The next morning, Enjolras woke up to an empty bed, which kind of sucked. Eponine's side was still warm, though, so she couldn't have been gone for long. He pulled himself out of bed with a groan and pulled on his boxers and nothing else. Clothes just got in the way when Eponine was around, and since his shirt was nowhere to be seen, anyway, he figured it was already occupied by a much more attractive person.

As soon as he opened the bedroom door, he smelled something delicious, and followed his nose to the kitchen. Eponine was just pulling a pan of cinnamon rolls out of the oven, and she grinned when she saw him. "Good morning."

Yep, he was right. The plaid looked way better on her. He should just let her have it. "Hi. I love those."

"I know. I saw you inhale one at the Musain in under a minute flat once," she remarked casually, but Enjolras was struck by her response. She paid attention to the smallest things and it never failed to surprise him. He guessed it was no different than the fact that he knew she would sell her soul for chocolate, come to think of it.

He glanced at the counter where he put said chocolate bars last night and grinned when he noticed one was missing. "Chocolate for breakfast, Eponine?"

"Why not? They were right there. I couldn't resist the temptation." She put the cinnamon rolls on the counter to cool before icing them and turned back to face him, a preoccupied look on her face. "Bringing those for me was really thoughtful of you, by the way. A guy has never done something like that for me before. Thank you."

Enjolras rubbed the back of his neck, a little uncomfortable. He didn't think it was a huge deal at all; they were just chocolate bars, and he was at the store, anyway. It wasn't like he went out of his way to get them. "You're welcome."

Eponine laughed, sensing his discomfort. "Aw, you're embarrassed. What, do you not like it that I called you out on doing something nice?" She crossed the room and wrapped her arms around his waist, kissing the middle of his chest. "It turns out you're kind of a good not-boyfriend."

"I'm good at everything that I want to be," Enjolras insisted, and Eponine stilled and looked up at him.

"So you want to be a good not-boyfriend?"

"Well, yeah, I guess so. I mean, I've never done this before, and I know it isn't totally conventional anyway, since we know it's going to end, but..." He shrugged, tripping over his words. "I would like to not suck at it, yes. And I don't want you to think I'm interested in you just because of the sex. It may have started out that way, or...well, no, it didn't. I liked you before, but I was just an ass about it..." She cut him off with a hand across his mouth, her eyes wide.

"Stop. Stop it." Eponine sighed and took her hand away, taking a step back. "The more you talk like that the harder it's going to be to leave, so you need to stop." She turned away and grabbed the icing, beginning to spread it over the cinnamon rolls.

Enjolras watched her silently, a sinking feeling in his stomach. This was going way too far for both of them, yet he didn't know how to stop. It seemed like every time he was with her, he fell a little more. Judging from her reaction just now, he ventured to guess that she felt the same. Leaving was going to suck. But maybe, just maybe, he wouldn't even get in to a good school, and he'd have to go to Tulane anyway, and then this strange relationship could continue.

A burst of annoyance shot through him after he realized he was kind of hoping that's the way this whole law school fiasco would turn out, and Enjolras frowned. Did he still even want the same things anymore? How could he not? It was what he'd dreamed about his whole life.

"Your brother is coming tomorrow, right?" He changed the subject and forced his voice to sound normal, opening up a cabinet to grab the coffee and get a pot going. He couldn't live without coffee in the morning.

"Yeah. I'm supposed to pick him up around 4 tomorrow. I'm meeting his foster mom halfway in Alexandria. Oh, that reminds me...so, I was supposed to use Courf's car, but he texted me this morning that it finally crapped out on him last night. I hate to ask, but is there any way I could take yours?"

"Can I go with you?" He didn't know what possessed him to say it; again, it seemed like a very boyfriend-y thing to do.

Eponine turned to look at him and frowned. "Uh...well. I'd like you to, honestly. But you can't. It wouldn't look good to his foster parents for me to show up to get Gav with some random guy that they and his social worker don't know about. I need to go alone."

"Oh. Well yeah, that makes total sense. You can take my car. Why didn't you ask me in the first place? You're lucky Courfeyrac's car broke down now instead of with you guys in it tomorrow."

Eponine smiled and shrugged. "I don't know. I guess it just seemed like a very girlfriend-y thing to do," she said pointedly.

Enjolras sighed and leaned against the counter, watching her dribble the last of the icing over the cinnamon rolls. Something was building inside of him, but he wasn't sure what it was until it unexpectedly came bursting out. "Fuck it!" he suddenly yelled. "Let's just call it what it is, Eponine. We're together. You're my girlfriend."

Eponine turned to look at him, a stunned expression on her face. "Uh...I am?"

"Well what the hell are we playing at if not that?"

"I don't know. I thought this was casual."

