*Authors Note revised April 19, 2015*

*Revised June 23, 2013*

Epilogue

6 months later

Enjolras hurried home in the chilly April air. The weather hadn't yet turned and the wind still had a bit of a bite to it. He was later than he'd intended, for just as he was about to leave the orphanage, some of the older boys had engaged him a discussion about the latest piece he had written for Marius and Joly's newspaper The Republican. He had spoken out, along with many others, on the recent law passed that was aimed at political associations. Since 1810, unauthorized association of more than twenty individuals was illegal; hence, the small size of the Les Amisand the reason other such societies had haphazardly existed throughout the country, though they were all loosely connected with each other. The new law, however, broadened the definition of an illegal association and imposed harsher penalties should any such political clubs be discovered. The law passed in mid-April, only two weeks ago, and people were still up in arms about it. The law meant that what he and Gabrielle were currently involved with was most definitely illegal.

Enjolras had to explain most of of the law and what it meant to the boys, but they were interested, and he was never one to stifle curiosity. He was proud of the outrage that showed in their eyes when they understood, the feeling warming his chest.

Since Nicolette's birth, Enjolras had found a renewed passion and interest in politics; he had put aside Rousseu and begun studying the American Revolution more extensively, reading the writings of Ben Franklin and Thomas Jefferson especially. He was even helping his new acquaintance, a learned man named de Toqueville, with some writings he intended to release in the coming year analyzing the democracy in America. The American's Constitution was Rouseau's social contract put into practice, after all. Enjolras also constantly wondered if the only way to achieve a republic, governed by the people, was through a long and bloody revolution such as the one in which the Americans had to endure.

Overthrowing an oppressive state was never a peaceful occurrence, and Enjolras supposed it never would be.

This winter had been especially harsh, and the people were growing more and more restless. It had seemed to start overnight. Even as Enjolras found his own passion for the cause again, the people of Paris and elsewhere in France were also finally stirring. The cold and bitter snow hadn't frozen them, but rather made them invigorated with a restless and demanding energy. There had been riots all winter over the price of food and the low wages workers received, and it seemed as if there was no end in sight. It hadn't occurred in just Paris, either, but all over the country, in its various regions. As they starved and froze to death in the winter snow, their minds had finally been engaged by the ideas of what could be, and what should be. Many of them were calling for blood, specifically the blood of the king, and there were whispers of assassination attempts daily. The passing of the new law, intended to scare people from banding together, had the opposite effect. Frankly, Enjolras was surprised Louis-Phillipe hadn't yet fled Paris. Though Enjolras wasn't fond of the idea of assassinating the king, with every passing day, he waited for the news that it had happened. The situation has escalated so quickly, he wouldn't be surprised. It made Enjolras thrilled and terrified in equal parts, even though he wasn't yet sure of the role he would play in all of this.

As Enjolras opened the front door and stepped into the hall, he heard his two favorite sounds – Gabrielle's voice and Nicolette's loud, babbling laughter. They made every unpleasant thought running through his head fly away. Since his daughter had discovered her own ability to make noise, it seemed that was all she wanted to do. He didn't know if it was an indication of how much she would like to talk later in life, but if it was, they were in for many long conversations. Enjolras grinned and hung up his coat, then made his way into the library, where Gabrielle was sitting comfortably on the floor playing with Nicolette.

Gabrielle looked up at the sound of his footsteps and smiled widely when he entered the room. "Hello, Antoine. You're late! Nicolette has a new trick she wants to show you."

"Oh?" Enjolras sat on the floor next to Gabrielle and was delighted to see Nicolette reaching for him with her chubby little hands. He leaned over her and lifted her dress, blowing a raspberry on her stomach, which made her squeal with laughter again. She had begun to recognize both of her parents lately, and smiled widely whenever one of them entered the room, kicking her little feet like she wanted to get up and run to them.

Gabrielle leaned over and kissed him quickly, then picked up one of Nicolette's favorite rattles and held it in front of her, just out of her reach. "Watch," she said. "She sat up earlier, completely on her own!"

Nicolette reached for the rattle and began to fuss when it wasn't immediately handed to her. It took all Enjolras had not to snatch it from Gabrielle's hand and give it to the baby. He hated seeing her upset in any capacity, which he knew was a little bit ridiculous since it was just a toy, but still. After a few moments, however, Nicolette seemed to give up the fussing and with several little grunts, pulled herself up to sit. She grabbed the rattle from Gabrielle's hands and stuck it in her mouth, looking at him with what Enjolras perceived as triumph in her eyes. He laughed and praised her, reaching out to tickle her stomach. His reward was more laughter from her, and he couldn't help the contended sigh that passed from his lips.

