A/n: Hello! Right so this chapter and on wards is going to be the fight, an no I didn't involve Javert being part of the revolution. *spoiler* I'm also going to be making the revolution last a little longer rather than just 2 days since we all love the barricade boys too much. 3

Matilda's POV

"What do you think you're doing?" I shout at Eponine. I told her not to come! I told her not to be here! She doesn't listen, she never listens.

"I need to protect Marius! He can't even shoot straight, I need to protect him," she yells back, her voice ragged. The sound of the soldiers now start to get closer and my heart starts to race. Eponine's face fills with fear, she doesn't believe in all this, yet she's here just to protect a boy she loves. She was prepared to die.

"Ep' please get out now, get out while you can," I beg.

"No!"

"Eponine please!" I grab her wrist, dragging her into the cafe to keep her safe. She yanks her arm out of my grasp and runs off into the commotion by the barricade. I decide to find her later, by then I'm sure she would make up her mind and choose to go home. She knows I would protect Marius for her, she knows, I'm sure.

Enjolras's POV

I groan on my chair, my head spinning uncontrollably.

"Hey, Enjy?" Someone snaps at me. My vision still blurs, but I would recognise that voice any day. "Enjy wake up, how you feeling?"

I sit myself upright, trying my best to balance on the wooden stool Combeferre had sat me down on, and I slap him. "Don't... Call me... Enjy."

Combeferre staggers back, a hand cupping his left cheek and he smiles. "Good to know he's back."

I twist in my seat, clutching my head. Pounding, the sound of marching feet thudding in my head. It sounded so real, but must just be something that's happened. "What did you guys do to me?" I pretty much yell at him. I try my best to remember anything that happened after I kissed Matilda. Matilda! "Where is she? Where's Matilda? Is she okay?"

"Enj, calm she's fine. She's outside now with the rest of the Amis checking the weapons. Just calm yourself, you got pretty drunk just now," Combeferre says.

I pause for a moment. "Did I mention anything bad during my moment?"

Combeferre's face twists into a slight grimace. "Well, you whispered into Matilda's ear that you slept with a prostitute."

I glare at him. Drunk. I never like be drunk. I actually hated drinking in general, unless it was just a normal shot only on special occasions. Knowing how light headed I still am, I must've had one of Grantaire's special mixes. "I hate you all. You know I hate being drunk. Especially you."

"I didn't even know you were drinking until you jumped onto the barricade and called the government 'poopy heads'," he retorts. "Anyway, it's starting to wear of-"

"Wait wait wait, did you say I called the government 'poopy heads'? What did R put in my drink?!"

The pounding sound of marching feet still ring in my head. I finally got sick of it. "Do you hear that?"

Combeferre glances out the door and frowns. "Yes, actually."

I push myself out, my vision still blurry and light headed. I stagger against the wall off the back room, leaning on Ferre once I got near the window.

"You're still getting the aftermath of the drink, Enj. Just sit down."

"I'm not sick! I'm just..." I pause. Ugh I hate the thought. "Drunk."

Combeferre snickers a little and I punch him lightly on the arm. The sound of marching continues and it seemed to get louder and stronger. Now the shouting of men arises too.

Thundering footsteps come up into the room where Combeferre and I am. We whip our heads around to see Jehan panting by the top of the stairs.

"Jehan, what is it?" Combeferre asks in strife.

He pants, catching his breath. "They're here."

Dammit. So soon. We all rush down to the barricades, my feet about to collapse under me. I swear they put something in that drink that is actually about to make me faint. I felt terrible. The sound of the boys running around the barricade, guns being carried and thrown to people as they climb the barricade and prepare themselves for the worst. Matilda sees me and jumps in relief. I take a step forward to go to her and my knees give in. I collapse, stopping my head from hitting the stone paving with my hands. I hear a shout and then faces looming over me, asking if I was okay, my vision blacks out and I lay on the floor cold.

"Laudanum!?" a voice shouts. "Grantaire, you put laudanum in his drink!?"

"Barely half a spoonful! He needed the rest anyway, he's been knocking himself out planning for today."

"But we need him today!"

Great. So I've been drunk and drugged in a night, how much worse could this night get?

"Oi! He's waking up."

I open my eyes to see Grantaire, Joly, Matilda, Combeferre and Courf staring at me. I blink my eyes to regain my vision. "This is not how I wanted to remember my first revolution."

