Hello! I am incredibly sorry this took so long…I've been meaning to get back to this story for ages and I guess now was the right time. This is the last "chapter", the next one will be an epilogue. Thank you to all of the people who have stuck with me and for the ones who just discovered the story! I hope you enjoy the ending!

Chapter 10:

When Eponine awoke, she was startled to find that she was resting on one of the large, plush beds in one of many spare bedrooms in the Pontmercy estate. She stretched her stiff, aching joints and winced as her sore ankle shifted under the blanket that was splayed across her legs. Her head was filled with fog as she tried to recall arriving at Marius' house last night. Someone must've carried her up here; Enjolras, no doubt.

As if he could read her mind, Enjolras poked his blonde head into the room. "You're awake," he observed cheerfully. He made his way over and perched himself on the edge of the bed, twisting to face her. "You slept for a very long time, but you needed to rest." He smiled at her, but it did not quite reach his eyes. The vibrant blue orbs that were usually so captivating had faded, hollowed out. The eyes that normally sparkled with passion and zeal were clouded with a mysterious, secretive air.

Eponine narrowed her eyes at him. "What's wrong?"

Enjolras' forehead wrinkled in irritation and he frowned. Leave it to Eponine to notice that something was wrong right away. "The doctor will be here soon to look at your ankle," he said, attempting to change the subject. He suppressed a groan when Eponine scoffed at him.

"I'm not a fool, Enjolras. You may have a face made of marble, but your eyes give you away. What is it? Please tell me." She clasped his slender fingers in her hand and pressed them urgently.

Enjolras sighed.

Meanwhile, Marius was just about to sit down to a delightful breakfast. He was more than happy to be able to lapse back into his usual routine of eating his poached egg and his two pieces of toast with jam (and butter! Oh, he loved butter). He had just settled into his chair, poured the cream and sugar into his coffee, and was stuffing one of the fine linen napkins into his shirt front, when the footman sauntered into the dining room.

"The doctor has arrived," he said.

"Damn it all," Marius muttered mutinously. "Can't a man just enjoy his breakfast? Alright, let him in then," he ordered the footman.

Marius received Dr. Madeleine somewhat impolitely, gritting his teeth and forming tight-lipped smiles whenever the doctor tried to slip in clever jokes into their friendly banter. Finally, Dr. Madeleine agreed to see to Eponine's ankle, but on the way to the guest room he became preoccupied when he caught a glimpse of Cosette and Henry in a different room and stopped in the doorway to say hello.

Marius continued walking down the hall to Eponine's room, resolving to wait just outside the door until Dr. Madeleine was ready.

"Alright," Enjolras said. Another pause followed after, and Marius found himself leaning towards their conversation. "We have to leave, Eponine. And I don't mean this town…I mean we need to leave France. Permanently."

Marius' eyes widened. He felt a heavy weight constrict against his heart. It startled him at first, and it took him a moment to realize why the awful emptiness in his chest felt so foreign. Ever since Enjolras and Eponine had returned to his life, he had felt the gaping hole in his chest begin to shrink. Normally it was constantly there, his beating heart creating a wider wound, incessantly slashing the memory of his dead friends onto his heart.

Would they really leave, just like that? Disappear into the air like smoke, the way he had feared that they would when he had first seen them? No, it wouldn't happen! It couldn't. Not now.

"I was afraid of that," Eponine said mournfully. "What a shame, we had just found Marius again, too."

"I know. I am sorry, my dear. But it's not safe here for us."

"But I don't want to run away anymore," was her quiet reply, and Marius could hear the thick tears that threatened to spill from her eyes.

Neither do I, Marius thought to himself. He jumped as Dr. Madeleine clapped a hand on his shoulder, breaking him out of his reverie. Marius was lost in a dense fog the entire time Dr. Madeleine examined Eponine's ankle. He barely paid attention as the doctor set her ankle, Eponine gripping Enjolras' hand so tight it was a miracle that his fingers didn't fall off.

Marius did not recall showing Dr. Madeleine to the door and was not aware that he had found his way back to his chair in the dining room until Eponine and Enjolras, who was hovering protectively over her, sat down at the table with him.

The more he thought about it, the angrier Marius became. How could they do this to him? After putting him through seven painful years filled with soul-crushing affliction, they would just dissipate after a few days? Did they even care about him at all?

"Marius?" Eponine's questioning tone broke through his reverie. "Are you alright? I don't think your spoon appreciates being gripped so tightly," she laughed.

Marius' jaw tightened as he deliberately set his spoon down, prying his sore fingers from its handle.

"Marius, what is it?" Eponine inquired, resting her hand on his arm.

"I know you're planning on leaving," Marius said tersely.

Eponine sucked in a sharp breath and drew her hand away. "Marius, believe me, we don't want to leave either—"

"Then why go? You're happy here!"

"How could we be happy now that Germaine's ruined everything? We're not safe here…not anymore," Eponine said in a clipped tone. How selfish Marius was being!

Marius hastily flung his chair from the table and left the room in a furious whirlwind, leaving Eponine and Enjolras staring after him in surprised astonishment.

