Éponine was never one to be at an airport, she absolutely hated airplanes and anything to do with flying or being up high. Yet she'd spent the last hour or so sitting and waiting for the PA system to announce the flight she dreaded most. Beside her was a young, handsome blond dressed in camouflage green with a rucksack at his feet and his hands holding her own hands tightly. They sat in silence for most of the time, he not knowing really what to say to make her feel better, to make it easier on her. And her knowing that if she opened up she'd break down in front of him and she knew he needed her to be strong, after all she could cry later, when he's gone.

Flight after flight they sat in silence until she couldn't stand the space between them anymore and moved to sit across his lip, her head rested upon his shoulder and her hand still held his. She had expected him to sit her back down on in her previous seat but instead wrapped an arm around her waist and held her close to him. Again they sat in silence as the time passed. She was the first to break their silence.

"Don't be an idiot over there. Don't try and be the hero." She muttered in a whisper just for him to hear.

"That's sort of the job description, 'Ponine." Muttering his response whilst rubbing her side gently trying to comfort her, he could feel her body begin to shake a bit with worry.

"You know what I mean, Enj. Don't go out of you way to get all those stories be told about your heroics and complete disregard for your own safety. Just don't." A hand clutching at the Velcro name tag on his Army uniform, "Please, just don't"

He could hear the tears start to well in her eyes and the hitch in her tone causing his hold on her to tighten as she buried her face into his neck, trying to memorize his scent, his tone a soft, almost apologetic one, "You know I cannot promise you that, Éponine. What sort of man would that make me, to not put my brothers (because yes, they were his brothers) before myself? Even if it were to cause me harm?"

Her grip on him only tightened as she nodded almost numbly, "I was afraid you would say that.."

"Now boarding, flight 182 to Columbus, Georgia"

The flight she had been dreading. The flight that would take him from her arms to Fort Benning, then from there to wherever he was to be stationed overseas for as long as the Army felt necessary.

He knew he had to go but the thought of not seeing her for months on end almost made him want to run off with her. But he couldn't, he wouldn't. As much as he loved Éponine, because yes he loved her more than he'd ever loved anyone or anything in his life, he couldn't squelch on his responsibilities. He wanted to make a difference in this world, make his mark, what better way than to defend his country? He had signed a four year contract, but Éponine knew that the four years would not be enough for him, she knew he would resign as soon as he got the chance and that scared the hell out of her. Finally she had found someone that she could give herself to and he wanted to put himself in the worst sort of harm's way to stand for what he believed in so deeply, so passionately. Ever since he enlisted she'd been having a recurring nightmare of getting that knock at the door, the knock that would tell her that her world was shattered. Though she never shared that one with him.

Finally he took a deep breath and whispered, almost painfully, "It's time, Éponine." It caused her to cling to him as she tried to control her emotions, she wasn't going to cry, not in front of him.

She steeled herself with a slow, shaky nod and numbly got off his lap, her hand never leaving his. He stood and slung his rucksack over his shoulder, taking a look out of the terminal windows to the airplane that would change his life as he knew it.

He lifted the hand he was holding and brought it to his lips, pressing a soft kiss to her knuckles, his thumb grazing over the simple ring on the third finger of her left hand, her ring finger, "Remember, -when- I get back we'll make it official. The second I'm back it's happening, 'Ponine. I swear it." Before pulling her in for a passionate kiss, his arms almost suffocatingly tight around her waist and hers just as tight around his neck, both trying to soak up the last bits of the other before the final boarding warning sounded. She almost broke down but quickly steeled herself again before forcing herself to let him go, but not before another passionate kiss.

"I'll be right here waiting for –when- you get back to me. And I've already told you, do not worry about me. Focus on what you have to do over there and that's it, I promise to write you and be completely honest with everything, I swear it."

With a nod and one final kiss, Enjolras finally released her hand and began to walk away towards the boarding gate, forcing himself to not turn back because he knew he would run back to her.

She watched him go, her other half, her joy, her everything, and chewed her lip as her eyes began to water. When he at last was completely out of sight she let out the sob she'd been holding in all day, her hands were wrapped around herself tightly, already missing his. She finally let the tears fall when the plane at last took off.

She had never been one to believe in any God, but at that moment she couldn't help think, "Please, if you're out there, bring him back to me."

AN: This one has taken a lot to get finished, it personally was hard to get through some parts as I based this off my past relationship, I will be honest and say that a lot of it was just what happened, it was a sort of therapeutic moment for me to finally get this finished. I sincerely hope you all enjoy it.

-Love, Kara..