#7 - Enjolras reflects about Hope.
[March, 1830]

Enjolras watched his best friend from the corner of the Café with curiosity and worry. She was staring blankly at the book positioned in front of her, her face looking as pale as ever and enormous bags under her eyes, letting out a yawn from time to time. It was obvious that Hope had not been sleeping properly for the past few days, and Enjolras had not been the only one to notice that.

Seeing as Hope truly had a passion for books and stories, Comberferre had suggested that maybe, her sleepless nights were caused by a few good books which the girl couldn't find the heart close.

Joly kindly said that there was nothing to worry about, and that it was a normal occurrence for people to have trouble with sleeping sometimes. However, he was quick to add that in case her insomnia got worse, she should probably look for a doctor.

Jehan, on the other hand, was almost sure that Hope had found for herself a secret lover, with whom she would spend the nights at her garden, talking and courting without being watched by her guardians. That particular statement did not pleased either Enjolras or Courfeyrac, who proceeded to cross his arms and angrily rant about how old-fashioned and silly the idea of having a secret lover was. (Enjolras decided that he would later ask his friend about his exaggerated reaction towards the idea of Hope having a lover.)

Grantaire, though, saw Hope's problems as they truly were: Problems. Instead of sitting back and speculating, like the others were doing, he actually decided to ask her about it. Upon learning what the true cause of her lack of sleep was, the drunk made a joke, played with one of the strands of her red hair, and promised he would not say a word to anyone.

Enjolras only found out by luck, as a lack of a better term to put it.

He was making his way over to Bossuet and Feuilly when he accidentally overheard the two talking. Grantaire, after taking a seat next to her, had simply asked: "Nightmares?", to which Hope quietly replied with a "yes".

But there was so much more into it than just a simple nightmare. Hope, who was normally a clever and sarcastic girl, had been reduced to a pile of nerves. She looked around all the time, almost as if she fears that something might happen to her. Her face became blank whenever the words 'parents', 'mother', or 'father' were mentioned. Hope was not all right.

He confronted her about it and she confessed to him everything.

Her nightmares basically consisted of her parents being brutally murdered in front of her, and according to her explanation, they seemed to be getting worse lately. She told him about how she felt scared, unsafe. She said that it was also slightly frustrating: she barely remembered anything about her parents, and yet she was dreaming about their deaths. She asked him to not worry about her. She said she was only being silly and that her nightmares would probably be gone in a few days.

However, Enjolras felt his concern towards the younger girl growing stronger and stronger with every word she said. He had no idea about what was going on inside his friend's head, but he knew Hope very well.

She had a tough life, he was aware of that. And he also aware that everyone had a limit. There was only so many things a person could handle before becoming far too lost and confused, drowning themselves in self loathing and pain. He was afraid that Hope was reaching her limit.

She had many things to worry about at the moment. Her uncle and aunt trying to find her a husband, her unrequited love for Éponine, her never ending doubts about what truly happened to her parents, her constant fear of being found by the man who once tried to rape her, the lack of sleep she was getting,... and now, nightmares.

She wasn't all right and she wasn't going to be all right anytime soon. He knew that if things got too heavy for her to deal with, Hope wouldn't look for help. She would close herself to the world, once again hiding behind her untouchable barricade made of books and bad humor.

And that was exactly what scared him.

Would he be able to help, if things got out of hand? In case the nightmares got worse and she felt the need of isolating herself, would he even be allowed to be near her?

The answer was: No, he wouldn't. And he hated that. He hated that she was hurting but there was nothing he could do about it. He was her best friend, her brother-figure. If he couldn't be there for her whenever she needed him, then what good was he?

"Are you all right?" Enjolras finally asked, slightly uneasy after hearing her story.

"Not in the moment." Hope shrugged, staring at her hands. "I feel like I need some time to myself... to think about this nightmare and then forget about it. Yet at the same time, I can't help but feel terrified and... I don't wanna be alone."

"You're not alone, Hope. I'm here for you." He said, giving her a comforting smile. "You are my little sister. I'll always be here."

She looked at him and smiled – a sad smile, but it was the best she could manage. "Thank you."

But what she truly meant was, "I need you. Please. Don't leave me alone."

And Enjolras understood that, even if she had not said it out loud.

A/N: Number Seven, oh my god. So, the ending is rather bad, but I'm actually really proud of this chapter. It turned out to be way better than I had expected it to be. And yeah, I'm really sorry that it took me so long to update. I was working on another fanfiction - a doctor who/les misérables crossover that my friend begged me to write, which hopefully will be up soon. But I haven't forgot this and it would really make me very very happy if you left a review. And this is it. Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed the chapter :)