A/N Hey, peeps! I hope it wasn't too long a wait. So this chapter is a bit tragic (I said only a BIT) and I hope it isn't too boring for you guys. Anyways, PLEASE pretty please review! If you haven't done so, PLEASE DO! Favorites and follows are always welcome as well. Hope you enjoy! :)

DISCLAIMER: Santa Claus won't make me happy with a toy on Christmas day. I'd rather own Les Mis since I don't at the moment.

Jean Valjean had been stressed in the past few days because Javert had been following him even more closely. He didn't understand why Javert was desperate to capture him. He was a prisoner but he already changed. He took good care of Cosette for a lot of years and he adopted Cosette when he didn't need to. He was willing to do so for Fantine's sake. She was sick and couldn't take care of her own daughter. He pitied Cosette and Fantine greatly but now that Fantine had passed, she was no longer suffering. To get the stress out of his head, he decided to go for a walk at St. Michel. It was about seven o'clock in the evening. The streets were fairly empty and only a bright crescent was hovering above in the sky surrounded by twinkling stars. It was quiet and rather peaceful. Jean Valjean walked on the streets, admiring the beauty of the dark starry sky and walked further onto the bridge, Pont Neuf. The river beneath the bridge was the Seine. Jean Valjean was all alone on the bridge, looking at the ripples and little waves in the Seine and leaning on the bridge rail. The streets were quiet, no chariots or carriages passing by at all but Jean Valjean was sure he was being followed. He heard quiet footsteps behind him but he didn't look back. He didn't think it would've been someone very dangerous and he thought the person, or whatever it was, was probably just strolling along the bridge like him. He was sure he was right until the footsteps were coming towards him. He stood still and did not blink. Then he felt a cold metal on his neck and a hand was holding it firmly. "At last, Valjean. We see each other plain." the voice said. Jean Valjean recognized it. "What are you doing here, Javert?" Jean Valjean asked, not taking his eyes off of the knife that was getting closer to slicing his neck. "I've been waiting for this moment. I've been waiting for this for all my life so don't you dare ruin it. You are still the same thief and you're always going to be prisoner 24601!" Javert said. Jean Valjean did not reply and looked around for help but Javert was the only other person standing there. Luckily, Javert removed his knife from Jean Valjean's neck and tied a rope around Jean Valjean's wrists. "What are you- You are arresting me just like that?" Jean Valjean asked but Javert kept silent. Javert grabbed onto the rope that was tied around Jean Valjean's wrists and dragged Jean Valjean behind himself. Jean Valjean tried to resist by shaking his hands around and trying to somehow tear the rope but he didn't succeed. "Stop moving or I'll put this knife to good use!" Javert shouted but Jean Valjean didn't stop moving. He stepped back a couple of times but was pulled back again by Javert. Finally, he managed to break free but it wasn't long until Javert punched him in the face. Jean Valjean cupped his cheek in pain. He hadn't felt that kind of pain since he broke parole. However, he punched Javert back. Then they exchanged punches either in the face or in the stomach. Their faces were getting bruised and red. Just as Cosette and Marius happened to come by on the bridge to take an evening walk of their own, Jean Valjean and Javert were at the edge of the bridge. Marius froze and stared at Cosette, whose eyes were filled with horror and fright. "Papa! Be careful!" Cosette shouted as Jean Valjean and Javert were getting closer to falling off the bridge. Jean Valjean didn't seem to hear Cosette and continued to fight. Just then, Javert slipped at the edge and fell off the bridge but he grabbed onto the bridge's rail with one hand and Jean Valjean's ankle with the other. Then he let go of the rail, causing both him and Jean Valjean to fall off the bridge, into the Seine. Cosette ran to the rail and looked into the water, crying her heart out. Marius ran after her and held her close. "Cosette, please don't cry. It's going to be alright." Marius said, hugging Cosette as she soaked his vest with her tears. She shouted at to the river beneath her, "Papa! No! Come back, please! I-" Cosette was interrupted by a 'No!' from the other end of the bridge.

Marius and Cosette came to Marius's house to check on the Thenardier siblings. Marius was the only one who entered the house. Cosette didn't go in with him, fearing that Eponine didn't want to talk to her or see her. After Marius and Cosette left, the servant prepared dinner for Eponine, Gavroche, Monsieur Gillenormand and Mademoiselle Gillenormand. They had dinner in a rather awkward silence but the only thing Eponine and Gavroche focused on was how delicious the food was. After dinner, Eponine felt like she wanted to go for a drink at a cafe somewhere to get her mind off of things. "Madame, would you be here tonight?" Eponine asked the servant after Gavroche fell asleep. It was about six in the evening but Gavroche was so tired, he simply passed out on the comfortable bed. "Why, yes, Mademoiselle. I usually am here all the time. What can I do for you?" the servant said, gathering the dishes on the table and took them into the kitchen. Eponine followed her into the kitchen and watched for a moment as she washed the ceramic plates and cups. "Well, I would really like to go out tonight. Would it be alright with you if I left my brother here?" Eponine asked, leaning on the open door of the kitchen. The servant turned around, gave Eponine a smile and a nod then went back to washing the dishes. Eponine nodded to herself and ran back upstairs. Then something caught her eye. It was a long blue dress that had long sleeves and a coat that had a shawl attached to it of the same colour folded neatly on her bed. There was also a pair of black gloves that went with it. She walked over to the bed and took a closer look at it. She saw a small piece of paper and her name was scribbled on the front.

