"Abby, it's been nearly 4 days, how about just going to get something to eat?" Joly prodded, Abby shook her head quietly "No thank you Joly" she told him, her voice hoarse from crying. Joly sighed and pulled up a chair next to her, putting his hand comfortingly on her back "Abby, Esprit misses you, and Grantaire has asked for you. Enjolras will be alright" he told her gently.
She looked up at him "I promised I wouldn't leave him" she said "I promised". She looked very small sitting here, everyone in the room seemed so small, even Enjolras, it made Joly uneasy. He sighed "You need to eat Abby, Enjolras would want you to eat right?" he asked her, she shook her head "It doesn't matter, I have to stay" she told him again "I have to no matter what".
Joly stood and went to the door, glancing back at Abby, who's eyes hadn't left Enjolras the entire time. He went out into the other room where Grantaire was sitting quietly on the couch "How are they?" he asked, his voice strained and tired sounding. Joly shook his head "She won't leave his side, I worry for them both" he admitted.
Grantaire stood "Why? Is something wrong with them?" he asked. Joly swallowed before looking at Grantaire "Enjolras's wound has become infected like I feared it would. Honestly, it would take a miracle for him to wake up again. The fact he survived is a miracle, they just barely missed piercing his heart" he admitted gently. The drunk sat back down, shaking his head "Poor Lass, have you, told her?" he asked.
He shook his head "How do you tell a child such a thing? She's already seen so much" he told him. Grantaire looked up at Joly, tears in his eyes "What are we going to do now?" he choked "We've lost so much, all our friends..." his voice was cut off by a sob. Joly went and sat next to him, burying his face in his hands "I don't know" he replied honestly.
Meanwhile Abby sat at Enjolras's bedside, her eyes quietly wandering the room. She held Enjolras's hand as though her life depended on it, which she believed it did. Sighing, she put her head on the bed "Oh 'Jolras, you will get better won't you? And everything will be ok?" she asked him "Cause I don't think life would be all that good without you in it" she told him.
Silence filled the air but Abby continued to speak "Don't you remember all the fun we had? Like when Prouvaire tried to ride Esprit for the first time that one day? She didn't like him very much trying to ride her cause he was too big but she still let him" she told him. She sniffled "A... And remember when Lesgles had that drinking contest with Nanny? We all knew Nanny would win and he did, but then you got all mad cause they used a bunch of your money to buy the drinks".
She sighed "And remember the nights we spent here in the flat, I'd be playin with my dolls on the floor and you'd read. And sometimes if it wasn't a boring story you would read it out loud to me. Oh 'Jolras I didn't understand the stories most of the time but you'd explain them to me, and I still wouldn't understand but the fact that you tried was very kind of you. What I wouldn't give to hear your voice again" she said softly.
Suddenly Enjolras's hand moved and Abby gasped "'Jolras?" she asked him. His brown eyes fluttered open and looked at Abby, he smiled softly at her "Abby, those stories I told you weren't that confusing were they?" he asked her faintly. Her eyes lit up and she laughed happily, hugging him "Enjolras! Oh 'Jolras are you gonna be ok?" she asked him.
He winced but nodded "Abby, I don't want you to worry about me" he paused to catch his breath "Everything is going to be alright" he whispered gently. She nodded "Should I get Joly?" she asked, Enjolras nodded "Do that, and then you may go eat and see Esprit" he told her. She kissed his cheek happily "Ok, I'll get him right away!" she told him.
Joly and Grantaire were still crying in the main room when Abby burst in "Joly! Enjolras said he wants to see you right now!" she told him. Joly leapt up "What?" But that's impossible!" he said, running into the room and shutting the bedroom door behind him. Abby laughed and sat next to Grantaire "Hello Nanny, are you feeling better?" she asked.
Grantaire smiled "Better that I was a week ago, might take a while yet lassie but I'm sure I'll be good as new" he told her, she smiled and hugged him "I'm sorry I haven't visited you out here Nanny" he hushed her "It's alright now lassie, Enjolras needed you more than me, I understand" he assured her.
