Sorry this probably sucks. And I've waited wayyyy too long to update this. I spent A LOT of time working on my original novel and ideas kept flooding in and I kept writing them down and this became less of a priority. BUT as I always say, I never give up on my stories. I always write until the last chapter (and then some for some). Anyways, I hope and pray you like this. I didn't spend a lot of time on it and it's short but it still carries the story along. Enjoy :)

Chapter 21: Finally Not Alone

Nothing was greater than in that moment, the moment he realized that God hadn't abandoned him – he found others.

Even though they had barely known each other before, it felt like the heavens opened and God rewarded him for his patience. Lord knows how patient he was. This was his miracle; this was his only chance to make things right.

"Sir?" Valjean looked at the pretty brunette girl who had been shaking his arm. The two boys stood across from the bench where he and the girl sat. He was still in a daze after finding them, wondering if his mind was playing a trick on him or if this was real. The shaking of his arm proved to be very real.

"Oh," he said. "um…yes, hello." No, that was wrong. What could he say? What should he say? "So…you three remember everything too, huh?"

"Yes." Éponine said. He remembered Éponine. She pretended to be a boy from the barricade to send a letter from Marius to Cosette. He also remembered the boys, Enjolras and Gavroche, the brave leader of the revolution and the poor youngster who died for the cause.

"Well, most of us," Gavroche said, his eyes moving to Enjolras. "Enjolras here has sort of…well…he–"

"He's forgetting things," Éponine said. "The longer we stay here the more he forgets. He almost forgot everything earlier today." The three looked down as the wind rustled a few leaves by the bench.

"Oh." Valjean said. He looked up at the trees blowing in the wind. The park was lovely today. Every day since he saw Cosette he had searched for her again at Central Park. They could help me, he thought. Maybe they can help her remember.

They sat in silence for a while, listening to the birds and the rustling trees. They waited for someone to start a new conversation, but none had anything to say. They should have talked about how the last two months played out in their lives, how it felt to see their friends not know who they were, to see them live completely different lives. There were still so many unanswered questions, and Valjean wanted that to change.

He opened his mouth to say something, but then a familiar face appeared. The man smiled and waved to him. Valjean had gotten used to pretending they were friends. However, the girl and her younger brother were not so happy to see him.

"Gav," Éponine said when she spotted him. Gavroche hid behind the bench and Enjolras wrapped his arm around Éponine protectively. The man looked at each of them, his smile widening. Her shoulders shook and she avoided eye contact with him.

"Hello, Jonathan," he said.

"Hello, Officer Jasper."

"Tell me," he said. "Are your friends scared of me?" Gavroche stood up slightly, only the top of his head and his eyes showing. Éponine looked at Valjean, her eyes about to tear up. He needed them to know they were okay.

"No, these are my kids," Valjean said, patting Gavroche's head. The three looked at Valjean, who winked. He hoped they got the message. "they're um…they're visiting me for the rest of the week."

"Oh," Jasper said. "I didn't know you had kids. What're their names?"

Valjean's hands began to sweat, trying to think of fake names for them. Luckily, Éponine sat up straight. "I'm Eilene," she said. "and this is my brother, Gavin." She looked at a crouching Gavroche. When he saw that things were safe, he stopped crouching. "He's really shy."

"I can see that," Jasper said. Then his eyes moved to Enjolras. "And who might you be? Not another brother, I presume."

"He's Eilene's boyfriend!" Gavroche shouted. Enjolras and Éponine darted their eyes at him, but Gavroche only smiled in return.

Enjolras turned back and smiled at Officer Jasper. "Yep, I'm Eilene's boyfriend. Call me Aaron." They shook hands and Jasper smiled. How strange that this was the same man who turned against the revolution. Now, he shook hands with the leader.

"Nice to meet you all." He gave Valjean a goodbye smiled and whistled away. Once they were sure he was gone, they all punched Valjean's arm.

"Ow!" he said. "What?"

"Are you kidding?" Éponine said. "You're friends with Javert now?"

"If you hadn't noticed, that wasn't Javert," he said with a smile. Then a sigh. "At least not the Javert we're used to."

"Oh."

"Hey, it was a joke!" Enjolras grabbed Gavroche's hair and pulled him from behind the bench.

"Not a funny one," Enjolras whispered.

"Enjolras!" Éponine shouted. The two looked at her. "Let him go."

"Éponine it's fine," Gavroche said as Enjolras let go of his hair. "We were just messing around." Éponine darted her eyes at Enjolras, who immediately apologized to Gavroche.

"Now, where were we?" Valjean said. Éponine explained what happened when she first came to New York, how she was lost and alone until Joly helped her. Gavroche was proud of his journey, saying how he fended for himself and struggled to survive. Enjolras said little, not wanting to share his few weeks before meeting up with Éponine.

"If 'Ponine here hadn't found me, I don't know what would have happened." Enjolras gave her a light smile and she returned it.