Eponine,
I'm sorry about what happened at the hospital. I completely misunderstood and I wasn't thinking about what I was saying. I truly am sorry. I hope we can be as close as we were in our childhood. This is a gift I have for you to say that I'm sorry.
Cosette

Eponine smiled and put the paper down on her bed. She held the dress up in front of her and finally tried it on. She found a mirror and looked in it. She stared at herself for a long time before laughing to herself. "Cosette thinks I look good in this? Well, I'd be thinking the complete opposite." she said to herself but decided to keep the dress on and not change back to her old clothes. Then she felt something hit her foot. It wasn't too heavy but certainly wasn't the lightest object. She looked down and saw a pair of black shoes and a blue pork pie hat which had a blue ribbon tied to it. She picked the shoes up with one hand and the hat with the other and ran down to the kitchen to find the servant. Eponine didn't find the servant in the kitchen but found her in the dining room, cleaning the long table. "Excuse me, Madame. How do I-?" Eponine lifted the shoes and the hat up. The servant rushed over to Eponine and took both of the things from her. "Sit down, dear." the servant said to Eponine and she obliged. She sat down on the comfortable chair while the servant put the shoes on her feet. Eponine stared down at the sight of having platforms on her feet and not walking barefoot for the first time in her entire life. The next thing she knew, the servant was already tying her hair up in a neat bun and put the hat on her head. The servant stood in front of Eponine, her eyes focusing on the dress, the hair and the accessories. Then she cracked a smile. "Marvelous." she said as she led Eponine out the door to the living room to see herself in the large mirror. Eponine extended a foot out beneath her dress and looked at the shoes. "I've never had these on in my life. How do I walk?" Eponine asked the servant. The servant laughed and said, "Just walk normally, like you always do. I know you are used to being barefoot all the time but you will get used to it." Eponine thanked the servant before rushing off out of the house. She walked uncomfortably down the streets of Paris because she was wearing a bourgeois-like dress and shoes, which she wasn't used to wearing at all. She felt like it was a new her. The concept of showering and being clean didn't even get to her at first but she was clean and she had new and good clothes to wear. The sky was rather dark and people were either going into cafes or back to their homes. Eponine continued walking until she reached a cafe that she used to go to with her parents and her siblings to have lunch or dinner together. It was a long time ago, when the family wasn't broken up yet and when her parents were still nice to her. She entered the cafe and found many tables already occupied by men specifically. She wondered why there were so many drunk men in the cafe when usually there was a mix of both men and women. Eponine went out of the cafe and read the sign. She then realized that it wasn't a cafe anymore. It had turned into a tavern. She shrugged to herself and went inside against her better judgement. A bunch of men turned to look at her and smiled their wonky flirty smiles. Eponine didn't respond to anything or anyone and went to sit at the counter. "Whatcha doin' 'ere dressed so pretty?" the bartender asked, getting Eponine's attention. "Oh, well, I...uh...I just came back from a party at my friend's. Really tiring, to be honest." she lied, pretending to sigh and wipe her face. The bartender chuckled and asked, "Whatcha want?"

"I would like a...a glass of beer please. Thank you." Eponine said. The bartender nodded and went straight to the brewing. Eponine sat cross-legged on a stool at the counter and waited patiently, eavesdropping on some of the conversations the loud drunken men were having. Then she noticed someone sitting next to her. He was obviously drunk and his blonde hair was incredibly disheveled. "Hey." he suddenly said, causing Eponine to look away from him quickly. "Good evening, Monsieur." she replied cautiously. Then he turned to look at her in surprise and they both gaped at each other. "E-Enjolras?" Eponine stammered.

"Eponine? What are you doing here?"

