June 12, 1999

"Jehan is officially HIV free," Éponine smiled as she looked over the test results with Enjolras. She bit at her lower lip in an attempt to hold back her tears of happiness.

Enjolras wrapped his arms around his wife, "This is very good news," he kissed her in the cheek and a few times on the neck.

Éponine put the results down and turned around to kiss him, as she leaned in to kiss him, her lips barely brushing his they were interrupted by the sound of a baby crying, "guess we'll have to put that on hold till later." Éponine then disappeared into their bedroom to take care of the crying infant.

It had been eight weeks since they had brought Jehan home and they slowly were adjusting to family life in their small apartment.

"Alex can you get one of the bottles of formula?" Éponine called from the back.

Enjolras had fetched one of the numerous bottles and after warming it slightly he brought it back to Eponine who was rocking Jehan in a rocking chair they had got from a garage sale.

"Thank you," Éponine smiled as she took the bottle to feed Jehan, "so how goes the plans plans for the law firm with 'Chetta?"

"We've found a place for our office in the East Village,"

"Naturally," Éponine smiled.

"We plan to open our doors before Christmas," Enjolras added, "although my contribution to the place is practically miniscule-"

"Don't worry about that," Éponine turned to face him, "'Chetta doesn't care."

"But we are in this together," Enjolras sighed, "it's not fair to her."

"And 'Chetta understands that you are broke, you've just passed the Bar exam, and are now a father," Éponine smiled, "Is it true what Courfeyrac told me?"

"What do you mean?" Enjolras knit his brows together.

"That you nearly ran a hole into the floor of the hospital from pacing while I was in labor?" Éponine teased.

"Not true," Enjolras' face flushed.

"Right," Éponine shifted her attention back to Jehan.

"You do know I could do that if you wanted to relax," Enjolras suggested.

"You sure?" Éponine raised an eyebrow.

"Come on 'Ponine, I'm not completely hopeless," Enjolras laughed, "I did have a younger sister."

"I know that," Éponine laughed, "well I suppose if you really wanted to," she passed Jehan to Alex, "mind his head, mind his head!" she cautioned.

"I know, I know," Enjolras smiled as he took his son and the bottle.

Éponine let out a sigh of relief and then flopped onto their bed while Enjolras sat down on the edge continuing to feed Jehan.

"You know what," Enjolras laughed slightly, "why don't you take a nap, I'll take care of Jehan and dinner."

Éponine rolled over to face him, "Seriously?"

"Yeah," Enjolras replied, "I could just make some pasta-"

"It's not the food I'm worried about," Éponine mumbled into the sheets.

"Wait a minute," Enjolras replied taken aback, "do you mean to tell me that you don't think I can take care of my own son for a couple of hours?"

Éponine looked up at him again innocently, Enjolras lowered the now empty bottle and mussed up Éponine's hair with a free hand.

"Hey! Hey! Hey! Knock it off!" Éponine squirmed away from him.

"Learn to trust me," Enjolras replied, "I can take care of Jehan, you get some rest, besides mom said she is stopping in tomorrow."

"Mom?" Éponine sat up, "your mother is coming tomorrow? And you didn't think of telling me until now?"

"She insisted on seeing her grandson," Enjolras shrugged, "now rest!"

Éponine lay in her back, "How can I rest knowing you're mother is coming?! We need to clean the apartment, we need to to finish unpacking those boxes, and what about-"

"'Ponine, relax!" Enjolras laughed, "this amount of stress can't be good for you," he shook his head, "you never used to be like this."

"Well excuse me," Éponine folded her arms across her chest.

"Well you didn't," Enjolras smiled, "now get some sleep, and turn off the worrying for now."

Éponine pouted as Enjolras left the bedroom with Jehan.
xxxxxxxx

"Okay you did good," Éponine entered into their kitchen to eat.

"That doesn't sound very confident," Enjolras replied as he turned off the stove.

