Combeferre and Grantaire were still sat one on either side of Enjolras's bed two hours later, quietly exchanging stories about their friend.

"He got expelled from three different schools before he was twelve, and each time he got me kicked out with him." Combeferre smiled at the memories and Grantaire raised his eyebrows.

"Care to elaborate?"

"The first time he set all the class pets free. Six times within the space of two months. It was absolute chaos. He insisted that all creatures had the right to be free and not have to live in cages. Eventually the head was sick of them having to chase after guinea pigs and hamsters and demanded he either stop or leave. As he'd dragged me with him everytime he released them, I was also classed a a troublemaker and thrown out as well. Let me see, he set up a barricade in our second school, though I cannot for the life of me remember what he was rebelling about. The third school... Well, he got into an argument with his teacher during History lesson and he called her a 'fascist bitch'. God knows how we managed to get into the Grammar school with our track record."

Grantaire couldn't help but laugh. "How old was he when he built the barricade?"

"Nine. His parents were furious but they never could control him. They were too different to Enjolras. My father was more resigned by then. He knew from the moment I met Enjolras that I'd follow him to the ends of the Earth and back. He's the brother I never had."

Grantaire opened his mouth to ask another question but was interrupted by his phone buzzing.

"Hello?" he answered, not bothering looking at the caller ID.

"Are you guys still at the hospital?" Courfeyrac demanded, sounding panicked.

"Yeah, why?" Grantaire replied, holding up one finger when Combeferre mouthed, 'Who is it?'

"Cosette's waters broke. Jehan's driving her to the hospital at the minute while I pick Marius up. Can you let everyone else know?"

"Sure, text me when you're here and we'll come meet you as well." Grantaire glanced over at Combeferre's questioning expression as he ended the call. "Cosette's gone into labour, Courfeyrac wants us to let everyone know while he gets Marius."

"I'll text Eponine, 'Chetta, Joly and Bossuet, you text Bahorel, Feuilly and Valjean?" Combeferre suggested, pulling out his phone as he spoke.

Five minutes later everyone knew and were making plans to reach the hospital.

"Okay, they're in Ward 7 in the Maternity Wing," Combeferre told Grantaire, checking his phone again. "What are we doing? Both going, both staying, or one going and one staying with Enjolras?"

"Well I'm going," Grantaire said firmly. Combeferre nodded.

"Same." Squeezing Enjolras's hand lightly, he muttered, "Happy birthday Enjolras. I'll see you soon," before standing and heading for the door. Grantaire paused only to brush his lips over Enjolras's forehead and whisper a quick "I love you" before following.

When they finally reached the waiting room of the ward, having gotten lost three times on their way, they found themselves only waiting for a couple of minutes before Marius burst into the room, Courfeyrac hot on his heels.

"Where is she?" he gasped at the receptionist, Combeferre quickly stepping forwards to give Cosette's full name and explain that Marius was her husband when he realised Marius was way too out of breath to say anything else. The receptionist smiled at them both, giving them directions to Cosette's room. Marius set off again straight away, shooting a quick "thank you" over his shoulder. Combeferre shook his head fondly at him.

"He's been worrying the whole way here," Courfeyrac sighed, flopping into a chair exhaustedly. "Almost had a panic attack at one point."

Appearing in the doorway, Jehan made his way over to his fiance and curled up in the chair next to him, head resting on Courfeyrac's shoulder.

"She has quite some grip," he mumbled, flexing his fingers. "And one hell of a voice. I do not envy Marius anything right now."

"So you'd suggest not going in there," Grantaire guessed.

"Absolutely not. Not if you want to leave again with your sanity," Jehan warned.

"Then we stay here," Courfeyrac said firmly. "Marius may be my best friend, but no way in hell am I going in there."


None of the friends were willing to leave that night, though Grantaire had left at three to pick up Alana from school.

"I made daddy a card," she told him, holding it out. "Will you give him it?"

"Of course," Grantaire replied, taking it then hugging her as she held her arms out. He pulled her up onto his shoulders and set off back home, listening to her telling him about her day.

