It's summer and I have so much more free time so I should be posting more often. I still have rehearsal (tech week is next week) and camp which I'm some how going to balance I'm really not sure how, but I hope to post another chapter before then. I hope you guys haven't given up on me since I've been to busy to post. Enjoy the first of three parts (I think) of the barricade.

Disclaimer: I am currently performing in a community production of Les Mis, so I'm pretty sure I don't own it.

Chapter 21

For Eponine, the month of May had gone much too fast. Instead of planning a wedding with her fiancé, they planned a revolution. She threw her heart and soul into the planning. Enjolras and Eponine had decided to center the fighting around a barricade, giving them the upper hand. No amount of planning though could calm Eponine's nerves. She didn't sleep at night, she just tossed and turned. On the rare occasions she actually slept, her sleep was plagued with nightmares. She was forced to watch her friends and family die several times each; Marius, Enjolras, and even Gavroche. She would more often than not wake up in a cold sweat, all the covers kicked off, and Azelma looking worried.

Of course Azelma and the rest of her family had an idea about the revolution, but no one, except Cosette, actually knew she would be fighting at the barricade. Eponine had only told Cosette because she trusted her more than anyone, and Eponine knew if she died that day, she wanted someone to take care of Azelma, Gavroche, and the unborn Isabelle. The obvious choice was to leave that job to the Fauchelevents. Eponine didn't tell Monsieur Fauchelevent because she knew he would do everything in his power to stop her, so she went to Cosette. Cosette had already realized the harsh reality of it all. She knew the chances of Marius's survival were low, and had decided that if he wasn't here, she could never love another; but wanted to still be a mother. She said she would be more than happy to raise Isabelle as her own if Eponine died.

On a gloomy day towards the end of May, Eponine had gotten news she hadn't wanted to hear. She was running into work, already late, when she noticed Enjolras, his head buried in his hands.

"I have bad news," He said.

Eponine was concerned, just what they needed, "What is it?"

"It's General Lamarque. He's dying. I mean he has been all along, but he's on his final deathbed. He will probably die within the day."

"So? If he dies, he dies, how will it affect us?" She wasn't sure what he was getting at.

"He's the only man who stands for our cause, the people. Without him, there's no hope," He explained.

Eponine stood up and started pacing, "Well what are we going to do?"

Suddenly Gavroche ran in and jumped up on a table, "Listen! I have news!"

But as he said it a crowd of students flooded through the door, nobody could hear him, "I said listen! You'll want to hear this!"

Enjolras walked over to speak to him, "Speak up, I want to hear you."

Gavroche took a deep breath, "Listen everybody! General Lamarque is dead!"

"Well there it is," Eponine said under her breath, "Well what's the plan?"

"On the day of the funeral," Enjolras said in a far off voice.

"On the day of his funeral what?"

He focused again, "We will honor him. The barricade is going up on his funeral. The revolution is going to start!"

I'm not ready Eponine thought, but out loud she said, "We're not ready, it's a mess!"

"The time is now Eponine, we're more ready than we ever will be."

It was a sunny day, how ironic, Eponine thought, we will all die with the sun shining. She was surrounded by the students that over the last few weeks had become like a second family. She was dressed like a boy, so she wouldn't stand out. Her hand met Enjolras's hand. She squeezed it. The tension in the air was so thick Eponine thought it could be cut by a knife. She breathed in. The funeral procession came around the corner. She breathed out. Enjolras dropped her hand. She breathed in. He whispered a, "Let's go," She breathed out. The people around her started to move. She stopped breathing. She couldn't move. This was the beginning of the end.

Marius finally pulled her out of her shocked state. He had grabbed her hand and dragged her along with him. They ran to the intersection across from the café. Eponine had chosen the location. It had given them the fighting advantage; there was only one direction an army could attack from. Suddenly, furniture started falling. A table here, a piano there. Marius pulled chairs out from inside the café. Eponine didn't know what to think. It was too much.

But just like that, it was over. Nothing was falling from the sky. No one was running around. Everything was still. And then there was the barricade. Eponine noticed Enjolras standing beside her. She could practically feel his heart swelling with pride, while hers was just breaking into a million pieces. This was really happening.

The rest of the day had been calm. After the initial excitement of the barricade, everyone decided to rest. Enjolras was almost certain that they wouldn't attack till nightfall, and everyone trusted his opinion. The crowd had dispersed into smaller groups who made idle conversation. Many were joking on the outside, but on the inside, the harsh reality of the revolution was finally setting in. Some people had went off on their own to write final letters to loved ones or come to grips with their own fate. Combeffere had wondered off about a half an hour ago, Eponine was sure he was writing to Azelma. Of course, there was some people who choose to ignore their incoming death and kept the good times rolling. Courfeyrac and Graintare had broken out the alcohol, and started telling a rather large group of people in the café, stories from their childhood. Enjolras and Eponine sat together on the fringes of that group in silence; neither had much to say. Eponine looked out of the window to see the sun just ready to set, but then noticed the outline of a young boy.

"Gavroche," She whispered, before running outside. She turned the corner almost running straight into him, "What are you doing here?"

"These are my boys! Why wouldn't I be here?" He said rolling his eyes.

"Because I told you not to be here!"

"Well I'll leave, but I had some information I thought you might like to know," he turned to go.

Eponine grabbed his arm, "What is it Gavroche?"

"Mama's having the baby."

"Right now?"

"Yep."

"But it's months early!"

"Well she is."

Eponine couldn't believe it, she wasn't supposed to have the baby till August! "Where is she?"

"Our old apartment."

"Let me tell Enjolras I'm leaving and then we will go." Eponine hurried into the café and said goodbye to Enjolras. Right before she walked back out, Combeffere forced a letter into her hand; She shoved it into her pocket. Then brother and sister ran hand and hand away from the barricade.

Okay so I feel bad about being very in and out about posting and such so here's a little bit of a hint on how this whole barricade ordeal is going to end. The end of the barricade will end as it does in the original story. It will fail, people will die. And when I say people will die I mean everyone. I know a lot of fanfics kind of skirt around the barricade and make it so that the main characters still live. I wanted to change it up. But stay with me. Trust me when I say these are not my last three chapters. You have quite the shocker waiting for you. So stick with me and you'll see!