Eponine made her way through the street with a giant smile on her face.

She had a dad. A new one. One who didn't suck. One who made her eggs and bacon this morning.

One who forced her to wear an old jacket of his before leaving. One who forced her to take a fifty dollar bill and go buy clothes since all of her things were old and torn.

Not only had he paid for Thenardier to take her clothes and belongings along with his name on a piece of paper but he was adamant that no daughter of his would ever wear pants torn at the back pocket of her ass.

"You can't see anything I'm wearing underwear!"

"I don't care go buy clothes with actual stiches in them!"

"You're a stitch!"

So there she was with a huge smile on her face, last night all but forgotten for the moment.

And then that moment ended.

"EPONINE!" Lizbeth and Nina ran to her and immediately checked her vital signs.

"Where the fuck were you last night?!" Lizbeth let out exasperated. "I almost killed my brother when he told me he hadn't seen you since last night."

"Then you should have seen Enjolras! He looked like he was going to have an aneurysm when he realized you weren't in the house that morning either." Nina joked when she realized Eponine was fine.

"I'm Javert's kid now." Eponine said with a silly grin and a proud jut of her chin.

Nina and Lizbeth both startled and then hugged her tightly.

"OH THANK GOD YOU SAID YES!"

Eponine pushed them back and saw them both with tears in their eyes. "You…you guys knew?"

"Oh of course we knew. Javert was nervous as to how you would react and he asked for advice on how to broach the subject. He also asked for directions to your parents' house."

She felt tears prick her eyes in happiness and she punched Lizbeth on the arm.

"What was that for?" Liz said with a smile.

"I'm fucking happy."

"I think this calls for celebratory drinks of the wake me the fuck up kind."

They walked into the Café Musian and they ordered two coffees and a hot coco for Nina.

"I'm too snazzy for coffee."

Eponine gathered up her courage and motioned for the girls to leave her with the pretty redhead behind the counter.

"Oh my god your gay?" Lizbeth mouthed as Nina humped the air. As soon as they left Eponine felt her heartbeat accelerate but she struggled to appear collected.

"Miss…um would you happen to have any openings available?" Eponine asked shyly, blushing all the way down to her neck. It would be honest work. She would never have dreamt of it before, but Javert had suggested that if she was adament on not taking much money from him the least she could do is work part time and splurge for herself.

Mushietta smiled at Eponine and passed her a form to fill out."Absolutely, I'm so tired of running this place by myself. Nobody asks for positions, I think I might intimidate them or something" The woman joked.

Eponine finished the form as the other girls found a table.

"If you can start on Monday that would be great."

Eponine's eyes widened." Really, just like that? You're really giving me the job?"

Muschietta simply giggled and gave her a brownie on the house as a form of congratulations.

"We are going to be the best of friends. Just call me Chetta from now on. Hopefully you'll be around to see the little one born." She rubbed at her belly and Eponine beamed. It made sense for her to need the help now.

Eponine promised to be there early Monday morning for her first half of her shift and again after school. She would be working from 5 to 8 on mornings and 5-8 in the afternoons.

Walking back to the girls she sat down and gave them the good news and suppressed the urge to shout about best days ever and vomit rainbows. After all the chaos from last night it almost felt like being reincarnated.

A brand new start, a new dad, a new home, new clothes, a new job and even a new friend.

Dread filled in her chest telling her that it would never last but she pushed it down with a huge bite of her brownie. Fuck that jazz.

"That's awesome! There are a lot of hot college guys here in the mornings I hear." Nina told her and Lizbeth rolled her eyes.

"I'll also be getting free cookies and cake when the day is over. Bring them over to the slave driver. I'm going to call him Daddikins from now on…how much do you bet it'll drive him insane. Or maybe Darth Vader….cuz you know… he's my father. HA! Get it …I crack myself up."

"Now you're just being an ass."

"It's okay…you guys are my sisters, by all means call him dad too. Really do it. It'll be HILARIOUS. He'll pop several blood vessels."

"Okay…now you're being awesome. Of course it's now our duty as the riders of the apocalypse to call him dad at every available opportunity."

"Except Adrianne...she'll put too much sexual undertones into. " Nina cringed and dunked a piece of brownie into her coco.

Lizbeth was going crazy in her seat and Nina had the brightest smile on.

"I need to talk to you. Now." A voice called out behind her.

She turned around and faced an angry looking Enjolras with bags under his eyes. She rolled her eyes at the other girls a look at their pretend cowering and stood up with him.

They walked to an empty side of the café and he took her hand in his.

Panicking a bit she tried to pry it off but he held on fast.