Enjolras reached out to cup her face, leaning forward and gently kissing her eyelids and forehead. "It was supposed to be."

"This breaks every fucking rule we made," Eponine pointed out. "Or almost every one. Is this smart?" Her hands gripped his arms, and he could sense her fear and hesitation.

"No," he said honestly. "It's not smart at all, but apparently you make me do stupid things. And I mean that in a nice way."

She laughed. "I take that as a compliment, actually. I make the calm, cool, collected, stoic, serious Enjolras do stupid things? I must have some sort of voodoo magic that I don't know about..."

"Sometimes I think you do. You drive me kind of crazy." Enjolras dipped his head and slowly kissed her neck, tilting her head to the side with one hand and winding the other around her waist.

She sighed in contentment and absently trailed her fingers over his stomach before abruptly pulling away. "Wait, stop. Did you really mean what you said? About labeling this and everything?"

"Yes. I feel like it's not fair to you if we don't, like I'm just using you or something."

Eponine took a step back and glared at him. "I don't let myself be used anymore, Enjolras. If the only reason you want to call me your girlfriend is because you're afraid of hurting my feelings because we're fucking and you're leaving, you can just forget about it. I don't need or want your guilt and if I wasn't okay with the way things are, I wouldn't be doing this with you."

Enjolras opened his mouth to reply, but quickly closed it again, setting his jaw. He didn't quite know what to say. Was that really the only reason he wanted to call her his girlfriend, because he felt guilty or like he was using her?

"Well?" Eponine asked impatiently.

"It's not the only reason," he finally conceded. "I like you. A lot. And I feel a lot for you, and while we can, I'd like to know that you're mine, as temporary as it may be."

Eponine stepped closer again, one side of her mouth curving up in amusement. "Yours, huh?"

"Well, not mine, I'm not...shit, you know what I mean." Damn it, why did he always get so tripped up around her? Nothing ever seemed to come out right.

"I guess I would be okay with this whole girlfriend thing. But you know that makes you my boyfriend, too, right?"

Enjolras realized a bit too late he was grinning like an idiot, and quickly wiped the smile off his face.

Eponine laughed and wrapped her arms around his neck, standing on her tiptoes. "Oh my God, you so like it! You're totally going to be a serial monogamist. You can't do casual sex."

"Shut up! Stop laughing at me."

Eponine smirked and pressed herself flush against him, leaning forward and pulling his ear between her teeth. Enjolras shivered as her breathy voice whispered in his ear, "Make me."

The cinnamon rolls were ice cold by the time they surfaced for air.

The next day, Enjolras helped Eponine clean the apartment and basically erase all traces of their weekend sexcapades to get ready for Gavroche's arrival. As excited and happy as Eponine was to see her brother, she could have stayed happily locked inside the house all week, letting Enjolras fuck her senseless. And between making love, they talked. It wasn't usually about anything deep, because she was still somewhat guarded, but it didn't matter. Conversation never stopped flowing between them, and any little arguments and bickering now just ended in a kiss, or more.

If she had known how easy it was to shut him up, she would have been doing it from day one.

The drive to Alexandria was just under three hours, and she had plenty of time to think on the way there. Enjolras had asked this morning if he could meet Gavroche this week, and she didn't know what to say. Her only other boyfriend was Montparnasse, and Enjolras was a far cry from him. What would Gav think about Enjolras? He was so incredibly different from everyone they knew, or used to know, and someone her brother probably never pictured her with.

The only one of her friends that knew her brother at all was Courfeyrac, just because the first time Gav had visited, Eponine hadn't yet gotten her license. Courfeyrac volunteered to pick him up with her, and despite their age difference, Courf and Gav talked the whole way home. They liked the same video games, the same TV shows, the same music, and the same kind of girls (which meant any girl, really.) Courf ended up hanging out with them a lot that week, going to the movies, the zoo, and out to eat at their favorite pizza place. It was nice giving Gav a good male role model.

Eponine had a feeling it would be much more awkward with Enjolras. How did he even treat kids? Well, not really a kid anymore; Gavroche was almost fourteen now, and had probably grown a foot since she last saw him in June. And Enjolras couldn't possibly be that bad with kids anyway; he had started SNOLA, after all, and tutored kids all over the city. Maybe she should introduce them? He had seemed sincerely interested in getting to know her brother.

Whatever, maybe she'd just let Gav make the call.

The annoying GPS lady's voice suddenly interrupted her train of thought and Eponine jumped. Apparently her exit was in a mile; she was meeting Gav and his foster mom at a random truck stop diner that she'd never been to before. She pulled into the parking lot right on time at exactly four o'clock (thanks to Enjolras forcing her out the door earlier) and made sure to lock the car as she got out. The place was huge, one of those truck stops with a restaurant, gas station, and convenience store attached. She walked inside and looked around, trying to spot Gavroche's mop of blonde hair. She didn't see them in the restaurant, so she continued through to the store, and grinned when she immediately spotted Gavroche filling a cup full of cherry icee, a look of concentration on his face.