"You hit your head pretty hard, despite the fact you tried to break your fall with your hands," Joly says.

"I thought there were soldiers outside?" I ask pushing myself up.

"There are, but they haven't made a move yet. The others are outside watching them," Matilda says sitting on the bed beside me.

My head still hurts but I start to feel better. Joly helps me up into a sitting position and I glare at R. "You spiked my drink with a little more than usual, I know," I scorn at him. I didn't hate Grantaire of course, I would never hate someone. But I didn't like how reckless he was. Jumping in head first into problems, being drunk everyday, being at the revolution because of me. I want him to see the real problem.

"I'm sorry."

"You should be."

I know he feels guilt. He should. I could've been hurt more if my instincts didn't jump first and stop my fall with my hands. Of course now, my wrists were terribly sore. But it's better than my head.

"Enj, I was just trying to make you rest a little, you were awfully tired the night before."

"I don't care how I feel if it's trying to help the country I love!" I shout at him. "If I have tuberculosis the day before, I would still get up and work."

"Enjolras, just leave him be. He was just trying to do what he thought was right." Matilda runs her fingers through my hair and I push it away. I was mad at R for drugging me.

"He made a mistake, we all do," Combeferre says.

"You can only blame his recklessness," Courfeyrac adds.

Grantaire looks at his boots, sweat rolling down his face.

"I don't care! Grantaire, you are incapable of believing or thinking or willing or living or dying."

Gasps fill the room and I know instantly I took it a little too far. But I can't take it back and I'm right. He's recklessness is what will kill him at the barricade. He runs out of the room, jumping down the stairs and shuts himself out of everyone else.

Les Amis now all are in their positions. Muskets, Carbines and Revolvers all charged and ready to be used. The smell of the smoke from the flame torches upon the barricades filling the dense, quiet air. Enjolras walks out of the cafe, now fully concentrated and less dazed. He snatches a Carbine that was set out nicely on a table leaning against the wall of the Musain.

"Enjolras, there's about 50 men or more lined up outside of the barricade," Marius alerts him.

Matilda catches up to him, a musket in her hand. Her heart pounds, racing, beating, pacing. She's never killed anyone before, and hopefully she wouldn't have to kill one, tonight. They all set themselves, Enjolras and Matilda next to each other at the centre of the barricade, the barrel of their guns aimed at the army. They both look at each other, knowing one of them could die tonight, they kiss once more.

"I love you," Matilda says taking a breath.

"I love you too," he replies.

Eponine watches from a distance, under her cap which now sat nicely on her head again. Only if Marius would open his eyes and stop being so naive. Eponine didn't have a weapon, but she stood by the foot of the barricade next to Gavroche, who hasn't noticed that the boy he stood next to, was actually his sister. "Do you think we're going to make it out alive tonight?" Gavroche asks her.

Eponine looks down at him, his face so filled with fear she wanted to reveal her identity to him. But then Marius would find out and she would be gone. "I do hope so, Gav."

Gavroche scoffs. "That's what my sister calls me. I haven't heard from her since a day ago."

She looks down at her feet. The too big trousers rolled up past her ankles. "I'm sure she's worried about you being here," Eponine says. She looks at his belt and sees a gun in a hoister on his waist. "Aren't you a little young to be holding a gun?"

Gavroche takes it out swiftly, clicking the hammer in place. "Course not! The leader Enjolras gave this to me himself. I wanted a carbine but he gave me a revolver instead. Thinks I'm too young he does." He pauses and looks at her. His eyes squinting to look at the face under the shadows of the cap. "Have I seen you before? What's your name?"

Eponine stammers. She hasn't thought of this yet. "No, I'm new to Les Amis de l'ABC," she lies. Now she struggles for a name. "Julian. My name is Julian."

Gavroche nods and smiles. "Nice to meet you, Julian."

"Gavroche, come over here now!" Courfeyrac shouts at him. The young boy runs over to his friend and shields himself behind him. "Stay behind me Gavroche."

The air goes still and silent for a moment. The whole barricade not making a peep, just the sound of the dense wind against the barricade fills the open space. Behind their walls, innocent families shut their doors and windows, bolting them shut to keep them safe from the fight. Hiding away in the shadows of their homes in fear.

"Who's there?" The Head Army Officer shouts to Les Amis.

Enjolras looks over his shoulder to his friends who await an answer from him. Combeferre nods at him, to answer them, loudly and clearly. "The French Revolution!"

