38

Upon leaving the Guardian's building, she walked in the direction of Combeferre and Enjolras' flat instead of going back to her own apartment.

She wanted to talk to someone, someone who made sense, and someone who wasn't going to start crying like Inès or talking in riddles like Éléonore. Combeferre would make sense, she knew, and would help her make sense of it in her own head. And Enjolras, if he was there…He'd just be Enjolras, ultimately, and she was still learning what that entailed.

The door was answered a couple of moments after she knocked, and it was answered not by Combeferre or Enjolras, but by Courfeyrac.

"I thought you were going out with Gavroche today," she said, instead of hello.

He stood aside to let her in. "I am," he said, "But it's still early. And keep your voice down – Enjolras is still in bed and he's very bad-tempered when he's woken up by loud noises."

Combeferre was sat on the sofas reading a Clémence Lefebvre book and plucking small macaroons off a plate sat on the sofa next to him. He lowered the book as she walked in and smiled at her. "Éponine," he said. "Good morning."

"Morning," she said, removing her shawl from her shoulders and looping it around her hands.

"Would you like a macaroon?" Combeferre gestured to the plate. "I hear you had quite the eventful evening last night."

"I did," she said, taking one macaroon and popping it, whole, into her mouth.

"It certainly sounded like an adventure," Courfeyrac chimed in, jumping onto the sofa with an enthusiasm Éponine usually associated with Hyacinthe. "I wish I had been there to see it."

"So do I, actually," Combeferre said, closing the book and resting it on the arm of the sofa. Éponine moved the plate of macaroons out of the way and took their place, putting them down on the small table in between the sofas. "It sounds fascinating," he continued. "But Enjolras was not in the best of moods when he came home. He was not too impressed with your heroics."

"Oh, I know," she said, dismissively. "He told me as much."

"It did have the potential to be dangerous," Combeferre said.

"Yes, but it also had the potential to not be dangerous, which was the correct option," Éponine said with a small shrug.

"You're so interesting, Éponine," Courfeyrac said wistfully, rolling around on the sofa opposite. "They've filled me in on all of this business with that horrible man and it's really quite fascinating."

"Maybe it is for an outsider looking in," Éponine allowed. "But for me, it's just really rather odd."

"Oddness is usually fascinating," Courfeyrac said, nodding fast. "Especially in this case. Say, do you think you killed that man, or do you think he's coming back?"

"I hope I killed him," Éponine said honestly.

"I'm not usually one to wish anyone dead, but if I were, he would be on the list," Combeferre said. "I hate to think what might have happened if..."

"I would have handled it," Éponine said.

Combeferre tilted his head to one side and just looked at her for a few minutes before speaking. "I'm sure you would have," he said.

Courfeyrac plucked one of the macaroons from the plate and experimentally licked the edge of it before staring at it. After a few moments, he popped it into his mouth and chewed. "I've only ever seen one Portal," he said thoughtfully, "And it was that one last night, in the mirror. Do you see them often, Éponine?"

"Not really," Éponine replied. "I can count the ones I've seen on one hand."

"They look interesting," Courfeyrac sighed.

"Éléonore says they're dangerous," Combeferre commented, "That people can become addicted to them and the sights that they offer."

"The ones I have seen have either been nothing to do with me, therefore not very tempting, or something I don't want to look at for very long," Éponine said.

"Apart from last night's," Courfeyrac said. "That was apparently very tempting considering you went straight to the river."

"I had to know what was going on," Éponine said. "I was just…curious. I still don't completely understand what's going on, though."

Courfeyrac wound his fingers through his hair. "I must admit," he began, "I am a little jealous."

"Of what, exactly?" Éponine raised her eyebrows. "You're jealous of the fact I'm a freak?"

"You're not a freak," Courfeyrac said, looking surprised at her words and the harshness behind them. "I didn't mean to offend you, Éponine. I genuinely find it fascinating. I just wish my time here was shaping up to be this interesting."

"It's not interesting," Éponine said. "Mostly it's been a bit horrible and hard to get used to, and I just want it to stop."

Silence followed her words, but then a door creaked open and Enjolras emerged from his room. His hair was messy from sleep, the fair curls sticking up in every direction, and he wore a shirt and trousers, with no jacket or waistcoat or, as she could see as he walked closer, shoes. It was easily the most relaxed that Éponine had ever seen Enjolras, and the sight quickly put her at ease.

"Good morning," he said, as a greeting. His eyebrows were quirked in askance. "What brings you here so early, Éponine?"

"I had to speak to the elderly woman last night – I think her name might be Jeanne – but it turns out that she's Inès' mother, and Inès seems to hate all of them, so Éléonore told me to come home," Éponine said.

"Inès' mother?" Enjolras slowly sat down next to Courfeyrac. "I didn't expect that. There's not much family resemblance, is there?"

"Not physically, but now I know they're related the constant arguing amongst her siblings makes more sense," Éponine said.

"So where exactly were they from?" Combeferre asked.

"I'm not sure." Éponine bit her lip. "Other places, I think. The mother – Jeanne – she came back here, but the rest of them seem to have been residing elsewhere, apart from Inès."

"So there are other communities?" Combeferre ran his thumb down the spine of the book on his lap. "That – that's very interesting. And people can travel through them?"

"I assume so," Éponine said. "But I don't know how, as they didn't seem able to come over the river by themselves without my help. So…"

"It would seem that you can travel through the barriers," Courfeyrac said, his eyes twinkling. "Now isn't that a tantalising prospect?"

A/N: I just wanted to take a moment to discuss the É/E aspect of this story. It is going to remain an É/E story, because that's what it was always planned to be, but it's not going to happen properly for quite a while. There will be lots of interaction, but it will not necessarily be truly 'romantic' for a while. I know that might be frustrating, but it's the only way I can see their relationship working. There will also be other aspects of their relationship that will be slightly different that will be revealed in due course. I'm only saying this to just let people know that their relationship will be slow and a lot will have to happen before it turns properly 'romantic'.

Also, thanks to everyone who has been reviewing/alerting/favouriting this story, I really appreciate it :)