"I was really out of line yesterday Eponine. I'm really sorry. I want you to know, when we were going to …." He paused but kept going without saying 'to have sex'

"I had broken things off with Leslie. I told her it was over…she wasn't supposed to be in the room, I swear."

She forcefully withdrew her hand and glared at him. "Enjolras, we were both so drunk, I can hardly recall last night. " She lied.

" And while I don't regret what we were going to do. I …I do feel really guilty for doing that to Leslie. It's not right to cheat on your girlfriend Enjolras. I'm going to be a better person now. I'm going straight and choosing life. Whole new me and all that jazz. It'll be like an episode of intervention that doesn't end in a relapse and a bad obituary."

He nodded his head and she touched his wrist gently. Enjolras's blue eyes met hazel and she felt the words escape before she even realized she was saying them.

"…if you're not with Leslie anymore, maybe we could try this…um try us…for real. The real deal."

Eponine felt mortified at her own words but refused to take them back. Her heart beat wildly In her chest and she could feel his pulse racing underneath her finger tips. For a moment she thought he was going to agree but then he stood up fast and stern.

Enjolras let his gaze drift to the floor and stuffed his hands in his pockets.

"Leslie and I are back together. She was pretty messed up last night and I was really drunk but….she's my girl. "

Disappointment crushed her and she entwined her fingers together to stop them from wringing about.

"You're little girl?" She mumbled bitterly to the tabletop and she stood up as well.

Enjolras furrowed his brow looking angrily at her.

"No…that title is already taken."

She felt her cheeks heat up but she shook it off. She shouldn't have felt this upset about his refusal but it still stung, it wasn't even what she wanted...was it?

"Fine. Lets just be….friends." She tried again defiantly.

"Friends?" He scoffed. "You and I can never be friends."

She felt her heart clench and she angrily stood up to leave. That was it. She was done with all those stupid Les Amis.

He closed his hand around her arm and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Wait, that came out wrong. I meant…you can never be just a friend to me. Can you understand that? I know I'm with Leslie, and I know that you're still in love with Marius but I feel…a lot for you. You're different."

Eponine looked at the celing beams and bit her lip. "I understand. I do too. You're different for me too." Eponine rolled hey eyes at her now nonexistant IQ and finally met his eyes.

He rubbed her arm for a bit and then pushed her to him and hugged her. " Fine. Fucking friends. Real fucking I want to hang out with you and talk to you in the middle of the night kind of friends. The Les Amis will like that."

She sighed." Yeah I think my friends would like that too."

"Tomorrow, come to my baseball game." He demmanded.

She laughed and he frowned at her.

" What? Are you serious….I hate sports."

"You play Volleyball."

"Ooohhh a Les Amis recognizes it as a sport. I am amazed at your progress."

He rolled his eyes and ruffled her hair. "I'll see you around, and here you left this at my house."

He pulled out her bag from his messenger and passed it over as he made his way out of the café.

"Tomorrow!"

She smiled and bounced on her heels. Okay maybe he wasn't that bad, and being friends with him at least made her a little big happy. She was projecting all her feeling of Marius onto him and it wasn't fair.

"EARTH TO COMMANDER! DO YOU READ ME COMMANDER!" Nina called as Lizbeth did static sounds.

"Shut up. You all are going to a baseball game with me MANANA" Eponine threw at her in Spanish.

Lizbeth groaned.

"Ugh first football and now baseball. Next thing you know we'll be wearing high ponies and flashing skimpy underwear at R."

"Didn't you do that already?" Eponine joked and it earned her a slap to the head.

"NO! R and I are old friends."

"WAIT WHAT!" Nina asked as Eponine gawked.

"R and I were kind of…together…when we were younger. Like moonrise kingdom shit."

"You and baby grantiare how fucking adorable" Eponine cried out and hugged her best friend.

"Yeah well we grew up and now we're trying to get back on track. We're not together or anything but….I guess… I kinda…I don't know …missed him or something." Lizbeth blushed and Eponine and Nina both AWWED

"Well in other news I totally banged Jehan last night." Nina said and the other two's eyebrows shot up."Yeah- I'm the only one who got action."

"But you….like …you hate sex." Lizbeth put in gently.

"Not with Jehan. He's ….really funny and smart and he was really gentle. We didn't just have sex, I could have sworn we made love." The girl had stars in her eyes and Eponine had to snap her fingers in her face to get her back from dreamland.

"So Jehans gentle, my brother ugh…is what would you call it Eponine?"

"Earth shattering"

Ew…earth shattering – more like Lizbeth scarring. Your guys sex life is way more interesting than mine will ever be."