"How's daddy today?" she asked before they were halfway home.

"Still sleeping," he said softly. "Me and 'Ferre spent a few hours with him earlier though."

"Will you give him the card tomorrow?"

"Of course I will. And I'll have to visit Cosette of course. She's having her baby."

"That's great!" Alana squealed. "Boy or girl?"

"We don't know yet, but I'll tell you as soon as I know," he promised.

"Will I be able to play with him or her?"

"When they're a little older, yes. They'll be a little small to play games at the minute, but you'll still be able to hold them and stuff."

"I can't wait," she smiled.


Grantaire made a quick stop by Enjolras's room when he arrived at the hospital next morning after dropping Alana off at school, walking the now-familiar corridors quickly. He lightly ran his hand through the blonde hair which was slowly starting to grow back, his hand continuing to stroke down his cheek and ending up resting against Enjolras's cheek.

"Allie made you a card yesterday," he said softly, kissing his forehead. "A birthday card, though if you knew the date that would be kinda obvious. It's real pretty. Red card, with a picture of a dog wearing glasses and reading a book on the front. Well, at least I think that's what it could be. It almost looks like that. She definitely inherited your artistic skills Enj. Anyways, I can't stay long. Cosette's in labour - isn't that great? I had to leave last night to look after Alana but everyone else stayed to wait and I'm going to go join them. I'll be back soon though. Either later today or tomorrow. So, uh, try and wake up for then, okay? But if you can't, then sleep well." Grantaire brushed his lips over Enjolras's faintly before turning and leaving the room again.

"What did I miss?" Grantaire asked as he entered the waiting room at the Maternity Ward, looking round at the tired faces lining the room.

"It's going slowly," Courfeyrac sighed, shifting slightly to try and get more comfortable without disturbing the poet curled up asleep with his head in his lap. "Feuilly and Bahorel had to leave to go to work, but Marius escaped for five minutes earlier to tell us that the baby was a breech, hence why it's taking so long. Cosette's fighting the idea of a C-section though."

"I don't blame her," Musichette murmured, stroking her fingers through Joly's hair as he rested his head on her shoulder tiredly.

"Have any of you actually slept?" Grantaire rolled his eyes when they shook their heads. "You should have taken it in turns. Wow, you can tell things are bad when even I am making sensible suggestions. Look, there's no saying how long this will take." He glanced over at Valjean. "Me and Mr. Valjean can wait. The rest of you should try and get some rest. If you manage to sleep, I'll wake you as soon as we hear some news." He ignored all protests, weak though they were from some, simply glaring his friends down until they finally sighed and settled into their chairs more comfortably.

"Thank you," Combeferre told Grantaire, wrapping his arms round Eponine and half-pulling her onto his lap.


Valjean and Grantaire sat in silence for over an hour until the older man finally looked over at him.

"You know, you're not as bad as I thought," he allowed gruffly, his worried frown not really relaxing. "You've grown up."

"Um... thanks?"

Valjean almost smiled at the confusion in Grantaire's voice.

"When I first met you, I came close to forbidding Cosette to have anything to do with you," he explained. "A cynical nihilistic drunkard who was so obviously dangerously in love with a man who seemed to hate him that I was worried you would bring the whole group down with you when things finally kicked off between the pair of you and he destroyed you completely. Cosette would have been affected when you fell to pieces - you know how deeply she grows to care about her friends, and for some reason she made good friends with you. I blame the art."

"She does like paintings," Grantaire agreed. "Though I haven't really had the chance to see her much in the past few months. Too much other stuff has been going on since Enjolras came home, and sadly it's our friendship which has had to sink into the background a little."

"Thank you," Valjean said suddenly. "For being there for her whenever anything went wrong for her. For loving her. For always giving up your time if she asked for your company, even since Enjolras came home and your time has been split even more. And right this minute, for sitting here waiting for news about her instead of sitting with the man you love."

Grantaire blinked in surprise. It was the first time Valjean had ever said anything nice about him - normally he just got a "oh, it's you again is it" whenever his friend's father saw him.