"Can you believe him?!" Eponine exclaimed, turning to stare at Enjolras, whose brow was furrowed in consternation.

"I knew Marius would be upset, but I did not expect him to be so…intolerant towards our situation. Perhaps he just needs to sort things out on his own."

Eponine bit her lip and looked glumly at the door Marius had stormed out of moments before. "I hope so, I don't want to depart on bad terms," she gazed down at her hands that were clasped primly in her lap.

Enjolras placed his hand gently on her shoulder. "Let's go pack things up, we'll come back before we go, I promise."

Eponine smiled at him somberly. "Alright."

The two spent most of the day working; packing up old books and other heirlooms into boxes and the things that they would need immediately on their journey overseas into a trunk. They were going to travel to the nearest shipyard and get on the first ship that would allow them entrance. They would formulate a plan once they found out where they were headed.

Enjolras tried his best to keep Eponine's mind off of Marius, but he would catch her sometimes in the middle of packing a box, her eyes worlds away. He knew all about Eponine's past with Marius, and it left a bitter taste in his mouth when he thought about how much more pain Marius was causing her.

He was watching her worriedly as she sat on the floor packing books into a box, when there was a fierce knock on the door. They both looked at each other, Eponine's eyes wide the terror. Had the police found them already? Had they lingered too long?

"It's Cosette!" the voice chirped and Enjolras let out a breath he hadn't been aware he was holding.

Eponine stood up and dusted herself off as Enjolras swung open the door to reveal a cheery Henry, who barreled into the apartment and straight into Eponine, clinging to her skirts with a surprising amount of strength.

Enjolras turned back to Cosette, who was standing next to a grumpy looking Marius. She nudged him forward and when he didn't move she rolled her eyes and forcibly shoved him across the threshold. Marius made an indignant sound, and stared coldly at his wife.

"Quit acting like a child, Marius," she chided, crossing her arms over her chest. "Marius has something he would like to say," Cosette declared, stepping into the room.

Marius, who had chosen to stop fighting Cosette, cleared his throat awkwardly.

"I would like to apologize for the way I acted this morning. It was selfish of me to try and force you to stay. I'm sorry…I just can't bear to lose the two of you again," he scuffed his shoe across the wood floor, heat rising quickly to his cheeks.

"Marius…" Eponine approached him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "You know this is what is best for me and Enjolras…we don't want to lose you again, either, but we have no choice. We can't stay here."

Marius nodded solemnly. "I know. We helped you before and so we're going to help you again. Where are you planning on going?"

Enjolras relayed their plan to Marius while Cosette, Henry, and Eponine continued to pack up the rest of their things into boxes.

"The trunk is ready, however, everything else we cannot take with us," Enjolras said.

Marius nodded, "We can keep that until you get settled. Send me a letter at my work address rather than my home address. It will look less suspicious."

The Pontmercy's shared the last of the bread and cheese that Enjolras and Eponine had in the kitchen and once the sun had started to set, they helped them load all of their belongings into a fiacre. By the time they arrived to the nearest shipyard, it was well past sundown.

Luckily enough, Enjolras managed to find a ship that would allow him and Eponine aboard, and before he knew it, it was time to say goodbye to Marius and Cosette.

Eponine turned reluctantly to the pair, her eyes filled with the sorrow of parting. Who knew if she would ever see either of them again? It had taken her seven years to be reunited with Marius…what if it took seven more to find him once more? She didn't want to put herself through that much heartache.

Marius and Enjolras were deep in conversation, leaving Eponine and Cosette to say their farewells.

"Thank you, Cosette. For everything," Eponine said. And she meant it, too. Never in her life, especially in the time before, would she ever have thought that she could have a connection with the young woman standing in front of her. The two may have had a rough past, but it seemed that the future for them looked bright. Still, Eponine was surprised when Cosette gathered the other girl in a warm embrace.

"There's no need to thank me," she said, placing her hands on Eponine's shoulders. "You've made Marius so happy, it's me who should be thanking you. I do hope we see each other again in the future."

"We will." Marius interjected. "We found each other before, and we'll find each other again. I know it."

"HEY!" A gruff voice called. It was one of the sailors on the ship that would be taking Eponine and Enjolras across the sea. "We won't wait all night! Either get on or we're leavin' ya!"

"That's our cue," Enjolras said grimly, gently touching Eponine's elbow.

Eponine turned quickly and barreled into Marius, hugging his torso fiercely. She wished she could just have one more moment to say goodbye, to say everything she wanted to say. But Marius hugged her back quickly and then unlaced her arms from his midsection.

"Go on, Ponine," he said. "You don't want to miss your ticket out. Everything will be okay, I'll see you soon."

Eponine tried to blink the tears out of her eyes and let Enjolras lead her to the ship. The sailor helped them get settled below deck and told them that the ship was headed for England.

"Another city," Enjolras said. He pulled Eponine close to him and kissed her hair. "Another world. A new life."

Alright, just one more update! I have another e/e story I'm working on that I want to post. It's a oneshot, but it's still a work in progress so it might take a while to get on here! Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter, feedback would be awesome! :)