fast on his feet, Grantaire took off after the boy with a brown cap pulled down low over his face and long beige coat flapping behind him. Grantaire thought that a pickpocket should be able to run faster and as he neared his assailant, he heard the laboured breathing and strain in the pants.

Grantaire reached out with his nimble fingers and grasped the boys wrist tightly and spun the robber around to face him in the narrow alleyway. The boy fought back but Grantaire was stronger, as the boy tried to pull away, Grantaire pulled him back to him and ripped the cap from the boys head.

Brown curls tumbled down over the shoulders of the pickpocket and her eyes dropped down to the floor.

"Right, come on." Grantaire didn't let go of her wrist but she tried to fight against him as he dragged her to Joly's house, where she should be.

"Please Grantaire!" Eponine said as she dug her heels into the ground. "My brother needs me."

Grantaire didn't want to hear it. She was hurt badly three days ago and shouldn't be up and about. He knew that she knew that her father could catch her at any time and beat her to oblivion, and yet she still snuck out. In feeling her struggle more and hold onto anything with her free hand, Grantaire huffed, and still with a firm grip on her wrist, moved behind her and gave her a forceful push to get her moving and placed his other hand around her waist. When she next tried to object to being dragged against her will back to Joly's house, he dug his fingers into her side and she jumped a mile in pain and he knew he had hit the spot.

"I suggest you walk, instead of me pulling you then Eponine." Grantaire told her coldly. He wasn't above causing her slight pain because he knew it would be better for her in the long run.

Eponine still seemed reluctant and was reminded every so often that she was slowing down by a small jab in her side. She glared at Grantaire every time he did this to her and was slightly relieved when he saw Joly's house. Grantaire knocked on the door and impatiently tapped his foot as he heard Joly come and open it.

"Hello Gra- Eponine?" Joly stared at her as he moved aside and Grantaire all but pushed her inside and she stumbled as little. Joly was dazed as he locked the front door and turned around as Courfeyrac and Marius came out of the kitchen. "But I thought you were asleep in the back-room?"

"So did I, until she tried to steal from me." Grantaire said. Eponine glared at the ground.

"Eponine, we're trying to help you." Marius said.

"And I'm trying to help my brother." Eponine looked at her best friend straight in the eyes. "I couldn't find him today. I'm scared he's-" She took off and headed quickly for the bathroom, pushing past Grantaire and unceremoniously, emptied the contents of her stomach into a bucket.

In an instance, Marius was by her side, holding back her hair and rubbing circles on her back. Joly tutted and told Courfeyrac to take Cea into the living room, away from the mess and commotion.

"This is what worry, concussion and strenuous exercise with broken ribs does. I don't think it's the first time she's snuck out. She's doing more harm to herself." Joly told Grantaire. They helped Marius pull her coat off her and remove her shoes and then helped her upstairs (so she was less likely to jump out of the window and into the streets) and into bed. She needed to rest properly.

"Where is your brother likely to be?" Grantaire asked as she seemed to be almost off to sleep.

"The elephant, he lives there. Or pick pocketing. He loves the bakery. He has a small group of street urchins. Or maybe try the coaches. He likes bothering the bourgeois in them." Eponine replied softly, her eyes closed. Her breathes became shallower and regular and she was in a deep sleep. Just what she needed.

"Stay with her, make sure she doesn't do anything stupid. We'll go find her brother and bring him here, if what she says is true and he does have the flu." Joly told Marius.

please r and r and please spread the word that I'm continuing someone else's work because I think people who used to follow this fanfic don't know I've continued it. Love G xxx