Enjolras and Grantaire felt themselves incredibly well restrained next morning, only wasting half an hour curled up together making out on the sofa before forcing themselves to rise and start their day, Grantaire setting to making breakfast while Enjolras headed upstairs to wake Alana. The young girl was excited to see Grantaire still present at the flat, following him round as he made pancakes. Grantaire loved it, letting her add some ingredients to the mix and helping her mix it for a couple of minutes before taking over again. Enjolras was happy to let them get on with it, heading back to the lounge and turning on his computer to start checking through his work e-mails whilst he had five minutes of peace and quiet.
"If you want the second pancake, I'd get in here now," Grantaire yelled suddenly and Enjolras grinned.
"What do we even have to go on them?" he asked as he entered the kitchen.
"Lemon and sugar, jam, chocolate spread - do not give me that look Apollo it is perfection when on pancakes - maple syrup, honey, anything else weird you fancy putting on them because for some crazy reason you and 'Ferre like them savory..." Grantaire trailed off when he saw the expression on Enjolras's face. "What?"
"You now officially know my kitchen better than I do. It's more than slightly embarrassing." Enjolras gave Grantaire a quick peck on the cheek as he passed, plate of food clutched firmly in his hand. Alana was already sat at the table eating, but that didn't stop her from asking, "Why did you kiss Uncle R?"
Enjolras hesitated slightly, sharing a glance with Grantaire.
"As a thank you for making breakfast," he settled for finally, hoping she'd leave it there.
Thankfully for him, she did.
"I'd best ring my mum later, I forgot she was meant to be heading round to the house last night," Grantaire sighed later on, when Alana had taken over the lounge with her colouring and the two men were washing up in the kitchen. Enjolras turned and tugged him closer, not caring about the dark marks his soapy hands were leaving on Grantaire's shirt as he kissed him.
"You should invite her round for tea one night before she leaves," Enjolras suggested, jokingly adding on, "I need to try and redeem myself somehow after all," and making Grantaire laugh.
"Well, you'll definitely have to redeem yourself if she doesn't get the chance to meet Allie properly," he grinned. "She loves kids."
"In which case, I suppose I can trust you to pass the message along, for the Wise family to come join us one night." Enjolras pulled a face. "The Wise family. I almost feel an idiot saying it."
"Try being a wise man in every single school nativity."
"You have my sympathies but it could be worse. They made me be Mary one year."
"Prettier than the girls?" He smirked when Enjolras blushed and nodded. "Aww, poor baby. True though."
"Shush you."
They quickly finished the washing up after that, though with occasionally kisses snuck in when Grantaire had to lean past Enjolras to put something away.
"I have to go," Grantaire sighed finally, kissing Enjolras softly. "I'm meeting the council with Courf today. Something about the second cafe."
"Good luck with that then. But first, we need to sort something out." Enjolras smiled when Grantaire looked worried. "We missed our date."
"Oh god, we can't have that," Grantare laughed. "Same time this week sound good?"
"Perfect." He pulled Grantaire in for one last kiss before letting him go. "Go on, you don't want to be late. I'll see you soon."
"Grantaire got laid!" Courfeyrac crowed as soon as Grantaire entered the cafe, recognising the clothes his friend was wearing as being from the day before.
"Well I must admit, I could have done without hearing that," Barbara said dryly from her table. "And you are very lucky I am the only customer."
"Hey mum," Grantaire greeted, giving her a hug. "And no Courf, I did not get laid. I stayed overnight, that's it. Nothing other than sleeping." And kissing, he added silently, but they didn't need to know every detail.
"I take it things are going well?" his mother inquired, keeping her tone and face innocent.
"He apologised," Grantaire said with a broad smile. "Put a parcel through our door with a photo album in. All the pictures from Alana growing up. Times I missed, and times I didn't. There were even pictures of me and Allie from the past few weeks." He sat next to Barbara and nodded at Courfeyrac when he held up a mug from by the counter. "So I went to talk to him. He, ah, he, well... He convinced me that he really was sorry."
"He told you he loves you didn't he," Barbara said knowingly, simply smiling when he nodded. "Oh good. So when do I get to meet Alana?"
"I have instructions to invite you over for dinner before you go back home."
"Well won't that be nice. Tomorrow maybe?"
"I'll see if he's free. So how was your night? Sorry again for forgetting."
"She spent it with us," Courfeyrac informed him, handing the Americano over before joining them. "We have fifteen minutes before the meeting, so drink fast."
"What are they even talking about?"
"Your design."
"My what?!" Grantaire spluttered, spilling his coffee. "Fuck! Ow! Jesus Christ Courf, you said you weren't giving them the design till September!"
"Why did I bother bringing you up correctly?" Barbara demanded.
"Oops... Sorry mum, heat of the moment you know." His apologetic expression quickly turned grimmer when he glared at Courfeyrac, still waiting for an explanation. "Well?"
"They wanted to see it!" Courfeyrac protested, shrinking into his chair. "They're sort of my bosses when it comes to that place, I can't say no! They want to start building in September so need the plans now."
"You could have at least warned me!"
"It's not the end of the world," Barbara said soothingly, pulling Grantaire back from where he'd sat right forwards on his chair. "You never mentioned you were designing Courf's cafe."
"It's a fairly recent thing," he shrugged. "Not that important. It's a job."
She sighed. "And there goes my little boy who used to tell me everything, no matter how small."
"Back when I was ten maybe!"
"You two need to go now or you'll be late," Combeferre called over as he walked through the cafe to reach the museum.
"Ah, it is nice having a personal assistant," Courfeyrac sighed happily, making both Grantaire and Barbara laugh. "And he's right. We now have ten minutes."