"Uh, thanks," he said finally. "Again."

"Don't mess up now," Valjean warned quickly, as if worried Grantaire was going to think he was turning soft.

"I won't," Grantaire promised. "Though really, me falling apart won't really bring this group down. They don't need me to survive. Cosette has Marius and, after today, their child. They'll be fine."

"You're talking as if it's set in stone that you're going to fall apart. It may not end so bad."

"It will if Enjolras doesn't wake up," Grantaire whispered, glancing down at his clasped hands as he leant forwards and rested his forearms on his knees.

"He will," Valjean said firmly. "God wouldn't take him now, not with his daughter depending on him so much. And if God does take him, then it's because he knows you are perfectly capable of raising Alana instead of Enjolras."

Grantaire opened his mouth to reply but was cut off by a door just down the corridor banging open.

"Guys!" Marius cried, skidding out and running down the corridor towards them. "Guys, I'm a dad!"


Somehow the entire group managed to crowd into the tiny hospital room after Grantaire had woken them all up, smiling at the sight of Cosette sat up in bed, her small baby resting in her arms as she cooed down at him.

"Well?" Courfeyrac demanded. "Boy or girl?"

"Boy," she told them all, unable to stop smiling no matter how exhausted she felt.

"Name?" was Jehan's quick question, still blinking the sleep away from his eyes.

"We hadn't really thought about boys names," Marius admitted from his perch on the edge of the bed, arm resting round Cosette's shoulders.

"We know who we want for godparents though," Cosette continued. "Ep? You'll be godmother right?"

"Love to," Eponine smiled, leaning into Combeferre's side.

"And Courf," Marius added. "You're definitely a godfather."

"Yessir," Courfeyrac grinned, saluting the couple.

"So who's the third?" Combeferre inquired.

"Grantaire," Cosette said softly, surprising them all.

"...Seriously?" Grantaire asked, stunned. "I thought you'd choose Enjolras, even though he's... not here right now. I mean, Enjolras is the one that you're better friends with, and-"

"You're loyal, loving, caring, easy-going but sometimes strict when needed, and most importantly, good with kids and a good friend to us both," Marius ticked off on his fingers.

"But... what about Combeferre?" Grantaire tried. "He'd make a way better godfather than me. Or Jehan."

"Well technically we're godfathers-through-relationships," Combeferre chuckled. "I agree with the happy couple. You're a good choice."

"I... That is..." Grantaire sighed as he looked round at the smiles on everyone's face. "Fine. Okay. I accept. Thank you. This is..." He laughed weakly. "One hell of an honour and I hope I don't mess it up."

"You won't," Valjean told him, surprising everyone with his vote of assurance. "Now can I hold my grandson?"

As Cosette positioned her son in her papa's arms Courfeyrac suddenly brightened up and laughed loudly.

"Trust you guys to have a son on Friday the thirteenth!"

The replies were instantaneous.

"No Marius we are not calling my son Jason."

"I never said a word!"


"They made me godfather," Grantaire said softly after he'd described Marius and Cosette's son to Enjolras, taking his boyfriend's hand again. "I can't believe it. I thought I'd be their last choice. I mean, who wants a drunkard as their child's godfather, even if I am an ex-drunkard. I failed once, it could happen again. I don't want it to, but I have to honest about this. It could happen." The silence was deafening as Grantaire fell silent, and he sighed quietly. "Okay, okay. I know what you'd be saying if you were awake right now. 'Grantaire, you need to have more faith in yourself. Believe in something for once. Believe in you for once. You're not useless. You haven't fucked up with Alana yet, bar that one drunk incident which will from now on be ignored, and you won't fuck up with your godson. Just relax. You will do fine.'" Grantaire laughed. "Oh god, you even have that cute little frown when berating me in my own head. Yeah, okay, I'll admit it. I have it bad." He glanced at his watch before bending down and kissing Enjolras's cheek. "I need to go pick Alana up from school. Love you."

He'd reached the door before he stopped, remembering something as he turned in the doorway to face the bed.

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot. My godson. They called him Christopher. Christopher Alexander."