She snuck up behind him as quietly as possible and tugged on his hair. "When was the last time you got a haircut, huh, Justin Bieber?"

He spun around and glared at her. "Shut up, it does not look like Justin Bieber!"

She laughed and grabbed him, pulling him roughly into her chest. "It kind of does. Hi."

"Hi, dork." He hugged her briefly, and then let go, obviously much too cool to receive too much physical affection from his older sister. She could tell from his smile that he was genuinely happy to see her, however, and it made her chest tight. She missed him like crazy, and hated that he was growing up so much without her. He looked different, almost as tall as her, and definitely lankier now. He looked like he had just had a growth spurt and his body hadn't yet adjusted to his new height.

"Where's Marie?" Eponine asked, looking around for his foster mom.

"She went to the bathroom. She'll be right back. My stuff is in her car."

"Okay. Let me buy that for you. Do you want anything else for the drive?" She grabbed his slushie and a Diet Coke for herself, letting him pick out one salty snack and one candy bar, and paid for the stuff. Marie was back by the time she was through and after they transferred Gav's stuff from her car to Enjolras', they began the drive back to New Orleans.

"So what have you been up to? I haven't really talked to you in a couple of weeks."

"Eh, not much. Greg's been trying to get me to try out for soccer, but I don't really want to." Greg was his foster dad.

"Why not? You're a pretty fast runner. You might like it." Eponine glanced at him, taking in all of the ways he had changed in the last few months. She almost didn't recognize the little baby she had rocked to sleep all those years ago.

"I don't think sports are my thing."

"What is your thing?"

"Hell if I know."

She reached over and lightly punched his arm. "Language, Gavroche. Watch your mouth."

He snorted. "Oh, right. You're one to talk."

"I'm twenty one! I can talk however I want!"

"Age is relative." He pulled out his iPod and plugged it in, putting on some music that Eponine didn't recognize. "Whose car is this anyway? This isn't Courfeyrac's."

"No. His broke down the other night, I was supposed to bring it. This is..." She hesitated for the briefest of moments, but then decided to just get it over with. "...my boyfriend's."

Gavroche turned to look at her, clearly surprised. "Whoa, you're dating someone?"

"Yeah. I mean, he's graduating in a few months and is trying to get into Harvard, or Yale, or NYU, or one of those other fancy places, though, so. I mean, it's going to end. But for now...yeah."

"Uh. You're dating someone that's going to go to Harvard?"

"Possibly. He doesn't know yet."

"Why is he going there now if he's graduating?"

"Law school. There is actually even more education after undergrad, Gav."

"So he's loaded, huh?" Gavroche was clearly appraising the car.

"Yeah...I suppose. I don't know, really. His parents have money, but that doesn't necessarily mean that he does now."

"What's his name?"

"Enjolras." It felt weird saying it out loud.

"Why do all of your creepy friends go by their last names?"

"They're not creepy. And honestly, I have no idea. His first name is Gabe. Gabriel. But no one calls him that." Eponine cleared her throat. The more they talked about him, the weirder it felt.

"So you like...like like him? Love him?" Gavroche put on his most mock fatherly voice and asked sternly, "Do we need to have a talk, young lady?"

Eponine rolled her eyes. "Jesus, Gav. It's just a casual relationship. I like him, but I'm not in love with him or anything." Holy shit, why did that feel like a lie?

"Do I get to meet him and act like a jerk to scare the shit out of him?"

"Do you want to meet him?"

"I don't know. Is he a loser?"

Eponine reached over and smacked him again. "Would I date a loser?"

"Do you really want me to answer that? Because I'm thinking of one right now," Gavroche said pointedly, and she knew he was talking about Montparnasse. He had been such a good guy, before he got messed up in all the wrong shit.

Eponine sighed. "I know. He wasn't always like that, though, Gav. Drugs completely fuck you up and change who you are. He became a different person."

Much like our sister, Eponine thought to herself, and as if reading her mine, Gavroche asked hesitantly, "Have you seen Azelma?"

"No. She called me once, about three months ago, but it was in the middle of the night and she just left a voicemail. She was higher than a kite. When I tried to call her back, her phone was disconnected, and it hasn't worked since."

She hated thinking about her sister. She hated thinking about anything that made her feel completely powerless.

"Oh. Well. Nothing we can do about it, I guess," Gavroche mumbled.

"There really isn't, Gav," Eponine said quietly. "She doesn't want to be found, obviously." If she isn't dead yet. "But you just have to remember that it's not really her. Like I said, they change you."

"I know."

