Chapter Twenty Eight

A/N: Thank you to ToriBenedictEnjolras for reviewing the last chapter.

"But you were so passionate about it." Marius protested, his brow furrowed in utter confusion. Éponine's arms were folded over her chest; in practical terms, she was holding her shawl tighter around her, but the air of irritation it gave her was not misplaced.

"Marius, I was only going to those meetings to see you." the young woman protested, shrugging her shoulders. "Most of the time, I don't even know what they're all talking about."

The young man had his doubts about that. It had not escaped his notice, the way that Éponine's eyes had followed Enjolras around the room, hanging on his every word. It might be true that she did not care for the politics of Les Amis, but its leader was a different tale altogether.

Had he not known the girl as well as he did, Marius might have asked her about it. But a life on the streets had made Éponine very defensive, and he did not want to push her away; she had precious few people to turn to as it was.

Instead, he held his hands up in defeat, bowing his head to jokingly acknowledge her victory. It was a game they had played since they were only children and the memories of that simpler time could not help but bring a smile to the young woman's face.

The smile did not last long, her arms winding tighter around her waist. "Was that all you came here for? To ask about Les Amis?"

Marius stuffed his hands in the pockets of his trousers, his eyes downturned a little. That was enough of an answer for 'Ponine.

"I don't want you to think that she is the only reason I come to this house." Marius tried to protest, but Éponine cut him off. She did not want to listen to excuses they both knew were falsified for the sake of saving an argument.

"She's out helping the nuns, with Jean." the young woman stated, her voice cold as the wind beginning to whip up around them. Neither of them should be out in such weather, she ought to invite him inside. Somehow, 'Ponine could not bring herself to do it this time, to have him waiting in the parlour when Cosette inevitably returned from her charitable dealings.

The young man nodded, a gesture more akin to a businessman than a friend, and huddled his shoulders a little more against the cold. Marius had always had a habit of being able to read his best friend well, however little she might like to admit it. Usually, she found it rather endearing, but not now. Not when it was about her.

And then they were left in silence once again, as 'Ponine expected they would be for a long while yet. She was stubborn as a mule, had been since childhood, a result of having so little say in her own life, her own future, while Marius was pliable, with the malleable mind of a student eager to learn. In all the years they had stood side by side, that combination had only gone one way.

Today was the day that compassion finally got the better of the young woman, as she let out a heaving sigh that was lost on the window and stood clear of the doorway, throwing her arm into the empty hallway to beckon her friend inside. The atmosphere between them took a little longer to dissipate, but the slight smiles at the corners of each of their lips did not go unnoticed.

The gesture seemed to come just in time, as only five minutes later the rain was beating against the window like a vicious coachman driving horses, white flashes cutting through the closing darkness. Éponine had weathered a thousand storms in Paris, some of them out in the cold on one of Thénardier's missions, but she never found the experience any easier.

"Are you alright, 'Ponine?" Marius seemed to tremble a little as he asked the question, as if he did not know whether he was entitled to worry about her any longer. Had so much truly changed between them in so little time?

"I don't think I'll ever be comfortable in a thunderstorm, no matter how many I go through in my life." Éponine admitted, having worried her lip between her teeth for the few moments beforehand. It was so much more than a small admission of weakness; it was an offer of trust that had so nearly been broken.

Marius smiled gently, inclining his head towards the seat beside him. Taking the hint, Éponine crossed the room, settling down on the cushioned settee and slowly allowing her head to fall onto his shoulder. This was the comfort she had longed for, the friendship that had drifted away from shore each time Marius caught sight of her cousin, Cosette. 'Or maybe I pushed it out to sea.' the young woman reasoned. 'Whatever happened, it's done now. I'm not going to let him go again.'

The thunder continued to rumble for hours on end, but the two barely heard it, raising their own voices a little to drown out the roar of the storm. They laughed through their memories, all the escapades that had made a childhood on the streets of Paris worth living, and with every word, they became those children again, with no one in the world that mattered more than each other.

The clouds were finally beginning to part by the time the lock of the door clicked open, revealing a slightly sodden Jean and Cosette. The blonde woman still managed to be beautiful, even when she vaguely resembled a drowned rat, but Marius only spared a few moments to admire her. Instead, he was focused on the young woman fast asleep on his shoulder, more comfortable by his side than she had been in forever. She seemed so peaceful when she slept, the hardness she faced the world with everyday stripped from her expression, like a veil thrown back to reveal the true beauty beneath.

"Good night, 'Ponine." Marius whispered to the girl, once her uncle came to remove her to her bed. "I'm glad we are friends again. And I swear to you, we will be that way the rest of our lives. We will never be apart again."

A/N: I really hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, I just couldn't bear to keep this animosity between them! Now that Marinine are alright, it's time to sort out another member of Les Amis. Please review!