"Hey no don't say that! You're the one that's gonna end up banging Grantiare, we won't be surprised if when he's done he turns to you and says 'YOLO'. That's the apex of interesting."

"It's right up there with sodemy." Eponine cried out loudly making heads turn in their direction.

Lizbeth went scarlet and banged her head into the table.

"You are both Satanists."

"I got that bitch on speed dial. We're in a non commited realtionship of the ship of friends."

"Nice to know you and Enjolras are back to speaking terms."

"I like to think of it as a quest for the marble man's D"

"OH THAT'S JUST WRONG!"

After a long afternoon of going through some nice shops Eponine returned home with a pair of new doc martens, and black jeans.

Javert was at the table when she walked through the door.

"How was the town?"

Eponine put down her things on the table and walked over to him. " Fine, ran into Liz and Nina….went and set fire to the orphanage."

He hummed in appreciation and continued staring at football plays in front of him.

"Enjolras wants me to go to the baseball game tomorrow. Is that cool?"

Javert actually laughed and turned to face her.

" Why does that sound like you're asking for permission? Are you actually interested in Mr. Amarth?"

Eponine went red and gawked at him.

"No. We're trying to be friends. I just asked because you're going to be there and I don't want you to get all mad when I distract your players."

He shook his head in exasperation. "As long as you stay out of trouble. You're not exactly the highest spirited person there."

"What are you talking about I bleed out Black and Red." Eponine smiled down at him.

He stood up and walked over to the fridge to pull out some water. "Don't even lie Ponine I know all about you and your views on the so called sheeple of the school. A lot of people go to the games….more so than the football ones. Try not to cause a riot. Just a heads up Enjolras's mother will be there."

"He's got a mother? I thought he was Rosemary's Baby." She gasped with a hand clutched to her heart. He rolled his eyes at her.

"She's a fickle lady that one. I can bet my entire life's savings that Leslie Snow will be there with the woman, they're thick as thieves those two. Never miss a game."

She went still and tried to play it off as if she didn't care.

" So…um like I said Enjolras is just a friend, I'm not even going to like talk to him that much or anything, he just wants me there…as sacrifice to show I care enough to make us work. "

He raised an eyebrow at her.

"AS FRIENDS."

"A friend who sends you interesting text messages according to Valjean."

She choked on her own spit and he started laughing honestly. "You're a grown woman kiddo, you know what you're doing. Just know I'll always be there for you…and make his life miserable if he messes up. "

Eponine debated whether or not to tell him her insecurities but let her first thought out without much difficulty.

"He hasn't broken up with Snow yet."

"And you're still in love with Pontmercy. Arent you?"

She took a moment and just nodded.

"Some habits are hard to break."

Eponine mulled it over in her mind when Javert's voice brought her out of her thoughts.

"You're bedroom is ready for you when you're ready to go to sleep or whatever and I don't feel like cooking tonight. Call the pizza place I'll go pick it up."

"Pizza? Really?"

"Yeah would you like something else."

"NO! No, it's just…its been like….three years since I've had pizza at home. It's …it's great."

He stopped for a moment then turned around and locked the door on the way out.

Eponine took a shower and made her way into her new bedroom. Javert had cleared out all his things and scattered them around the house and the only thing left was an old writing desk in the near empty room.

He had some movers bring up a twin sized bed into the townhouse and she smiled as soon as she saw it. It was made of iron that looked like ivy and it was painted in an off white. Javert had placed a black comforter and a small red blanket so soft she thought she was going to cry when she touched it. The school colors, Javert had totally done that on purpose. She lay down and breathed a sigh of contentment the moment she felt the fabric. She was in heaven but came crashing back to earth when she felt her cell phone vibrate from the desk.

With a groan she hefted herself up and reached for the phone. She cracked it open and let out an irritated groan.

"You've reached the winter of my discontent….what do you want?"

"Shakespeare already…should I expect a fast courtship then?"

Eponine buried her head in the mattress and laughed.

"You…"

"Me."

"Why are you calling in the middle of" she looked at her watch "In the middle of eight o'clock?"

"I like to live life on the wild side."

Eponine felt an honest laugh escape her and she turned in bed to stare at the white ceiling.

"Why are you calling?"

"Friends call friends in the middle of eight o'clock. Didn't you read the handbook."

She bit her lip and she heard as Enjolras shifted on the phone.

"Where are you?"

"Home. And you."

"Me too…"

They stayed quiet for a few moments and then he bursted out in laughter.

"What ?" She asked irritated.