They were silent for a while, each lost in their own thoughts, and Eponine finally changed the subject.

"So what do you want for dinner?"

"Do you really have to ask? Pizza."

"Thought so."

They kept up a steady stream of chatter the rest of the way to New Orleans, and the drive back seemed significantly shorter than the drive to pick him up. It just felt more like home with Gavroche, no matter where they were.

As soon as they arrived, they lugged his stuff into Cosette's room, Gavroche grumbling the whole time about having to sleep in a room with so much pink shit and Eponine reminding him to be grateful he had a damn bed at all. She soon ordered their pizza and they settled down in front of the TV for an "Iron Man" marathon, Gav's choice.

As Eponine was finally getting him settled for bed, around midnight, Gavroche suddenly asked, "I know you said her phone was off or disconnected or whatever...but do you think you could maybe try Azelma again this week? I haven't seen her in almost two years."

Eponine sighed and sat on the edge of the bed, running her hand nervously through her hair. "Gav...I don't know if it's really such a good idea for you to see her, even if I could get ahold of her. She's probably really, really changed. It might bother you."

"Are you worried about it bothering me or bothering you?" The kid was way too wise for his age.

"Both. I don't want her to disappoint you."

Gav grinned and shrugged. "Yeah, whatever. I have 'stability' now, remember? Greg and Marie and their white picket fence and my stupid effing suburban middle school?"

"It's good for you, Gavroche," Eponine reminded him gently. "It's having somewhere soft to sleep every night and people that care about you and want you to succeed and not being afraid of getting hit or worse or..." She shrugged. "It's better than our parents gave you."

"It's not better than what you gave me."

"It is, Gav. Why do we have this conversation every time I see you? It is better. I can't give you those things. I can barely scrape by for myself. School is fucking expensive, and busy, and you deserve what they can give you."

"I'd rather be here, Ep. I miss home." Gavroche still sat up stubbornly, but his eyelids were heavy.

"What, sleeping under I-10 because we had nowhere else to go? You really miss that?" Eponine asked sarcastically.

"I miss being able to do whatever I want." Typical. He had always been something of a free spirit, intensely independent, resourceful, and street-smart. He could charm the pants off of every tourist in the Quarter while simultaneously robbing them blind at only five years old. Sometimes it scared Eponine, actually, because while she always felt bad about stealing after the fact, Gavroche had never seemed to. It's why she wanted to get him out of that life, why she was so willing to send him away. He was another Montparnasse in the making before she had finally listened to a teacher and filed a report against her parents.

"You graduate college in a year. And you're going to be twenty-two, almost twenty-three. The judge would let me live with you if you ask," Gavroche burst out.

Eponine frowned. "You really want to come live with me? Gav, it's probably nothing like you're imagining. It wouldn't be like it is when you're just here for a week visiting."

"I know," he insisted. "But I still want to. I miss New Orleans."

"Oh, but not me, I guess?" she teased, trying to lighten the conversation a bit.

"Nah. You suck."

"Right." She shoved him backwards and quickly tucked the covers up to his chin. "Go to sleep, twerp. We'll figure out what we want to do tomorrow in the morning. Or afternoon, since you'll probably sleep until one."

"Whatever. Good night, Eponine."

"Sleep well." She turned off the light and shut the door on her way out, quickly getting ready for bed herself. Before she laid down, however, she snuck back in to Cosette's room and snuck a quick picture of Gavroche, knocked out in bed. He looked so much younger when he was asleep.

As she climbed into bed, she sent the picture to Enjolras.

Not so little one is asleep. I told him about you today because he was impressed by your car.

How is he?

Good. He already asked if he could come live with me after I graduate in a year. I never know what to tell him. I don't know what's best for him.

She felt embarrassed as soon as she hit send. Talking about Gavroche and how responsible she felt for him was remarkably too deep, too intimate. Enjolras didn't know that much about her past, and she intended to keep it that way. He didn't even know she had a drug-addict for a sister, come to think of it. And he really didn't need to, not for the amount of time they had left together.

Do you want to take care of him like that? Enjolras finally texted back. It's a big responsibility.

I know. I always want to take care of him. I just don't know if I'm best for him.

So can I meet him this week?

Ah, so he still wanted to. Gavroche hadn't seemed opposed to it.

Tuesday? We can go grab dinner somewhere. Gav really loves Courf, do you mind if he goes along, too?

Not at all. Might make it less awkward.

Cool. I'll call you tomorrow night.

Okay. Miss you.

Eponine smiled and tossed the phone aside, snuggling under the covers. Who would have thought was Enjolras would be such a sap?

Hm, some interesting developments in this chapter, for sure, and a little bit of backstory.

More of that to come in the next.

Please let me know what you think of all that's happening! And thanks for reading and being awesome and all of that!