For a moment, silence hangs in the air. Everyone dreading for the next few moments. What would they do? Shoot at them? Leave them?

"Fire!"

Shots ring out across the barricade and splinters off wood fly into the air. Shouts and grunts come from the boys behind the barricade - who now started to fire at the officers too. The army officers start to engage forward, still firing at them, showing no mercy if they hit someone or not. Enjolras fires at a soldier climbing the barricade, hitting him in the collarbone. The officer falls back, crashing into a fellow officer who starts a domino effect down the barricade. Shouts of the friends from the Amis now fill the air, some falling back with a bloody sleeve, or worse dead. Enjolras could only see two people who have died so far, ones that he's never really seen around the meetings before. He looks to his left and sees that Matilda was gone. He starts to panick, lowering his Carbine leaving him open to enemy fire. He hears a clatter above him and a fall of dust drops down. He glances up quickly and fires above him, the bullet striking his forehead. Enjolras gasps as the man falls onto the Amis' side of the barricade, rolling down onto the floor and landing in the middle of them all. His friends all stare at him in shock, they've never seen him kill a man before, and they didn't think they would. He finally sees Matilda standing next to a boy who he had never seen before, shouting at him. Suddenly a slim figure climbs to the top of the barricade a barrel of gunpowder in hand, grabbing a torch and knocking an officer off with it.

God dammit!

"Marius don't!" Enjolras yells to him.

Eponine who now stops listening to Matilda at the sound of his name looks up at Marius. She bolts off onto the barricade, Matilda shouting her name then clasping her mouth with her hands. An officer points the muzzle at Marius - but being the oblivious man he is - he doesn't see it. But Eponine does. She jumps straight in front of him, covering the muzzle of the Carbine with her palm, shoving it into her chest. The shot rings out and she stumbles back. The bullet had gone through her hand, through her chest and out the back. Matilda screeches and captures the attention of the Amis. Marius holds the torch closer to the barrel of the gun powder.

"Blow the barricade up and yourself with it boy!" the Head Officer shouts at him.

The boys all stare at him, some gasping a sound of disgust and shock. Marius pauses, panting for his decision. "And myself with it."

The Head Officer orders his army back, retreating and going back to first positions. Enjolras snatches the torch away from Marius and swears under his breath.

Eponine staggers down the barricade, Matilda just catching her and setting her down against the barricade. She takes her cap off and Gavroche instantly runs to his sister.

"Eponine! Eponine what were you thinking?" Gavroche shouts at his sister. Now the Amis swarm around her. Not many knew her, but the ones who did cried.

Marius climbs down to see her on the floor, her shirt stained with fresh blood. He ducks down to see her face that his away from him and for once, Marius actually sees Eponine. He kneels down and lifts her hand, she grimaces. "I only touched your hand."

Eponine looks up at him and reveals the bloody hole in the middle of her palm. Marius's insides turns when he saw the blood across her palm. The flesh torn apart and blue. Most of the people who watched them both gagged when they saw the wound, Matilda almost chucking.

"What are you doing here, 'Ponine?" he asks sadly.

"You, I was here for you. I needed to protect you for Cosette. And I did, my purpose here is done," she sighs, leaning her head on his chest. Feeling the rhythm of his heart beating against her ear.

"Protect me?"

"Did you see that Carbine pointed at you?" Marius nods. "A hand stopped it, covering the muzzle and drawing it to that persons chest."

Marius now understands and he cries. "Oh, Eponine! You foolish girl, why would you sacrifice yourself for me?"

"Cosette. You love her, I know that. She needs you to live," Eponine says, a striking, agonising pain hitting her chest as she moved to reach something from her pocket. "She left this for you. I didn't want you to see it, I'm so sorry Marius."

Matilda now bursts into a loud sob, Enjolras coming up behind her and embracing her. This was her best friend, her only friend. She lived with her since they were kids, and now she lies here, dying, in a fight that wasn't even hers.

Eponine's head falls onto Marius's shoulder as her lips start to go pale. Her skin going white and her green eyes losing its colour. "You know what Marius?" she starts. Marius looks down at her, a tear falling from his eyes and onto her cheek. "I think I was a little in love with you." And she drops her head, her final breath being drawn out of her.

We all know this chapter. Tragic moment, I swear I cry every time at Eponine's death. I like to use lines from the book/movie/musical too by the way, so copyrights to Victor Hugo.