"I still hate you, but let's go," Grantaire sighed, finishing his coffee quickly. "You owe me another drink later. Bye mum."
The following night Barbara arrived at the flat early, planning to talk to Enjolras before Grantaire arrived, but was disappointed when he opened the door and smiled at her, adding "Grantaire's just in the lounge with Alana" onto the end of his greeting.
"I was hoping to have a word in private, but I suppose it can wait."
Enjolras glanced over his shoulder.
"Well they're currently busy watching Powerpuff Girls so could be occupied for quite a while. We can chat in the kitchen?"
"Perfect." Once they were inside the kitchen she held out a bottle. "I brought Sleur, so even Alana can have some. We need to talk about my son."
"What about him?" Enjolras asked, not meeting her eyes as he accepted the bottle and placed it in the fridge.
"Look at me." Her voice was deceptively calm for the immense warning present in her eyes when he glanced over. "If you ever do anything to hurt my son again, you will live to regret it. You didn't have to watch him fall apart last time - I did and it almost killed me. He is over the moon that you've asked him out again - don't mess it up this time."
"Look, Mrs Wise-"
"Barbara," she interrupted.
"Barbara," he amended. "I deeply regret what happened six years ago, and am extremely lucky to have him back in my life. After everything I wouldn't have blamed him if he'd simply told me where to go. But he didn't, and I love him all the more for that. I love him, and I'm not leaving him again."
"You said you loved him last time," Barbara pointed out, taking a seat at the table as Enjolras started checking the pans on the cooker. "But you still left."
"And it tore me up inside. I left because I honestly thought it was the right thing to do at the time, but if it hadn't been for Alana being born I wouldn't have stayed away as long as I did. I wasn't sure how much longer I could cope when I found out Charlie was expecting. After going through that once, I can't do it again, and I couldn't put Grantaire through that again either. No, your son is stuck with me until he decides he's had enough."
"Which is unlikely to happen soon," Barbara admitted, standing again and pushing Enjolras out of the way to take over. "And you're cooking this wrong, it's all going to burn unless you're careful." He raised his hands in surrender and backed away.
"I hate cooking," he sighed.
"I'd noticed dear," she said dryly. "Now, tell me all about this daughter of yours before I finally get to meet her."
Alana and Barbara got on like a house on fire from the moment they met, Alana hanging onto Barbara's every word as the older woman spoke to her. Enjolras and Grantaire sat opposite, subtly brushing fingers or touching knees every so often as they ate, keeping their own conversation quiet so as not to introduce their relatives.
"So you're Uncle R's mummy?" they heard Alana ask, their words ending as they started listening to the conversation.
"Yes, that's right," Barbara replied.
"Is Uncle R's daddy coming tonight as well?"
There was a pause.
"No, he's not," Barbara said sadly. "My husband died many years ago."
"Died?"
"She's never known anyone who's died," Enjolras explained at Barbara's look. "So I never had to explain it."
"When you die, you go to sleep and just... don't wake up," Barbara said finally, choosing her words carefully when it became obvious Alana wasn't going to stop waiting for an answer. "It doesn't happen till you're very old though, or very very ill. No-one you know will die for a long time sweetheart. You've no need to worry."
"Is that why I don't have a mummy?"
The silence this time was pronounced.
"No Allie, not at all," Enjolras said after a few moments. "Your mother isn't dead."
"Oh good," she said cheerfully, happily starting eating again. Grantaire glanced between his mother and his boyfriend nervously, trying to gauge their moods. Barbara had drawn into herself slightly, as was normal whenever anyone mentioned her late husband, and Enjolras simply had a small frown on his forehead, clearly thinking about Charlie.
"Relax," Grantaire whispered, rubbing his thumb lightly over the creases he could see. "Allie doesn't need a mother. She just needs you." Enjolras smiled at him tiredly.
"Thank you," he murmured, catching hold of Grantaire's hand and squeezing it gently. "Allie, it's time for you to go get ready for bed. Come on." He held his hand out as he stood.
"Uncle R," Alana demanded, holding her own hand out to Grantaire.
"Sure thing kiddo," Grantaire smiled, taking her hand in his and leaving the room with Alana skipping along beside him, Enjolras sitting back down again.
"Want to talk?" Enjolras offered after a few minutes of silence, glancing over at where Barbara was still sat, twirling her wine glass of sleur absentmindedly.
"I still miss him," she sighed, giving him a small smile. "Even after all these years, it's impossible to stop missing him. Grantaire reminds me of him too much, but seeing you with Alana tonight just made me wish Mothy had been a better father."
"Tim was a good man," Enjolras pointed out. "Hell, I didn't know him well or meet him often but even I know that. Now he may not have been the best father thanks to his drinking, but he did love you both."
"I'm scared," she admitted, placing the glass down on the table and dropping her head into her hands. "I'm scared of Grantaire ending up too much like his father and drinking himself to death before he's forty. The way Grantaire has been there are times when I'd be amazed if he reached thirty, and that scares me more than anything. He's all I have left, Enjolras. I can't lose him." Enjolras was out of his seat and round the table in seconds, pulling Barbara into a hug as he perched on the chair next to her. "Promise me something. Promise me you'll help him get sober then stay sober. Don't let him go. Look after him. Love him."
"Always," Enjolras promised.
"I'm sorry," she laughed finally, wiping her eyes as she pulled away. "It seems strange, I'm normally the one doing the comforting."
"Everyone needs someone to talk to sometimes," he told her. "And if you ever do, especially if about 'Taire, then you know my number. Well, if you don't, I'll give it you before you go."
"Thank you dear." She considered him. "You know, I'm glad you're back. You're good for him."