"What are you doing here?" she countered, surprise overwhelming her. Enjolras looked away from her and put his head in his hands, sighing. Eponine wasn't sure whether she should put a hand on his shoulder or not do anything at all. She was even more frightened to move when she saw about five glasses on the counter in front of him with traces of beer in them. "I'm sorry. I have to go." Enjolras said, getting off the wooden stool and quickly but flabbily walked out of the tavern. Eponine followed suite, not even waiting for the beer she ordered. The sky was dark and starless. It was also getting colder by the minute. "Enjolras! Wh-"

"Don't question me, Eponine! Stop following me!" Enjolras half-shouted at her and kept walking on a faster pace. Eponine still followed him. They finally reached the Seine. They were on the Pont Neuf bridge and neither of them noticed Cosette and Marius. "No! Wait! Why don't you just tell me why you were there! I just wanted to know what happened because I care about you! I'm not trying to be nosy!" Eponine said breathlessly. Enjolras was panting as well but he did not stop to walk farther away from her. His mind went blank and before he knew it, he was walking towards the rail of the bridge. Eponine's eyes grew with horror and said, "What are you doing?! Are you mad?!" Enjolras slowly turned around to face her. "Didn't I ever tell you that labels make me furious? They are just annoying! I'm completely fine, Eponine. What I do is none of your business." Enjolras said harshly, sounding drunk. Eponine gasped and put a hand over her mouth. "Are you drunk?" she asked exasperatedly. Enjolras turned to face her once more and to her surprise, he slapped her face hard. "You know how I feel about labels! I told you! And drinking only five small glasses of beer isn't being drunk!" he shouted back at her. Enjolras turned back to the edge of the bridge and put one foot on the rail. "I started the revolution. I killed loads of people. I made everyone suffer, Eponine! Don't you see that? Don't you see it?" Enjolras said loudly and angrily, a tone Eponine had never heard from him before. "Yes, I do see that...but you aren't a murderer. You are brave and strong. handsome inside and out. You are a perfect leader and you should see what you've done." Eponine said, gently putting her hand on his shoulder but he shrugged it off right away. "Oh, yes. I see what I've done. I put everyone's lives in danger, I let everyone die and I'm the leader. I should have been the first or at least the last to die. But I'm alive...and now I'm living in guilt." As soon as he said those words, he looked at Eponine, who was very hurt and weeping bitterly, on last time and jumped into the Seine. "Y-You should see what you've done...to make France a better place..." Eponine mumbled and sobbed rather to herself but she meant it for Enjolras to hear. Cosette, having witnessed both incidents on the bridge, ran over to Eponine without remembering their feud. Eponine was crying so hard she couldn't hear anything around her anymore. She fell to the ground and sobbed even harder. Without him, she felt like her world was completely empty and she felt like her heart was shattered into a million pieces. She couldn't help but go closer to the edge of the bridge and shut her eyes and slowly set one foot out, ready to jump into the Seine. Just as she was about to jump, Cosette grabbed onto Eponine's waist and pulled her back onto the bridge. Eponine turned around and saw Cosette with tears in her eyes. "What's wrong, Cosette? Why are you here?" Eponine asked, wiping her own tears away. Cosette wrapped her arms around Eponine and kept sobbing. It was a pain for Cosette to see her father simply die in front of her and her childhood best friend almost committing suicide right in front of her as well. Although she hated Eponine, she still loved the memories they had when they were little and how they used to be inseparable. "Eponine, I'm so sorry." Cosette said, hugging Eponine even tighter. Eponine cracked a small smile and hugged Cosette back. "It's alright." she replied. They pulled apart and Cosette wiped her eyes. "Why...Why did you save me?" Eponine asked.

"I can't see you just die in front of me like that." Cosette admitted. "Even if I hated you, I couldn't let you die. I really don't know who would have been my friend if you didn't exist and now...you're the only friend I have left." Eponine smiled and they hugged again. As they pulled away, Marius came to view. "Cosette, are you al- Eponine? What are you doing here?" he said.

"It's a long story, darling. Don't ask her about it please." Cosette interjected. Marius looked confused but nodded. "Should we slowly stroll home? I believe supper is waiting for you, Eponine, and Gavroche. Will you need company?" Marius said.

"It's very kind of you, Marius, but I and Gavroche are alright on our own." Eponine said, faking a smile and turned around to leave but Cosette stopped her. "Eponine."

"Yes?"

"The dress looks absolutely gorgeous on you. I'm so glad you like it." Cosette said, smiling. Eponine gasped and said, "Oh, I completely forgot to thank you! Thank you very much, Cosette. It's lovely. It's very kind of you to-"

"It's alright, Eponine. You don't have to thank me. I purposely bought it for you to apologize about my horrid behavior. I'm so sorry." Cosette said as Eponine smiled and walked over to hug Cosette again before bidding the couple goodbye and walking back to Marius' house, back to Gavroche as Marius and Cosette went back to Cosette's house.

I'm so sorry about the long paragraphs! I'll try my hardest to shorten them in chapters to come. Anyway, thanks for reading and reviewing and fave-ing and following! LOVE YOU GUYS! R&R!

P.S. Oh, right. I forgot to warn you about Eposette fluff (it's obviously just best friend fluff, not romantic fluff. i'm sorry but i will never EVER ship them)