"So what is your plan to return home?" Valjean asked.

"We hope to return to Paris and find some clue as to how we came here," Enjolras said. "My revolutionary friends are working as hard as they can to find a safe passage to Paris. You're welcome to join us if you wish."

"I'd love to." Valjean said, his eyes lighting up. He was happy; he found a group that can help him, he found others that know. He sighed. "I cannot."

"Why not?" Éponine asked.

"I cannot leave without Cosette, she's the only one I truly love." He watched the trees rustle in the wind, blowing hard but still staying connected to the tree. His eyes began to water. "If I cannot have my daughter, there is no reason to return home."

The three nodded. "We understand." Éponine said and held his hand. He looked into her eyes. "We'll do everything we can to help her remember you."

Valjean shook his head. "Every day I see Cosette and wonder if she'll ever remember who I am."

"Hey, don't think like that." Éponine said. "You must have faith. If you could find us, then we can find her, the real her."

"And Marius?" Valjean said. "What if he never remembers and Cosette is left to wonder where her true love has gone?" Éponine froze. Her feud between her and the "I'm so in love with you because we saw each other across the street" couple had many ups and downs. If they both remembered, they would profess their love to each other again. At least now Éponine ended her incessant cry for Marius' love. She moved on, for the most part.

"He'll remember. I'll make it happen." Éponine said. She sighed and looked to Enjolras. His eyebrows creased upward. He stared at her hoping to hear what he wanted her to say. Instead, she said, "We need a new plan."

"How is this going to work?"

"It's easy, Gav." Éponine said. "I thought about it earlier today but I wasn't sure if it made any sense."

"Well, I still think you're crazy to think love is the most powerful thing in the world." Gavroche said, crossing his arms.

"It is!" Éponine argued. For a second her eyes glanced at Enjolras, meeting his. Quickly, she returned her attention to Gavroche. "All we need to do is make sure Cosette and Marius are at the ballroom the night of Prom. The rest should follow through."

"And you just think they'll fall in love all over again?" Valjean asked.

She nodded. "They've had a lot of time to get to know each other. They know each other better than before because of this." She didn't realize it until then, but they all did. Éponine never would have understood how softhearted Enjolras could be, or how amiable Cosette really was. She learned a lot from their situation. She understood who these people in her life were.

"How are you going to get them to go together?" Enjolras asked.

"Well, Marius told me he really wanted to ask her, and Cosette said she wanted to break up with Daniel."

"I never liked that guy," Valjean said with a growl.

"Okay, but what if she changes her mind about Daniel? Or what if he decides to go with someone else?" Enjolras said.

"Even if they go with someone else, they'll still be in the same room together." Éponine said. "If that's the case, then we need to cause Cosette and Daniel to fight."

"Shouldn't be that hard, they fight like every five minutes." Gavroche said.

"How would you know?" Éponine asked, her eyebrows creased upward.

Gavroche shrugged. "Every time we see her they're fighting or pretending to be happy. That relationship could never last."

"At least she'll be with her true love soon," Valjean said. He rested his back on the bench and looked straight up to the clear sky. "I hope they find each other again."

Éponine placed a hand on his shoulder and he directed his attention to her. "Marius and Cosette found something most people rarely find ever. They found someone to love. I used to love Marius as much as Cosette does, but seeing them together and the look they give each other, it's something no one else can replace." She intentionally looked to Enjolras. "They found true love."

Enjolras stood frozen next to the bench. Was it a sign? Was she talking to him? His emotions ran wild through his body, pumping his blood and quickening his breath. He was never nervous. He always faced things head on. Why couldn't he face this head on? What caused him to panic and freeze?

Her. She did. Getting to know her changed him. Understanding her changed how he viewed her. Before she was the lovesick puppy following Marius everywhere he went, even to her death at the barricades. Now, she was a strong-willed girl fighting for what she wants.

And he loved that.

"Excuse me, but I have a…um, I have an errand to run." Enjolras said, backing away slowly. Everyone watched as he walked nervously, almost tripping on his feet.

"Goodbye, Enjolras." Valjean said.

"Yeah, bye." Éponine said, her eyes still watching his, but slowly moving down until they landed on her hands in her lap.

"Enjolras?" Gavroche said.

Enjolras winked. "Don't worry, Gav. I know what to get." He turned around and walked proudly away, this time taking confident steps. Gavroche smiled and laid in the grassy patch behind the bench. A tree shaded him. He sang, "Enjy and 'Ponine, sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G."

Yay! Enjorlas admits it! Well, sort of. But after Éponine also "sort of" admitted it, she doesn't look too happy. Yikes! I'm saying too much. Anyway, I'll try my hardest to finish this story this summer (cuz I reallyyyy hate when my stories take over a year to complete) so expect an update soon! (Hopefully, I don't know maybe just wait until your email tells you I've updated I guess lol)

Anabelle ;)