Abby hopped up and opened her bedroom door, letting Esprit into the main room, she hugged the pony "Oh Esprit! I hope Joly's been feeding you and taking you outside to go potty" she said. She looked around her bedroom floor and sighed "Yep, he has. That's good of him" she said. Suddenly her eyes caught on something hanging on her bedpost.
She went into her room and picked it up, untangling the veil and letting it flow freely. She walked back out to her Nanny and stopped infront of him, holding the red velvet ring in front of them. They both looked at it and Abby felt tears beginning to trickle down her cheek "Courfeyrac" she choked.
He stood up and pulled Abby into him as she began to sob "It wasn't fair Nanny! Why'd they all have to get themselves killed? Why'd you all do it?" she cried. He hushed her and sat down, pulling her into his lap "Now listen here lassie, I'll be perfectly honest when I tell you I do not have the answers to your questions. As I fought at the barricade I didn't even know why, only that Enjolras wanted to" he told her gently.
Abby's sobs at quieted and now she simply buried her face into Grantaire's vest, clutching her crown to her chest. Grantaire kept her arms around her and cradled her "The world isn't a very happy place, I'm sure you know that now. But things can only go up from here. Right?" he asked her.
She sniffled but nodded "I hope so Nanny" she said quietly, beginning to fall asleep for the first time since the barricades. Just then Joly walked back out and Grantaire looked up at him "Well?" he asked, Joly cleared his throat "I gave him something to ease the pain, but I don't think there's anything more I can do for him" he reported.
Grantaire sighed and looked down at Abby, who'd fallen asleep against him. Joly walked over and put a hand on his shoulder "Better let her rest, it's going to be a long couple of months for us now" he told him. Grantaire sighed as he gently pried the crown from Abby's hands, studying it "Yes, but just as I said, it can only go up from here".
The next morning Abby woke, still in Grantaire's arms. She stirred and looked up at Grantaire "Nanny?" she asked. Grantaire, who had dosed off cracked an eye open at her "Yes lassie?" he asked her. She looked around "Where are Joly and Esprit?" she asked.
He yawned and opened both eyes, stretching before looking at Abby "I think Joly said something about getting food, don't remember exactly lassie" he told her. She leapt up frantically "You mean 'Jolras has been alone this whole time?" she practically yelled.
Grantaire stood and went to her "Lass calm down" he told her gently. She shook her head and bolted into Enjolras's room, taking to his bedside at once and taking his hand, beginning to sob "I'm sorry 'Jolras! I didn't mean to!" she cried. Grantaire walked up behind her and gently put a hand on her shoulder "Lass it's alright" he told her.
She shook her head "No it's not! I promised and I broke my promise!" she sobbed. He hushed her "You'll wake him up if you continue this" he warned her. Suddenly Enjolras groaned "Too late for that winecask" he told them, opening his eyes and looking over at Abby.
Enjolras sighed "Abby, whatever it is you've done it's alright" he told her softly. Abby cried and held his hand tighter "No it's not! I promised I'd stay here with you and I left you all alone here!" she told him. He pulled his hand from her grasp and touched her cheek "I'm alright see? You don't have to worry" he told her.
Abby sniffled and Enjolras hushed her, he coughed and closed his eyes before speaking quietly "Abby, you need your rest as much as I do, why don't you go and sleep for little while?". She put her head down on the bed next to him "I'm not leaving, I'll sleep here if I have to" she told him.
Grantaire was about to speak when Enjolras sighed, stroking Abby's hair gently "You may if you want to" he told her, his eyes met with Grantaire for a brief moment, before Grantaire dipped his head and left the room, closing the door behind him.
He hadn't been alone long when Joly and Esprit came back from their trip "Grantaire I got you something extra special!" Joly told him as he put some bags on the table. Joly looked around "I take it Abby went back to Enjolras?" he asked, Grantaire nodded and Joly merely shrugged "Well that's fine then, I wouldn't want her to see these" he told him.