"I would have never thought I'd be calling my little sisters weird best friend in the middle of the night. It's funny."

"I can hang up you little shit."

"Naw, you like to hear my voice." She her cheeks tinge and glared. It was true.

"Let me see you."

"No."

Enjolras sighed on the line.
"Why not, I can go pick you up anywhere."

"Because I'm gonna eat pizza. And Pizza is good."

"I'll buy you pizza."

"My dad's buying me pizza."

"I thought you told Lizbeth your dad was an asshole."

She was about to drop a witty comment when Javert's voice sounded through the closed door.

"Pizza's here, hurry up before it gets cold."

"That's me. Gotta go."

"WAIT!...was that coach Javert."

"Yeah."

"But- wait what are you doing with Javert? " She heard his voice grow in anger and she thought perhaps the edges of jealousy. He was really jealous ….of Javert. That was just wrong. Rolling her eyes she glared and proudly announced, "He's my dad now."

"Is this like some crazy sexual thing? " Eponine felt her jaw drop and her face turn a dark shade of crimson.

" YOU FREAK! NO! HE LITERALLY SIGNED ADOPTION PAPERS!"

"You're –ugh it's too late for this conversation, I have had sex with my coaches adoptive daughter…I think I'm going to be sick. He's going to make me run a thousand miles on Monday I know it. UGH…what am I going to do tomorrow, he's going to want to castrate me before the game."

"You're being ridiculous. Anal rapage is for a first offence."

He groaned. " I'm done for."

"You're stupid."

"Yeah, well you love me for it."

"Oh yea?

"Yeah." He mumbled sleepily into the phone. Eponine felt a smile a the thought of him in bed, phone pressed against his ear already starting to doze.

"Damn it. Fine. I'm weak willed whatever. GOODNIGHT"

"Parting is such sweet sorrow. You know you could always wait till Javert to fall asleep and talk dirty to me until I fall asleep." He mumbled into the phone.

Damn it. Eponine thought, he didn't even have to try to sound sexy. She felt the first embers of arousal and snapped herself out of it.

"Dream on. Shut up and go to bed." Eponine blushed and she shook her head.

'He's just a friend. A really sexy fucking asshole friend.' She said in mantra.

Enjolras laughed "Alright, alright, pizza's waiting for you. Sweet dreams my little girl."

She heard the click and bit the tip of her thumb as his last words echoed in her ears. She never hated and loved another term more.

"You look happy"

"I wanna punch the smile off my own face…is that crazy?"

Javert was on the couch with his feet propped on the coffee table

"Was that Enjolras on the phone?"

"Uhh….yeah…were doing the unofficial official middle of the eight oclock phone call." She replied as she sat down on the floor with her back to the couch. The tv was on the late news and Javert was just barely staying awake.

"Highschoolers, your teenage lives disgust me."

Eponine started laughing and he handed her a slice with extra pepperoni.

She took a bite and almost melted into a puddle at his feet.

"OH MY GOD. WHAT WAS LIFE BEFORE THIS!"

He barked out a loud laugh and petted her hair softly. "That'll do pig."

She smacked him on the leg and he switched the channel to an old black and white movie. He was asleep before she even finished her second slice.

She stood up and took the leftover pizza to the fridge and draped the blanket in the back of the couch over him.

"Thanks for the food…dad" She whispered as she walked away.

She went to her bed and burrowed under her warm blanket and smothering her head into the soft pillow with a whimper of pleasure.

Her phone beeped next to her and begrudgingly she opened it up to a picture message.

She chocked back a yell and glared at the brightly lit screen. It was a picture of Enjolras on his bed with no shirt clearly ready to go to bed. Underneath it just said.

"In case of night terrors. Hope this helps."

Eponine frowned at the picture, he best not be thinking she'd send one of this sort to him in return. She didn't know if this kind of thing was normal for him but she wasn't going to be one of those girls. An idea came into her head and she smirked as she laid down in her bed and turned on her lamp for lighting. She unbuttoned a few of the buttons of her flannel top so that it exposed her collarbones and part of her chest. She fanned out her hair around her in a halo and raised the camera phone.

Making an ugly face she flipped the camera off and the shutter snapped. She sent the picture with a giant smile and laughed to herself. That would show the little bastard. She was NOT one of his two a things.

Not a minute later it binged again.

"I've never seen someone so fucking gorgeous or classy."

It's late, he's probably just...sleepy. Groggy or whatever. She told herself frowning but the corners of her mouth twitched upwards anyways.

"Whatever." Eponine said and she let herself let go, Enjolras soft smile the first thing she dreamed about that night.