"You cooked dinner as promised. and Jehan is still breathing and taking a nap," Éponine added.

"Still not very confident," Enjolras smirked as she sat down. "Listen, I know you took care of your brother and sister on your own but that is not the case here, I am Jehan's father and I am more than willing to do my share," he put his hand in hers, "I love our son."

"I know that," Éponine blushed, "and you are a great father," she leaned across the table to kiss him, "except I still wish you had told me sooner that your mother is coming."
xxxxxxx

"Where is my grandson?" Lydia Enjolras entered the apartment where Éponine sat on the couch with Jehan swaddled in blankets. "There he is!" She then sat down next to Éponine.

"He's been quite good today," Éponine smiled, "so I think you should be able to hold him," she passed Jehan to Lydia.

Lydia's face lit up, her blue eyes sparkled with delight, "Hi there sweetheart!" she gushed in her bubbly manner, "aren't you the most precious thing! Oh you look just like my Alex when he was a baby, even a little blonde hair but your eyes..." she looked over at Éponine, "do you have mommy's lovely eyes?"

Éponine blushed and looked down at her lap feeling slightly embarrassed as it spread across her cheeks to her ears making them warm.

"This boy is going to be so handsome when he grows up," Lydia continued, "probably just like his father!" she laughed.

"I hope so," Éponine smiled.

"So how has Alex taken to being a father?" Lydia asked.

"He tries to do everything, he has even agreed to diaper duty!" Éponine laughed.

"I'm a little surprised at that," Lydia smiled, "he was never great with small children."

"You wouldn't know that by looking at him now!" Éponine smiled back, "he loves Jehan so much."

"I'm so glad," Lydia looked down at Jehan, she then looked up at Éponine, "oh dear you look exhausted."

"Jehan can't sleep through the night," Éponine sighed, "therefore neither can I."

"Oh yes," Lydia smiled, "the sleepless nights, I remember those days, and not necessarily fondly... Alex was such a fussy baby!" She laughed, "but my dear, sweet Aurore... She was like an angel."

"Aurore? That's Rory, right?" Éponine asked.

"Yes," Lydia sighed, "have I ever told you that you look like her?"

"No," Éponine shook her head, "but Alex mentioned that when we first met."

"Really?" Lydia cocked her head and shifted Jehan.

"Yeah, said something about my face looking familiar," Éponine laughed, "at the time I brushed it off as really bad flirting."

"My son doesn't flirt," Lydia smiled.

"I know that now," Éponine replied, "but I think I've been able to get him to loosen up a bit!"

"All the more power to you my dear!" Lydia grinned, "I also did suspect that becoming a father would change him, he was never as ridged as my husband..."

"So Alex's father has always been like that?" Éponine asked wondering why a person as bubbly and high spirited would marry someone like Michael Enjolras.

"No," Lydia shook her head, "Michael and I were high school sweethearts, got married after college," Lydia smiled, "he became this uptight after he finished law school, but I still and always will love him."

Éponine smiled, she really did like Lydia, she was a very kind woman and was clearly going to be quite the doting grandmother. But something in her heart ached, Jehan would never know a second set of grandparents. This hurt Éponine,

but part of her was glad that Jehan would never have to meet her scumbag father. One of the many reasons that she had initially run away was because she wanted nothing to do with her father and was keen to cut them out of her life. At the time she didn't know what she was going to do with her life. And after contracting HIV she certainly never figured that she would find herself married and a young mother. She certainly didn't mind the direction that life was taking her but it was still far from normal.

For another couple of hours she listened as Lydia talked about Alex as a child and gave her helpful motherly advice. Soon Jehan became fussy, so Lydia passed her grandson back his mother who put him down for a nap.

"He's such a beautiful baby," Lydia smiled, "you take good care of him."

"I will," Éponine nodded.

"I hope to be able to stop in again soon!" Lydia smiled as she walked out of the apartment.