Joly sat next to Grantaire and put a newspaper in front of him "Look at this!" he said. Grantaire's eyes got big and he brought the paper closer to his eyes so he could see clearly "They have a whole page of naked women?" he asked excitedly. Joly snatched the paper back "What? No!" he looked at the paper "Well we'll see that after this!" he said as he opened the paper.
They stared at the large article for a moment before Grantaire crossed his arms and huffed "That's a horrible picture! I look nothing like that!" he whined. Joly rolled his eyes "They wrote a whole article about us! The people of Paris are outraged!" he said excitedly "Maybe we'll get freedom after all!".
Grantaire shrugged "Well they better learn how to draw people first" he said. They sat in silence for a long time before Joly sighed "You want to see the page with the naked ladies on it don't you?" he asked. Grantaire grabbed the paper and began flipping through "Oh yes I do!" he said excitedly.
That night Abby stayed with Enjolras, but she kept her head down since Enjolras had fallen asleep with his hand on her head, she found it reassuring. Thunder rolled outside and Abby watched the flashes of lightning outside the window, storms used to frighten her, but after what she'd seen, they didn't anymore.
A large book of lightning caused Enjolras to wake and he blinked a few times before groaning and trying to sit up slightly. Abby shot up "'Jolras! Joly said you're not supposed to move!" she told him, trying to push him down, he took her hands to stop her and sighed "I'm sure it'll be fine" he told her.
Abby looked back out the window as another bolt of lightning lit up the sky "'Jolras, things are going to be very different now aren't they?" she asked him. There was a long silence before he answered "Yes, it will be very different" he told her. She looked at him, her green eyes tearing a little "I guess I'm used to it, I've had so much change in my life, since m... mommy" she choked on a sob.
"I was so close!" she began to cry as he tried to hush her, not wanting to wake up Joly or Grantaire "so close to losing my guardian again!" she sobbed. He let her sit on the bed next to him and sob into his side "Guardian?" he asked her. She sniffled and nodded "Yep, that's what C... Combeferre said you were, my guardian. And that's what my mother was too. My guardian, the person who was supposed to protect me and love me forever" she told him.
He wrapped his arms around her, being careful not to move too much "Nothing lasts forever" he told her "One day, you must have known, your mother wouldn't have been there to do those things for you anymore. True, it happened before her time, and I've had to try to take her place, but since I've merely taken her place, that still means one day I won't be able to do those things anymore either" he tried to explain.
She shook her head "Why is everything happening so fast? Everything too soon? My mother gets taken away from me too soon, I fall in love too soon, all my friends get killed too soon, and I almost lost you too soon!" she said, beginning to choke up again.
Enjolras waited a moment for her to calm down before telling her "I think it's time for you to go to sleep". She sniffled but hopped off his bed, sitting back in the chair and resting her head on the bedside. He began stroking her hair again "Thing will be different, and I know right now it seems they'll be a bad changes, but I promise that there will be good changes too" he told her.
Abby began drifting off to sleep "Promise?" she murmured tiredly as she closed her eyes. He sighed heavily "I promise" he said. As she began to finally disappear, the reminded him the same words she had once, what seemed ages ago "Don't make a girl a promise" she whispered "If you know you can't keep it".
NYC, for the record, was AMAZING! Seriously, we saw Wicked and Billy Elliot and both were AMAZING! Oh, and I was especially surprised when we came out of Billy Elliot only to find a plate on the ground declaring it as the Broadway Theatre where Les Mis premiered! How nice, I was in the same theatre that Les Mis used to be in. lol
OMG Abby is SUCH a crybaby! But really, we wono't have much more of this, because the next chapter will be skipping through the years, as Abby grows up! And then, the FINALE! Which means, you're getting 1 more chapter than I promised in the first place! YAY FOR YOU!
I haven't gotten any reviews on the last 2 chapters, which made me sorta, unmodivated to write this. Hence why it took so damn long! Anyway, REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW! I'm leaving for Kentucky on Wednesday, but I will make sure to post some things while I'm on the road!
Thanks for Reading! Suggestions always welcome by the way