"It's my favorite time of day when you come home," Gabrielle said bemusedly as she watched him. "You always seem so happy to be here."

"I am," Enjolras answered automatically. "In fact, I'm sorry I was late today. Some of the boys stopped me and wanted to talk as I was leaving."

"That's alright. You will always have more than just me demanding your time." Gabrielle glanced at the clock. "Speaking of, we have about an hour until the meeting begins. I ate already, but there's some supper in the kitchen."

"Thank you, love." Enjolras rose and stopped in the doorway. "Are you coming with me tonight?"

"Yes. Your mother is coming over to stay with the baby."

"Good. Genevieve was saying the other day that she hadn't seen you in a while."

Gabrielle picked Nicolette up and followed him into the kitchen, bouncing the baby in her arms to keep her quiet. "I know; I feel like I've barely left the house in weeks. It's been too cold to take Nicolette out – it feels like the weather is never going to break. I don't want her to get sick."

"Have you written at all?" Enjolras asked. Just as his own interests were renewed upon Nicolette's birth, so were Gabrielle's. Often, Enjolras would come home in the evening to find Gabrielle at her desk, using one foot to rock Nicolette's cradle as she feverishly wrote. She was almost finished with the novel she had put on hold so many months ago, when their relationship first began, and Enjolras couldn't be more impressed with her creativity. He had none of it.

"A little. She's so much more active now, though," Gabrielle said, gently uncurling Nicolette's fingers from a lock of her hair. "She demands more of my attention, and I don't mind giving it."

Enjolras smiled as watched Gabrielle nuzzle Nicolette's nose with her own, and began to eat the food left out for him. "You know, for not having a clue what we're doing, I think Nicolette is the most perfect baby in France."

"Just in France?" Gabrielle laughed and squeezed his shoulder as she went back into the hall. "I'm going to feed her and change. Your mother should be here any minute."

Enjolras ate quickly, and finished just as his mother knocked on the front door. He opened it and let her in, then went into the bedroom to change his cravat. He took Nicolette from Gabrielle as she changed her dress, and the baby was soon fast asleep against his shoulder. "Your grandmother isn't going to be happy you're sleeping," he mumbled, and laid her in her cradle.

"Will you do the buttons on my dress?" Gabrielle asked, smirking at him in the mirror.

He raised his eyebrows at the exposed skin of her back and glared at her for teasing him, though he dutifully did up every last button. It wasn't until he was finished that he lowered his lips to her neck and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her in close to him. He glanced up to find her still smirking at him in the mirror; they hadn't been able to finish what they started that morning due to Nicolette's insistent fussing, and Enjolras had forced his dissatisfaction out of his mind all day.

"Are you sure we don't have time...?" he began, but Gabrielle laughed and quickly interrupted, turning around in his arms.

"No! We don't. Not for that, anyway..." She pulled on his still loose cravat and guided his lips down to hers for a long and slow kiss. Enjolras soon wasn't satisfied, however, and backed Gabrielle up against the wall, his knee jutting out to rest between her thighs and bring her closer to him. She held tightly to his shoulders as he pressed frenzied kisses to her mouth, neck, and shoulders. After a few minutes, Gabrielle firmly laid her hands on his chest and stopped him, pushing him lightly away. Her breathing was ragged, as was his.

"We could skip the meeting," he suggested.

Gabrielle rolled her eyes and turned back to the mirror to straighten her dress and fix her hair. "We can't, Antoine. Not tonight. There's too many important matters to discuss, and I know you want to hear about everything. But I promise that when we come home, you can do whatever you want." Gabrielle turned back around to tie his cravat, tucking it into his shirt. "Satisfied?"

"Somewhat."

"Oh, come on." She took his hand and pulled him out of the room, greeting Marie with a kiss on the cheek. "Nicolette is sleeping, Marie – we'll only be gone a few hours. I'll be back in time for her next feeding."

Marie frowned. "Sleeping, already? I should have come earlier," she grumbled. "You two have fun."

"Goodbye, Maman." Enjolras helped Gabrielle into her coat before putting on his own, then took her hand again as they left the house. It was cold out, and she huddled close to him for warmth. Enjolras eventually hailed a fiacre, since the Durands lived too far away to walk in the cold weather. They arrived to an already full house, which included Musichetta, Joly, Marius, Cosette, and many others they had been introduced to in the last six months when they first joined the Société des Droits de l'Homme, or the Society of Human Rights. (It was no secret that the recently passed law was aimed specifically at their growing numbers.)

They quickly found their friends and settled down together in the parlor. Musichetta asked both Gabrielle and Cosette about the children and looked like she was about to share news of her own when Monsieur Durand introduced a man from Lyon to the group to speak about the recent revolt there. There was still so much talk buzzing in the room as Durand began speaking that Enjolras missed his name, though Enjolras noticed several other men, considered leaders in the society, stationed throughout the room.

"Bonjour, my friends. As all of you know, there have been riots all over France in the last weeks. Lyon has been no different; however, what occurred this last time was nothing short of a massacre on the part of the government. The silk workers that rebelled had every right to do so, and attempted peaceful protests and strikes to protest the lowering of their wages in what has been a very prosperous economy. The workers rebelled, yes, but the government reaction and the firing upon an unarmed crowd, is just one more example of the abuse of power in our current system. The passing of the law against political associations proves..."

Enjolras was distracted as Gabrielle laid a hand on his arm and leaned close, whispering in his ear, "What is Henri doing here?"

Enjolras looked to the doorway to see the boy peering uncertainly around the room. Their eyes connected almost immediately and Henri grinned, slipping through the crowd of people and over to Enjolras.

"Enjolras! I had to find you right away," Henri whispered breathlessly.

Enjolras gave an apologetic nod to the people around them who were glaring at the interruption and Henri's loud voice. "Can it wait, Henri?"

"No! Enjolras, the king is dead!" Henri said excitedly, and quite a bit louder than before. Everyone in his vicinity froze and slowly turned to look at the boy.

Enjolras felt his throat go dry as he quickly looked up at Gabrielle, who wore a stunned expression. "What, Henri? Where did you learn this?"

"I have my sources," Henri said mischievously. Indeed, even though Henri now lived at the orphanage, he spent quite a bit of time still roaming the streets. "I just heard it not even an hour ago and came to find you straight off. They say he's been murdered – poisoned."

Enjolras cleared his throat and looked around, unsure what to do. At that moment, Enjolras noticed another man, a government official who was sympathetic to their cause, whispering in Durand's ear. The man from Lyon had stopped speaking and was looking curiously at the cause of the commotion. Enjolras' heart thumped loudly in his chest as he watched Durand receive the same news Henri had just brought. He almost couldn't believe it. No, he had never set out to murder the king, but...if circumstances were that fortuitous...

Durand, being a rather small man, stood on a chair and raised his hand to get everyone's attention. "My friends!" he said loudly, his eyes filled with excitement, "I have a rather...interesting...announcement! The king of France, Louis-Phillippe, is dead!"

Gasps of shock and excited whispers immediately shot through the room, but Enjolras, Gabrielle, and their little circle of friends were silent.

Enjolras met each of their eyes in turn, and felt Gabrielle squeeze his hand in solidarity. This news was only the beginning of what could be a permanent, and major change, in France. True, his heart was now divided, and given mostly to his family, but there would always be a calling, deep in his soul, for his Patria.

He nodded to both Marius and Joly and said quietly, "Vive le France!"

"Vive le France!" they echoed softly.

Their chief had risen again.

When I first completed this story and epilogue, I fully intended to write a sequel; however, in the last two years it just hasn't happened, and I doubt it ever will. It doesn't diminish my love for this story in any way, however, and I still appreciate all of the support and enthusiasm I received when writing!

My biggest bunch of gratitude goes to Brittney (BrittWitt16) and Erica (Bluehaven4220). Both have left me such wonderful reviews and have allowed me to bounce ideas off of them that really helped me with some turning points in the story. Britt especially has provided SO MUCH ENTHUSIASM even when I wasn't totally feeling it myself and I can't tell you how helpful it has been! (Also - go read their stuff. They're pretty awesome.)

EVERYONE ELSE, all of my amazing readers and reviewers, every single person that has PMed me and started up a conversation...thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I started writing this story just for me, and never expected ANYONE ELSE to give a damn about Enjolras and this random OC I came up with. I was very wrong, and the fact that so many people LOVE Gabrielle means so much to me. Thank you for reading. Thank you for the reviews. Thank you for the conversations. Thank you for all of the encouragement and kind words!

Until next time...

~A

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